KJ Apa on Whether Archie Could Leave Riverdale

08/01/2017 06:45 pm EDT

Warning: what certainly appear to be spoilers ahead for the season 2 premiere of Riverdale.

With Fred Andrews' life hanging in the balance at the end of Riverdale's first season, most fans expected him to pull through -- but there's that nagging question: "What if?"

That question was particularly fraught because during a recent visit to the ol' hometown, Archie's mom Mary tried to convince him to return to Chicago with her and leave the "dangerous" Riverdale behind. And now, with Fred potentially at death's door, does series star KJ Apa think Archie might actually be forced to leave his loved ones behind?

"I don't think so. I think Archie is going to 100% always stick by Fred, especially when he needs Archie," Apa told ComicBook.com during a roundtable interview at Comic Con. "Fred's got no one else to look after him at home. That, also, is a big part of season 2 is Archie aiding Fred..."

At that point, Apa trailed off, possibly realizing that he was on a bad path, and co-star Cole Sprouse hopped in with a distracting joke to get things back on track.

There are still a lot of questions going into the show's second season, but as of this moment, it appears as though Apa is saying Fred survived the gunshot at the end of season 1. So...good news, everyone?

You can check out the exchange, via the Facebook page for Archie Digest: A Riverdale Podcast, below.

The first season of RIVERDALE found our characters reeling from the tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom. For many who had seen their home as perfect, safe, and innocent, the investigation into Jason's murder peeled back the layers of their hometown to reveal a place bubbling over with secrets, mysteries, and scandals. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), for instance, grew from a sweet, all-American kid into a young man acutely aware of the darker side of life—he broke his best friend's heart, had a forbidden relationship with his music teacher, and grappled with whether he wanted to follow in his dad's salt-of-the-earth footsteps. On the positive side, Archie repaired his friendship with Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), found some success as a musician—thanks in part to Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) and her band, the Pussycats—and found a new romantic interest in femme fatale Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes). New to town, Veronica spent the season trying to atone for her "bad girl" past, all the while wrestling with her beloved father's criminal legacy—and contending with a mother, Hermione (Marisol Nichols), who might not be as innocent as she claimed. Veronica became fast-friends with Archie's girl-next-door neighbor, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), who did some growing up of her own this season.

After Archie's rejection, Betty threw herself into running the school paper, "The Blue and Gold," where she discovered a better romantic match in sardonic outsider Jughead. Together, they tracked down Betty's sister Polly (guest star Tiera Skovbye), who had been sent away by their overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick). Under the guise of writing for the school paper, Betty and Jughead investigated Jason Blossom's death—which led to them discover that Jughead's father—FP Jones (guest star Skeet Ulrich)—was involved with covering up Jason's murder. Meanwhile, Jason's twin sister Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) ruled the school as Riverdale High's venomous, merciless Red Queen—until she learned the true identity of Jason's killer. As the town breathed a collective sigh of relief that Jason's killer had been found out, another terrible crime occurred, in a space that had been considered one of the town's safest, most innocent places. If Jason Blossom's murder revealed the slimy underbelly beneath Riverdale's surface, as we enter Season Two, the shooting of Fred Andrews threatens to plunge the entire town into utter darkness.

Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ("Supergirl," "Glee"), Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "The Flash," "Supergirl," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow"), Sarah Schechter ("Arrow," "The Flash," "Supergirl," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow") and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics).

More Riverdale news:

Riverdale Blooper Reel Released Online

Psych: The Movie Director Steve Franks Reveals a Riverdale Connection

Riverdale Season 2 Trailer Released

Vanessa Morgan Cast as Toni Topaz in Riverdale Season 2

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