For most of Archie’s life, the red-headed comic book icon’s biggest quandary was whether he loved Veronica or Betty.
The character’s death comes in Today’s installment of “Life with Archie,” a series that focuses on grown-up renditions of Archie and his Riverdale friends.
Freckle-faced Archie will meet his death when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Senator Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first openly gay character, who’s pushing for more gun control in Riverdale.
Archie’s death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the “Life with Archie” series.
“I think Archie Comics has taken a lot of risks in recent years, and this is the biggest risk they’ve taken yet,” said Jonathan Merrifield, a longtime fan who hosts the Riverdale Podcast about all things Archie. “If it shakes things up a little bit, and people end up checking it out and seeing what’s going on in Archie Comics, it will be a risk that was smartly taken.”
Archie’s final moments will be detailed in “Life with Archie” No. 36, while issue No. 37 will jump forward a year and focus on the Riverdale gang honouring the legacy of their red-headed pal, who first appeared in comics in 1941 and went on to become a colorful icon of wholesomeness. Other incarnations of Andrews will continue to live on in Archie Comics series.
“There’s a sense in conservative circles that there are fewer and fewer places they can enjoy, stories their kids can read or movies they can see without being force-fed a message,” says Christian Toto of Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood, a right-leaning pop culture news site.
One thing that hasn’t changed for Archie in the past eight decades: He’s still a good guy you’d want your daughter, whether she’s a Betty or Veronica, to bring home to meet the parents.
“His final act isn’t just passing away,” says Goldwater. “Archie dies in a very heroic manner, more than any super hero could ever have imagined.”
