Archie TV show’s Jughead won’t be asexual

Archie Comics is home to some of the most beloved characters in comics. One of them is Jughead, who’s always been known for his obsession with junk food, laziness, iconic crown-shaped hat, and of course, his disinterest in romance.

The latter characteristic has been discussed by many fans for decades. Then, in 2016, it was confirmed that, at least in the modern reboot of Archie Comics, Jughead is asexual – meaning he has little or no desire to have sexual relations with anyone.

The author of the current “Jughead” comics, Chip Zdarsky, made the following statement regarding the character’s sexuality.

“My view of Jughead is, over the 75 years (of his existence) there have been sporadic moments where he has dabbled in the ladies, but historically he has been portrayed as asexual. They just didn’t have a label for it, so they just called him a woman-hater.

“But he’s not a misogynist – he just watches his cohorts lose their minds with hormones. People have asked me if there is going to be a romance if I’m writing Jughead, because I’m very romantic, and the answer is no, because there is enough of that in Archie. I think something like asexuality is underrepresented, and since we have a character who was asexual before people had the word for it, I’m continuing to write him that way.”

Jughead is revealed as asexual in a scene from "Jughead" #4, published in February 2016. Photo: Comic Book Resources

Apparently, that isn’t sexy enough for “Riverdale,” CW’s dark, gritty, and edgy new take on the bright and cheerful Archie Comics universe. In this upcoming television show, Jughead will want in on the hot and steamy action!

The actor playing Jughead, Cole Sprouse, shared that he would have liked for “Riverdale” to stay true to Jughead’s character. During the winter press tour for the Television Critics Association, the 24-year-old actor made the following statement:

“I think there’s still a lot of room in Riverdale for that (though). Asexuality is not one of those things in my research that is so understood at face value and I think maybe the development of that narrative could also be something very interesting and very unique and still resonate with people, and not step on anyone’s toes. I think sexuality especially is one of those fluid things where oftentimes we find who we are through certain things that happen in our lives.”

Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones. Photo: The CW

Unfortunately, Sprouse was unable to convince the powers that be to retain Jughead’s asexuality for “Riverdale.”

“Jughead will have romances with women . . . and burgers,” he said. “I come from an educational environment that really praises, as do I, the forms of representation that are otherwise lacking in our public media. But at the end of the day, I still had to do my job.”

So there you have it: “Riverdale’s” Jughead is as horny as any other teenager, and will want sex, and presumably lots of it.

“Riverdale” hasn’t shied away from incorporating some bizarre elements into its adaptation of Archie Comics. Eschewing the comics’ usual sunny disposition, the TV show begins with the grisly murder of a popular high school student. It has a sexed-up Archie Andrews hiding a deep, dark secret from his friends – which strains his relationship with his best friend, Jughead. Archie even has a forbidden romance with Ms. Grundy, who is not an old lady as she is in the comics, but a young music teacher.

What other changes can we expect from “Riverdale”? Who knows, maybe Jughead has a creepy taxidermy collection in his mother’s basement. Or perhaps Reggie suffers from a crippling drug addiction. And we’re pretty sure Dilton is into some hard, kinky stuff involving whips, metal rods, and lots and lots of leather.

“Riverdale” debuts on The CW on January 26, 2017. — BM, GMA News