Mark Consuelos Departs From 'Riverdale' After 4 Seasons as a Series Regular

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 5 Episode 19 of Riverdale.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the CW aired the Season 5 finale of Riverdale, titled "Riverdale: RIP." The explosive episode featured tons of chaos as usual and marked the end for one character.

Mark Consuelos, who has starred at Veronica Lodge's (Camila Mendes) villainous father since Season 2, is departing the teen drama as a series regular. The end for his character was quite satisfying, as the vile individual has been terrorizing the main characters for years on end.

After Archie and the gang finally get their lives back on track and figure out their near futures, their past comes crawling back in the form of Hiram Lodge. In the intense episode, Hiram orders a Ghoulie to set Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe on fire. Before the entire shop erupts into flames, Archie and his fellow firefighters come to the rescue. They successfully put out the fire and save the diner from turning to ashes.

The core four — Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica — do some digging and discover Hiram's plan to use SoDale to gain more authority over the town. Also, Reggie (Charles Melton) presents more evidence to the group that they can use to arrest Hiram. As punishment for his actions, Hiram is banished from Riverdale (though not before he plants a bomb under Archie's bed).

Even though Hiram's fate has been set, does it mean the character is gone for good?

In a statement to Deadline, Riverdale creator, executive producer, and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa spoke of Mark's time on the show and a possible return:

"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."

Roberto went on to say that Mark is the complete opposite of Hiram, describing him as a "classy pro and the sweetest guy, always looking out for everyone.”

The statement concludes with Roberto saying, "We wish Mark the best and hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hiram Lodge.”

By choosing to remove him from the town rather than killing him off, the possibility of Mark returning as big bad Hiram Lodge isn't out of the question.

Mark Consuelos also gave a statement to Deadline about his time on the show, saying, "First and foremost, I would like to thank Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for this incredible opportunity."

Mark continued by reflecting on his portrayal of Hiram, stating, "Never before has playing a character that was so bad, felt so good." He concluded by showing his appreciation for the Riverdale fandom and the cast and crew of the production, declaring them his closest friends and family.

It's definitely nice to have Hiram out of the picture, since he terrorized Archie and his friends for years. However, it is a bit bittersweet to see yet another parent leave the show, just like Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols. Maybe sometime in the future all of the adults will return to the show!