WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of Riverdale, “Chapter Sixty-Five: In Treatment,” which aired Wednesday on The CW.
Since the start of Riverdale’s fourth season, Archie Andrews has been on a mission. After the tragic loss of his father Fred, the young lead character took it upon himself to open a shelter for teenagers to help keep them off the streets and out of the hands of a local street gang. But there’s been trouble right from the start. Dodger and his gang weren’t exactly happy with Archie’s new shelter, and they doubled down on their attacks on the kids and on Archie, especially.
Unhappy with the police’s inability to nab Dodger and his crew, Archie took matters into his own hands: he put on a black ski mask, armed himself with a baseball bat, and started patrolling the streets helping people in need. Archie may not be a superhero, but he’s the only one who gives enough of a damn in his little town to try and make a difference.
Unfortunately, the pressure gets to the young hero in “Chapter Sixty-Five: In Treatment,” and it leads him to recreate a classic Spider-Man comic book moment.
In this week's episode, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Cheryl and Archie each take their turn to visit the high school guidance counselor to unpack every messed up thing that’s happened to them recently, stretching as far back as the series’ debut. Naturally, there’s a lot to talk about, from serial killers and murder mysteries to underground night clubs and, in Archie’s case, the double life of a superhero.
Archie comes clean to the counselor about his nightly activities, stating an inspiration from his favorite comic book characters such as the Red Circle. The counselor, naturally, warns of the dangers that come with putting on a mask and fighting bad guys in the streets, and she convinces Archie to face all of his anger, and all of his sadness about everything that’s happened to him, his friends and family.
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When he finally gets back to the shelter, he does something unexpected: he decides to quit and throws his mask in the garbage can. However, he doesn’t throw it away in the middle of the can. No instead, he hangs it on the side. The move is symbolic, as it implies that he is done playing vigilante — superhero no more.
To comic book fans, this scene clearly is a direct reference to the classic “Spider-Man No More!” storyline from 1967’s Amazing Spider-Man #50 by Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr. In the famous issue, Peter Parker quit being Spider-Man in a panel that saw him walk away from his costume after hanging it on a garbage can in an alley. The scene has become iconic and has been recreated in many mediums — and in other comics as well.
Archie hanging up his mask is the latest in a long line of homages to this famous scene. What’s more, like Peter Parker, his departure doesn’t last long. By the end of the episode, Archie changes his mind and picks the mask back up, ready to go back on patrol to help his neighborhood. He may not be able to do whatever a spider can, but Archie Andrews is a real hero, through and through.
Airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Riverdale stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Casey Cott, Vanessa Morgan, Mark Consuelos, Skeet Ulrich, Marisol Nichols and Madchen Amick.