Riverdale‘s midseason finale left fans on a pretty shocking note, as the town’s school janitor, Joseph Svenson, was unmasked as the Black Hood. But as fans – and even one of the show’s stars – have suggested, the mystery doesn’t seem to be over just yet.
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Over the course of the season thus far, we’ve been met with quite a few possibilities (none of which seemed too conclusive) as to who could be the Black Hood. While the Svenson reveal certainly fit within certain plot points, it also feels like a bit of a red herring, with someone else also involved with the villain’s crusade.
So, who could be the “real” Black Hood? We recently argued that Betty’s dad, Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro) could be the culprit, because of multiple reasons that seem to make way too much sense. But you know who else has quite a few shady actions under his belt this season?
Sheriff Keller.
Tom Keller (Martin Cummins) has been a factor of Riverdale since the pilot, and has gone back and forth from mild-meaning sheriff to potential murder suspect quite a bit. While Riverdale basically referenced Keller’s likelihood as a suspect outright (and then brushed off) within season two, there’s certainly some sort of chance that Keller could be moonlighting as the Black Hood.
Admittedly, Keller might not be the best physical match for the Black Hood, as Archie’s retelling of the shooting at Pop’s said that the villain has green eyes. There’s a chance that Archie could be misremembering things, or that the show could be going out of its way to mislead the audience as to the man under the mask. Or, you know, Keller could just pop in a pair of green contacts from time to time.
Outside of that, there’s one big trait that makes Keller suspect: his knowledge of the town of Riverdale. Sure, Svenson was the school janitor, and was able to overhear plenty of shady information because of it. But Keller has a wider access to Riverdale, and certainly knows the various crimes that go on underneath. Even the things that have circulated more privately — ranging from Polly Cooper’s hiding spot, to the affair between Archie and Miss Grundy — could have gotten back to him in one way or another.
There also is, simply, the fact that Keller often seems to be at the right place at the right time. Whether it’s coming to check on Nick St. Clair soon after he was targeted by the Black Hood, or practically being right around the corner during the showdown between Betty, Archie, and Svenson, Keller has been in the close proximity of some pretty shady situations. Plus, something has to be up with that Sugarman killing in Riverdale’s jail.
And perhaps the biggest conundrum about the Black Hood has been his devotion to Betty, and his knowledge of various parts of her childhood. This hasn’t really lined up with Svenson being the only Black Hood, as there would need to be some extra explanation for why he knows so much about Betty.
But you know who would be able to know about Betty’s childhood? The single father of her closest childhood friend, Kevin. Sounds suspicious, right?
So if Sheriff Keller is tied up with the Black Hood, why would he be committing these crimes? Well, it’s way too early to say. The answer could potentially have to do with his relationship to Mayor McCoy (Robin Givens), as it seems clear that they’re on some sort of crusade-turned-romantic relationship.
Either way, if Keller is the Black Hood, or tied up with that scheme in some way, fans are sure to get some sort of explanation.
Riverdale returns from midseason hiatus on Wednesday, January 17th, at 8/7c on The CW.
