WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Archie: The Decision #1For over eighty years,Archie Comicshas teased readers with the titular character’s unending love triangle. Archie’s inability to choose between Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge has long been a staple of his character, but now, a new story has arrived that may offer a resolution. After decades of indecision,Archie is finally ready to solve the age-old dilemma: Betty or Veronica?
Archie: The Decision#1 is a brand-new adventure by Tom King and Dan Parent. In this story, as the title suggests, Archie decides…to decide! He declares to Jughead that he’s going to choose betweenBetty and Veronicaonce and for all by flipping a coin. In true Archie fashion, of course,it doesn’t go according to plan. He ends up chasing the coin across Riverdale, with the entire town getting involved, to figure out which girl he belongs with. However, also in true Archie fashion, fate intervenes before he can make a final choice.
In the end, Archiefails to make a decision in a story that promises exactly that, begging the question of whether themost iconic love triangle in comicswill ever be resolved.
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Archie’s Love Triangle Once Again Goes Unresolved
Continuing a Decades-Long Tradition
Thelove triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronicabegan in 1942, when Veronica Lodge first arrived in Riverdale. Since then,Archie has gone back and forth between the two women in his life. Betty is the girl next door, while Veronica is the glamorous socialite. As different as they are, both hold Archie’s heart in equal measure. Whenever Archie tries to make a decision, like he does in King and Parent’s zany tale, something gets in the way and keeps him torn between them. This one-shot special isn’t the first time Archie has attempted choosing, and it undoubtedly won’t be the last.
Archie did technically decide between Betty and Veronica in the acclaimedLife With Archie: The Married Lifeseries, available now from Archie Comics, when two separate timelines unfolded in its pages: one where he married Betty, and one where he married Veronica.
The ways that Archie has avoided picking Betty or Veronica range from comical to convoluted. For example, inArchie#600 by Michael Uslan and Stan Goldberg, he suddenly proposes to Veronica. Then, he proposes to Betty inArchie#603, and three issues later it’s revealed that he had dreamed it all up. Archie has even moved on to other girls,like Sabrina Spellman, but he ultimately finds his way back to Betty and Veronica. With this latest story, it seems thatArchie’s love triangle will continue for many years to come- and that may be for the best.
82 Years Later, Archie Still Can’t Choose Between Betty and Veronica
Will He Ever Truly Make a Decision?
Despite readersand Riverdale residents alikegetting their hopes up,it doesn’t look like Archie will make up his mind any time soon. Some may feel disappointed, but at the end of the day, the resolution isn’t the appeal of this classic love triangle. The true appeal lies in the fun that’s had along the way, and King and Parent deliver that fun in spades here. Even ifArchienever chooses between Betty and Veronica - and judging by his track record, there’s a good chance he won’t - that just means there will always be more wacky adventures for readers to enjoy.
Archie Comics
Archie is a long-running comic book series that started in 1942 after Archie himself debuted in Pep Comics #22 in 1941. Archie was rebooted in 2015 to include updated character designs and a more mature storyline. The Archie franchise has expanded into other mediums as well, including The CW’s Riverdale TV show starring KJ Apa.
