Riverdale: 5 Ways Jughead Is Different In The Archie Comics (& 5 He’s The Same)

There are a lot of big differences between Riverdale and the source material. A massive one is there are way more murders in the TV series. Frankly, there is flat out 100% more sex and violence in Riverdale than there ever was in the original Archie Comics. It’s hard to say if the comics need more of that or not but it certainly works for The CW’s series.

Jughead Jones in particular is a bit of a contradiction. There are a lot of things about his character that are extremely different from the comics. At the same time, there are more than a few things that haven’t changed in the least.

10 DIFFERENT: Terrible Childhood

Archie Comics has never really delved deeply into the pre-high school days of the characters, least of all Jughead. He’s the most enigmatic character in the long history of the comics. Riverdale, on the other hand, gave fans a much clearer window into Jughead’s past.

Jughead’s childhood was terrible. His family was fractured by his father’s alcoholism and the fact that he was also a gang leader. Nothing was ever easy for anyone in the Jones family, especially Jughead; he wears the emotional scars every day.

9 SAME: Incredibly Smart

In the comics, Jughead is generally a lowkey guy. He doesn’t really get excited or angry, unless food is involved. But that calm demeanor certainly hides an intelligent mind, one that should never be underestimated.

The same is true on the TV series. He might not always make the right life choices, but Jughead is obviously one of the smartest people in the series. That was particularly true after the untimely demise of Dilton Doiley left him unchallenged.

8 DIFFERENT: Leader Of The Southside Serpents

On Riverdale, Jughead’s father, FP Jones, was once the leader of a gang of criminals called the Southside Serpents. When he decided to retire, FP handed control over the gang to Jughead who ruled over it alongside Betty Cooper.

But the comic book version of Jughead who has been around since 1941 has never been even remotely associated with any criminal gangs, let alone the leader of one. It’s certainly a drastic difference between the two depictions.

7 SAME: Still Rocks The “S” On His Shirts

One of the biggest mysteries in the comics is the meaning of the letter “S” on many of the shirts Jughead wears. It’s never really been explained what that refers to but many theories have been thrown around over the years.

That continued into Riverdale where the letter “S’ still frequently appears on various articles of his clothing. But at least that could theoretically be connected back to other things in world, like the Southside Serpents.

6 DIFFERENT: Dated Betty Cooper

As a general rule, Jughead has been depicted as being almost entirely aromantic, if not also asexual. While he has been known to date women in Riverdale from time to time, it’s not something that he’s really interested in.

But on the show Riverdale, Jughead has a much different outlook when it comes to love. He has had girlfriends, including the time he actually dated Betty Cooper. That’s a far cry from the Jughead people grew up with in the comics.

5 SAME: Loves His Hamburgers

That being said, there is one love that transcends all others in the comics. While he has problems forming romantic attachments with women in the comics, he certainly doesn’t have that problem with hamburgers.

His love of a good hamburger has been a running gag for decades, and has made its way into the TV series to an extent. Riverdale Jughead is not as obsessive about hamburgers as his comic book counterpart but he still enjoys them greatly.

4 DIFFERENT: A Lot More Philosophical

While both iterations of Jughead are quite smart, they have very different ways of showing it. In the comics, he quietly outsmarts his opponents, letting them trip themselves up with their own words and actions.

But in the TV series, Jughead is a lot more philosophical about life. He is extremely perceptive about the world around him, and tends to express those thoughts in a more esoteric way than he seems to be capable of in the comics.

3 SAME: A Big Part of Riverdale

One thing both versions of Jughead have in common is the fact they are important parts of Riverdale. Even when the TV iteration leaves town, life inevitably seems to draw him back.

The reality is, Jughead is a Riverdale fixture, even though the Riverdale Jughead isn’t always the best guy to be around. He’s still part of the fabric of the community, for better or worse.

2 DIFFERENT: The Man Has No Crown

Comic-book Jughead has an incredibly unique look, one that includes his “S” shirt and is capped off by his trademarked crown. Technically, it’s called a whoopee cap but that name hasn’t been used in years.

On Riverdale, Jughead has been known to wear something similar, but it’s more comparable to a modern beanie than a whoopee cap. And it definitely does not look as much like a crown.

1 SAME: Still Best Friends With Archie

If there’s one constant in Jughead’s life regardless of the media he’s in, it’s that his best friend is Archie Andrews. These two pals have been through everything and anything together over the years.

Their friendship had seen some rough times in the TV series, even coming to an end at one point. But they found their way back to each other’s respective sides. It’s an important part of Jughead’s world as well as Archie’s.