Riverdale‘s showrunner has teased that a series regular will die in the ninth episode of the show’s upcoming third season. Who will it be?

Riverdale series developer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa took to Instagram last week to share some ominous news. When the hit CW show returns for season three tomorrow, fans will have to start saying a long goodbye. According to Aguirre-Sacasa’s post, at least one series regular character seems fated to die midseason, specifically in episode 3×09, fittingly called “No Exit.”

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While Aguirre-Sacasa made the post purposefully ambiguous, I’m betting that only one character will be killed off. Two in the same episode would be a bit much, even for Riverdale. But, who will that unlucky series regular be? There are fourteen candidates, but some are definitely safer than others. Here’s a breakdown of which characters will probably live and which characters are in danger.

Definitely safe

Archie

Photo Credit: Show/The CW Image Acquired from CWTVPR

While Riverdale is very much an ensemble show, Archie (KJ Apa) is the de facto lead and, as such, is the safest character. Of course, shows have been known to kill off their leads. However, with the most obvious exception being Game of Thrones, series rarely get rid of their main character within the first few seasons.

Jughead

Riverdale drummed up tension last season by ending the penultimate episode on a cliffhanger: Would Jughead (Cole Sprouse) survive sacrificing himself to the Ghoulies? But, the reasons the producers and writers didn’t kill Jug then are the reasons they’ll keep him alive in season three, as I’ve written about before.

Jughead is integral to Riverdale in a way no other character is, because he’s the narrator. Additionally, his relationship with Betty (Bughead) is one of the show’s most popular ships and a key reason why people tune in.

Most compellingly, Jughead’s mother Gladys (Gina Gershon) and younger sister Jellybean (Trinity Likin) will be making their long-awaited debut this season in the Dec. 12 episode. Last season’s ninth episode aired on Dec. 13, so this Dec. 12 episode is most likely “No Exit.” There’s no way Jug would die in the same episode his mom and sister finally come back.

Betty

Season two was a particularly trying one for Betty (Lili Reinhart), considering her own father (Lochlyn Munro) was torturing her. She didn’t figure that out until the end of the season, though, so she still has a lot to process going forward.

That kind of trauma doesn’t just go away, and the writers and producers shouldn’t pretend otherwise. It’s an important storyline to explore, and it should absolutely not end with Betty being murdered.

Furthermore, Betty’s death would be too devastating not only for viewers, but also for the other characters. Betty is more strongly connected to more characters than anyone else. She is Jughead’s girlfriend, Archie’s best friend (and maybe more), Veronica’s (Camila Mendes) best friend, Alice’s (Mädchen Amick) daughter and Cheryl’s (Madelaine Petsch) cousin.

Granted, Betty and Cheryl haven’t always gotten along, but I’m hoping their relationship will be explored more this season. Regarding Alice, she’s still trying to process the Black Hood reveal, too. She can’t lose Betty on top of that. Simply put, killing Betty would be too dark, even for Riverdale.

Veronica

Veronica came into her own more than ever last season when she took back Pop’s from Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and voluntarily cut herself off from his wealth. This season, she’s apparently planning to open a “speakeasy” in Pop’s basement. It doesn’t seem like the smartest business decision to me in the long run, but whatever.

It is, at least, part of the reason why Veronica will be safe. After crafting her growth since the pilot, Riverdale‘s writers and producers won’t kill her off just as she’s moving further from her roots than she ever has. It’ll be interesting to see how Veronica handles running her own business, supporting herself financially and keeping up with school.

FP

FP (Skeet Ulrich) is a fan favorite character, and “Falice” is one of the most popular ships on Riverdale. Unfortunately for Falice shippers, his love life will definitely get more complicated this season, but that’s actually what will save him.

FP reconnecting with his estranged wife and daughter will surely be a major storyline in the backhalf of season three, which would make his death in “No Exit” impossible.

Fred

Obviously, Fred (Luke Perry) is not as essential to Riverdale as the “Core Four” are. However, given that he already got shot twice in season two and almost died the first time, Fred ultimately being killed in season three seems unnecessarily cruel.

I’m not saying Fred will (or even should) have it easy in season three. Riverdale is a drama, after all. However, seeing his son in jail and on trial for a murder he didn’t commit will be quite enough of an ordeal for Fred to go through.