The Complicated & Murderous Backstory Of Betty Cooper's Secret Riverdale Brother

Well, Riverdale can certainly still pull off a jaw-dropper of an episode, can’t it? Even with all the mob-related explosions, gruesome murders, and rampant general chaos, Wednesday night’s “Prisoners” proved the real Riverdale surprises come down to family. Namely, almost always, the Cooper family.

After months of believing Chic “Cooper” (Hart Denton) was the long-lost brother of Betty Cooper, we now know that is a big fat lie. Instead, Betty’s MIA sibling is actually a completely different, allegedly dead, person named Charles Smith. So, creepy, murderous Chic was merely an imposter. It’s important to remember “Charles Smith” actually was the name the Coopers were given when they began searching for Alice Cooper’s (Mädchen Amick) first child — everyone just immediately accepted “Chic” as an appropriate nickname.

Well, that was very, very incorrect. “Prisoners” clarifies almost an overwhelming amount of information about Charles, including what really happened to him after Alice gave him up for what she believed was an adoption, and how he supposedly met his grisly end. Oh, and there’s that small, tiny detail about Charles’ true paternity.

So, keep reading for the complete explanation on the real Charles’ history, including some very suspicious Black Hood-related details. Because it can't be a coincidence the Black Hood's return just so happened to coincide with Charles' legitimate introduction.