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4 Theories about the Gargoyle King on Riverdale That Sound Pretty Legit

There are way crazier options than Hiram

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Sadie Gennis

Riverdale's midseason finale ended with a massive reveal: After Hiram (Mark Consuelos) got the town placed under quarantine, he toasted his success to... the Gargoyle King! It was ambiguous in the moment whether a) Hiram was toasting to his conspirator, the Gargoyle King, b) Hiram was toasting to his own success as the Gargoyle King, or c) Hiram was hallucinating the Gargoyle King. So even though the finale revealed A LOT, it still left us wondering: Who the heck is the real Gargoyle King? Let's break down our four best theories.


1. It is Hiram, you dummy.

Mark Consuelos, Riverdale
Robert Falconer/THE CW

Let's just look at the obvious answer here, that Hiram is the Gargoyle King and he was toasting to his costume in that final moment. There is a lot of evidence to back this up, including that Hiram was the one who gave out the drugged Fizzle Rocks to the Midnight Club in the first place. Then there's the fact that Hiram's currently spreading G&G and Fizzle Rocks to the surrounding towns, decimating the areas and recruiting all the men to work in his prison drug lab. Plus, he hired men in hazmat suits to snatch up all the Vixens who had seizures -- minus Veronica (Camila Mendes) of course -- and take them to what he claims is the hospital, but who knows where they actually are. So either Hiram is the Gargoyle King or he's the Gargoyle King's right-hand man. Neither option is great for Veronica, tbh.

2. Edgar Evernever, DUH.

Zoé de Grand'Maison, Riverdale
CW

The other go-to answer for the Gargoyle King's identity is the yet-to-be-seen Edgar Evernever. As the leader of The Farm, Edgar definitely seems shady. His collective has obvious correlations to Scientology (the way they gather your darkest secrets, the fact that they don't believe in medication, etc. etc.) but there's also a correlation to G&G in that you have to attain certain levels in order to meet Edgar, just like game players need to attain levels to ascend to the kingdom. But this is Riverdale, here. When is the obvious answer the correct one? They've been teasing a creepy cult since Season 1 and having the leader of said cult turn out to be the Season 3 big bad just wouldn't be that shocking compared to the level of twists we're used to on this show.

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3. Dr. Curdle Jr., because why not.

​Nikolai Witcschl, Riverdale
CW

When Riverdale introduced the creepy coroner, Dr. Curdle Jr. (Nikolai Witschl), our hackles immediately raised. The son of the previous coroner, Dr. Curdle Jr. has been popping up A LOT this season and we have to suspect there's a reason for that. From his very first scene, Dr. Curdle Jr. has been raising red flags, recognizing the runes and talking about how this was the face of true evil in a way where you couldn't tell if he was scared of the evil or mad into it. So maybe, just maybe, Dr. Curdle Jr. is the Gargoyle King -- but not the O.G. G.K. Let's theorize that the Papa Curdle (Mackenzie Gray) was the original Gargoyle King and that when he died, his son took up the mantle. That could explain why both G&G and the Gargoyle King came back to Riverdale after the elder Dr. Curdle died.

4. An agent of the Dark Lord maybe, probably, definitely not.

Riverdale
CW

Everyone wants a Sabrina-Riverdale crossover so badly that some people came up with this wack-a-doodle theory: that the Gargoyle King is an agent of the Dark Lord. The evidence? They both like hanging out in forests, have an animal face with horns and enjoy toying with the lives of teenagers without a care for the repercussions. But not only is that evidence flimsy as hell, but that would also require the Gargoyle King to be magical. However, after the babies were seen floating in the Season 3 premiere, we asked Lili Reinhart about that seemingly supernatural event and she revealed that Riverdale didn't have magic in it at that time. Given that the Gargoyle King was first spotted in the same episode, it's safe to assume that the person behind the mask isn't magical either. So sorry, Sabrina fans. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for a crossover.

Riverdale returns Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 8/7c on The CW.

(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)