Thomas Topaz is a character in the second season of The CW's Riverdale. He is portrayed by Graham Greene.
Thomas is one of the founding members of the Southside Serpents and descended from the Uktena.
Early Life[]
Thomas was born and raised on the Southside of Riverdale. He grew up learning the stories of the Uktena and how their land was stolen from them by General Pickens and Barnabas B. Blossom.
At some point in his life, he became a member of the Southside Serpents, presumably completing the Serpents Initiation to do so. However, given that he is one of the founding members, it's possible that this was not the case.
Throughout Riverdale[]
Season 2[]
Thomas telling Jughead and Toni about the Uktena tribe
Thomas agreed to an interview in his trailer with Jughead and his granddaughter, Toni. Thomas, who was one of the founding members of the Southside Serpents, told Jughead that the snake and the laws were all based on Uktena tradition. The Uktena, he explained, is a horned serpent and/or a water serpent. Before the founding of Riverdale, all the land belonged to the Uktena. Thomas laughed hysterically when Jughead asked how did the Uktena evolve into the Serpents. They didn't evolve. They were all slaughtered. When his grandfather was a baby, there was a raid, and it was led by Riverdale's very own General Pickens. The battle lasted all of 12 minutes, but the slaughter was total and savage. General Pickens, whose statue stood proudly in Pickens Park, was responsible for the massacre of men, women and children. Yet the Northside honored him every year in spite of this. When Thomas' grandfather died, they formed the Serpents as a way to keep the family together. Jughead asked how no one knew of this, though according to Thomas, some were aware. However, as Toni put it, this was a direct result of the whitewashing of history.
Jughead apologizing to Thomas
On Pickens Day, Jughead came back to Thomas' trailer with Toni to apologize for his published article from the Blue and Gold that unintentionally painted Thomas as a "broken-down victim." Jughead explained the reason behind his actions. He was angry because the Southside is their home and he was sick of watching it get dismantled piece by piece in front of their eyes. The Northside took their drive-in. Then they took their school. Nonetheless, he shouldn't have used Thomas' story or what happened to the Uktena against the Northside. Jughead knew that he had no right and he was sorry. However, whatever his reasons were, Jughead had opened an old wound by publishing that article, and something had to be done to heal it. Toni asked Thomas if he had something in mind. As it would turn out, he did.
Thomas and Jughead at the Pickens Day protest
Later that day, he and the rest of the Serpents, seemingly led by Toni, unexpectedly showed up protesting at the Pickens Day celebrations. They stormed into the park with duct-tape over their mouths while holding signs that read 'honor this land', 'defend this land' and 'sacred land'. Thomas and Jughead stayed in the crowd while Toni, with Sweet Pea and Fogarty at her side, stood in front of the stage to announce that they represented the dead and the silenced. Pickens Day was a lie. General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe, Thomas' family. And the land in which they were standing on, would soon give way to a new Southside, which was stolen from them. While the Serpents couldn't bring them back, they could at the very least honor them. Seeking to prevent any further conflict, Hiram Lodge got on stage to applaud the Serpents for standing up for justice, as well as the honor and legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale, that is the Southside and that will be SoDale, though Hiram's speech was far from sincere, which was not lost on Jughead, who Thomas with an arm, a hard no, and a stare, had to stop from lunging at Hiram when he diffused the protest.[1]
Physical Appearance[]
Thomas is an elderly man of Native American descent with dark brown eyes, white hair, and a multi-colored goatee.
Personality[]
Despite being a founding member of the Southside Serpents, Thomas shows no interest nor does he partake in the gang's criminal activities. He does however still believe in protecting their land and the community, proven when he, Toni and Jughead led the Serpents to Pickens Park in protest of Pickens Day.
Relationships[]
Appearances[]
Season 2[]
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
- See also: Category:Images of Thomas Topaz
References[]
- ↑ Murray, Greg & Turner, Devon (writers) & Araki, Gregg (director) (January 24, 2018). "Chapter Twenty-Four: The Wrestler". Riverdale. Season 2. Episode 11. The CW.