These 'Riverdale' Theories Suggest Jughead Doesn't Die — But He May Kill Someone

It wouldn't be Riverdale without a big cliffhanger, and Season 3's flash-forward may have been the show's most shocking yet. Since then, fans have been left to agonize about what might happen to Jughead, but that time has also allowed some pretty interesting theories about Riverdale Season 4 to come out of the woodwork — and not just about Jughead's fate. Between the Farm, Charles, and Hiram's perpetual scheming, there's still a lot to dissect.

That said, viewers will have to wait until at least Episode 2 to resolve any lingering mysteries. The Season 4 premiere will serve as a tribute to Luke Perry, who died unexpectedly in March. The only question that will be answered is what will become of Perry's Riverdale character, Fred Andrews, and you'll definitely want to have some tissues on hand. In an interview with TVLine, Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said filming the episode was "brutal" for the cast, but it also proved to be very cathartic, making him glad they waited until the new season to finish Fred (and Perry's) story.

After that, Fred's absence will still loom heavy over the show, but it should be mostly back to business as usual. Here's what twists fans think could be in store.

1. Jughead Dies

The flash-forward at the end of Season 3 showed Veronica, Archie, and Betty covered in blood and in their underwear while out in the woods. Jughead was noticeably MIA — a fact made more ominous after they threw his trademark beanie (also covered in blood) into the fire and swore never to speak about what happened again. This obviously doesn't bode well for Jughead's fate, but is it really possible that his three best friends had something to do with his death?

2. Jughead Kills Someone

Then again, just because Jughead is absent in the flash-forward doesn't necessarily mean any harm has come to him. In fact, Reddit user purplechilipepper thinks it's quite the opposite.

"My theory is that some Macbeth sh*t is going to go down," the Reddit user explained. "Jughead went nuts and killed Charles. He's not in the scene because he's off somewhere freaking out. Betty went into cover-up mode and enlisted Veronica & Archie to burn the body and all the evidence. I think Betty went all Lady Macbeth and was the reason for/driving force behind the murder."

Purplechilipepper also added that Betty wouldn't agree to cover up a murder for just anyone — only Jughead, who has always been her ride or die.

3. Charles Is Working For The Farm

Betty and Jughead met their real brother Charles at the end of Season 3 after he revealed he was an FBI agent working to bring Edgar Evernever and The Farm down. But on Riverdale, you never know what kind of secrets people are hiding. Reddit user tea-killa thinks that Charles is actually working for Edgar and that he's just posing as an agent in order to get closer to Betty. This would also explain why Alice kept saying that she saw her son at The Farm — because that's where Charles was before the "ascension" took place.

4. There Will Finally Be A Sabrina Crossover

The Season 3 finale showed Cheryl hanging out with her dead brother's corpse, which, though super creepy, could also be setting up a supernatural crossover. Greendale is just one town over, and a certain resident there has some experience when it comes to bringing the dead back to life. Could this be the start of the Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina crossover everyone has been waiting for? Reddit user Persian_13 thinks it'd be the perfect way to incorporate a Halloween special, allowing these two words to finally collide.

Regardless of which theories actually come to pass, life in Riverdale is never boring, and Season 4 should be no exception to that rule.