Riverdale's Jughead Jones is one of the TV shows most popular characters as well as one of the most empathetic as he's one who comes from a troubled background and tries to help others. And although there's plenty of shameless things he's done throughout the TV series, nothing compares to the horrific acts of violence he commits after transforming into a snarling werewolf in the Jughead: The Hunger comic series.
Riverdale is a TV show that revolves around the characters who dwell in the town of Riverdale - which is loosely based on the classic Archie Comics and some of those characters live to protect it while others live to see it crumble. Amongst the list of likable teens, the one that can be deemed as the most hopeful character is Jughead Jones - an aspiring writer who finds himself in and out of trouble with various gangs as a result of being the leader of the Southside Serpents and the one person who keeps him grounded is his lover Betty Cooper. One of the biggest aspects of Jughead's character is that he's always been an outsider and that attribute is amplified in the comics as he becomes a flesh-eating beast.
The series began with a Jughead: The Hunger one-shot by Frank Tieri and Michael Walsh, quickly followed by a full series written by Tieri with art by Pat Kennedy and Tim Kennedy. The story begins shortly after Jughead and his friends leave Silver Sables: All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet, they are informed that the ravenous murderer known as the Riverdale Ripper has killed again - and this time the Riverdale Ripper has killed Geraldine Grundy. As nighttime approaches, Jughead walks down a couple of streets and reflects on the recent events of Grundy's untimely death as well as how sickly he feels in general. Then, he sniffs the air and turns to see a friend named Dilton who wants to see how he's doing with regards to what happened to Grundy. While Dilton bombards him with questions, Jughead begins to realize his senses are heightened and then, his body gets a werewolf makeover.
Soon, his eyes begin to glow orangish-yellow and he can hear Dilton's heartbeat as if he's placed his ears against his chest. As Dilton continues to slam Jughead with endless inquiry, his body begins to sprout hair and his nails extend. After he shouts and tells Dilton to, "Shut the hell up," Jughead fully transforms and the next thing he knows, he's waking up in his own bed as a result of his dog licking the blood off his face. As soon as Jughead looks into his bedroom mirror and sees his body covered in blood, he panics and sifts through his bedsheets. Then, he hears a sudden, "Thump," looks on the floor, and sees Dilton's severed arm - which only confirms one thing... he's the Riverdale Ripper.
The town of Riverdale is without a doubt familiar with murder as one of the best mysteries in the TV series is the murder of Jason Blossom. But in the Jughead: The Hunger comic series, it appears that Jughead Jones is one of the scariest murderers the town has ever seen. The worst and disheartening part is that Jughead doesn't even have a choice in being the Riverdale Ripper.