SPOILER WARNING: Binge-watchers, beware — this article contains spoilers for last week’s episode of Riverdale, which aired on May 9.
Last week’s penultimate episode of Riverdale Season 2 included a huge reveal: The payoff for the year-long Black Hood mystery, with Betty’s dad Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro) confessing to the (many) murders committed in the name of ridding “the town with pep” of sin.
This was a twist after this past December’s revelation that it was now-deceased Riverdale High custodian Mr. Svenson under the hood — which, as many fans guessed, was a red herring. But how long have the shows writers known that Hal would be the killer? Only since about halfway through this season, according to Riverdale showrunner and Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa in a new interview with CBR.
RELATED: Riverdale Pays Off Year-Long Mystery with Black Hood Reveal
“When we started writing this season, we had a few ideas as to who The Black Hood might be — three potential suspects, actually — but Hal was always in the mix,” Aguirre-Sacasa told CBR. “From episode 11 of Season 2 though, we knew it would be Hal and we began writing towards that.”
For those keeping track, the Mr. Svenson reveal came in episode 9 of the show’s second season.
Of course, even though The Black Hood has been revealed, there are plenty of mysteries still swirling in Riverdale — include that second Black Hood who shot a bulletproof vest-wearing Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) on last week’s episode, plus the outcomes of the Riverdale mayoral election and the Riverdale High student council race.
“Brave New World,” the Riverdale second season finale, airs at 8 tonight on The CW. Check back with CBR immediately after the east coast airing for our full interview with Aguirre-Sacasa on all the latest developments.