Warden Norton

Warden Norton
Biographical Information
Occupation	Warden (formerly) RROTC Instructor (formerly)
Status	Deceased
Cause of Death	Cyanide poisoning
Relationships
Affiliation	Hiram Lodge (formerly) Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center (formerly)
Appearances
Actor	William MacDonald
First Appearance	"Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fortune and Men's Eyes"
Last Appearance	"Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit"

Warden Norton was a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He is portrayed by William MacDonald.

Norton was the Warden of the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center. 

Early Life

Norton was the RROTC instructor of Riverdale high in 1991. At an unknown point in time, Warden Norton became involved with Hiram Lodge.

Throughout Riverdale

Season 3

When Archie arrives at the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center, Norton informs him he'll do well so long as he doesn't cause any trouble. 

Later, Norton watches the football match Archie arranged, looking slightly uncomfortable. When Hiram signals, Norton commands the game be ambushed and the players beaten - claiming that  it was a riot. 

Norton then offers Archie a spot on his team, previously belonging to Mad Dog and places him in solitary confinement until he agrees.

Norton offers Archie a chance out of confinement

Archie is locked in solitary confinement when he receives a visit from Warden Norton and Captain Golightly. Archie has apparently been in locked up for quite some time. Nevertheless, his answer remains the same. He refuses to help the Warden in any way. Given his refusal, Archie receives an additional week of solitary confinement.

Warden Norton receives a visit from Fred Andrews at the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center. After having not seen him for three weeks, Fred has come to see Archie. However, Warden Norton refuses. He claims that Archie started a riot and his visitation privileges have been suspended. However, Fred has already learned from a "witness" of the riot that it was in fact started by Norton’s guards. With that, Fred warns the Warden that he’ll be hearing from his lawyer.

Warden Norton takes Archie to the pit

Warden Norton and Captain Golightly place a burlap sack over Archie’s head and takes him to "the pit", which appears to be some kind of organized, underground fight club that pits prisoner against prisoner. In this particular fight, Joaquin DeSantos is one of the fighters and he appears to be on the losing end of the fight. When Archie refused his offer, Warden Norton was forced to tap a replacement, that being Joaquin, whose about to reach the end of his usefulness as far as the Warden is concerned. He’s also very much aware of Archie and Joaquin being friends. Warden Norton places Joaquin’s fate in Archie’s hands. He can either end up back in his cell, safe and sound, or in the infirmary, on life support. Watching as Joaquin is completely obliterated in the match, Archie agrees to take his place.

Warden Norton and Captain Golightly watch fight

Archie is later taken back to the pit, where he is forced to compete in his first match up. Archie’s opponent takes the first swing. Archie dodges, first delivering a punch to his opponent’s ribs before finishing the match with an uppercut. The fight is over within seconds, much to the Warden dismay.

Much later, Warden Norton tells Archie that the Governor is hosting a fundraiser in Seaside, but he’ll be back before Archie’s next match, which is what he wanted to talk to Archie about. Ending a fight in a single punch is not entertaining enough. Tonight, Archie’s opponent should be no trouble, but Warden Norton wants Archie to punish him and give them a show as he wishes to savor it. Norton demands five or six rounds at least to fully sate the crowds’ bloodlust.

Norton lust for blood

Archie’s match-up in the pit is underway, and he does exactly what the Warden asked of him by putting on a show. Warden Norton and Captain Golightly watch as Archie is beaten mercilessly by his opponent in an effort to grant the Warden the fight that he wants. As the fight comes to its final round, a bloody and beaten Archie knocks out his opponent with a single punch. As blood drips down his face, Archie looks up to the Warden, who comments that Archie is a star.

Afterwards, Warden Norton brings Archie a bottle of rum from Hiram Lodge’s label as a token of appreciation. Norton tells Archie that he has a bright future at the detention center and that the two of them are only just getting started.

Warden Norton bounds Archie to a bed with ropes after his attempted prison break. Archie struggles to break free but there is no use. He informs Warden Norton that the break out was his idea and that he takes full responsibility, which comes as no surprise to the Warden, who then brands Archie with a searing hot branding iron.

Warden Norton tells Archie how Hiram set him up

Following Archie's most recent fight, Warden Norton has had a large meal prepared for Archie and himself. Archie notes the oddity of this, especially after he tried to escape. This makes him think that the Warden isn’t rewarding him, rather getting rid of him. The Warden admits this is true. Archie’s final meal before his final fight. Since this may be the last meal that Archie ever eats, he asks how exactly did Hiram Lodge pin Cassidy Bullock's murder on him. Warden Norton reveals that Hiram paid three of Cassidy’s friends $10,000 each to lie under oath and say that they saw Archie pull the trigger. As for their current whereabouts, rumor has it that they’re in hiding in Shadow Woods. Warden Norton on the other hand would hide in the mines by Shadow Lake as there’s no chance of being found there. One last question, Archie asks if Hiram owns the Warden as well. Warden Norton replies that his soul belongs to no mere mortal. Judgement of all men belongs to he who resides in the kingdom alone. And he’s always watching them.

The Warden later promises Joaquin that he will ascend should he do as told and stab Archie just before his final fight.

Warden Norton watches over the fight

Warden Norton watches from the crowd with great pleasure as Archie is beaten senseless by his opponent, Mad Dog. Then suddenly, the ring fills with smoke. When it does, Archie makes his escape. He tries to take Mad Dog with him but it would never work. He tells Archie to go without him. He will stay behind and hold off the guards. Hiram watches from the crowd, alerting the Warden that Archie is getting away. With this being so, Warden Norton tells the guards to apprehend Archie, but they fail as Archie makes it through the drain while Mad Dog fights the guards. Once the smoke settles, Warden Norton gets into the pool and looks down the drain. Knowing where the pipe leads, he demands that his men find Archie immediately.

Warden Norton fails to catch Archie

Warden Norton heads out to his car, however, it fails to start after previously being disabled by Betty. When Betty rids by on a motorcycle with who he believes to be Archie on the back, Wraden Norton orders his men to go after them. Much like Betty, they too are on motorcycles. Betty speeds throughout the woods, with the guards on her and Archie’s tail. As they go further into the woods, they are cut off, forcing Betty and who they believed to be Archie to a stop. However, the passenger on the motorcycle turns out to be Kevin, who removes his helmet, asking how can he help them. Warden Norton grabs Kevin by his jacket, demanding to know the whereabouts of the Red Paladin i.e. Archie. After Kevin says that he doesn’t know, Betty pulls out a can of mace and threatens to spray the Warden. The Warden lets Kevin go and calls his men off, ordering them to fall back to the center.

Warden Norton commits suicide

That night, Warden Norton sits at his desk, looking over his G&G playing cards of the Red Paladin and another card indicating the death of the Red Paladin. Captain Golightly enters to inform him that Mayor Lodge would like to have a word with him. Instead of facing what he had done, Warden Norton poisons himself with cyanide, even drinking it from a chalice filled with blue fresh-aid.

Archie and Warden Norton play G&G

Warden Norton briefly appear in Archie's dream/hallucination. Archie refuses to play with him, someone who died from the game. Norton retorts that he ascended. As for Joaquin, Archie wonders if he ascended too since that was his reward for stabbing Archie. Warden Norton explains that was the card Joaquin drew. A do or die moment. Archie has had one of his own, though it’s not with the Black Hood as he initially thought. Archie needs to find the time and place where it all went wrong, Norton explains. Roll the dice and Archie may find the path that leads to Eldervair, he says.

Physical Appearance

Norton was an older, clean-shaven man, with pale blue eyes, and thin graying hair. He often wore glasses and business suits.

Personality

Warden Norton was a very corrupted and heinous individual who took joy in seeing others' pain, primarily watching the prisoners brutally fight one another for his amusement as well as others. He is also a coward, rather than face the consequences of his actions, Norton took the easy way out and committed suicide.

Appearances

Season 3

• "Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fortune and Men's Eyes"
• "Chapter Thirty-Eight: As Above, So Below"
• "Chapter Forty: The Great Escape"
• "Chapter Forty-One: Manhunter" (photo and mentioned)
• "Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit" (dream/hallucination)
• "Chapter Forty-Nine: Fire Walk With Me" (name seen)
• "Chapter Fifty: American Dreams" (mentioned)
• "Chapter Fifty-Two: The Raid" (mentioned)

Trivia

• The warden's character shares several similarities with Warden Samuel Norton in the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption as well as its film adaptation. Besides sharing the same surname, both characters hold a strong belief in their Christian faith which contrasts against the corrupt nature of their actions. Both characters also commit suicide in their respective offices before they can be made answerable for their corrupt acts.  
• Warden Norton is not a character from the Archie Comics. He's an original character, created specifically for the series.

Gallery

See also: Category:Images of Warden Norton