Toni Topaz may be one of Riverdale‘s newer faces, having made her debut during the show’s second season, but she’s quickly become a major player as Cheryl Blossom’s girlfriend, leader of the Pretty Poisons, and was instrumental in bringing down The Farm in Season 3. But for all of the action she’s been a part of, Toni’s background has been largely a mystery — one that is set to be explored more in Season 4.
Videos by ComicBook.com
During Riverdale‘s panel at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this month, it was revealed that Season 4 would see the popular The CW series finally explore Toni’s backstory. No other details were revealed, but the idea that we’ll finally get to know more about Toni (played by Vanessa Morgan) is a welcome one, especially since the character has come a long way from her somewhat rocky introduction.
When it was announced that Morgan had been cast for Riverdale‘s second season, there was initially a strong wave of fan backlash, largely due to how fans perceived the character as a threat to the fan-favorite “Bughead” pairing of Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse).
“It was so crazy. I experienced it right when I got cast, just all the fans that started following me, or all the controversy behind the fact that I might break up Bughead,” Morgan told ComicBook.com back in 2018.
“I knew it was going to be crazy once it actually started airing. I’ve never seen a fandom like this before, where they’re so passionate about the show. It’s so awesome. I was so excited. I was already a fan of Season One. When I got that call that I booked this role, I was going to be a Southside Serpent, I was like, ‘Oh yes, that’s so cool.’”
It didn’t take long after the character’s introduction for it to become pretty clear that Toni wasn’t a threat, though and by the end of Season 2, Toni and Cheryl were in an active relationship. In fact, really all we know about Toni’s background comes from Season 2. In addition to Toni being bisexual, it’s also noted at one point in the season that Toni is of Native American descent, with her grandfather being a member of a tribe that was slaughtered by General Augustus Pickens at some point in Riverdale’s town history.
When Season 4 does explore Toni’s backstory, it’s something that will be welcome for Morgan. She previously told ComicBook.com that she was hopeful the series would take on her character’s family ties.
“I hope so, to be honest,” Morgan said. “I’m not sure on that yet, but I really hope that it will bring more into, we’ll get to know more about Toni’s family. I definitely think we will. There’s definitely some little hints here and there, but I’m still yet to see what’s really going on behind the scenes of Toni’s family.”
Riverdale‘s fourth season will begin Wednesday, October 9th, at 8/7c on The CW.