He bowed out in the Season 5 finale, which saw Archie (played by KJ Apa) surprisingly spare his life after all of the torment he had put them through over the past four years. Despite his character’s toxic traits, fans were still sad to see Consuelos exit the show after so long.
Since the finale episode aired on Wednesday, October 6, Consuelos has spoken out about leaving Riverdale. Newsweek has everything you need to know.
Warning: This article contains spoilers about ‘Riverdale’ Season 5, Episode 19.
Riverdale fans were prepared for Hiram Lodge, but nobody could have foreseen the way Consuelos’ exit played out in Season 5, Episode 19, which was ominously titled: “Chapter Ninety-Five: RIVERDALE: RIP (?)”
In the Season 5 finale, Hiram had (as per usual) been attempting to make Archie’s life a living hell. He had taken it upon himself to fire-bomb Pop’s Diner and slashed the tires of the fire brigade to slow down the rescue operation and Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Archie were no longer going to stand for it.
They planned to help get Hiram out of jail and lead him to a field where they would put an end to his antics once and for all by killing him.
However, they changed their minds after receiving some advice from Hiram’s former right-hand man, Reggie (Charles Melton). Instead, Veronica and Archie — with the help of Betty (Lili Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and the townfolk — decided to exile Hiram from the town.
In a statement to Deadline, Consuelos said: “First and foremost, I would like to thank Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for this incredible opportunity. Never before has playing a character that was so bad, felt so good. Huge thanks to the Riverdale fandom, to the brilliant crew and amazing cast, whom I consider dear friends and family.”
He also addressed his exit in a low-key fashion on Twitter. He sent red-love heart emojis to several fans who tweeted their tributes to Hiram Lodge and his performance.
One fan wrote: “@MarkConsuelos congrats on a wonderful job as Hiram Lodge. Your villainary will be missed” whilst another said: “@MarkConsuelos you’re a legend, best villain!
We’ll miss Hiram but not really. Love you Mark x”
Consuelos’ exit didn’t come as a huge surprise to fans as executive producer and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa had announced the news ahead of the final episode.
Thankfully in the same interview, Aguirre-Sacasa hinted that Hiram may be gone for now, but a return to the town of Riverdale isn’t off the table. After all, Hiram’s presence is sure to be felt in Season 6 after his final act led to a nail-biting cliffhanger.
Veronica and AJ were able to blackmail Hiram into leaving Riverdale with a video of him murdering a man, not to mention holding a gun to his head. However, in true Hiram Lodge style, he didn’t go quietly and revealed he had left a bomb in Archie’s bedroom, hidden under his bed — just as Archie and Betty are finally getting together.
Aguirre-Sacasa told Deadline: “So tonight’s episode is Mark’s swan song playing our hunky villain Hiram Lodge on Riverdale after four insane, glorious years. From the moment Mark joined us, he was up for literally anything, a hundred percent committed to making Archie’s life a living hell. And what’s funny is, Mark couldn’t be more different from Hiram. A classy pro and the sweetest guy, always looking out for everyone. We wish Mark the best and hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hiram Lodge.”
As for his character’s ending, according to Aguirre-Sacasa, he “loved” it.
Aguirre-Sacasa said: “After everything Hiram’s done—to basically every single character on the show, over the seasons—it felt like Hiram’s story needed to end in a grand, Shakespearean way. So we thought, “What are the punishments in Shakespeare’s plays?” The two that kept coming up were execution and exile.”
“Mark loved his exit, by the way. He texted me how happy he was.”
Riverdale Season 6 will return on Tuesday, November 16 on The CW.
