If This 'Riverdale' Theory Is True, Your Faves Are In Even More Danger Than You Thought

As the Black Hood continues to wreak havoc on Riverdale, fans have rounded up quite the pool of suspects: Sheriff Keller, Ethel's dad, nearly everyone in Betty's family. But is it possible, too, that the masked vigilante isn't working alone? Could there be two Black Hoods on Riverdale?

Thus far, it's been difficult to pin the murders on any one person. They all have convincing motivations, and there are certainly clues pointing their way, but the Black Hood that's been seen on-screen has a very specific look: middle-aged man, stocky build, bright green eyes. If that's the one and only killer, it could really only be Hal Cooper, Sheriff Keller, or some minor character that wouldn't make for an interesting reveal. In the same vein, making Hal Cooper or Sheriff Keller the Black Hood would almost be too obvious, since they're the only two that even vaguely fit the Black Hood's physical description. Last season proved that Riverdale has prowess when it comes to spinning compelling murder mysteries — not many saw the Clifford Blossom twist coming — and if the show's writers want to one-up their past storytelling, not backtrack, two Black Hoods would be the way to do it.

As the theory goes, there's one person committing the actual murders — the guy with green eyes — and another masterminding the operation from behind scenes. Here, some have pointed to Betty's parents: Hal could be the brawn, Alice the brains. Both have a rather inflated moral high ground and want to protect their daughters from Riverdale's seedy underbelly, and perhaps the Blossom tragedy pushed them over the edge.

Alternatively, the second perpetrator might not even be in cahoots with the Black Hood, but simply capitalizing on his existence to mess with Betty's head. In Season 2, Episode 4, "The Town That Dreaded Sundown," Alice pointed out that the letter sent to The Riverdale Register and the one received by Betty featured different handwriting — so different, in fact, that Sheriff Keller accused Betty of forging the message herself. We know the first letter, in which the Black Hood explains his motives, is real because it contains Fred's wallet and Ms. Grundy's sunglasses — both things only their killer (or in Fred's case, attempted killer) would have. The second, however, includes no hard proof connecting to the Black Hood.

As noted by Reddit user Duckduckpun, the Black Hood Betty's been speaking with has also yet to follow through on his threats. Via the cipher, he tells Betty that the Town Hall meeting is next on his hit list, but he never actually attacks anyone. Sure, Betty did her best to foil his plan, but this is a cold-blooded killer. It doesn't seem likely that he'd be so easily stopped by someone pulling a fire alarm. Moreover, when he asked Betty for a name, she gave him Nick St. Clair's, but Nick was ultimately left unharmed. That could be because he's not a Riverdale resident, as the Black Hood explains, or because the real Black Hood was never part of the conversation.

Plus, whoever wrote the letter sent to Betty has intimate knowledge of her life, which suggests they're someone she's known for a long time. This could be a family member, like Alice or Hal, who wants to drive her away from "bad influences" like Jughead and his Southside pals or Veronica and her criminally intwined parents. Or it could be a classmate with a personal vendetta, like Cheryl, who might be seeking vengeance after Betty coerced her into testifying in F.P.'s favor.

Whichever the case, there seems to be a lot of evidence hinting that being the Black Hood isn't a solo job, and Riverdale might just be in for double the danger.