Riverdale Season 6: How Sabrina Can Return (Despite [SPOILER]) – Theories Explained

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Riverdale season 5 and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

It’s been confirmed that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s own Sabrina Spellman will appear in Riverdale season 6, and – despite Sabrina’s death – there are a couple of ways this could happen. Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, The Legend of Korra) played Sabrina spectacularly through the show’s run on Netflix, which ended with the teenage witch making a noble sacrifice to save her loved ones, winding up in the afterlife with her boyfriend, Nick. That seemed like it would be the end for Sabrina, but now it looks like she’ll be returning to action in Riverdale season 6.

At the end of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part four, Sabrina sacrifices herself to stop the Void from destroying the world and everyone she loves. A delicate series of blood rituals and sorcerous dealings ends up saving the day just in time, but not before Sabrina herself bleeds out. She’s later shown in the Sweet Hereafter – the show’s equivalent of a Heavenly afterlife – where she is reunited with nick following his own death. While a definite ending to be sure, it wasn’t quite the finale Chilling Adventures of Sabrina viewers had hoped for, which was largely due to the show’s premature cancellation on Netflix.

Now that Sabrina is confirmed to be returning in Riverdale season 6, however, he may be getting a more satisfying ending to her story. Because of Sabrina’s season 4 death, it might seem like a tall order to bring her into the Riverdale story in a believable way, but there are actually several ways to justify Sabrina’s revival. Here’s what happens to Sabrina at the end of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the biggest theories of how she could be brought back in Riverdale season 6.

How Sabrina Died In The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

The ending of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part four can be a bit confusing, both because of the multiple layers of lore essential to it and the way in which some storylines were sped up because of the series’ cancellation. The final arc centers around the Void – an ancient Eldritch Terror bent on destruction, which Sabrina alone has the power to defeat. She first attempts to contain it by opening Pandora’s Box within the Void itself, but the process is interrupted, and Sabrina ends up taking a piece of the Void inside her unintentionally. In the series finale, another opening into the Void is created through a blood ritual that bleeds Sabrina slowly, allowing her friends to venture back in, contain the other Eldritch Terrors, finish the process with Pandora’s Box, and escape. The plan works, but Sabrina bleeds out before the deed is done, sending her soul to the Sweet Hereafter.

How Sabrina Could Come Back From The Dead In Riverdale Season 6

Because there is so much magic in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, there are many ways in which Sabrina could theoretically be resurrected in Riverdale season 6. CAOS made it pretty clear by the end that Sabrina had no apparent way of coming back, but that could be changed with the introduction of some new magical lore. If she were able to get to Hell from the Sweet Hereafter, for instance, she could potentially return to Earth in some form. Alternatively, a being of even greater power – something on par with the Eldritch Terrors – could certainly be contrived to resurrect her body.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the creator of Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has said that Sabrina’s upcoming return will have something to do with helping out Cheryl Blossom. And since Riverdale season 5 sees Cheryl discover and explore a series of spooky mines under her house – not dissimilar to those in Sabrina’s Greendale, which are tied to the underworld – there’s a chance that could be Sabrina’s way back to the land of the living. Of course, there are some other ways the teenage witch’s return could be explained.

Theory: Riverdale Season 6 Is Set Before Sabrina Dies

The simplest way to have Sabrina appear in Riverdale season 6 would simply be to set it prior to the end of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. A previously unseen detour to Riverdale could be retconned into the Sabrina timeline, allowing her to appear in the CW drama well before her canonical death. Both shows have referenced each other loosely in the past, making such a retcon pretty simple to pull off – especially with the multiple Sabrina’s who’ve previously existed. There could even be some kind of time-rewinding spell triggered in Riverdale season 6, intentionally creating a window for Sabrina the teenage witch to return. Such a storyline would be a bit fantastical, but since Sabrina’s Riverdale cameo will make magic canon in the show anyway, it’s not really such a stretch.

Theory: Riverdale’s Sabrina Is A Different Character

One other way that Sabrina could appear in Riverdale season 6 is if she’s some other version of the character. Shipka is confirmed to be playing her once again, and she will almost definitely be in canon with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina because of Aguirre-Sacasa’s involvement, but that doesn’t mean that the Sabrina in Riverdale will be the exact same Sabrina Spellman. In CAOS, Sabrina was once split in two for an extended period of time. It was a major storyline that played a huge role in the finale of the show. Theoretically, something similar could create a new Sabrina to appear in Riverdale.

Lastly, Riverdale’s Sabrina could be from a slightly different continuity than Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Parallel universes and alternate realities seem like steps too far, even for shows as occasionally bizarre as Sabrina and Riverdale, but something similar could fit into what’s already been established as possible. Perhaps a spell in Sabrina’s original timeline sends a version of her to the world of Riverdale. That would explain Shipka’s return and allow for some direct references to CAOS, while still keeping the two series narratively separated. It’s the kind of thing that the magic in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina could absolutely explain, and it could make the most sense given the shows’ past independence. Until Sabrina actually comes back in Riverdale season 6, anything remains possible, but no matter what the excuse is, it should be great to have her back on screen.

About The Author

Rick Stevenson
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Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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