Riverdale season 2: Who is the Black Hood?
Fan theories, suspects and cold, hard evidence
OK, we’ve got a confession to make. We didn’t exactly have high expectations for the second season of Riverdale. Sorry, but it’s true.
The revelations over who killed Jason Blossom brought so many twists and turns, tore families into tatters and left us with absolutely no idea who we could trust anymore. It was brilliant and we just couldn’t imagine another season hooking us in like that.
Then, those dramatic final scenes happened and our nerves were absolutely shot to pieces at the thought of having go through it all again. Who shot Archie’s dad? Who on earth was that hidden behind the black hood? Why is everyone still hanging out at Pop’s in the middle of the night?
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
If you've been watching in real time, you'll know the masked menace has actually been revealed (it's a bit of a shocker), but we're currently only halfway through our season 2 binge and still none the wiser.
So we've been carrying out some serious investigative work and the internet is full of fan theories about the hooded serial killer. We’ve compiled a selection of the best to shed some light on the whole situation.
Here’s a full list of suspects:
(Spoiler: It’s basically everyone)
Sheriff Keller
Early on in season two, fan theories started flooding in that the town's crime-buster Sheriff Keller was in fact the Black Hood. Viewers made a connection between the sheriff's bright eyes and the distinct green eyes of the Black Hood.
Betty Cooper also had her suspicions about Sheriff Keller, unable to crack down on crime in Riverdale and taking actions into his own hands as the masked vigilante.
Likelihood: 3/5
It turns out Sheriff Keller may not actually be the Black Hood, as Betty's sleuthing uncovered his suspicious nocturnal activity as an affair with Mayor McCoy, and not a killing spree.
Alice Cooper
We all know Alice Cooper has a bit of a wild side. It was revealed she was once a member of the Southside Serpents, and is not afraid of burning bridges in Riverdale.
While the Black Hood is clearly a male, some viewers reckon the Alice is actually the Black Hood's boss.
Some viewers theorise that Mrs. Cooper is orchestrating the whole thing in a bid to clean-up Riverdale after picking up on Alice's criticisms of people in the town: calling Fred Andrews and 'adulterer', being unable to expose Miss Grundy, witnessing Midge and Moose's drug deal etc...
Likelihood: 2/5
Yes, Alice wants to restore Riverdale's reputation, but she was recently seen letting her hair down and giving in to her past as a Serpent.
Plus, even though she's cold, we doubt she'd actually threaten her own daughter.
Hal Cooper
If Alice was the Black Hood's boss, some fans think it her slightly downtrodden hubby Hal would be carrying out the dirty work.
Likelihood: 2/5
Sorry, Hal, but we just don't think you've got it in you.
Hiram Lodge/Lodge hit-man
Hiram's arrival in Riverdale has caused quite a stir in season 2. And let's fact it, he's far from squeaky clean. He's also fiercely protective of his daughter Veronica, what lengths would he be willing to go to in order to keep her safe?
Further fuel was added to this fan theory when some tech whizz shared a video removing the distortion form the Black Hood's voice to seemingly reveal Hiram speaking.
Likelihood: 3/5
Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl still harbours a lot of hatred for the town after the events leading up to her brother's death unravelled. She could be orchestrating a the whole thing as revenge on the town's sinners.
But things don't really add up, as Cheryl was actually unconscious when Betty went on her Black Hood hunt.
Likelihood: 2/5
Penelope Blossom
Penelope, on the other hand, has the same motives as Cheryl but less obstacles in her way.
Likelihood: 3/5
Southside Serpents
They've got a grudge against Riverdale and want to put the Southside back on the map. Plus, the Southside Serpents have a number of violent vigilantes at their disposal.
They could have a whole army of Black Hoods running around Riverdale
Likelihood: 4/5
Jughead Jones
Yeah, we're not totally on board with this. But, he does have a vested interest in Betty and wants to keep her out of danger or involved in any wrongdoing.
Likelihood: 1/5
Multiple Black Hoods
It was previously revealed that show bosses had three potential Black Hood's in mind in the run up to the big reveal. Which means they may have decided on more than one killer.
And Sheriff Keller hinted that the letters Betty and the people of Riverdale received had been written by different people (suggesting a Black Hood copycat).
It may that multiple masked menaces are on a mission to cleans the town of sinners.
Likelihood: 4/5
The real Black Hood: Mr Svenson
*SPOILERS*
The Black Hood's identity was revealed in the mid-season finale on 13th December 2017 and if we're honest we were a little underwhelmed.
After already being exposed as Joseph Conway and admitting to having killed the man who murdered his family, Betty and Archie unmasked the Black Hood to reveal the creepy AF Riverdale High Janitor.
We won't give too much away, but it turns out Joseph actually identified the wrong guy as the Riverdale Reaper and was responsible for the death of an innocent man.
Perhaps his serial killing spree of all the sinners is his way of making up for his original crime?
BUT, it's not all over yet. The mid-season finale leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and a mysterious figure lurking in the background suggests the whole Black Hood plot is set to thicken when the show returns in January 2018.