Does Fangs Die In Riverdale? Here’s What We Know

This week’s episode of Riverdale left off with an enormous cliffhanger. Spoilers past this point, but after Fangs Fogarty (Drew Ray Tanner) was released from prison, a massive, angry crowd swarmed him. He was protected by his gang, the Southside Serpents… Up until Reggie (Charles Melton) angrily approached him with a gun.

Reggie wrestled with Archie (KJ Apa). A gun went off. Fangs was shot, left bleeding out on the ground. And a riot erupted outside the station. But did Fangs die? The answer isn’t as clear cut as you might think (and we discussed a bit on this past week’s Riverdale podcast). So let’s get into it!

Who plays Fangs on Riverdale?

We just said Drew Ray Tanner, you guys. The second half of the highly shippable Kangs, Tanner has been on the show since “Chapter Seventeen: The Town That Dreaded Sundown.”

Reason we bring this up, though, Tanner is very active on social media. I’ll point you to two posts in particular. First, this Instagram post:

Pretty innocuous, until you note that he posted this on April 7, 2018… And filming for Riverdale Season 2 wrapped on March 27, 2018.

Now, let’s look at Tanner’s “goodbye” tweet:

Notice the language he uses here. Everything refers to the episode, and not his “last” episode. Nothing conclusive, of course, but it could certainly lead you to think that Fangs isn’t done quite yet.

Who shot Fangs on Riverdale?

Here’s the other item that complicates things. Reggie definitely headed to the station with the intention to kill Fangs. Archie tackles him, the gun is pointed in the right direction. But both of them look stunned that Fangs was actually shot. And the way the scene is filmed, it almost seems like the bullet came from above — like a rooftop sniper — and not below.

If Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) wants to make sure the town explodes, he’d definitely make sure someone else was standing by in case Reggie can’t finish the job.

Also, and please do not murder me for saying this: it’s pretty weird how F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich) runs away after Fangs gets shot. He glances around, and then books it out of there. And earlier in the episode, he told Jughead he would do anything for the gang. Fangs, at this point, might be considered a liability.

So while all signs point to Reggie (and everybody will be trying to kill him next episode), I don’t think Reggie shot Fangs.

So, does Fangs die in Riverdale?

Here’s one more piece of evidence, from the 2×21 promo:

I don’t know about you, but that sure looks like a Serpent taking another injured Serpent into the hospital, with Jughead leading the way. Given there’s a serious showdown at Riverdale High, anyone can be injured. But also: that could be Fangs, right?

We’ll know for sure either way when “Chapter Thirty-Four: Judgement Night” airs.

Be sure to check our our Riverdale podcast, Riverdale After Dark, which updates right after every episode airs!

Riverdale After Dark
Riverdale After Dark
Comic Book Club

An after-show for The CW's Riverdale, hosted by Comic Book Club!

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