Jughead Is Missing & Varchie Returns In The 'Riverdale' Season 4 Trailer

Senior year is kicking off for the Riverdale gang, but if there's anything this show has promised, it's that little happens without a handful of secrets and some deadly twists attached. After an ominous flash-forward in the Season 3 finale, the Riverdale Season 4 trailer teases that Jughead is in even more trouble than that unsettling ending hinted. But he might not be the only one in risk of danger this season.

Season 3 of the teen drama concluded in May 2019, bringing audiences an action-packed hour of the kids rebelling against The Farm, a cult led by Edgar Evernever (Chad Michael Murray). Edgar's plan to harvest others' organs was briefly disrupted when Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) managed to save Toni (Vanessa Morgan) from a surgery. While at The Farm, she also discovered the body of her brother Jason (Trevor Stines) and brought it home with her. Meanwhile, Archie (KJ Apa), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Betty (Lili Reinhart), and Veronica (Camila Mendes) had to complete quests assigned by Penelope Blossom (Nathalie Boltt), who revealed herself as a mastermind in the Gargoyle King plot, with Chic (Hart Denton) posing as the King.

Although Penelope ultimately killed Betty's dad Hal (Lochlyn Munro) in retaliation for Betty not doing so, this battle ended relatively smoothly. However, fans were left unsettled when the episode flashed forward to the kids' senior year spring break, showing Archie, Betty, and Veronica at a fire, soaked in blood and wearing their underwear as they burned their clothes. They vowed to never speak of this night again before Archie tossed Jughead's beanie into the fire.

While the Season 4 promo includes brief sightings of Jughead, it points toward his eventual disappearance being a major theme.

The trailer opens with the characters roaming through the woods and calling for Jughead. This footage plays along with a scene of Veronica saying, "Isn't it crazy? In just nine months, life as we know it will be over."

She's making this remark to Archie, Jughead, and Betty, who are toasting to a successful senior year. But given the trailer's promise of "dark secrets, strange days," the kids will likely be worrying about more than just college and prom. In between the couples getting cozy with each other (yes, even the recently reunited Veronica and Archie), the footage teases a scene covered in police tape, someone attacking Betty, and Veronica admitting she's "no stranger to scandal."

The fast-paced footage concludes with Jughead seemingly trapped in some kind of tight space, which may make the others' search for him a tad more difficult. Whether or not the search for Jughead is tied to the Season 3 flash-forward is unclear, but it looks like the kids will be behind more deadly secrets before hopefully leaving the town far behind for college.

As for how quickly fans will figure out what's going on with Jug, don't hold your breath for a speedy resolution. Mendes previously teased that clues to the Jughead mystery will be scattered throughout the season, telling Entertainment Weekly, "Season 4 is definitely senior year, high school focused, more about the relationships and those dynamics and obviously the mystery of what we saw at the end of Season 3. We’re going to be coming back to that, having little flashes throughout to gather more information. Each flashback will tell us a little more."

Season 4 of Riverdale premieres at 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 9, on The CW.