Archieverse Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Archieverse Wiki

You're so good at identifying us. That was your blind spot. And I only kill people who deserve it. Horrible people who hurt those that I love.
— Charles to Betty[src]

Charles Smith is a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He is portrayed by Wyatt Nash.

Charles is the illegitimate son of Alice Smith and FP Jones as well as the older half-brother of Jughead, Jellybean, Betty and Polly. He was initially believed to be murdered by Chic, who later stole his identity. However, this proved to be untrue, as Charles was not only alive but also an agent for the FBI, tasked with stopping The Farm. After taking down the Farm and becoming acquainted with his family, specifically Betty and Jughead, who would go on to help Charles solve several investigations, they would discover that not only does Charles have the serial killer gene but that he is in fact a serial killer after he kills Bret Weston Wallis and Joan Berkeley for their role in Jughead's "murder," reasoning that he only kills those who hurt his loved ones.

Early Life[]

On the night that Hal and Alice were crowned King and Queen of their homecoming dance, the couple was witnessed fighting by FP Jones; Alice had just told Hal that she was pregnant, however, it was with another man. This revelation led to an argument as Hal wanted Alice to have an abortion, believing they were not ready to be parents, however, Alice was unwilling to do so. The following day, Alice checked herself into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, and five months later, she gave birth to a baby boy, which the Sisters arranged to be adopted quietly. Alice then kept the existence of him a complete secret.

After Alice gave birth, he entered and stayed in the foster system and was never adopted as Alice had originally planned. While there, Charles exhibited unhealthy behavior, such as torturing a possum he found in the attic. Around 2009, Charles ran away from the institute. Upon leaving, he discovered information about his biological family and he went to the Cooper house to see his mother, though he never got the chance to meet her. Sometime later, he found himself living in Centerville, where he ended up becoming romantically involved with Chic and told him about his life. Their friendship increasingly deteriorated and they argued continuously until Chic lost control and allegedly killed him during a fight.

Throughout Riverdale[]

Physical Appearance[]

When he was a teenager, Charles was thin with a fair complexion, curly brown hair and blue eyes, as seen from the photo of his permanent record in Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

Now Charles' adult appearance is a tall, handsome white man who seems approaching 30. He has golden tawny brown hair, which he smears with gel, and grey eyes. He prefers the business style of clothes.

Personality[]

Charles was a boy who grew up in the foster system with the idea of being unfitting and unwanted. This may have led him to make bad life choices, such as becoming an alleged drug addict. According to Chic, he felt resentment towards his biological family. Despite his bad friendships and a poor state of life, he is remembered by his neighbors as a polite boy.

Relationships[]

Betty Cooper[]

RD-Promo-4x03-Dog-Day-Afternoon-25-Betty-Charles

Charles and Betty are together

Betty is the younger maternal half-sister of Charles. Their relationship is progressing. They spent a lot of time working together over the summer while investigating The Farm with their mother Alice working undercover. Betty began to trust Charles and often worked alongside him until she discovered that he bugged the phones with a listening device. From here, Betty became suspicious of Charles. Her suspicions were confirmed when she and Jughead learned that he was a serial killer.

Jughead Jones[]

Jughead is the younger paternal half-brother of Charles. They often work together as an investigating team, though not as often as Jughead and Betty. They seem to have a close relationship, quickly embracing being half brothers. Charles often refers to Jughead as "little brother," and Jughead calls him "Chuck." Unlike Betty, Jughead was never really suspicious of Charles.

Chic[]

Your brother was a junkie. [...] I didn't mean to hurt him.
— Chic to Betty[src]

The relationship between Charles and Chic was quite turbulent, with ups and downs ultimately leading to Charles' alleged death. Despite an initial friendship based on sharing their sad past and upbringing, they became more and more hostile to each other to the point of arguing furiously every day. According to one of their neighbors at the hostel, Charles was the "good one" while Chic was the "bad one". However, it is revealed the two during there time together formed a romantic relationship that still continues despite Chic's incarceration.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Trivia[]

  • In "Chapter Eleven: To Riverdale and Back Again", FP Jones indirectly reveals that he knew of the existence of Alice's illegitimate son in their senior year, but he also believed that she was pregnant with Hal Cooper's child.
  • In the Archie Comics, Charles "Chic" Cooper was introduced for the first time in the 1960s Little Archie series. He was a teenager helping the main characters, who are children in this iteration.
  • In the following series, Chic Cooper is Betty's older brother, whose absence from the vast majority of the stories is justified because he is a secret agent for the US government.
  • Contrary to Riverdale, Charles and Chic are the same person, and he's not an illegitimate child.

Gallery[]

See also: Category:Images of Charles Smith

References[]

Advertisement