SPOILER: Archie Comics Reveals the Identity of the Major Character Who's "Forever Changed" in ARCHIE #21

Last April, I came up with the theory that Archie Comics won't be killing off any of its main five characters, as they've been hinting will happen in the "Over the Edge" story line in ARCHIE #20-22. Before then, they were milking the idea that some cherished character would die horrifically. Then CBR published an interview with Mark Waid that suggested that somebody might not actually die.

io9 posted an article today that spoils tomorrow's ARCHIE #21 and makes clear that I was (most likely) right.

But first...

SPOILERS!!!....

MORE SPOILERS!!!...

Okay. Last issue, Reggie and Archie decided to race each other on Dead Man's Curve. Betty tried to stop the action, but ended up getting caught up in a three-way collision with the boys. io9 revealed today that Archie and Reggie will both walk away from their vehicles, but Betty is seriously injured in the accident and perilously close to death.

But Mark Waid's pretty clear in the article that Betty probably isn't going to die in this story. Instead, we get to see how the various characters respond to tragedies. And everyone in town is left wondering how they will cope with Betty's absence, given all of the things that she does to help the people of Riverdale.

It's possible that Archie Comics still plans to kill off Betty Cooper. But I really doubt that they're going to kill off Betty Cooper. I really do.

One major spoiler gets revealed by the cover to ARCHIE #24:


So that's a pretty real ramification for bad behavior.

ARCHIE #21 will be available at stores tomorrow.