Is Riverdale Really Bringing Us Jughead’s Identical Cousin Souphead?

Riverdale, the most surreal teen drama on the planet, may be planning a plot twist wilder than the Gargoyle King saga, more puzzling than Veronica’s (Camila Mendes) dual speakeasies, and crazier than Chad Michael Murray’s cult leader Edgar shooting off in a rocket. Folks, I’m talking about the existence of Souphead Jones, aka Jughead’s identical cousin. He might be the key to unlocking the truth about whether Jughead (Cole Sprouse) is really, truly dead. 

Souphead is a character from Archie Comics, the source material Riverdale bends and twists into the most bizarre contortions. Most characters on Riverdale have a counterpart in the comics, from Chic (Hart Denton) to Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan). Souphead, however, is one of the comics more memorable characters, because he’s identical to Jughead in most ways, save for his height (he’s a little shorter) and his love of soup, rather than hamburgers. Apparently, Souphead also smells a little like soup. It has yet to be confirmed as to what Jughead smells like, but if it’s burgers, God help Jughead’s long-suffering girlfriend Betty (Lili Reinhart). 

On season 4 of Riverdale, Jughead is allegedly dead. He’s found in the woods behind Stonewall Prep, and his former classmates at the private school have seemingly set up poor Betty for his murder. If you think that I buy Riverdale killing off the narrator of the show, I don’t — and, considering that Jughead’s assignment at Stonewall Prep was to write the “perfect murder,” it seems far more likely that Jughead has something to do with his “death.”

Where does Souphead come in? Well, nowhere just yet...but a tweet from Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is giving many fans pause. 

“A very special episode of #Riverdale tomorrow night,” Aguirre-Sacasa wrote on Tuesday. “Watch it with some comfort food. Tomato soup, perhaps.”

He also attached a quote from Jughead: “Life’s not an Agatha Christie novel, it’s a lot messier.” 

Agatha Christie, one of the greatest mystery writers of all time, occasionally deployed doubles or twins in her writing. Elephants Can Remember, a Hercule Poirot novel, is one example. Is it possible that Souphead really died, and that the real Jughead is out there, running around Riverdale behind the scenes? It’s possible, though there’s also the chance that Souphead and Jughead are both very much alive, and are somehow working together to fake Jughead’s death, and, more likely, frame the Stonewall kids for it. 

Then, of course, there's one more reason why fans are considering Souphead a possibility: Sprouse already has an identical twin, Dylan Sprouse. Though the twins have shut down reports that Dylan could guest on Riverdale, Jughead's death could be a special circumstance.

Then there’s also the option that Aguirre-Sacasa is just trolling fans who are well aware of Souphead’s existence, to which I say: For shame, Aguirre-Sacasa. Though, uh, hey: At least no one in Riverdale will have to deal with a character who reeks of soup.