List of Archie Comics characters

The following is a list of characters in the Archie Comics universe. Licensed characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man are not included in this list.

The character Archie Andrews, created by John L. Goldwater, Bob Montana and Vic Bloom, first appeared in a humor strip in Pep Comics #22 (December, 1941).

Within the context of the strip and the larger series that grew out of it, Archie is a typical teenage boy, attending high school, participating in sports, and dating. He is extremely kind, caring, brave and accident-prone and many of his actions, however well-intentioned, inadvertently harm the people he tries to help. He is not that academically inclined and brings home average grades. He is athletic and loves sports. He also has a love of cars and fixing them. He is also known for being easily infatuated by the many girls he meets. His never ending love triangle between Betty, the girl next door, and Veronica, the wealthy socialite, form the most common Archie stories. Archie’s other love interests include Cheryl Blossom and Valerie Smith of Josie and the Pussycats.

Betty is the kind-hearted, caring, talented, athletic, culinarily talented and intelligent girl next door. She is romantically obsessed with Archie but usually ends up playing second fiddle to her best friend and romantic rival Veronica Lodge. In some stories, Archie seems to prefer Betty over Veronica. She has a passion for writing and is a good student, detective and auto mechanic. She cares deeply for the well-being of others and is always ready to help people with their problems. She is the youngest child with two older siblings, an older sister named Polly and an older brother named Chic.

Veronica (sometimes called Ronnie or Ron by her close friends) is a very rich girl, the daughter of the super wealthy multi-billionaire and business tycoon and industrialist Hiram Lodge. She is known to be the richest girl in Riverdale. She is a spendthrift, quite spoiled and vain, but is friendly, compassionate, caring, selfless, and generous. She gets along well with most of her classmates no matter their financial status. Like her best friend Betty, she is romantically obsessed with Archie and constantly competes for his affection, usually winning over Archie’s affections. She rarely gets along with Jughead Jones due to his lazy demeanor, though occasionally they set aside their differences, albeit usually to get Archie out of trouble.

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III, is Archie's best friend since childhood. A slim boy with a huge appetite. Sarcastic, snarky and smart, Jughead is uninterested in girls. Despite this, he’s able to form friendships with girls, such as Betty. Jughead often bails Archie out of trouble when he acts impulsively and rashly. He almost always wears his trademark whoopee cap. He has a younger sister named Jellybean.

Archie's main rival, particularly for Veronica's affections. Though they are ultimately good friends, he often taunts Archie and does not understand why girls prefer to date him. He is highly vain and conceited, thinks he can date anyone he wants, and expects everyone to think the world of him. He likes to pick on others, especially Jughead and Archie. He is always trying to get a date with Veronica but when they did date Veronica cheated on Reggie with Archie and he then dumps Veronica.

Marmaduke "Moose" Mason is a muscular, handsome star athlete but is a poor student. He often says "duh" at the beginning of sentences, and is possessive about his girlfriend Midge. He also is known to be dyslexic. He is dimwitted and can be easily manipulated by others, particularly Reggie. He will beat up anyone (particularly Reggie) who upsets him or even talks to Midge, the latter being a point of friction between the couple. At the same time, he is also kind, sensitive and helpful toward his closest friends.