111A Veronica Lodge

## Veronica Lodge

**Veronica Cecilia Lodge (formerly Gekko)** is a main character on The CW's *Riverdale*. She is portrayed by Camila Mendes.

Veronica was a student at Riverdale High School and member of the River Vixens. She moved from New York to her mother's hometown of Riverdale after her father's arrest and subsequent incarceration. She struggled to find the truth behind her father's loyalties and intentions as well as feared what would happen once he was released. Upon her arrival in Riverdale, Veronica sought to reform herself into a better person and befriended Betty in the process. She was also in a relationship with Archie, but the pair called it quits on a few occasions, but in the end always get back together. During their second breakup, she had a fling with Reggie while Archie dated Josie.

When Fred Andrews was shot, Veronica looked at her parents as prime suspects, accusing them of hiring a hit man to kill Fred due to his refusal of selling his shares of the company upon Hermione's request. With the discovery of her parents' secret purchase of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Veronica was able persuade them into granting her a more involved role in Lodge Industries.

Not long after being accepted into her father's inner circle, Veronica would soon realize the truth behind his intentions for Riverdale and how he handled his business dealings. His actions later went on to effect how people viewed Veronica as she had lied to many of them. Determined to make up for her father's wrongdoings, Veronica attempted to stop his monopolizing of the Southside. She did this by purchasing the Whyte Wyrm and later using it to cut a deal with her father for the Chock'lit Shoppe in exchange. Hiram agreed to make the exchange, but as a result of this, he also stripped Veronica of all her duties to Lodge Industries, as well as cutting her off completely from using his money. This was but one of many deeper rooted feuds between Veronica and her father.

Veronica was the proud owner of the Chock'lit shop as well as the founder of La Bonne Nuit until returning ownership to Pop Tate before leaving for college. Along with Riverdale, Veronica also parted ways with Archie after learning that he and Betty kissed during Hedwig. So, she left for Barnard and Archie enlisted in the Army.

Seven years later, Veronica returned to Riverdale, married to controlling fellow stockbroker Chad Gekko, after being summoned by Archie. When her feelings for Archie re-manifested, Veronica sought to divorce Chad, only to be blackmailed into helping bail him out of a botched Ponzi scheme. And so, she opened a new jewelry store, Pearls and Posh, to help supplement funds with Reggie's help, At the same time she was simultaneously foiling Hiram’s plans to mine palladium. In the divorce proceedings, Veronica revealed that Chad had tried to kill Archie but this attempt was unsuccessful. After divorcing Chad and being forced to kill him in self-defense, Veronica and Archie briefly resumed their romance, only for them to break up for good upon realizing that they’re on separate life paths. After working with the town to exile her father, Veronica opened an illegal casino and developed a romantic relationship with Reggie.

## Character Description

*An intelligent, confident, silver-tongued high school sophomore. Veronica moves to Riverdale from New York, eager to reinvent herself after a scandal involving her father.*

## Early Life

Veronica was born in Riverdale. She is the youngest child and second born daughter of Hiram Lodge. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to New York. She grew up in New York with her wealthy parents, Hiram and Hermione Lodge. She lived a life of luxury and privilege, and she attended private schools, where she was a cheerleader and a bully. She also was a heavy partier, alongside Nick St. Clair and often did drugs with him. However, this all changed when her father was convicted of fraud and embezzlement. He was sent to jail, and Veronica and her mother were depleted of their fortune and subjected to malicious gossip. Veronica was accused of being nothing more than a spoiled, icy socialite, which affected her greatly as she realized it was true. She and her mother left New York for Riverdale to start a new life, with Veronica determined to change her ways.

It's a secret to no one that Veronica was a mean girl back in New York. While she may have changed her ways, that does not negate all the harm she has done in the past, which she uses as a constant reminder to help her stay on that narrow path of good and right. Back when she lived in New York, Veronica and her best friend at the time, Katy, tormented a classmate named Paige. The only motive for their bullying was the fact that Paige was a misfit and they were "class A brutal bitches." By December, Paige could no longer take the bullying, so she transferred schools and went into therapy. Veronica's guilt over this incident and other similar occurrences are what inspires her to be a kinder person who is loyal and protective of her friends.

## Throughout Riverdale

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

## Powers and Abilities

 File:RD-Caps-6x14-Venomous-54-Veronica.png
While it remains unclear exactly why Veronica began to manifest powers, it started with her first seeing a black widow spider on her father's portrait. From there, they began to appear in greater numbers. The Glamerge egg she received from Reggie as a gift was filled with black widow spiders. However, Veronica wouldn't learn the full depths of her abilities until the following morning, after her hook-up with Heraldo, who laid dead in her bed from spider venom poisoning, which Veronica initially blamed Reggie for until learning from Dr. Curdle Jr. that he was poisoned by Veronica's kiss. Not only secreted from her lips, Veronica's toxins can be found in her tears, blood, and perspiration as well, forcing her to take control of her emotions if she wished to regain a sense of normalcy. Additionally, the toxin's in Veronica's system protects her from all other forms of poisons, including alcohol.

## Physical Appearance

Veronica is an olive-skinned, young Latina woman with straight, medium-length glossy jet-black hair, large expressive brown eyes, a slender yet voluptuous physique, and long legs. Despite her family's past misfortune, in which her father was arrested and everything they owned was taken from them, Veronica managed to maintain her fancy and luxurious wardrobe, consisting of everything from stylish and expensive dresses to Louboutin heels. Her outfits often included her signature black cape with an authentic pearl necklace that was given to her by her father. Veronica has a sophisticated and elegant look about her that often draws people in. She also tends to wear skirts, sleeveless dresses, embellished collars, and cropped sweaters, appearing to favor dark clothing but she can be observed in lighter tones on an opportunity.

## Personality

Veronica is a charismatic, confident, and determined. Before her father's arrest, Veronica was very much like her comic book counterpart and was a nasty and cruel, describing herself as "worse than Cheryl," even driving one girl to transfer schools and go into therapy. After the downfall of her father, however, Veronica was humbled by the barrage of accusations made against her and resolved to change.

Veronica has also been shown to be an outspoken and unapologetic feminist. This is evident when she and Betty help all of the other girls who were victims of the football teams playbook and stood up against the slut shaming that had happened because of it. Veronica is often quite elegant and charming from her fashion sense to her demeanor. She is also rather intelligent and sophisticated, as she loves to read and often quotes or references works of literature.

Since moving to Riverdale, Veronica is much more empathetic and caring of others, going out of her way to give her friends a taste of her life, from imported cupcakes to high-end designer clothing. She is fiercely loyal towards her friends, particularly Betty Cooper and will do whatever it takes to protect them. During confrontations, Veronica is not afraid to fight back and show her ruthless side. Veronica is also very calm, mature and forgiving, even when others have wronged her. On multiple occasions, she has made amends with Betty despite her breaking off their friendship, and she also didn't choose to get revenge on Ethel after she humiliated her in front of the whole school by throwing a milkshake on her head.

Veronica has gone to great lengths when it comes to her friends. After Archie's father was shot, Veronica wanted to be there for him but feared that she would disappoint him. She confided in Betty that the old Veronica would've run away from a situation like Archie's, but she has grown as a person and proved it when she stood by his side. Veronica can be skeptical at times and doesn't like being lied to, especially by the people who are the close to her, such as her parents, resulting in her lashing out by spending their money.

## Relationships

### Hermione Lodge

Main article: Hermione and Veronica
 File:RD-Caps-5x01-Climax-134-Veronica-Hermione.png
Veronica relationship with her mother is quite strong and rather unique. They care deeply about each other even though they have been known to fight on occasions upon certain differences, such her mother's affair with Fred Andrews and Lodge Industries' illegal endeavors. Veronica and Hermione's relationship has evolved plenty since arriving in Riverdale. Initially, Hermione would shelter Veronica from the truth and the darker side of her father's dealings, but as time progressed and Veronica became more inquisitive, Hermione began to involve her in the decisions surrounding their family's ventures. However, their relationship began to become a bit strained when her father was released from jail. Hermione got closer to Hiram and began antagonizing and taunting Veronica, however unbeknownst to Veronica at the time, her mother was secretly working to take down her father. Their relationship has since been mended, and they are closer than they've ever been.

### Hiram Lodge

Main article: Veronica and Hiram
 File:RD-Caps-4x05-Witness-for-the-Prosecution-20-Veronica-Hiram.png
Veronica's relationship with her father is rather complicated due to his criminal background and illegal endeavors, an aspect of Lodge Industries that she never wanted any hand in. Up until his initial arrest for fraud and embezzlement, Veronica and Hiram had a loving relationship. He would often shower her with gifts, especially if a misdeed had been done at his hands. One of her prized possessions was a pearl necklace that he gave her. However, after discovering that he was a shady businessman, who ruined the lives of many, Veronica began to distance herself from her father and questions their relationship altogether. Upon his release, Veronica had no intentions of repairing her relationship with him. In fact, she worked against him on numerous occasions, challenging his authority and partnering with his enemies, such as Jughead and the Serpents. However, despite her more outspoken disdain towards her father, Veronica loves him nonetheless and often falls back into his grasp.

### Archie Andrews

Main article: Archie and Veronica
 File:RD-Caps-2x08-House-of-the-Devil-37-Veronica-Archie.png
Veronica first met Archie at the start of sophomore year, more specifically the day before at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe after she and her mother had moved to Riverdale. He was instantly mesmerized by her beauty and took a liking to her. Veronica and Archie shared their first kiss in a closet at Thornhill during Cheryl's after-party, though they both instantly regretted the kiss, as they realized how much pain it brought Betty. However, after Betty began dating Jughead, Veronica and Archie were free to peruse their feelings for one another, and they consummated their relationship after the Jubilee. Unfortunately for the pair, they would face numerous bumps later down the road. Their first would come after Archie told Veronica that he loved her, but she didn't feel the same or at least had trouble expressing that she did, which resulted in their first breakup, though they did happen to make up on Christmas day when Veronica told Archie that she loved him too. Another issued within their relationship stemmed from Veronica's father, who initially despised Archie before developing a bond with him, which ended with Hiram framing Archie for a murder. For this, Archie was sentence to the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center, and though Archie managed to escape with help from Veronica, Betty, and Jughead, he was forced to go on the run, and therefore, break up with Veronica for the second time. It wasn't until Archie was vindicated and he and his friends were being hunted down by Penelope Blossom that the two reconciled.

### Betty Cooper

Main article: Betty and Veronica
 File:RD-Promo-5x03-Graduation-18-Betty-Veronica.jpg
Veronica and Betty, or as the duo have come to be known, B & V, have been best friends since sophomore year of high school, when Veronica moved to Riverdale and vowed to be a better person following her father's arrest. However, their relationship didn't get off to the best start as Veronica had hoped. Though, Veronica befriends Betty with the best of intentions, even helping her get 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 go on to forgive Veronica after learning that she does have pure intentions. It was then that the ladies vowed to never again let a boy get in between them. No matter what comes their way, Betty and Veronica have proven repeatedly that they're willing to do anything in the name of their friendship, and when we they find themselves at odds, they also seem to reunite.

### Jughead Jones

Main article: Jughead and Veronica
 File:RD-Promo-2x09-Silent-Night-Deadly-Night-13-Veronica-Jughead.jpg
Veronica and Jughead first became acquainted through mutual friends, Archie and Betty, and soon they became friends themselves. However, they barely interact. When they do, it tends to involve either Archie and/or Betty, though they have also come to odds whenever Veronica's father is involved, specially when he was attempting to monopolize the south side, which Jughead fought tooth and nail to prevent. However, Veronica has also shown a willingness to partner with Jughead and the Serpents in order to derail her father.

### Cheryl Blossom

Main article: Cheryl and Veronica
 File:RD-Caps-4x11-Quiz-Show-08-Veronica-Cheryl.png
Veronica's relationship with Cheryl began as a bitter rivalry, though mostly inherited through her friendship with Betty, who Cheryl was often cruel towards. However, what started out as a rivalry has become more friendly and less antagonistic over time. However, in spite of Cheryl initial beef with Betty, Veronica sought to make friends with her, as Veronica believed their back and forth would end in mutual destruction, so Cheryl invited Veronica over her house for a sleepover, where Veronica discovered just how disturbing Cheryl's home life was. Even though they may have their differences, whenever Cheryl is going through a tough time, Veronica always seems to be there to comfort her. The first instance of this is when Cheryl fled into the locker room distraught after Jason's death. Veronica was there to comfort her. She even aided Toni in breaking Cheryl out of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy after she was committed by her mother for conversion therapy. The girls even became business partners for a short time, distributing their own brand of maple rum. Cheryl and Veronica later work together to sell palladium dubloons in a private auction.

### Kevin Keller

Main article: Veronica and Kevin
 File:Season 1 Episode 4 The Last Picture Show Kevin Veronica 1.jpg
Veronica met Kevin on the first day of sophomore year when she was being given the grand tour of Riverdale High by Betty. Instantly, Veronica claimed Kevin as her "gay bestfriend," thus putting their friendship in a stereotypical pigeonhole of mean girl and gay best friend. However, over time they became genuine close friends, sharing a passion for cinema, theater, and art in general. They've also bonded over their interest in boys, with both having acknowledged how attractive Archie is. Both Veronica and Kevin share a mutual disdain for bullying and prejudice. For Veronica, this was a trait she developed rather recently, however, she was passionate nevertheless. They even teamed up with Toni to save Cheryl from conversion therapy at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

### Ethel Muggs

 File:Season 1 Episode 9 La Grande Illusion Ethel Veronica (1).jpg
Veronica's friendship with Ethel deteriorated rather quickly. What began as a friendship, quickly became a rivalry, more so from Ethel's end. The two first became allies after Veronica was slut-shamed by Chuck, and Betty took it upon herself to rally all the girls at Riverdale High who had a similar encounter, and among them was Ethel. So, with Ethel's help, Veronica and Betty staged a trap for Chuck. They tricked him into a jacuzzi, slipped him a muscle relaxer, and boiled him in the hot water until he confessed to lying about giving Veronica a "sticky maple." This resulted in Chuck getting suspended and kicked off the team, much to Ethel's relief. Veronica would later come to learn that Ethel is experiencing trouble at home. Her family was in danger of losing everything due to a business venture with Veronica's father, which Ethel did not blame Veronica for. It wasn't until Veronica began to work along side her parents that their relationship soured, resulting in Ethel targeting Veronica, even going as far as dumping a milkshake on her head, explaining that Veronica had been found guilty for the crimes that she and her parents had committed against the town.

### Josie McCoy

Main article: Josie and Veronica
 File:RD-Caps-2x12-The-Wicked-and-The-Divine-83-Josie-Veronica.png
Veronica and Josie's friendship kicked off after Veronica joined Josie and the Pussycats as a temporary replacement to Valerie. It was during a dinner proposal with Veronica mom and Josie's parents that they realized just how much they have in common, specifically, troubles they face at home and family drama, they were able to bond over. Veronica and Josie both have issues with their fathers, which is something they both often stress over. After Veronica became an official partner of Lodge Industries and former 'Veronica and the Pussycats', Josie began to distance herself, as the Lodges couldn't be trusted. After Veronica noticed how cruelly Josie's mother treated her, Veronica informed her mother, knowing Sierra had told Josie to stay away from her. Sierra and Josie would later come to the Pembrooke and apologize. Veronica and Hermione accepted their apologies, holding no grudges and invited them to Veronica's confirmation ceremony. where Veronica and Josie performed together.

### Reggie Mantle

 File:RD-Caps-3x09-No-Exit-14-Reggie-Veronica.jpg
With the constant threat of her father lingering over Archie, he was forced to flee to Canada but not before breaking up with Veronica for both of their sake. It wasn't long after Archie's departure that she began to grow closer with Reggie. The two started off working together as business partners; Reggie worked for her at La Bonne Nuit, where he bar tended and made cargo runs for her, along with helping her plot against her father. From there, Reggie began to show feelings for Veronica, which led to the two of them sharing a kiss. Following Archie's return to Riverdale, Veronica briefly stalled her romance with Reggie, but after realizing that she and Archie were no longer meant for one another, she continued her relationship with Reggie. However, Veronica could eventually come to accept that Reggie was merely a distraction, and the two would break up. 7 years later, Veronica and Reggie would meet again with him working with her father and Veronica seeking help to evade her controlling husband Chad. While initially an antagonistic relationship, Veronica would come to lean Reggie back to her side when Hiram eventually released him of his debt. While attempting to pursue a relationship with Archie again, Veronica would work with Reggie at her new jewelry store and on derailing Hiram’s plans while simultaneously training him in business. After realizing she and Archie aren’t compatible anymore as adults due to their different lifestyles, she and Reggie decide to open a casino in Riverdale and rekindle their romantic relationship.

### Katy Keene

 File:RD-Promo-4x12-Men-of-Honor-17-Katy-Veronica.jpg
Veronica and Katy are close friends, both having grown up in New York prior to Veronica's father getting arrested and her moving to Riverdale. Veronica first met Katy when she and her mother designed Veronica's dress for her Quinceañera. According to Katy, Veronica looked stunning in the dress made by Katy’s mom. For Halloween of 2019, Veronica called in a favor and had Katy whip up costumes for Archie and all of the kids at his community center for a Halloween party to keep the children off the streets. Veronica also met up with Katy while visiting New York for an interview at Barnard College. They went on a shopping spree, and afterward, discussed their love lives and how Katy's mom was sick and undergoing treatments.

## Trivia

* The name "Veronica" means "she who brings victory; true image" in Latin.
* Out of spite at her father, in Template:Ep, Veronica began the process of changing her old surname Lodge to that of her paternal grandfather's surname. At the time of Template:Ep, it was reported that she had successfully completed this process and she was now officially Veronica Luna. From Template:Ep, she switched it again to Lodge.
* Veronica has shown to be excellent at singing and dancing.
* Executive producer, Sarah Schechter, refers to Veronica as "the Ivanka "I don't want to use the word 'screwed', but I screwed him" "A lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive" Donald "That baby was driving me crazy" Trump of Riverdale".
* She can speak Spanish.
* She is a practicing Catholic.
* She is about 5'1" in height.
* She often uses literary and/or cinematographic references to describe events or characters.
* 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.

## References

1. ↑ *Riverdale pilot casts Camila Mendes as Veronica* - EW
2. ↑ Riverdale cast panel - YouTube