Riverdale season 4: Are Betty and Jughead endgame?

After countless murders and mysteries, Betty and Jughead are still going strong. But is Bughead the true endgame coupling on Riverdale?

Riverdale has used a catchy word to describe romantic matches since the very first episode: endgame. Last season, the word pretty much jumped the shark thanks to overuse, but “endgame” remains a viable concept in the world of the series in relation to its various ships.

One particular ship has weathered more storms than others. Betty and Jughead seem to strengthen with each plot twist, but will they make it through senior year as the real endgame couple?

Based on what Riverdale has presented so far, Betty and Jughead could go the distance. They have made it through gang wars, serial killers, a weird trip to the woods where Jughead kissed Veronica — they can swerve any curveball.

But Bughead could also die trying. For as strong as they are together, their relationship could also face complications from their shaky foundation, those continued cliffhangers regarding Jughead’s fate and the show’s original meaning of endgame.

Betty and Jughead’s relationship blossomed (you decide if the pun was intended) during their first investigation together in the first season. They bonded over their shared passion for solving mysteries, and their entire commitment to each other has been built around an unrelenting avalanche of trauma. It’s hard to root for a couple that fell in love while unraveling a murder case and dodging the Black Hood when you realize their foundation isn’t centered on stable ground.

Sure, Bughead has plenty of interests and memories in common that don’t include dangerous activities and unfortunate bloodshed (though those far outweigh the former). But what happens when the mysteries dry up or they leave Riverdale? Could Betty and Jughead be happy together without the rush of the treacherous unknown pushing them in the same direction? It’s arguable that moving on from their past is simpler than it seems, but their endgame could be threatened.

Jughead’s uncertain fate also threatens their ultimate quest (again, you decide if the G&G pun was intended) to endgame. Each season, something has happened to lead viewers to question whether Jughead will live or die. In season 2, a bait and switch forced fans into a panic about Jug’s almost-death at the hands of the Ghoulies, and the season 4 trailer confirms our fears that our fearless narrator might not survive senior year.

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On the one hand, Riverdale could be trying to hint that Jughead’s our tragic hero, not the hapless, self-destructive redheaded Superman (love you, Archie), and that he will ultimately die.

But on the other hand, when you remember that he’s the narrator telling the story from the pages of the novel he’s been chipping away at in between Big Bad un-maskings, he obviously knows how it ends. Could that include an endgame ride into the sunset with Betty?

Not if Betty and Archie shippers have anything to say about it, and oh, there’s still a lively chorus hoping for a reunion. If you’ll remember, in the pilot episode, Kevin calls Betty and Archie endgame (ironically, while introducing Veronica to their world). Of course, this direction for the series could have all but been abandoned after Betty’s crush fizzled out in the first season and the kiss the best friends shared in season 2 resulted in very few fireworks and aftershocks.

But, and this is a big but, Betty and Archie share a love for each other that’s completely unlike Bughead’s. While they have been through all of these horrific experiences together, their relationship isn’t consumed by and constructed around them. Beneath the friendship, Betty and Archie have maintained beats an untapped romantic potential, which would all be contingent on the fatal end of Bughead or Archie betraying his brotherhood with Jughead.

Right now, Betty and Jughead have the best standing to be Riverdale’s endgame love story, aside from Cheryl and Toni, of course. More so than Archie and Veronica, Bughead’s triumphant survival would be super-satisfying for fans and a well-earned reward for the embattled, traumatized couple. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball to see what the future holds for the story. But barring any upcoming tragedies, nothing, not even murderers or monsters, can get in Bughead’s way to forever.

Do you think Betty and Jughead are endgame? Are are you pulling for Betty and Archie? Let us know your thoughts on Riverdale’s couples in the comments!

Riverdale returns for season 4 on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8/7c on The CW.