Jughead Jones

Jughead Jones is a main character on CW teen mystery drama Riverdale, based on the original character from the Archie Comics.

Character
Jughead is a jaded, outwardly cynical guy, who is at times wise beyond his years thanks to his father's criminal activities and inability to provide Jughead with a safe, consistent family life. Due to his father's failings, Jughead's mother has left him and Riverdale, taking along with her his little sister, Jellybean. Jughead's childhood best friend, Archie Andrews, provides a relief from these circumstances occasionally, as does his relationship with another childhood friend – Betty Cooper. All of Jughead's jaded quips and dark humour is a cover for how scared he is to form a true, close bond with anyone.

Slash

 * Jarchie — the ship between Archie Andrews and Jughead
 * Jevin — the ship between Jughead and Kevin Keller
 * Jilton — the ship between Dilton Doiley and Jughead
 * Reghead — the ship between Jughead and Reggie Mantle

Het

 * Bughead — the ship between Jughead and Betty Cooper
 * Chughead — the ship between Cheryl Blossom and Jughead
 * Jeronica — the ship between Jughead and Veronica Lodge
 * Jopaz — the ship between Toni Topaz and Jughead
 * Mughead — the ship between Jughead and Midge Klump

Canon
Toni Topaz

Toni volunteers to show Jughead around Southside High, seemingly as an in to slowly induct him into the Serpents. While Jughead is reluctant, he does find Toni interesting and soon begins to like her. She supports him when he's jumped by the Ghoulies and as he decides he has to fully join the Serpents. Although Jughead's with Betty, he flirts with Toni. After Betty breaks up with Jughead (via Archie), Jughead becomes a member of the Southside Serpents and shares a kiss with Toni.

Betty Cooper

Childhood friends, Betty and Jughead begin to spend more time together trying to uncover what happened to Jason Blossom, and eventually also Betty's sister, Polly. This brings them closer and they begin a relationship. Betty supports Jughead through his ordeal with FP, and he Betty's with her parents' craziness. They do eventually uncover Jason's murderer and continue to support each other through multiple crises, growing closer. When Jughead's father's imprisoned, it changes everything as Jughead has to attend Southside High. Amidst trouble between the Northside and Southside of the town, Jughead starts keeping things from Betty, and she does the same. Under threat from the Black Hood, Betty breaks up with Jughead, who, unbeknownst to Betty, is now a Southside Serpent. They reconcile after Betty confesses to Jughead about the Black Hood, but the two eventually break up again, with Jughead intending for the separation to be permanent, as he’s afraid that he won’t be able to protect her after Penny Peabody’s threat.

Trivia

 * Sprouse has advocated for Jughead to realise that he is and will identify as either asexual or aromantic, which is true to some comics portrayals, but recently commented:
 * In multiple iterations he's asexual, in some iterations he's aromantic, and I think because this is a new universe this is definitely a different iteration
 * “While I think that representation is needed, this Jughead is not that Jughead. This Jughead is not Zdarsky’s (the asexual) Jughead and this Jughead is not the aromantic Jughead,” he said. “This Jughead is a person who is looking for a kind of deeper companionship with a person like Betty and Betty ends up being this super nurturing, caring, care-taking person that with Jughead’s screwed-up past they end up diving into each other and it ends up being a beautiful thing”


 * Jughead has, since the beginning of the comics, been portrayed as uninterested in girls and relationships, which led readers to define him as asexual. Although it has never been stated, it is a common perception of the character. In a recent Zdarsky issue of Archie comics, Jughead was identified as ace (asexual), which has yet to be seen on Riverdale and has been criticised for LGBTQIA-erasure and irresponsible portrayals. Some hope that Jughead's discovery of his sexuality can feature as the series progresses, or that the character could also be portrayed as aromantic, which leaves room for a sexual relationship, albeit not a romantic one.
 * Series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has said, regarding Jughead's sexuality:
 * I think all of the kids are discovering themselves, and a big part of that is discovering their sexuality, their sexual selves. Rather than have everything fully formed — for instance, we're not going to start with Archie's band or Jughead's asexuality or any of the things that have become canon — those are all stops on the way to the journey


 * I think it’s also worth highlighting the differences between “asexual” and “aromantic” as identities. Although I’m neither myself, I do know that it’s something that’s important to differentiate, and it’s not something that we yet know about Jughead–since no writer has specified whether he is aromantic in addition to being asexual – THE MARY SUE