'Riverdale' Gargoyle King: Who Is the New Season 3 Villain?

On the Season 3 premiere episode of Riverdale, fans were introduced to the concept of the mysterious Gargoyle King for the first time. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa previously tweeted a photo of the new Riverdale villain before the premiere, but not much was known about the creature aside from the fact that he looked pretty spooky in the photo Aguirre-Sacasa provided.

The Gargoyle King is named for the first time on Season 3, Episode 1 of Riverdale, but he won’t really make an appearance on the show until Episode 2 — if the promo for the upcoming episode is to be believed. Still, even in the premiere, it’s clear this spooky being is ready to elicit some mayhem in Riverdale.

Who or what is the Gargoyle King?

Before the Gargoyle King was even mentioned on Riverdale, Aguirre-Sacasa tweeted about the creature, writing that it is “gruesome, gory, grim, and gnarly.” That description seems to fit it pretty well based on what we already know of the King and what fans saw in a promo for the next episode of the CW series.

In the Season 3 premiere episode, Dilton and Ben played a game that seemed to operate a lot like Dungeons and Dragons. It’s actually called “Griffons and Gargoyles,” and Dilton later tells Jughead Jones that the villain of the game is real and running around Riverdale.

Ben and Dilton are later found unresponsive and kneeling in front of what appears to be an altar, with symbols from the game carved into their backs. Is it definitely the work of the Gargoyle King? It certainly seems that way based on the Episode 2 promo, but fans really don’t know all that much about the new “big bad” of Riverdale.

What do we know about the Gargoyle King?

All that’s really known about the Gargoyle King right now is that it’s very dangerous, and pretty creepy looking.

Aguirre-Sacasa told reporters at New York Comic Con, “He’s more of an urban legend, more of the Slenderman. The Black Hood was a serial killer, Hiram is a mob boss, and this guy is almost like, the bad guy in the fairytale. We don’t know if he’s real or if it’s someone in a suit. So there’s kind of a sense of myth about him. And he’s a lot more dangerous.”

So fans can’t even be sure whether the Gargoyle King is some sort of mythical creature, or just a dude in a bad costume.

What fans think about the Gargoyle King

Fans are pretty divided on the new Riverdale villain. Some think he’s pretty scary looking, but others are not so impressed. Fan theories about the Gargoyle King are varied, especially this early in the season.

Theories about who the Gargoyle King is on Reddit ranged from the son of Alice and Hal, to Edgar Evernever, to the new leader behind the Ghoulies, and more.

Whoever (or whatever) the Gargoyle King is, and whether he’s truly bringing a supernatural element to Riverdale or not, the new villain certainly has fans talking and ready for the rest of Season 3.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW.