Jughead Jones - Love Interests and Relationships

Love Interests and Relationships

Jughead is known for his lack of interest in girls, which sets him apart from Archie and Reggie. Ironically, this often attracts girls rather than repel them. His most ardent admirer is Big Ethel, a gangly, awkward, but very friendly girl who chases after Jughead at every opportunity, despite Jughead's constant and blunt refusals. Recent storylines have shown a decrease in her obsession with him, and even show her dating other guys. This makes Jughead surprisingly jealous. Jughead secretly enjoys the attention, although he claims he only puts up with Ethel's company if she offers him her cooking. In the story "Phood Phobia", Archie and Dilton Doiley discover another reason for Jughead's immense appetite: girls make him nervous, and he turns to food for comfort. When confronted with this, Jughead is stunned; finding out that girls are the reason he enjoys food makes him lose his appetite.

Although Jughead usually doesn't seem interested in love, there have been several strips where he somewhat enjoys himself with Ethel, and he even occasionally professes an interest in Betty. Jughead usually doesn't like any long-term relationships, largely due to the observation (gained from watching Archie's romantic entanglements) that dating complicates a guy's life and deprives him of cash that could be used to buy burgers.

There has also been one strip where Jughead tells Betty that if he was to ever kiss a girl willingly, it would be her. In the early years, they were frequently seen together Jughead comics, and she often tried to flirt with him. This toned down after only a few years, but there have been occasional hints of a possible romance. Writers and fans alike of Archie Comics sometimes make comments on how they want them to end up together, but that would end the love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica that has become an essential part of the comics. Still Jughead still enjoys Betty's company and her food whenever she cooks.

One of the common misconceptions about Jughead is that he is a misogynist. This has been disproved many times. In the 1942 Archie #1, it states that Jughead "hates dames - they keep him awake!" However, following the development of his character, Jughead has been depicted as disliking romance and the ways it leads young men to make fools of themselves, but not women. In one story, Jughead says, "I don't hate girls - I just love food more!". In another story, when he saw how upset Miss Grundy was on her birthday, it was Jughead who rallied his fellow students to cheer Miss Grundy up.

Another thread that has run through stories in recent years involves a psychic experience he is supposed to have had, caused by an odd pin he wears on his hat. In the early 1990s, Jughead had three girlfriends: Debbie, Joani, and January McAndrews. The latter is Archie's descendant in the future, who starred with Jughead in Jughead's Time Police, a short-lived spinoff comic about their adventures traveling through time.

In another story, he describes that the reason why he does not chase after girls is because of a childhood heartbreak, sustained before he moved to Riverdale. Little Jughead befriended Joani and they had a puppy love relationship. Jughead's family moved to Riverdale, and he had to leave Joani behind. Determined not to go through any heartbreak again, he swore off girls, keeping little Joani's picture in his wallet as a reminder.

That changed when Debbie moved to town, and Jughead began to overcome his old heartbreak as they started dating. However, during this time, Joani suddenly came to town for a visit. Now a young woman, she told Jughead that she never forgot him and still had a crush on him. The two shared their first kiss together. Before Jughead decides whether he wants to pursue a relationship with Joani, she leaves him - but with a promise that they will be together again. The comic strip even had Jughead say, "Sometimes, life is just more interesting than burgers and shakes.",

For a time, Debbie and Joani served as Jughead's own love triangle. Fans did not like the change, however, so both girls disappeared and Jughead reverted to his old independent lifestyle. A few years later, a girl named Trula Twyst appeared. She tends to drive Jughead crazy with her ability to predict his next moves, and at some point, they developed a love-hate relationship.