Southside Serpents

"They're this gang of bikers who pretty much stays on the south side of town. And thank God, 'cause they're sort of dangerous. Drug dealers and petty thieves."

- Kevin to Veronica

The  Southside Serpents are a gang of dangerous criminals who predominantly reside on the south side of Riverdale, hence the name. They are led by FP Jones, the father of Jellybean and Jughead Jones. The serpents typically hang out at a local bar called the Whyte Wyrm.

History
At one point, prior to Jason's murder, FP became their leader after he was forced to resign from Andrews Construction. This is because he had become too much of a liability to the company due to his criminal activities.

After Polly Cooper became pregnant, Jason Blossom went to the Serpents, he needed money for him and Polly to run away together. The Serpents used him to run drugs which FP later clarified to be marijuana as a clean-cut kid like him would never be suspected. However, the last batch of drugs they had given him was never delivered, and they figured he had just run off with them until his corpse washed up at Sweetwater River.

FP almost got framed for the murder of Jason due to the cops finding a gun in his trailer. It was later revealed that Cliff was the one who shot and killed his own son in cold blood and FP having to take the fall to protect his son Jughead.

The Laws of the Serpents
1. A Serpent never shows cowardice. 2. If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of. 3. Unknown. 4. No Serpent is left for dead. 5. A Serpent never betrays his own. 6. In unity, there is strength.

Season 1
The Serpents were hired by Hiram Lodge to decrease the value of the Twilight Drive-In so that Lodge Industries could purchase the land for a low price. They were successful in doing so and the drive-in was shut down. On closing night, members of the gang attended, being loud and disruptive. At the same time FP met with Hermione Lodge for payment of their services, but according to FP, she was short. Also on the closing night, one of their members, Joaquin, became involved in a romantic relationship with Sheriff Keller's son Kevin.

When Hermione Lodge was working late one night at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, the Serpents left her a warning to pay them what her husband owed: a rattlesnake in a box.

After FP was rehired at Andrews Construction, Hermione wondered if he was there to shake her down for the supposed money she still owed him. However, FP explained that he had already been compensated by Hiram.

Under the assumption that the Southside Serpents had attacked Moose Mason at Andrews Construction, Archie, Kevin, and Moose made their way into a local bar, Whyte Wyrm, which was a known hang out for Serpents, in search for the two guys that ambushed Moose. However, they picked a fight with the wrong Serpent, a member named Mustang didn't appreciate Archie's accusations, claiming that he wasn't the first Bulldog to come here and start trouble, he was alluding to Jason Blossom. Mustang shoved Archie and then threw him onto the pool table just as their leader, FP instructed them to stop fighting. FP would later discover that the guys that attacked Moose were from Montreal, they were affiliates of Hiram Lodge.

Season 2
After receiving a call from Jughead, telling them to come to Riverdale General Hospital, Tall Boy and Young Serpent learned that his best friend's father, Fred Andrews, was shot by a man wearing a black hood at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. While Serpents don't typically wear masks, Jughead informed them that some of those Serpents were working for Fred Andrews when, for reasons of his own, he decided to suddenly let them go. Jughead suggested that maybe someone took it personally and went rogue. Regardless of the motive, Tall Boy and Young Serpent knew every hidey-hole in town. Someone had to have heard something about the shooting at Pop's. With that being said, Tall Boy agreed to look around and knock some heads if need be.

Jughead returned to his father's trailer that night to find Tall Boy and Young Serpent awaiting his arrival. However, they were not alone. With them, tied to a chair and badly beaten, was a man that they claimed was holding court in the Whyte Wyrm. He was going on and on about how if Fred Andrews was going let Hiram Lodge's bitch run the show by firing his crew, then it was good that he got shot. After a lengthy cross-examination, during which time Young Serpent assaulted him with brass knuckles, they concluded he was just being a loudmouth. Then what did you bring him here for, Jughead asked. Tall Boy explained that they did as Jughead asked because they were hoping that he would take that back to FP. Him knowing that they're looking after Jughead meant a lot to them. With or without the jacket, Jughead's a Serpent, Tall Boy stated.

Jughead met up with Tall Boy on the south side to discuss FP's upcoming hearing. Even with Jughead playing fair and going to the Mayor for help, it felt as if the entire system was rigged to work against them. Tall Boy wondered what FP had to say about this and if he had taken the deal that was being offered for twenty years in prison. Fortunately, FP hadn't yet taken the deal. In a desperate attempt to free his father, Jughead suggested that they break him out of jail before he gets transferred to the state. Tall Boy chuckled, saying that Jughead had seen "Escape from Alcatraz" too many times. However, according to Jughead, the plan was doable. The Sheriff Station had worse security that Riverdale High School, he said. Once FP was out, it was a straight shot up Sweetwater River to the Canadian border. Taking a far more reasonable approach, Tall Boy suggested getting FP a better lawyer rather than breaking him out. FP needed a snake-handler. Someone whose livelihood depended on snakes. Who's used to dealing with them, and he knew just who to contact.

Jughead followed Tall Boy's direction to a lawyer and Southside Serpent named Penny Peabody. According to Penny, the Serpents put her through law school. Since they are often on the other side of the law, having one of their own on retainer, helping out, was clever, Jughead acknowledged. On to the deal that was being offered to FP, which in Penny's expert opinion was garbage. While there were no loopholes to be found in the deal, Penny suggested that Jughead get the family of the victim to forgive FP in front of a judge, as that could shift things in FP's favor. Instead of twenty years, he could get time served with parole. Jughead asked if he was now supposed to pay her for her consultation. Penny explained to him that they were friends. She did him a favor, and one day, he would repay that favor when the time came.

The following night, he and two other Southside Serpents entered Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe during Retro Night. While they did nothing to cause trouble and kept to themselves throughout the night, some were uneasy with their presence.

After Jughead transferred to Southside High, he was greeted by Toni Topaz, a young Serpent, who would be his tour guide showing him around the school. Informing Jughead that the classrooms didn't have Wi-Fi, and the bathroom stalls didn't have doors. As Jughead later asked about the school newspaper, The Red and Black, as she informed him that it no longer existed, due to Censorship and Budget cuts. While she also showed Jughead the corner where Jingle Jangle was being consumed by a group of students, informing him that the place was crawling with "the JJ." adding that it was a highly additive gutter drug. While she was showing Jughead around the school, once they reached the cafetorium, she showed him the Ghoulies, who were a rival gang, drug dealers, street racers, and rumors of cannibalism. Later showing him the corner where the Serpents sit, not knowing at the time the she was one, as she informed him that it was the reason why she volunteered to give him the tour guide. As they were headed to the corner where the Serpents hangout, Jughead informs Toni that he wanted to sit alone to finish up his book and brood. Which Toni later admitted to be confused by his response, as she informed him that he was a Serpent by blood, who was the Son of FP Jones. Which Jughead informed her that he was, later stating that he was self-identified as a loner, not a pack animal. Stating that he wanted to get through this, which Toni informed Jughead, that if he wanted to survive, she advised him that he should hang with the Serpents. Warning Jughead, if the Ghoulies get a whiff that he's alone, they would make him their bitch faster than he could say American History X, as Toni put it.

After class, Jughead had a chat with Mr.Phillips about The Red and Black, which he managed to convince him to get it re-opened, as he later recruited Toni as the school photographer alongside him. Which they later were greeted by Sweet Pea, when he came to get Toni, while later, invited Jughead if he wanted to hang with them to. However, Jughead refused, resulting in the two boys having a brief conflict with one another, as Sweet Pea informed Jughead that he only came to them for help but won't hang with them, while also stating that the Ghoulies would attack him to earn their stripes by taking him out if they saw him alone, as he was the son of FP Jones.

Later, after finally cleaning up The Red and Black, Betty came by to come visit Jughead, which Toni later dropped by to bring over some supplies, later meeting Betty in the process. After they left, after a late night at the office, Jughead was attacked by the Ghoulies. The next day, over at the Sunnyside Trailer Park, Betty and Toni was by Jughead's place, where Betty was cleaning up Jugheads cuts and bruises. Which Betty informed Jughead that she warned Jughead that the motorcycle he was riding would be dangerous, however, Toni realized that it was a lie as she suspected it was a cover up. Suspecting that it was the Ghoulies who attacked him earlier. However, due to her loyalty toward Jughead, she choose to keep his secret. Which Toni reminded Jughead that she warned him about the Ghoulies after Betty left the trailer, stating that hopefully he would take them more seriously after learning his lesson.

Meanwhile back at Southside High, in the cafeteria where Toni and Sweet Pea were seated in their usually hangout where the Serpents sit. Jughead later walked over, as he asked if they were still cool with him hanging out with them. Suspecting that Jughead would eventually come around, they welcomed him into their group with open arms, as Jughead was also considered their family.

Triggering the Feud
After suspecting that the Black Hood was from the Southside of town, as statistics had shown that his victims were or at one point were residents on the north side of Riverdale, Archie wanted to intimidate the killer by trying to call him out, his motive being that he wanted to attract the dangerous killer to come for him so that he could single-handedly kill him. Having loaded up with guns at the local army-navy store, he carried out his plan on the Southside, as he maneuvered through the streets tagging buildings with a spray-painted Red Circle logo. However, he was caught by a group of young Serpents, and they weren't pleased to find him tagging their turf. Sweet Pea and his gang took offense to his mark as a message towards them. Later, taking a second look at his mark, he realized that it's a message towards the Black Hood.

The two boys had a brief conversation with each other, as Sweet Pea informed Archie that he was on the wrong side of town. He advised Archie to get his ass back on the Northside of town, before someone got hurt. Which Archie later retaliated, by telling Sweet Pea to get out of his way, "or someone will get hurt". This enrages Sweet Pea, to which he then pulled out a knife on Archie, expecting him to be scared and run away. However, he was caught off guard along with the rest of the Serpents, when Archie pulled out a gun pointed towards him, yelling, "WHO MADE A MISTAKE, WHO MADE A MISTAKE?", causing the Serpents to retreat.

Trouble Arrives at the Front Door
Later, at the Andrews house, after Archie and Veronica had a serious talk about Archie owning a gun, they heard a knock on the front door. As Veronica was approaching the door to open it, with Archie a bit on edge, as he kind of suspected that it would be the Serpents. However, when Veronica opened the front door, it was Reggie and Dilton Doiley, along with the rest of the Bulldogs behind them, who came unannounced, bringing a few boxes of Pizza's over by his house. Reggie expressed his gratitude to Archie for not exposing him as the owner of the hood mask that Mr. Weatherbee found in Archie's locker. In "the book of Reg", that made him a top-tier loyal badass. He also had other news; he and the guys were talking earlier and came to the decision that if he wanted to keep "The Red Circle" going, they were in.

However, their decision was interrupted when Veronica heard engines revving outside of Archie's house, to later find a group of Serpents arriving at the front of Archie's house, approaching his front door. Not long after, Veronica warned Archie that trouble had arrived. Archie approached the door to find Sweet Pea and his gang, stating that they were there for payback concerning their last encounter. Reggie arrived at the door, backing Archie up. Veronica decided that if they were to fight head-on, rules must be placed, and the first rule was no weapons in the fight that was to ensue.

Serpents VS. The Red Circle
Serpents and the Bulldogs stood on their respective sides in the rain, preparing for the fight. After more members arrived on either side, Archie and Sweet Pea were in a standoff. Initiating the fight, Archie walked slowly towards him, looked Sweet Pea straight in the face, and took the first punch, declaring war. Both sides of ran forward attacking each other. As the two sides fought, Archie spotted Dilton pulling out a pocket knife and was thrown down towards the ground not long after, by Sweet Pea. Before Sweet Pea could continue, Veronica intervened by firing Archie's gun into the air, which ended the fight, with the Serpents retreating. However, the Red Circle did not make it out unscathed, as Dilton was stabbed in the leg, and had to be rushed away by Reggie to the hospital. Nevertheless, Dillon knew what was required of him, he had to make up a cover story; he would say that he was walking when he was ambushed by Serpents who stabbed for no apparent reason.

Leader

 * FP Jones (Incarcerated)

Known Members

 * Joaquin DeSantos
 * Jughead Jones
 * Penny Peabody (attorney)
 * Toni Topaz
 * Tall Boy
 * Young Serpent
 * Sweet Pea
 * Fangs Fogarty
 * Hot Dog (the Serpents' dog)

Former Members

 * Mustang †
 * Alice Cooper

Known Employers

 * Hiram Lodge
 * Andrews Construction
 * Clifford Blossom †

Trivia

 * In the Archie Comics, the Southside Serpents were a rival gang of Little Archie and his friends.
 * Affiliates to the Southside Serpents bear the symbol of the gang tattooed on their body, usually the arm.

Also See

 * Riverdale Rumble

Gallery

 * -|Season 1 Screencaps=

Season 1 Screencaps

 * -|Season 2 Screencaps=