8 Worst ‘Riverdale’ Characters

With a drama as soapy as the CW’s Riverdale, there are bound to be more than a few unsavory characters around.

Judging by the high volume of criminal activity a town such as Riverdale somehow produces, there are baddies running around left and right on this show, from drug lords to bad parents to literal serial killers.

While all of these offenses are not created equal, they are all on their own levels of awful, though only some of these characters have actually been punished for their misdeeds, both legal and moral.

Keep reading for an unordered list of some of the worst occupants Riverdale has to offer. (Warning — some spoilers ahead).

Clifford Blossom (Barclay Hope)

The man literally killed his own son — literally shot him point-blank in the head — so if there was a character who should top this list, it’s Clifford.

Some fans are now speculating that Clifford is actually alive and only posing as his brother, Claudius, so it remains to be seen whether the true Clifford and his red wigs make a return to Riverdale.

Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos)

After returning from prison in season 2, Hiram quickly proved himself to be the shadiest character on the show, initiating a number of underhanded dealings to make way for his construction of a prison near the town. He’s threatened lives, used plenty of bribes, and he even had his own daughter’s boyfriend sent to juvie in order to punish her.

As he’s currently involved with a number of criminal parties, there’s no telling what havoc Hiram may wreck on Riverdale in order to get his way.

Penny Peabody (Brit Morgan)

Penny Peabody is back with a vengeance after she was banished from Riverdale by Jughead, and is now working with Hiram Lodge and the Ghoulies in order to further her moneymaking prospects.

Not above threatening anyone, Penny will do whatever it takes to make sure her drug-running operation proceeds, even if it means shaking down Veronica in her new position as owner of a speakeasy.

Nick St. Clair (Graham Phillips)

The epitome of a spoiled rich kid, Nick first attempted to sexually assault Veronica, then Cheryl, even going so far as to drug her.

He then paid off Penelope Blossom to drop the charges against him, but the Lodges ultimately got their comeuppance for his advances on Veronica after Hiram arranged for his family’s car to be involved in an accident.

Penelope Blossom (Nathalie Boltt)

Aside from manipulating and abusing her daughter Cheryl, even sending her to gay conversion therapy, Penelope has now joined forces with Hiram Lodge in an effort to continue running a brothel, which she first operated out of her her home.

She also plotted to kill her own mother, though Nana Rose is currently still alive and kicking.

Chuck Clayton (Jordan Calloway)

Despite the show’s attempts to redeem him, Chuck did start out as a football player who ranked girls in a notebook on a scale of 1 to 10.

He also spread false rumors about sexual activity between himself and Veronica, which ultimately got him kicked off the team and effectively ruined his chances of getting an athletic scholarship for college.

Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro)

The end of season 2 saw the Black Hood unmasked as Betty’s dad, Hal, who confirmed that he killed multiple people under the mask and was then intending to murder his own family in the name of purging Riverdale of sinners, effectively tying him for the title of Literal Worst Person in Riverdale.

Geraldine Grundy (Sarah Habel)

She may have been an early victim of the Black Hood, but Miss Grundy also slept with multiple underage students, including Archie Andrews.

After her relationship with Archie was exposed, she skipped town and headed to Greendale, where she continued preying on underage boys and had another inappropriate relationship with Ben Button before she was killed.