How about it? Reggie seems to be the easy answer; but Veronica (the conniving rich bitch), Moose (the half-witted musclehead), Jason and Cheryl (the spoiled preppies), and Mr. Weatherbee (the blowhard, rotund principal) seem to be antagonists at least as capable as the arrogant, conceited Mr. Mantle. any consensus?
I think “antagonist” is the proper word here. Certainly any of the characters you mention are capable of upsetting our second favorite comic redhead (after Lana Lang.)
However, just as Superman had many antagonists, but only one true villain (Luthor), so Archie’s arch-rival will always be Reggie.
Jason? Cheryl? WHO?
Archie sure has changed since the late '60s . . .
Jason? Cheryl? WHO?
Archie sure has changed since the early '80s . . .
I would say everyone in the comic who wasn’t Jughead was a villian. He was so dreamy.
pat
Archie and Jughead were lovers.
http://www.madpoet.com
Computers have let mankind make mistakes faster than any other invention, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns.
Shoot Eve, late 70s! Who the heck are these people?
You know, Mad Poet, I wonder about that answer…I think the editors and powers that be at Archie Comics started giving Jughead girlfriends (other than that ghastly Big Ethel) lest modern kids reading the comics, and seeing no Veronica or Betty or Midge with Jughead, might conclude that he is gay. (I think the original story line was that Jughead is Archie’s pal because Archie doesn’t regard him as competition for Betty or Veronica, or even Cheryl.)
I think I know who this Cheryl and whassisface are, kinda. I remember buying a comic once in the mid-80’s where they made a guest appearance. Bored rich prep school or college kids looking for fun. In the comic I had, I specifically remember they couldn’t think of anyone else to hang out with, so one of them suggested they go to Veronica’s house because, “she may be a townie, but at least she’s a rich townie.” That line has always stayed with me–probably because it was years before I figured out what they hell it meant.
My sister and I always liked Jughead best, too, probably because he was so non-threatening. We probably read Archie comics longer than we should have, but we finally quit for good in the late 80’s or early 90’s when they decided to update Jughead and gave him dreadlocks or cornrows or whatever. Yecch! Hey, man, you don’t mess with an icon!!
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
I think Jughead’s appeal was of course the hat, lol. In answer to the OP, I think that, much like in life, although we interact with many different types of people who we may or may not consider friends, they may at any time (knowingly or unknowingly) cause us grief. No one is pure good or evil and the sleepy Riverdale community reflects that. Although, now that I think about it, Mrs. Grundy and Mr. Weatherbee were sorta evil. 
“I’m the luckiest man in the world, now that Lou Gehrig is dead.” Homer Simpson
Of course it was the hat… Jughead wears the crown because he’s the King of Queen Archie’s world!
Didn’t you ever wonder why he could never choose between Betty or Veronica?
http://www.madpoet.com
Computers have let mankind make mistakes faster than any other invention, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns.
Did you know that Mrs. Grundy was the older sister of Solomon Grundy, arch-nemesis of the Green Lantern?
Evil? She isn’t even HUMAN.
Uke
Weren’t there some Archies that featured Archie and the Gang as superheroes? I don’t think that any of the villians were based on existing Archie characters. But its been a while since I seen em…
Yeah, Archie was Captain Pureheart. He could only become Pureheart if Veronica (and maybe Betty) were in danger. I can’t remember what Reggie was called, but he was, as always, Archie’s foil.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Reg is/was ‘Evilheart’ in those Archies-As-Superheroes comics.
Eschew Obfuscation
The villain was Morgana LeFay. Formerly Patrolwoman Morgana LeFay, she worked for the Time Police in the 29th century until she used time-travel technology to steal weapons from the 34th century and go back in time to 1275 A.D. to cause some trouble.
She would have succeeded, too, if not for our own Deputy Forsythe P. Jones (Jughead). This story is told in Jughead’s Time Police no. 2 from Sept 1990. Jughead, you’ll remember, is the only member of the Time Police stationed outside the 29th century.
Morgana LeFay returned in May, 1991’s Jughead’s Time Police no. 6, which is as far as I can tell the last issue of the series (it better be; otherwise I’d be very upset to find I missed out on any more Time Police adventures). This time her target was Jughead himself! She was to attack him when he was just a small child! Fortunately the teenage Jughead gathered up two other Jugheads from just a few months in the past (ain’t time travel great?), and then went back in time even further to his own childhood to stop LeFay!
I’d say not only is Morgana LeFay the villain of of the Archie comics, she is the most dangerous. If she had succeeded in her scheme of revenge on Jughead, he wouldn’t even BE among Riverdale’s best known teenagers. On top of that, since in Jughead’s Time Police no. 5 it was revealed that Riverdale’s famous historical hero, Colonel Pickens, was in fact a time-traveling clone of Jughead in his old age, LeFay’s influence could have changed the outcome of our nation’s Civil War!
“I’m just too much for human existence – I should be animated.”
–Wayne Knight
Daniel, you are joking, right? Jughead’s Time Police? Time travel? Clones? Good God, that’s the same sort of crap that finally drove me away from Marvel comics. Did they really do that to Archie comics, too?
And I thought Juggie’s braids ruined the comic!
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
It’s true. I have all six issues in front of me right now.
Also, I might mention that this series also answered why Jughead isn’t interested in girls (considering that he isn’t gay): he already has a girlfriend, January McAndrews, who is Archie’s descendant from the 29th century. Archie actually met her in Jughead’s Time Police no. 4, but he didn’t know who she was (even though he commented that she looks familiar). Archie didn’t know about Jughead’s secret life, let alone that it involved smooching with one of Archie’s own descendants!
The only person in the present who knew that Jughead was a time traveller was Hot Dog (who once stole Jughead’s time travel device – his crown-shaped beanie – to enjoy his own heroics in issue no. 3); all of the other Archies were completely in the dark.
“I’m just too much for human existence – I should be animated.”
–Wayne Knight
Wow! And I thought I was the only fabulous-good-looking-babe-nay-nerd who was into Archie…
The villain? Depends. No, no, not the underwear for old folks like me who have bladder problems but it depends on the script! I have, in my house right now, over 100 copies of Archie digests.
Almost hate to admit this but this is what got me into reading. And yeah, I got a lot of my moral compass points from these comics too. Silly, sure, but you’d have to understand my family… for that I direct you to the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory).
Best!
Byz
I love the Archie Digests, too. The stories from the '50’s and '60’s are my favorites. Ever notice how in those really old comics that Betty was kinda villainous? Unlike the long-suffering sweetheart of today, the Betty of old was a schemer always thinking of plots to steal Archie away from Veronica. I wonder when exactly the change came about. When did Betty the trickster become Betty the doormat?
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Cripes, what did I step into? This totally realigns my childhood.
Okay, what do you call the kind of hat that Jughead wears? Has anyone ever seen a real one?
“Popeye? Hm? He’s not much of a judge of women!” King Blozo