Board Thread:Theories/@comment-26415426-20171108222853

There's a short story called "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. It's about a hunter, Zaroff, who lives on an abandoned island where frequent shipwrecks area, leading many men to its shores. Once there, he clothes them, arms them and gives them a choice of being tortured or running into the jungle and allowing him to hunt them. If they survive three days in the jungle, then they're freed. Basically, he got sick of hunting animals because they lacked the ability to reason, making them dull. Humans were the "most dangerous game". A major theme is the idea of "the hunter becoming the hunted" and this line is said by Dilton when Archie is giving his "pep talk" in the locker room.

The Dilton in the comic books (or so Wikipedia tells me) is a really smart guy who wants to be a football player but just isn't cut out for it. Dilton has been a part of these groups, the only non-football player as far as I can tell (at that point at least), so that might be a nod to that. But it just makes him look suspicious.

Anyways, after the other guys leave, Dilton says "And then there was one". For such a smart dude, he' should be able to put one and one together to make two. Why is he not including himself? He never said he was leaving and he's not going to lose the spot he doesn't have on the football team, so what's going on there? Then he tosses the apple, the archetypal symbol of temptation, before basically telling Archie how Archie feels. That he always wanted it to be one on one, to fight to the death, which he knows because Archie has a gun. Archie agrees and the Dilton tells him where to go to get all the things he needs to go "hunting". Very similar to "The Most Dangerous Game" as Zaroff does not send the men out unprepared or without a headstart.

This might just be a nod to the story, but it stood out to me. However, I didn't think much on it until I read about the Zodiac Killer, an influence behind Black Hood, and it's highly suspected given a quote in one of his letters, that he was influenced by "The Most Dangerous Game". The quote was:  "I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all."

I know, I know. BH is shown as a middle-aged man. As Killer Kev pointed out, Archie may not be the most reliable source given his mental state at the time. The green eyes alone seem to be suspect, just because that is an unnatural shade of green. Killer Kev also pointed out that Midge couldn't confirm his appearance. Either way, why would someone with such a  But whatever, just pretend for a second. Or think of him as a possible mole for BH, if you can't buy that at all. Or maybe working for someone else entirely.

Dilton knows how to use a gun, was a member of the Red Circle, but sends Archie out on his own because he more or less convinces Archie that's what he wanted all along. But he ends up helping him out after Archie does Archie and makes some stupid mistakes when antagonizing the Serpents. Once again though, his help seems dependent on whether or not the rest of the team is there. Reggie thought it was cool Archie didn't snitch, and the football team follows his lead, but why Dilton? Why would that matter to him? He isn't part of the football team, so he's not following the leader of his team. It's just odd.

Maybe this all just plays on Dilton's character from the comics, that longing to be on the football team. Maybe he's just setting things up and like I said, all the stuff above is just a nod to the story. His trip to the Southside didn't lead him to BH, but it did start a war. Could this have been intended? The Lodges' conversation at the town meeting hinted that at least they might. In the comics, Dilton's got a stepfather and doesn't know his real dad (as far as I can tell). Is there a possible connection between them? 