Hiram Lodge may have been exiled from the town of Riverdale (err, and then was allegedly killed by a hitman hired by his daughter) but don't worry: There's a new villain with a sinister agenda more than ready to take his place. Enter Percival Pickens, a British relative of the genocidal General Pickens, who has major plans for Archie and Jughead's beloved small town. We know well enough to assume that they aren't good, but what exactly is his endgame? That's yet to be determined... but we have some ideas.
In Riverdale's "The Town," Percival writes a scathing opinion piece in Jughead's paper about the unhoused population of Riverdale, then proceeds to have them all "bussed out" to greener pastures. We don't know what really happened to the people of Sketch Alley, but whether Percival really gave them $100 and a bus ticket away from the place they called home, or did something even more sinister, isn't the only thing that's scary about this newcomer. Percival also has some sort of mind control powers: He was seemingly able to mentally force a man to whack Kevin in the head with a hammer, and knew that Jughead could read his mind when he's kept that fact between himself and Tabitha. Unlike Archie, Betty, and Jughead, who plan on using their new abilities for good, Percival is less Superman and more super villain.
Whatever Percival's game is... it's bad news. Here are some theories as to what Percival's whole deal is — and how it could impact the lives of our favorite Riverdale residents.
Percival Pickens Is Connected to An Evil Warlock
Thanks to Abigail Blossom, we know that magic is very much a thing in Riverdale now, and that it's no longer confined to the realms of Rivervale. Percival's powers suggest that maybe he, too, has some sort of connection to magic. Could he be a warlock, similar to how Fangs' ancestor was, or possible even a direct descendant of that line? While it's not established that all warlocks are bad in the Riverdale universe, it's possible that Pickens is a descendant of a line of very bad magical guys. Right now, Abigail seems keen to team up with Percival, but if he is a warlock, she may realize that's a bad idea — a warlock did, after all, murder her beloved Thomasina.
Percival Pickens Wants to Strip Riverdale For Parts
Hiram Lodge wanted to ruin Riverdale by essentially bulldozing it into oblivion, but maybe Percival wants to destroy Riverdale in a different way: By changing every single thing that makes the small town with pep so special. We know from a character description of Percival that he wants to turn Riverdale into a "utopia," and that could mean slowly removing each part of the town that makes it what it is. (Remember when he wanted to buy Archie's house?) First, it was Sketch Alley, but could Pop's Diner be next? What about the school, or Archie's construction business? By the time Percival is done with his plan, Riverdale could be completely unrecognizable.
Percival Pickens Is...Another Serial Killer?
Look, if there's a new character on Riverdale, there is a very strong chance that he is also a serial killer. I don't make the rules here. We may have unmasked the Trash Bag Killer, but there's always room for one more murderer in this town. Don't be fooled by this guy's classy English accent!
Percival Pickens Is Actually General Pickens
Okay, hear me out. We know that there's magic in Riverdale now, and that there's also parallel universes. While time travel hasn't been established in terms of moving through the future, well, why wouldn't it be possible for Percival to somehow cross into present day from the past? If Percival isn't General Pickens ancestor, but General Pickens himself, it would actually make a ton of sense: Back in his time, General Pickens pushed the Uktena tribe out of town, in order to create his own utopia. That's kind of what Percival seems to be doing here, but with the citizens of the town, and not just the tribe that would give way to the Southside Serpents.
In fact, time travel doesn't even have to exist for this to be true. Abigail is currently inhabiting her descendant Cheryl's body — what if General Pickens is doing that very same thing with Percival's body?
Whatever route Percival takes, there's plenty of reason to distrust this guy — Pickens last name or not.