There are a lot of questions left to answer about Riverdale's latest villain, the Trash Bag Killer. (For one thing: Does he use scented trash bags?!?) Perhaps the most significant, however, is whether or not he's someone we know. If precedent serves, that answer is yes — after all, nearly all the other killers on Riverdale were intimately tied to the characters, which made their reveals all the more frightening.
Now that Riverdale has left the Rivervale universe and entered its regularly scheduled Season 6 programming, it's time to take a look at our new list of suspects for who the Trash Bag Killer (or, TBK) could really be. Some are new faces, and some are old favorites — but they all have one thing in common: These folks are seriously shifty. Good luck, Betty!
Dr. Curdle Jr.
Betty often turns to Dr. Curdle Jr. when she needs to cover up a murder of her own or find out some information that she probably shouldn't know about the recently deceased. It seems like Betty and Dr. Curdle Jr. are pretty tight — but, it's not like they hang out on the regular. In fact, there was even a joke made about that fact in the final episode of the Rivervale event series, in which Betty accuses Dr. Curdle Jr. of pulling a prank on her because she didn't invite him to her and Archie's wedding. Could that be a clue that Dr. Curdle Jr. is trying to get closer to Betty — and perhaps doing so by murdering people in order to get her interested in him?
Hal Cooper's Twin
We know that twins run in the incestuous Cooper/Blossom family, and for years, Riverdale fans have speculated that perhaps Hal secretly had a twin, too. I wasn't personally convinced, but it's worth pointing out that like the Black Hood, TBK is obsessed with Betty, and even shares a mask that somewhat resembles the one her father wore during his own killing spree. (Sure, his is made of a trash bag instead of a hood, but they're both black with the eyes cut out.) Hal having a secret twin is barely scratching the surface of how chaotic Riverdale could go, so we can't rule it out.
Percival Pickens
We don't know much about this Riverdale newcomer, but we do know, according to Deadline, that he is attempting to turn the town into a "utopia." He already tried to buy Archie's bombed-out house — likely as a way to achieve his utopian pursuit. We also know he's the descendant of General Pickens, a character out of Riverdale's history who was a pretty bad dude. Perhaps Pickens is more than just a real estate developer hoping to turn the small town with pep into something it's not — maybe he's also a deranged killer, hoping that one more serial killer will send the OG residents of the town packing. How very Hiram Lodge.
Pop Tate
Admit it: The biggest twist ever would be that kind, good-natured, burger-flipping Pop Tate is secretly a serial killer. Is Riverdale bold enough to pull this one off? Unclear. However, I didn't totally pull this theory out of thin air: Pop Tate did come out of retirement in order to "help Tabitha with the restaurant," despite looking pretty cozy in his Hawaiian shirts. Could it be because his serial killer tendencies took over and — okay, probably not. But like I said: crazier things have happened!