Palladium

Palladium is a precious metal worth more than gold. Hiram Lodge began to mine specific areas of Riverdale in search of it using the SoDale project as a smokescreen.

History[]

In the late 1980s, there was supposedly unmined veins of palladium in Riverdale. Javier Luna relocated his wife and son, Lourdes and Jaime, respectively, to the small town near the Sweetwater River after a customer gave him a palladium nugget, having forgotten his wallet at home and unable to pay Javier for the shoe shining.^[1]

Throughout Riverdale[]

Season 5[]

Upon returning to Riverdale after seven years, Archie questions what Hiram Lodge has to gain by dismantling Riverdale. SoDale, Toni explains. He’s building a turnpike that leads to SoDale about half a mile east. Hiram is catering to the rich and wealthy, who can commute into the city, essentially strangling Riverdale to boost SoDale. And their kids will attend Stonewall Prep, for which Hiram was able to buy a seat on the board.^[2]

Hiram si expanding his dominion over other nearby areas, including Swedlow Swamp near the Lonely Highway where several young women went missing throughout the years. Hiram covered up some of the corpses that were found during construction works as Reggie later revealed to Betty, who's investigating her sister's disappearance. Hiram intends to escavate the area for his SoDale project and doesn't want them snooping around.^[3]

RD-Caps-5x10-The-Pincushion-Man-15-Hiram — Hiram reveals he's searching for palladium

Hiram is disappointed with Reggie for having betrayed him at the football game, which sparked life back into Riverdale. Hiram can feel its broken spirit rebuilding, more so with the upcoming Parent-Teacher night at Riverdale High. Reggie asks what he can do to redeem himself. Hiram reveals that he’s been digging for palladium behind his prison walls, but the palladium veins beneath it are completely tapped. Now, they need to move on to the veins underneath the Blossom Maple Farms. Hiram has a plan involving the prison that will help bring about Riverdale’s ruination. He simply needs Reggie to recover the groves of the Blossom Maple Farms. As neither Cheryl or her Nana Rose want to sell, Hiram orders Reggie to burn down the groves.^[4]

Upon learning of the prison break, Governor Dooley confronts Hiram for blowing up the prison, as that was never part of the plan. Dooley simply wants his cut of the palladium. However, Hiram reminds him that they didn't find anything under the prison, but Dooley isn't convinced and gives Hiram 24-hours to deliver his cut.

Some of the fugitives from the Lodge Detention Center including Dodger Dickenson continue to dig in the mines even after escaping from prison. They are found and captured by Archie, Kevin, Fangs Fogarty, Frank, Reggie and Veronica. Dodger, however, managed to escape.

Later, Hiram calls Governor Dooley and asks him to meet at his office. Standing behind Hiram is Ted Bishop with a barbed wire bat. Much like Dooley, Ted wants his share of the palladium. Ted later kidnap Hiram, Dooley and Sheriff Keller and demands the ransom from Veronica, who thus learns about the palladium without knowing what it is. Reggie surmises that if Hiram had some palladium, it's in the safe in his office. After they are released, Hiram tells Dooley that he has no intention of sharing the palladium with him.^[5]

RD-Caps-5x12-Citizen-Lodge-24-Javier — Javier with palladium in 1988

Hiram continues his desperate search for palladium, telling Reggie the origin of his obsession with it. Back in New York City, in 1988, his father Javier Luna came to know of the existence of a supposed unmined veins of palladium in Riverdale. They moved to Riverdale, and Javier started working in the mines. After the mine collapse, Hiram and Javier began shoeshinning outside of Pop's. After more information about Hiram's backstory, Reggie wonders what brought Hiram back to Riverdale. He reveals that his father was right about the palladium in Riverdale. He was simply looking in the wrong place, and eventually Hiram did discover a thin vein of palladium. He proceeded to build the prison over that vein so that behind the walls he could continue the search. But now that vein is tapped with little to show for it. So, Hiram needs to get to the vein he found under the Blossom maple groves.^[1]

Cheryl discovered that the largest deposit of palladium in Riverdale sits beneath her family's maple groves, and hires Andrews Constructions to open the mines and harvest the palladium before Hiram steals it. Archie initially turns her down given his lack of experience, but Cheryl has faith he'll figure it out. Frank adds that it is in fact doable, as he ran a crew in Alaska for a spell. After thinking it over, Archie eventually agrees to help run the operation.

RD-Caps-5x14-The-Night-Gallery-26-Kevin — Kevin uncovers some palladium

After a quick Blossom Ministry's prayer lead by Cheryl, the team starts working in the mines. After a few days of work, Kevin uncovers a vein of palladium and he, Archie and Frank update Cheryl on their finding. Unfortunately, the tunnels are full of carbon monoxide. If you breathe enough of it, it causes hallucinations and violent outbursts, which they've all experienced. Cheryl asks how they can fix it. Archie believes they can hook up a pump to make sure there's fresh air. And so, Cheryl pushes for them to do just that, as she needs for work to resume immediately.^[6]

Season 6[]

Archie is approached by one of his crewman, Dennis, who hands him a piece of palladium he found in the basement. Archie offers to split it with him as a reward, but Dennis refuses to take it from him. So, Archie allows him to keep any other palladium he comes across. However, Archie later comes to realize that the palladium is his kryptonite, causing his powers to fade. TBK learns of this and uses it to capture Archie after posing as a Riverdale local to help rebuild Archie's house.^[7]

RD-Caps-6x10-Folk-Heroes-130-Percival — Percival holding palladium

During a boxing match for the Guinness World Record, Percival Pickens manages to beat Archie, despite the fact that he has become indestructible. Percival did it after he became aware of Archie's weakness to palladium and got a hold of it by putting a piece of palladium hidden within his glove. Percival got it the night before the match, in which he mind controlled Alice into allowing him into Betty's room, where he then used his abilities on her and forced Betty to tell him everything about Archie, before making her forget.^[8]

Archie gets some palladium for Cheryl. However, she warns Archie that he's playing with forces beyond his understanding and the natural world, as he doesn't know where his powers come from or why palladium weakens him but not anyone else with powers. Cheryl isn't sure chasing immunity is worth the risk ahead, but Archie doesn't believe he has any other choice, given that Percival knows of his weakness. Luckily for him, that's where Cheryl comes in, as she does have experience with the supernatural and can divine a pathway for Archie, without it costing him his life.

RD-Caps-6x14-Venomous-57-Archie — Archie drinks "palladium soup"

Archie weighs himself at the community center before placing the palladium necklace around his neck and beginning his training regimen. However, halfway through his workout on the punching bag, his hands begin bleeding.

Cheryl finds Archie on his deathbed from the palladium around his neck; he's sweating and extremely pale. Cheryl snatches the necklace from around his neck and reveals that she's whipped up some palladium soup. The raw ore is too intense for him. He has to titrate his exposure. Later, Archie is working out at the community center after drinking Cheryl's palladium soup. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the palladium to take effect, and Archie collapses.^[9]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

Palladium is revealed to be Hiram Lodge's main goal and behind his machinations since the second season.
Ironically, a vein of palladium was underneath Southside High, the school in the poorest part of town that Hiram had turned into a private prison.
Palladium as Archie's weakness is a reference to Superman's weakness to kryptonite.