Riverdale: The 10 Saddest Things About Jughead

Those who’ve read the Archie Comics version of Riverdale remember Jughead as this comic relief character with a quirky personality. However, Riverdale’s TV adaptation gave fans a whole new outlook on the amazing complexity of this character, in no small part thanks to the moving performance of Cole Sprouse.

Some character stories are inevitably more heartbreaking than others, but the fact that one of the franchise’s most entertaining characters is also one of the most devastating starts to make infinitely more sense once fans delve deeper into his dark backstory. Raised by Serpent parents and living in a trailer park, Jughead was constantly bullied and looked down upon, causing him to withdraw from society and become an outsider; not to mention all the family drama and life-or-death situations that this melancholic teenager had to face by far. Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

10 His Dysfunctional Family

At the beginning of the show, Jughead’s father was an alcoholic and the leader of the Southside Serpents, continuously involved in illegal activities. On the other side, his now drug-lord-mother was never around because she left their trailer park home to live in Toledo with Jellybean. Jughead’s relationship with his sister remained mostly non-existent after they were separated by their parents’ divorce, leaving him to survive the Riverdale drama all on his own.

So, it doesn’t surprise when this high schooler gets involved with a local gang of criminals (whom he considers as family members) to experience some kind of community. It just gives a sense of how dysfunctional his nuclear family really is.

9 He Was Homeless

In Season 1 episode “The Last Picture Show,” fans learned why Jughead was so eager to fight against shutting down The Twilight Drive-in. This local movie theater wasn’t just his place of work; its projection booth was also his temporary haven and the closest thing he had to a home. After it got demolished (thanks to Hiram Lodge), Jughead was forced to secretly live in the janitor’s room at Riverdale High.

The saddest part of all this is that he’d rather chosen to be on the streets than to live with his father or, for that matter, with any other family member.

8 He Hates Celebrating His Birthday

While most people can’t wait to throw their birthday party and enjoy some delicious cake, Jughead Jones would say it’s not his cup of tea. In fact, he kind of despises it, and there’s a sad reason behind it.

Betty had learned this the hard way after she planned his 16th birthday surprise celebration despite his wishes. Contrary to her expectations, Jughead didn’t appreciate the gesture because it reminded him of his childhood; when things weren’t so great at home but, on his every birthday, the Jones family would pretend otherwise – which would always make him feel unhappy and lonesome.

7 He Was Bullied

Every fan must have noticed by now that Jughead is a “weirdo” who doesn’t fit in with his typical high school friends’ mentality. Besides, his name is quite weird as well; he even said once it’s one of the reasons for the hate he gets.

However, because of all that, this moody outsider was frequently bullied at school – mostly by Reggie Mantle and the rest of the football team jocks. And when his father ended up in jail for the involvement in Jason Blossom’s murder, things got even worse. Having said that, Jughead eventually had to switch schools where he found more acceptance in his Serpents classmates.

6 His Phone Call To Gladys

Unquestionably, one of the most heartbreaking moments in the series was Jughead’s attempt to contact his absentee mother Gladys. He’s at the bus station, calling from a phone booth with a ticket to Toledo in hopes he would finally see her and Jellybean again.

Yet, she just shuts him down after he desperately told her about the visit – he even suggested to crash on the couch! Fans definitely still remember his breakdown after hanging up as well as how lonely and unloved he must have felt at that moment.

5 When Betty Broke-up With Him

Betty Cooper’s decision to suddenly end her relationship with Jughead in Season 2 was actually an ultimatum from the Black Hood. So, as if the situation wasn’t bad enough, she asked Archie to do it for her. He agreed and, that day, Jughead didn’t only lose his girlfriend; his best friend was alienated as well because of their fight over Jughead’s involvement with the Southside Serpents.

But, little did Jughead know, Betty was doing it out of love and only to protect him. Still, it was painful to watch Jughead going through all the heartache and how both sides struggled to try to stay away from each other for some time.

4 Betty’s Infidelity

It is no secret that Archie and Betty always had chemistry. They have been friends since childhood and, every now and then, they would hook up behind Jughead’s back. This became especially frequent after they pretended to be a couple to make Jughead’s fake death more convincing.

No doubt, Betty loves Jughead – but is she really in love with him? Whatever the case is, Jughead is the type of guy who would take a bullet for her, which makes the whole situation (mostly Betty’s insincerity and disloyalty) even more hurtful.

3 His Father’s Arrest

Actually, the whole “To Riverdale And Back Again” episode was full of injustice towards Jughead, which ultimately led to a heart-rending moment for him – FP’s arrest. More precisely, from the beginning of this chapter, Jughead was excited about everything that’s going on in his life. He started to bond with his father who finally read his manuscript and suggested to him a new start in Toledo with the rest of the Jones family. Furthermore, the two of them had a nice dinner with Betty’s family and a good time at homecoming afterward.

However, it all turned out to be a lie because his best friends and his girlfriend’s mother worked together to frame FP for Jason’s murder. He was once again left alone and feeling betrayed by his loved ones.

2 He’s Following In FP’s Footsteps

No teenager should be involved in crime; yet, it seems that this type of “extracurricular activity” is normal for many high schoolers in Riverdale. And sadly, Jughead is one of them, despite the fact that he actually had a chance to escape this delinquent lifestyle when he was accepted into a prestigious school for gifted writers.

However, from being a drug-runner to becoming the leader of Serpents (just to name a few), Jughead surely puts his father’s illegal achievements to shame. Needless to say, it’s a despairing path for a kid who has shown so much potential.

1 When He Almost Died

Season 2’s episode “Judgment Night” was overall vicious, although the part that shook fans to the core was related to Jughead’s storyline.

To sum things up, in order to protect his gang members, this young Serpent offered himself to Penny Peabody and the Ghoulies who beat him half to death. And as if it wasn’t hard enough to watch, the last scene was even more devastating: it showed a lifeless Jughead in his father’s arms with a bleeding wound on his shoulder instead of a Serpent tattoo.

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