'Riverdale' EP Confirms Return of the Black Hood

The mystery of the Black Hood is not over on Riverdale.

The residents of Riverdale began to breathe a whole lot easier after the Black Hood was killed during the show's midseason finale, but according to executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the real killer is alive and well.

"When we started, we had three likely suspects, so for the first half of the season, we were always dropping red herrings, so we could pick [one of the three]," Aguirre-Sacasa said during the Riverdale panel at PaleyFest. "As we moved into the second half, and we get back to the Black Hood for the last few episodes, we always knew it wasn't Svenson, but for the last 10 episodes or so, we've had a pretty clear idea and have been writing toward that."

As fans will recall, the midseason finale "Silent Night, Deadly Night" saw the Black Hood apparently shot and killed by Sheriff Keller (Martin Cummins) who then unmasked him to reveal school janitor Mr. Svenson. Despite the seeming resolution of the mystery, the episode ended with Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) attempting to burn her evidence from the Black Hood, though she pulled the hood from the fire and kept it. It was a scene that led some fans to wonder if Mr. Svenson was the real killer, a sentiment that Archie (KJ Apa) himself echoed later, asking what he believed to be an FBI agent what he thought of the situation.

Aguirre-Sacasa's reveal that the Black Hood hasn't truly been unmasked yet is confirmation of something that series star Reinhart told Glamour late last year. In that interview, Reinhart admitted that she didn't think the mystery had been solved.

"I've seen so many theories of who people think it is, but I honestly don't know!" Reinhart said. "I don't think the mystery has been solved yet."

With the Black Hood mystery officially unsolved, fans will no doubt go back to their theories as to who the killer really is and try to figure things out. Betty's dad, Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro) has been a popular choice since this season premiere, though fans have considered Chic (Hart Denton) and even the Serpent Tall Boy (Scott McNeil) as suspects for the man responsible for shooting Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), attacking Moose and Midge, as well as killing Geraldine Grundy and teacher-turned-drug-dealer Robert Philips. As for who real killer is? Fans will just have to keep tuning in to find out.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

Who do you think the real Black Hood is? Share your theories with us in comments!

[ H/T: Entertainment Weekly ]