Archieverse Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Archieverse Wiki
This article is about Reggie Mantle, who resides in Riverdale. You may be looking for Reggie Prime or his Rivervale counterpart, Reggie Mantle.

Nothing I ever do is good enough for you, is it? But just because your life is crap doesn't give you the right to take it out on me. You beat me... punched down at me my whole damn life. But I stayed. After all you did... I stayed. Not anymore. You know, Hiram has done more with his life than you ever will. And as far as I know, he never laid a finger on his wife... or daughter.
— Reggie to Marty[src]

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle was initially a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He has since been promoted to series regular for the third season onward.[1] He was portrayed by Ross Butler in the first season, though Charles Melton replaced Butler in the second season.

During his youth, Reggie was captain of the varsity football team, the Riverdale Bulldogs. For a time, he also sold "Jingle Jangle" to other students, specifically Midge Klump and Moose Mason. He also had an ongoing competitive friendship with Archie Andrews.

Outside of school, Reggie worked at La Bonne Nuit as a bartender, where he got romantically involved with Veronica, his employer and classmate. After Veronica declined Reggie’s request of promoting him as the co-owner of La Bonne Nuit, he ended not only his professional relationship with Veronica, but his personal relationship as well, as he felt as if he was just a rebound to her breakup with Archie. However, after Reggie helped Veronica set up her father to be incarcerated once again, the two resumed their romance until Archie returned to Riverdale, and Veronica ended her relationship with Reggie. Although, they did remain friends.

After graduation from Riverdale High, Reggie attended the local community college. Seven years later, he took over the family car dealership, renamed Mantle Motors. He also began working under Hiram Lodge, serving as his underling in his corrupt affairs, which included working as a football coach to Stonewall Prep and discreetly using his players to aid him in doing Hiram's dirty work. Hiram later relieved Reggie of his duties, hoping to spare him of taking the same path that Hiram took as a teenager. Instead, he encouraged Reggie to reconcile with his father. After doing so, Reggie began working with Veronica again to take down Hiram while helping her operate her new jewelry store, Pearls and Posh, in order for her to pay off her estranged husband's debt. After Veronica killed Chad in self-defense and broke up with Archie for the final time, Reggie assisted her with exiling Hiram from Riverdale with video evidence of him committing a murder. Despite disapproval from the town’s new council regarding Reggie’s plan for a casino, Veronica and Reggie organize the secret casino from the Pembrooke and enter a romantic relationship again. They later open it at the Babylonium.

After Archie and the Gang defeat Percival Pickens, a sorcerer who had temporarily Reggie on his side, they are sent back in time to 1955 after a collision with Bailey's Comet. In the 50s, Reggie is a boy from Duck Creek working in the family farm until he gets recruited as a basketball player for the Riverdale Bulldogs. He goes to live with the Andrews and befriends Archie.

Early Life[]

Reggie grew up in Riverdale, where he lives with his mother, Melinda, and his father, Marty, the owner of the Luxury Car Jamboree, a local car dealership who has recently expanded his business, adding a bigger dealership on the Eastern Seaboard. Reggie has spent much of his teenage years doing odd jobs at the car dealership, building his athletic physique, and joyriding with some of the cars for sale. [2] Reggie's closest friend appears to be Moose Mason; they are almost always together.

Unbeknownst to friends and their families, Reggie has been raised by an abusive father who beats him for every stupidest thing, leaving him often with black eyes and bruises.[3]

Throughout Riverdale[]

Physical Appearance[]

Reggie is a tall, attractive, and athletically built young man, his appearance is likely due to his position on the school's football team. He has straight black hair, dark brown eyes, and olive skin. His clothing choices are typically very casual, only a T-shirt and jeans. Years later, he looks mostly the same except he has slicked his hair back and started wearing formal business suits, as he now works for Hiram Lodge.

Personality[]

Reggie embodies all the usual characteristics associated with the stereotypical jock. He isn't much of an intellectual and his biggest concerns seems to be football and sex, not just for himself, but his teammates as well. Like most jocks, he's socially and physically fit; the typical "cool" teenager. However, it's shown that Reggie had enough consciousnesses to ask Archie to not keep hurting his injured arm. He also comforted Archie after his dad was shot. However, his compassion is short-lived; ironically, and a cruel sense of humor, he pranked Archie by wearing a homemade black hood, while coming to Archie's home. Reggie also has a strong hatred of the Southside Serpents, if not Southsiders in general, even going as far to frame them when they were transferred to Riverdale High. That hatred is shared by many Northisders, who likely passed it on the younger generations like Reggie's.

The hyper-masculine and aggressive attitude seem to be a natural response to his upbringing with an abusive father who regularly beats him. According to Mr. Honey, Reggie uses pranking and jokes to divert the attention of his peers from his pain and bruises due to his father's abuse. Since Reggie was taken aback by the assumption, there is likely to be some truth to it.

The need for a father figure led Reggie to be jealous of the relationship between Archie and Fred and by his own admission, wished his father had died instead. This need, however, also led Reggie to be easily manipulated by Hiram Lodge. Hiram first pushed him to form the Dark Circle, more violent than the Red Circle of vigilantes that Hiram had tricked Archie to form, fueling the feud with the Southside and putting a gun in Reggie's hand during the riots. Seven years later, Reggie is Hiram's lackey again to work off his father's debt with Hiram, who helped Marty with some money troubles. Reggie half-jokingly says that the bad guys pay better, and he's okay with that if it means bettering the quality of his own life over that of others in his home town.

Relationships[]

Marty Mantle[]

What do you want me to say? Huh? That my dad hits me? That he beats the crap out of me over the stupidest things? That he's been doing it for as long as I can remember?
— Reggie to Archie[src]
RD-Caps-4x02-Fast-Times-at-Riverdale-High-73-Reggie-Marty

Mr. Mantle reproaches Reggie

The relationship between Reggie and his father, Marty, is violent and problematic. In fact, since childhood, Reggie has always been beaten by his father for every stupidest thing. Although over the years Reggie has become a strong football player, he is still quite intimidated by his father to fight back until he finds the courage with Archie's help. Marty has high expectations for his son and reproaches him every time Reggie does not give his best (or whatever he considers to be the best). Reggie is understandably scarred by this abusive relationship, but never managed to talk about it before senior year.


Archie Andrews[]

Main article: Archie and Reggie
Archie could've told Weatherbee the hood was mine. But he didn't. In the Book of Reg, that makes you a top-tier loyal badass. And we were talking today and decided if you want to keep the Red Circle going, we're here for you, dude.
— Reggie to Archie and Veronica[src]
RD-Caps-2x20-Shadow-of-a-Doubt-138-Archie-Reggie

The relationship between Reggie and Archie is ambivalent, and they can be described as frenemies. Being both very competitive, Reggie and Archie are often on opposite sides, especially in sports or as leaders of the Riverdale Bulldogs. Their strong personalities often clash when it comes to giving voice to their opinions. However, Reggie holds Archie's friendship in high regard, even when he would not be willing to admit it. Their bond is also solidified by their strong sense of justice and loyalty. For this reason, Reggie decided to join Archie's Red Circle group after acknowledging Archie's sense of friendship.


Moose Mason[]

RD-Caps-2x03-The-Watcher-in-the-Woods-21-Moose-Reggie

Reggie and Moose can easily be considered best friends. They are both very fond of sport and Riverdale Bulldogs' teammates. In addition, Reggie and Moose seem to share a passion for jokes and pranks, although sometimes they go too far and end up bullying other classmates like Jughead Jones or Dilton Doiley to the point of exasperating them. Reggie and Moose' friendship, however, can be deeper, as when Moose ended up in the hospital after being assaulted by the Black Hood and Reggie cheered Moose up when he returned to school after visiting him several times in the hospital.


Jughead Jones[]

Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic Internet troll, too busy writing his manifestos to get laid? Some smug, moody, serial-killer-fanboy freak. Like Jughead.
— Reggie about Jughead[src]
RD-Caps-3x04-The-Midnight-Club-08-Jughead

The relationship between Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones can easily be defined as a rivalry, as they have both shown a great amount of disdain for one another. This rivalry likely stems from Reggie's typical jock nature, to pick on outsiders and misfits, such as Jughead, who was subject to a lot of Reggie's bullying. Jughead and Reggie had been adversaries long before the start of the series as their dislike of one another seems well ingrained, though they have been shown to be cooperative with one another under the right circumstances - exemplified when they teamed up along with the Serpents to defeat Hiram Lodge via his Gargoyle Gang.


Josie McCoy[]

Reggie: "I get you're pretty much Beyoncé, but today, you're just like us commoners."
Josie: "I think your biceps can handle it, Mantle."
Reggie: "You trying to get me to flex?"
―Reggie flirting with Josie[src]
RD-Caps-2x17-The-Noose-Tightens-14-Reggie-Josie

Reggie and Josie's relationship is halfway between flirting and squabbling. Their similarly strong and contrasting personalities often lead them to tease each other almost every time they are together in the same room. Despite that, or maybe because of that, they have been making out at Nick St. Clair's party after getting high on Jingle Jangle. Moreover, Reggie and Josie joined forces running for becoming student body president against other two teams formed by Archie and Veronica, and Betty and Jughead. Nevertheless, the true potential of a full-fledged relationship between the two remains to be seen.


Veronica Lodge[]

Main article: Veronica and Reggie
Veronica! I heard you got a face full of dairy. I've got some nuts to top off that shake if you want. [...] One question I gotta ask, as future Student Body President. What are the odds your dad's the first inmate in that prison he's building?
— Reggie harassing Veronica
RD-Caps-3x03-As-Above-So-Below-49-Reggie-Veronica

The relationship between Reggie and Veronica is often poles apart. Reggie is usually making jokes about her, especially when he knows that his provocations could trigger reactions in Veronica that could ridicule her in front of others. On the other hand, Veronica has often referred to Reggie as a misogynist and scarcely tolerates his stereotypical jock personality, that she also referred to as toxic masculinity. Noteworthy is the incident when Reggie, after harassing her a bit, asked Veronica what were the odds that her father is the first inmate in the prison he was building, and Veronica grew so angry that she punched Reggie in the face and dropped him. Despite this incident, they have since become friends, such that Veronica has hired Reggie to work as a bartender at La Bonne Nuit, her non-alcoholic speakeasy. Given Archie's departure, their relationship has changed to romantic, culminating in the two kissing. After Archie's return, however, Veronica reprised her relationship with him, leaving Reggie with the doubt that he had only been a rebound all along.


Kevin Keller[]

RD-Caps-4x04-Halloween-17-Kevin-Reggie

Reggie and Kevin are up to no good

The relationship between Kevin and Reggie is undeveloped but friendly. Despite the common idea that jocks and gay students are natural enemies at school, Kevin and Reggie seem to get along quite well and often spend time together, whether it's going to watch a Drag Race, defending town from thugs from the Southside as vigilantes or just having a party, usually at La Bonne Nuit. Reggie and Kevin started spending more time together after starting to play G&G together and investigating their parents' past as The Midnight Club. Their friendship, however, can cause some trouble with school authorities when they decide to do some pranks.


Appearances[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Season 7[]

Trivia[]

  • Neither Reggie nor Moose Mason were cut from the football team, the way the Chuck Clayton and a number of other players were, when the scandal of Chuck's "playbook" broke, despite their names being clearly visible in the book.
  • Reggie drives a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454, licensed 4DC 891 [4], that he named "Bella".[5]
  • Reggie revealed to Archie that he outweighs his dad by 50 pounds.[6]
  • Ross Butler left the show due to time complications with his role as Zach Dempsey in "13 Reasons Why".
  • Reggie has dyslexia and as an adult, helps children with reading disabilities to deal with it.[7]
  • Reggie plays the violin as shown in a deleted scene that was also used for a promotional still for "Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town". In the sign-up sheet for the Variety Show, Reggie chose Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 for his performance.
  • As in the Archie Comics, Reggie has an ongoing rivalry with Archie Andrews.
    • In the 2015 "Reggie and Me" comic series, it is explained that this rivalry is mostly due to Betty's intrusion into Reggie and Archie's friendship when they were kids.
    • In the same series, Reggie has a bad-to-non-existent relationship with his parents who are too busy in their socialite life and they often leave him alone at home. In this iteration, his father is the publisher of the local newspaper, while his mother is a philanthropist.
    • He is often portrayed as having crush on Midge Klump and for this reason, he has an ongoing rivalry with Moose Mason, Midge's boyfriend.
    • In the 2017 Riverdale comic series, Reggie is in a secret relationship with Josie McCoy, starting in Riverdale #5 and featured again in Riverdale #10.
    • In the Riverdale tie-in comic Reggie owns a Dachshund named Vader, an import from "Reggie and Me", who has never appeared in the TV series. Curiously in Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: Night of the Comet, Reggie says that if he survives he will get a dog and call it Vader.
    • Reggie is often working as the editor of the high school paper in both original and comics issued under the New Riverdale series, showing a journalistic aspiration like his father who owns the Riverdale Gazette.

Gallery[]

See also: Category:Images of Reggie Mantle
Riverdale symbol
Reggie Mantle's Gallery Can Be Found Here. The Gallery May Consist of Promotional Images, Screencaps, and Video Clips Released By Network Officials

References[]

Advertisement