Riverdale: 10 Characters Who Didn’t Look Quite Right In The Show

Recent adaptations of classic Archie Comics characters to TV screens have taken some decidedly interesting turns. That was true for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and it’s certainly true for Riverdale. From moment one, The CW’s series about these formerly good-natured American teenagers took a huge left turn from anything going on in the classic comics.

Keeping in mind that pretty much every character in the TV series is nothing like their comic book counterparts, those differences are even more stark in some cases. Honestly, fans of the TV series are better off ignoring the comics because it might just be confusing.

10 Reggie Mantle Isn’t Archie’s Best Frenemy Anymore

In the comics, the relationship between Archie and Reggie is tumultuous at best. Sometimes enemies, sometimes rivals and occasionally even allies when the moment calls for it. Most of their fighting was over Veronica, though Archie usually had the edge.

That didn’t change in the TV series. What did change is how Reggie essentially grew up to be an errand boy and underling for nefarious Hiram Lodge. Even worse, he was also a Jingle Jangle dealer for a time. As with most characters adapted from the comics, Reggie’s took a darker route.

9 Dilton Doiley Had A Much Darker Run

When it came to the comics, Dilton Doiley was generally regarded as the the smartest guy around. He was a well meaning nerd who generally had Moose watching his back, which was good as there were more than a few people who tried to bully him.

The show took a much different direction. This Dilton was a conspiracy theorist, a survivalist and a gun fanatic. He was eventually killed as part of a sacrifice to the Gargoyle King. Regardless of the circumstances around his death, Dilton was not the lovable geek like he was in the comics.

8 Ethel Muggs Might Not Be As Obsessive As She Used To Be

The key defining characteristic of Ethel Muggs in the comics has always been her utter obsession with Jughead Jones. Her unflappable determination in her pursuit of him is actually kind of inspiring in its own weird way.

Ethel Muggs in the TV series looks nothing like her comic book counterpart. And she is far more vengeful in the TV iteration than she was in the comics. That being said, her defining trait was no longer Jughead Jones, which was actually a good thing.

7 Moose Mason Is Not Interested In Midge Anymore

The big, lovable goon known as Moose was generally a good dude. He loved Midge, was best friends with Dilton and disliked Reggie. In Moose’s defense, Reggie was constantly hitting on Midge and she was not interested at all.

Moose went through some huge changes in the TV series. He was no longer a big, blonde lunkhead and he definitely wasn’t interested in Midge. Instead, he was in a relationship with Kevin Keller, which became one of the series’ more interesting stories.

6 Cheryl Blossom Actually Became Kinda Scary

After a few decades of chasing Betty and Veronica through high school, a new love interest was introduced for Archie. Her name was Cheryl Blossom, and this lively redhead certainly caught Archie’s attention.

The TV version of Cheryl couldn’t be more different from the comics. She’s still a redhead, but now she’s manipulative and borderline evil. At one point, Cheryl kept the corpse of her dead twin brother in the family chapel for weeks and talked to it a lot.

5 This Version Of Hiram Lodge Is A Straight-Up Criminal

While there were more than a few people in the comics who hated Archie, it’s hard to argue that anyone hated him more than Hiram Lodge. Veronica’s father was the wealthiest man in town, and definitely did not like Archie dating his daughter.

Keeping in mind Hiram is still Veronica’s super rich father in the show, he’s also a nefarious criminal who cannot be trusted. He even employs Reggie Mantle as his muscle, using him to do his dirty work without getting his hands dirty.

4 Fred Andrews Looks Very Different In The TV Show

Plain and simple, Archie’s parents loved him. But that didn’t change the fact the he absolutely drove them nuts, particularly his father. Fred Andrews kept trying to smarten his kid up but it didn’t seem to take.

In the comics, Fred was an older, balding man who often wore sweater vests. But in the show, he was played by the late Luke Perry and was scruffier-looking. Fred had a larger role in the series, and even now, his death still plays a pivotal part in Archie’s growth.

3 Betty Cooper Became Much More Conniving And Manipulative

At the core of the comics is the love triangle between Archie, Veronica and Betty. While Veronica is an over-the-top brunette who has money and beauty, Betty is the girl next door blonde who is a caring friend.

TV show Betty is not exactly the same as her comic counterpart, other than them both being blonde. In the series, she can be hard to trust as she withholds information, lies, and manipulates others when it’s convenient to her agendas and investigations. While she cares about her friends and family, that doesn’t always come easy to someone like Betty Cooper.

2 Archie Andrews Is A Jock On TV

The namesake of the comics has usually been depicted as an “All-American” guy who might have some of the worst luck around. He just never seems to catch a lucky break, outside of having both Betty and Veronica interested in him, much to Reggie’s chagrin.

But the TV version isn’t a particularly nice guy, and is actually a bit of a downer due to all the trauma Archie’s suffered over the years. Archie is also a jock in the TV series — keeping in mind he also plays football in the comics — but Riverdale Archie is a lot better at sports.

1 Jughead Jones Lost His Crown

When it comes to the passions of Jughead Jones in the comics, they are primarily focused on eating. And mostly eating burgers from Pops. He knows who he is and what he’s about.

TV Jughead is a philosophical, sullen guy who no longer wears his trademarked crown and is nowhere near as obsessed with burgers. He was also a gang leader at one point and even dated Betty. These things make him a far cry from his comic-book counterpart.