Riverdale: The 10 Worst Things Archie & Betty Did To Each Other
With years of friendship behind them, Archie and Betty have kept fans guessing if they will end up together. They have a very special connection that doesn't fit neatly into 'friendship' or 'relationship' - they love each other at different times, leaving their love unrequited for the most part.
Naturally, such a complicated bond leaves them and their romantic partners in vulnerable positions and people get hurt (a lot). The decisions they make and things they do lead to heartbreak and highly complicated love triangles in Riverdale. However, they don't mean to hurt each other or their friends, they just can't seem to stay away from each other.
After years of friendship, Betty (with Veronica's encouragement) confesses to Archie that she wants them to be a couple. However, unbeknownst to Betty, Archie is secretly involved with Ms. Grundy at this time and he explains to Betty that he loves her as a friend.
Although Archie is right to be honest about his feelings towards Betty, it is one of the times he hurts Betty the most. At this stage, she cares about Archie so much and cannot understand why he doesn't feel the same way.
After Archie tells Betty that he doesn't have romantic feelings for her, she starts becoming closer to Jughead. Betty seems to find a safe space in Jughead, where she can grow into herself and they soon start dating, turning into an unlikely but loving couple.
Although Betty actually does nothing wrong here, because Archie has told her that he sees her as a friend, Archie can be caught staring at them and it appears as if seeing Betty with Jughead has stirred up Archie's feelings for Betty. Archie gets himself into this situation, but it clearly pains him to see Betty happy with Jughead.
During one of Riverdale's best mysteries, Betty's mother believes that FP might have something to do with Jason's murder, and Veronica and Archie begin looking into it. Despite Betty saying they shouldn't because FP is Jughead's father, they search FP's trailer anyway. When Jughead finds out, he is upset and thinks Betty must be involved too.
Although Archie's trip to the trailer makes them realize FP is being set up so it is ultimately worthwhile, he does betray Betty by going. He causes a rift between Betty and Jughead, and he should've been honest with Betty about his plans.
When Betty finds out that Archie has been seeing his high school music teacher, she becomes concerned and breaks into her car, where she finds a gun and discovers that 'Ms. Grundy' is actually an alias. Unfortunately for Betty, her pushy and overbearing mother finds out and gets involved.
Although this all actually works out for the best because Ms. Grundy leaves town (having abused her position of power), Archie specifically asked Betty to back off. As Betty goes behind Archie's back and destroys his (highly inappropriate) relationship, it's unsurprising Archie is upset.
When Betty and Archie share a kiss just prior to their graduation, they are confused by their feelings. Eventually, they agree to keep the kiss a secret and not to tell Veronica or Jughead. However, Archie has a change of heart and comes clean at prom.
Archie is right to tell Veronica, but he betrays Betty's trust by not telling her he's going to confess. Although Veronica holds no grudge against them, it had the potential to ruin Betty and Veronica's close friendship, or even Betty and Jughead's relationship if Veronica had passed the information on.
After the gang return to Riverdale six years after their graduation, Betty and Archie begin being intimate with each other. It starts as a fairly casual thing, but as time goes on they realize they need to make a decision about the nature of their relationship. However, Archie confesses to Betty that he has started having feelings for Veronica again.
Although Betty takes the news well, Archie toys with her feelings, especially because Betty is particularly vulnerable given her sister is missing. Archie seems to think it's fine to bounce between Veronica and Betty, but someone is bound to get hurt.
The same night Betty confesses her long-standing feelings for Archie, he kisses Veronica during a game at Cheryl's party. Distraught, Betty leaves the party and asks Archie not to tell her what happened.
Although Archie does not reciprocate Betty's romantic feelings at this time, he really ought to have been kinder and more considerate of her feelings given their long friendship. Kissing anyone at a party Betty was at would have been inconsiderate, but kissing her new friend was just cruel.
After Betty and Archie become particularly close while hiding that Jughead is really alive and investigating the secrets of Stonewall Prep, they kiss and realize they have feelings for each other. While Archie is keen to explore his feelings for Betty further, Betty ultimately chooses Jughead while Veronica and Archie break up.
While they are both unfaithful and the kiss shouldn't have happened to begin with, Archie is clearly devastated by Betty's choice. However, Archie has sporadic and inconsistent feelings for Betty, meaning Jughead is certainly the right choice for her.
When the Black Hood threatens to harm Jughead if Betty does not end it with him, Betty asks Archie to break up with him for her. Although Archie takes a lot of convincing, he eventually agrees and does the deed.
As someone who cares about both Archie and Jughead, Betty asks too much of Archie in this instance. As they are such close friends, Archie really has no choice but to agree, but of course, this drives a wedge between him and Jughead. Even though Betty is in a difficult position, it is unkind of her to make it Archie's responsibility.
In a very recent episode in the strange town of Rivervale, Betty teams up with Cheryl and helps sacrifice Archie in an effort to make an offering to the town. This is particularly surprising given that Betty is with Archie romantically and is carrying his child, and fans definitely still have questions about this season 6 storyline.
Although the nature of Rivervale is unknown (it could be a parallel world or the setting of Jughead's new book), Betty still helps kill Archie. It goes without saying that this is pretty much the biggest betrayal of all.