111 Betty Cooper

## Betty Cooper

**Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper** is a main character on The CW's *Riverdale*. She is portrayed by Lili Reinhart.

Betty was a student at Riverdale High School and longtime best friend of Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Kevin Keller and Veronica Lodge. She is also a former River Vixen as well as an editor for the Register, with her mother. Betty is the youngest sibling to her sister, Polly and older half-brother, Charles Smith. Most recently, Betty has followed in her mother's footsteps of joining the Southside Serpents, alongside her then boyfriend, Jughead, making her the Serpent Queen to his King.

Betty would also find herself at the center of the Black Hood attacks after learning that she was his inspiration for cleansing the town of Riverdale of sinners after she gave a speech at the Jubilee. She would go on to have numerous conversations via phone calls with him as well as do his bidding in an attempt to protect her friends. It wouldn't be until much later that she'd discover that the Black Hood was her father, who she would then help imprison.

After uncovering the identity of the Auteur, Betty revealed to Jughead that she and Archie kissed during Hedwig, which caused the two to become distant and eventually breakup, with Betty leaving for Yale and Jughead leaving for Iowa. Betty went on to follow in her brother's footsteps and became a FBI trainee, which led to her being abducted by the Trash Bag Killer.

Seven years later, Betty returned to Riverdale along with Veronica and Jughead after being summoned by Archie to take back the town from Hiram Lodge and his corruption. She helped Archie take back his house from the Ghoulies, during which they agreed to be friends with benefits, but they eventually broke it off after Polly went missing and Archie's unresolved feelings for Veronica re-manifested. While searching for Polly, Betty began investigating the Lonely Highway killings with Jughead and Tabitha, which ultimately led them to an inbred illegitimate clan of Blossoms who were living in the woods and murdering women, including Polly. After laying Polly to rest and graduating to an official FBI special agent, Betty and Archie begin pursuing a real romantic relationship. However, as they were about to consummate it, Betty received a phone call about a bomb planted by Hiram under Archie's bed, forcing the two to flee his house, but the bomb detonates before they can escape, resulting in both Archie and Betty developing powers.

## Character Description

*Sweet, studious, eager-to-please and wholesome as apple pie with a huge crush on her longtime best friend, Archie. Tired of being the perfect daughter, student, sister, etc., she turns to her new friend, Veronica, for life advice — much to the consternation of her emotionally brittle mother.*

## Early Life

Betty grew up in Riverdale along side her older sister, Polly. They were raised by their parents, Alice and Hal Cooper. Betty's family life was very tense, as her mother was extremely controlling. Her father also once forced her to kill her cat, Caramel, by hitting him with a rock, which would unknowingly led to the beginning of 'Dark Betty.' Her childhood best friend is Archie Andrews. They have been friends since they were four years old, and as the years passed, she grew to harbor romantic feelings for him, which she dared not reveal. They have always been in the same classes, and when Archie was in the second grade, he was having trouble reading, so his teacher suggested that he should be held back a year. However, Betty was so against the idea of her and Archie not being in the same grade that she took it upon herself to tutor him every day. When he passed, Archie kissed Betty and asked her to marry him. She told him they were too young but to ask again when they are 18 and that she'd say yes.

## Throughout Riverdale

* Season 1
* Season 2
* Season 3
* Season 4
* Season 5
* Season 6

## Powers and Abilities

 File:RD-Caps-6x15-Things-That-Go-Bump-in-the-Night-128-Betty.png
As a result of the explosion at Archie's childhood home, Betty has developed a unique ability, comparable to that of an empath of sorts, allowing her to see and interpret threatening energy as a red aura. Betty has demonstrated this ability when confronted by both Glen at the FBI field office and Trevor Collins at Riverdale General Hospital. She again used this ability to detect Abigail's malicious intent when she came to the high school to poison Betty with arsenic-laced scones.

An unforeseen side effect of Betty's ability are painful migraines, which appear to be triggered by light. "The brighter the light, the more excruciating the pain," Betty revealed. She also has blind spots; certain individuals who Betty's powers don't seem to work on. Initially, she and Agent Drake believed that her power may have been counterintuitive, meaning those who had the serial killer gene were not susceptible to her blind spot. However, during an argument with Alice, Betty would see her mother's aura, disproving this theory while also proving another -- that Betty's power is evolving, allowing her to sense anyone who poses a danger, physical or emotional.

## Physical Appearance

Betty is a young woman with pale skin, shoulder-length blonde hair that she often wears in a tight ponytail, and soft washed out green eyes that complement her pale skin. Her sartorial taste tends toward very casual yet feminine attire, often wearing skinny jeans, fitted sweaters, and pale colors of pink, white and blue. On one occasion, she wore rather revealing lingerie and a black bob cut wig, which was extremely out of character for Betty. This particular moment truly spoke to her state of mind during the incident, which was reflected in her choice of clothing. She later adopts to wearing more skirts, patterned dresses, overalls, bomber jackets, even some cropped tops, and rompers. As an adult, her style remains the same, but she now wears her hair half-up, half-down, later cutting it chin length, as opposed to the ponytail of her childhood.

## Personality

Contrary to her appearance, that being a pretty blonde girl, Betty in no way fits the stereotype of your typical "Template:Wikipedia". In fact, she's a straight-A student and arguably one of the most intelligent students at Riverdale High School. Not to mention she's an overachiever. Betty strived to be the perfect student, daughter, and sister simply to please everyone around her.

Many often view her as the perfect girl next door, a phrase that she hates, as it couldn't be any further from the truth. Mentally, Betty suffers from issues far worse than she lets on. She occasionally struggles with her anger and aggression, often resulting in her clenching her fist so intensely that she leaves scars on her palms. This isn't the only instance of Betty losing control. She once dressed up in dark lingerie and a black wig to force Chuck Clayton into admitting that he lied about his date with Veronica. During this incident, Betty appeared to have lost herself within the person she was becoming. Just for a moment, she believed she was Polly and that Chuck was Jason. In spite of all the darkness that surrounds Betty, she is still a loving person that people love to have at their side.

Betty also shows a great deal of strength, courage and nerve. She is constantly fighting for her friends and family and will do whatever it takes to defend her loved ones. She often is impulsive and gets herself in situations that could have been thought out. However, she isn't afraid to stand her ground and stand up for herself and even threaten people should the time call for it. She even drove a motorcycle at high speed to mislead the police chasing Archie, undergoing a rough terrain of the woods, showing her nerve and skill on driving such vehicles.

She also likes to put the extra effort in when it comes to the people she cares about, such as when she and Archie were kids growing up, she hated the fact that the two of them would be in different grades, since Archie was doing terrible with some of his courses. So, Betty worked with Archie by tutoring him until he passed just so they would be in the same grade together. She even went out of her way to give her boyfriend, Jughead, a 16th birthday party, after she was told that he never had one. However, she is also known to take matters to the extreme, as seen when she blackmails Cheryl with a recording of Jason's death in order to make her testify in favor of FP. A child of two journalists, Betty has developed formidable sleuthing skills and an unyielding dedication to the truth at any cost, even personal risk, such as when she's digging deeper into the mysteries that plague the town.

## Relationships

### Archie Andrews

Main article: Archie and Betty
 File:RD-Caps-4x17-Wicked-Little-Town-109-Archie-Betty.png
Betty and Archie have been next-door neighbors and best friends since they were four years old. When they were in the second grade, Archie was falling behind in reading and was in danger of being held back another year. Betty was so opposed to the notion of her and Archie not being in the same grade that she took it upon herself to tutor him every day after school. Young Archie was so grateful that when he passed, he kissed Betty and asked her to marry him. She turned him down because they were too young at the time. However, she told him to ask her again when they were eighteen, and she would say yes. Fast-forward to sophomore year, and now Betty's romantic feelings towards Archie have kindled. She expresses these feelings at the back-to-school Semi-formal, but Archie turns her down, as he never wished to pursue a romantic relationship because he didn't think he was good enough for her. Shortly after be turned away, Betty began dating Jughead. Not long after that, Archie started to develop romantic feelings for her and expressed these feelings on multiple occasions, most recently in his garage, where the two shared a kiss. Archie and Betty decided to further discuss these feelings despite him being with Veronica and her being with Jughead. Archie wished to pursue a relationship, but Betty believed that these feelings only manifested because everything was changing and that they'd be off to college soon. However, Archie and Betty would eventually go on to tell the truth to Veronica and Jughead. This results in break-ups for the both of them, but they still part with their exes on good terms by graduation. Seven years later, Betty and Archie return to Riverdale around the time of the town's official dissolution by Hiram Lodge to further his own self-interests. They team up to protect their now destitute town and in the process they become physically intimate for the first time but ultimately decide to remain strictly as friends, though eventually opted to begin a legitimate romantic relationship after working together to exile Hiram Lodge from Riverdale.

### Veronica Lodge

Main article: Betty and Veronica
 File:RD-Caps-4x01-In-Memoriam-12-Betty-Veronica.png
Betty and Veronica have been best friends since sophomore year of high school, when Veronica moved to Riverdale. However, their relationship didn't get off to the best start. Though, Veronica befriend Betty with the best of intentions, even helping her land a spot on the River Vixens, she ended up betraying Betty's trust after kissing Archie in a closet at Cheryl's after-party. Fortunately, Betty would eventually forgive Veronica after learning that she does have pure intentions. It was then that they vowed never to let a boy get in between them ever again. No matter what comes their way, Betty and Veronica have proven numerous times that they're willing to do anything in the name of their friendship. Betty even forced a fight with Veronica in effort to protect her from the Black Hood's wrath, who was slowly isolating Betty from her friends and family. And just like before, they recovered from this as they always seem to.

### Jughead Jones

Main article: Betty and Jughead
 File:RD-Promo-4x10-Varsity-Blues-18-Betty-Jughead.jpg
Betty and Jughead have been friends since childhood, though they were never particularly close. That changed sophomore year when Betty resurrected the Blue and Gold and began working alongside Jughead, investigating the hidden darkness imbedded in Riverdale's core, specifically Jason Blossom's murder and the uncertainties surrounding his death. From this friendship, a romance bloomed with all the makings of a true Romeo and Juliet love story, with Betty being the perfect girl next door and Jughead being perceived as a trouble-maker from the south side. These two star-crossed lovers beat the odds numerous times and have become quite the investigative duo. Along with Jason Blossom's death, they also investigated Gryphons and Gargoyles, the Gargoyle King, the Farm, and the Black Hood, who even managed to break the pair up for a short amount of time, though they did recover and get back together. And while he forgave Betty after learning that she and Archie kissed during their brief separation, the two grew distance, eventually parting ways for college, though they did remain in contact.

### Kevin Keller

Main article: Betty and Kevin
 File:RD-Caps-4x05-Witness-for-the-Prosecution-07-Betty-Kevin.png
Betty and Kevin have been close friends for many years who share all their secrets and time together, though they've had their ups and downs like most relationship, and they've had to come to terms with betrayed trust. However, in the recent years, however, they have seem to grown apart over time, spending less time together. For a time, Kevin felt misunderstood and jealous of Betty, who could experience and play with her sexuality without problems while he was struggling with being the only openly gay guy at school. He also felt sidelined when Betty became involved with solving the town mysteries without him, who by then was just a on-off informant for the Blue and Gold. On the other hand, Betty felt betrayed when Kevin joined the Farm and conspired to hurt her, evening dragging her by her feet. However, they have since recovered from this incident.

### Cheryl Blossom

Main article: Betty and Cheryl
 File:RD-Caps-4x15-To-Die-For-10-Cheryl-Betty.png
Betty and Cheryl's relationship is difficult to define due to their blood bond as well as personal feelings towards each other. They've known each other their entire lives, both having grew up on the north side of Riverdale, but for most of that time, they've disliked each other due to the fact that there was bad blood between the Blossoms and Coopers, which pre-dated the two of them. This resulted in the two girls becoming enemies through inherited drama, which simply developed into a natural disdain for each other. When Jason died, Cheryl pretend to befriend Betty in order to gain information on Polly, who Cheryl suspected killed her brother. This frustrated Betty, who threatened to kill Cheryl in response. It wasn't until their sophomore year of high school that they learned they were cousins. During the previous school year, Betty tried out for the cheer squad, but was rejected by Cheryl who claimed Betty was too fat. Since then, their relationship has been constantly developing, arguably for the better. They care for one another but rarely admit openly, however, both have displayed a willingness to help the other whenever necessary.

### Alice Smith

Main article: Alice and Betty
 File:RD-Caps-4x18-Lynchian-16-Betty-Alice.png
Alice's controlling nature has made for a very complicated relationship with Betty, who feels pressured by her mother to be the perfect person in every way. This worsened when Polly began dating Jason Blossom, who their parents despised due to his lineage. And when Polly got pregnant and sent to a group home, Alice became more invested in seeing to it that Betty did not stray as her sister did. Much like with Jason to Polly, Alice viewed Archie as a bad influence on Betty and sought to break up their friendship, but each time she failed. However, their relationship has also developed for the better. When Alice was going through a tough and emotional state in her life, Betty was usually the one there to comfort her, such as when she first met Chic and when Polly left to stay with the Blossoms. Both of these instances were troubling times for the Coopers, Alice more than everyone else, and it was Betty who comforted her. It may be through moments like this that resulted in Betty admittedly being Alice's favorite daughter.

### Hal Cooper

 File:Season 1 Episode 5 Heart of Darkness Hal Betty 1.jpg
Initially, it appeared that Betty and Hal had a healthy relationship, especially in comparison to Betty's relationship with her mother, who was very controlling and overbearing. Hal respected Betty and never spoke down to her. It was from her father that Betty learned how to work on cars. However, their relationship would crumble following the Black Hood attacks. Though Betty didn't know at the time that her father was the killer, he'd often call her as the Black Hood and they'd have discussions about Riverdale and how it's full of sin, as well as the fact that it was Betty's speech at the Jubilee that motivated him to become the Black Hood. After discovering that her father was the man under the hood, Betty and Alice, assisted in his imprisonment. Betty even sought advice from her father after the fact while he was imprisoned.

### Polly Cooper

Main article: Betty and Polly
 File:RD-Caps-2x03-The-Watcher-in-the-Woods-125-Betty-Polly.png
Betty and Polly had a close bond. Born merely a year apart, Betty and Polly have always been close. However, they were separated for a period of time after Polly was sent to a group home, the reason being that Polly tried to kill herself, or so their parents claimed. Betty would come to learn that the real reason Polly was sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy was because she was pregnant with Jason Blossom's child. However, Betty accepted Polly and her baby with open arms. Polly was eventually released and the sisters united. However, it didn't last long, as Polly fled Riverdale in fear for her life during the Black Hood attacks, who was specifically targeting sinners such as Polly. Their relationship began to truly deteriorate after Polly got mixed in with the Farm, who brain-washed her into doing their bidding.

### Chuck Clayton

 File:Season 1 Episode 10 The Lost Weekend Chuck vs Betty.png
Betty has always been weary of Chuck due to his reputation as a player, which she warned Veronica of prior to going out on a date with him. It wasn't until after he began spreading rumors of Veronica that Betty's feelings for Chuck developed from weary to hateful, leading to the two of them becoming bitter rivals. When Chuck began telling the school that he gave Veronica a "sticky maple," Betty assisted Veronica in taking him down, starting with finding his other victims, which then led to Betty and Veronica to stage a setup at Ethel's house, during which time they handcuffed him in the hot tub and forced him to admit on camera that he lied about his hookup with Veronica. It was Betty's actions during this night that led Chuck to believe that Betty was crazy, referring to her as "Dark Betty." However, Betty's pursuit did prove useful, as Chuck was suspended and kicked off the football team. Betty would come face-to-face with Chuck once more at Jughead's party, where he revealed to everyone just how crazy Betty is. This resulted in a fight between him and Jughead.

### Toni Topaz

 File:RD-Promo-3x19-Fear-The-Reaper-04-Toni-Betty.jpg
The relationship between Betty and Toni is friendly, but that wasn't always the case. When the two first met face-to-face with each other at Southside High inside of The Red and Black office, they appeared to be on good terms with. However, the two girls had an argument when they were at the Sunnyside Trailer Park with Kevin]] and Jughead trying to decipher the code that was left behind by the Black Hood. Toni called out Betty assuming that the Black Hood was a Serpent and for looking down on Southsiders in general. However, they have sense mended any hard feelings. Betty even sought Toni out at the Whyte Wyrm for advice on how to become a Serpent.

### Tabitha Tate

 File:RD-Caps-5x11-Strange-Bedfellows-61-Betty-Tabitha.jpg
Betty met Tabitha shortly after her return to Riverdale after seven years away and having joined the FBI. The two didn't interact much until Tabitha reached out to Betty for help with finding Jughead, who disappeared from the bunker during a shroom-induced trip to cure his writer's block. Together, along with help from Jessica, they searched Jughead's bedroom, classroom, and other frequented locations, as well as reading his manuscript in hopes of finding clues. Thankfully, Tabitha would receive a message from Jughead, letting her know that he is fine. Shortly after calling this investigation off, Tabitha would join forces with Betty yet again to stop the Lonely Highway killings. They even arranged a Coyote Ugly performance at the Whyte Wrym to lure the killer in, which they did, ultimately leading to the capture of Martin Tucker. Betty also helped track down Tabitha's friend, Squeaky, who they learned was a victim of the Highway Killers.

### Agent Jillian Drake

 File:RD-Caps-6x15-Things-That-Go-Bump-in-the-Night-58-Betty-Jillian.png
Betty first met Drake after seeking out her assistance with her investigation into what she believed at the time to be spontaneous human combustion at Thornhill. After learning from Drake that she was actually dealing with a case of pyrokinesis and being advised on how best to deal with the matter, the two parted ways, though not for long, as Drake later transferred to Betty's unit in Riverdale to help with the Trash Bag Killer case. Throughout their investigation, Drake assisted Betty with the supernatural phenomenons in town, such as her ability to see auras and Veronica's toxins. During Slaughter-Con, Drake also confessed her attraction to Betty, who while flattered, turned down Drake's advances.

## Trivia

* Betty's physical appearance from the comics has been retained in the television series.
* In the comics, Betty is far more athletic, outgoing and open, while Betty in the TV series is more reserved and self-conscious.
* The Cooper family is more loving and supporting in the comics than they are in the series.
* In the comics, Betty has an older brother named Chic. In the show, she has an older brother named Charles Smith, who was put up for adoption and whose persona was stolen by Chic.
* In the *Chilling Adventures of Sabrina* comics, Betty and Veronica are witches who are a part of High Priestess Grundy's coven. They accidentally set Madame Satan free from Hell when they tried to summon a succubus to settle a blood-rivalry.
* Eden Summer Gilmore, who portrayed the younger version of Betty Copper, went on to play the younger version of Nancy Drew in the CW series. It's interesting to note that these two characters are very similar in many ways, and Betty is even often referred to as Nancy Drew.
* Betty's literary hero is Toni Morrison.
* Betty takes Adderall (dextroamphetamine), commonly known to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.
* Betty is a talented singer.
* Betty lost her virginity to Jughead in Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wicked and The Divine.
* 'Dark Betty' is one of the most controversial discussions that happened early on between the executives and writers.
	+ When they introduced Dark Betty in Template:Ep, there was real concern in regard to what the storyline would be. They even had to test the episode with an audience because of people behind the scenes, and as it turned out, the episode tested better than the pilot and episode two.

## Gallery

See also: Category:Images of Betty Cooper
Template:Gallery (Riverdale)

## References

1. ↑ *‘Riverdale’ Archie Comics CW Pilot Casts Its Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones* - Deadline
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Riverdale boss reveals most-debated stories and the ones he's proudest of as series hits 100 episodes - EW

pl:Betty Cooper