User blog comment:JoxFox2109/PE Proposal: Clifford Blossom/@comment-34055410-20200203004256

As someone who considered him a while back, I’ll have to give a no. To start with, let’s analyze his rapsheet, which consists of running a drug business, killing Mustang to cover up his tracks, framing FP for his crimes and threatening Jughead, and worse of all, shooting his own son without blinking. While all of that sounds bad on paper, we need to also analyze the actions of all the other villains.

First of, so far in the entire show, I counted four serial killers. There’s Hal, who savagely murders those that he deems as sinners (using methods like nailing a girl to a wall and strangling and crushing a woman’s throat mind you). Then there’s Penelope, who also kills people who are “sinners” in her eyes. Then there’s Chic, who, under Penelope’s orders, would trick teenagers into playing a deadly roleplaying game called “Gryphons and Gargoyles” that culminates in them committing suicide after becoming completely addicted. And in season four, there is another serial killer with a rather minor role who would go around killing waitresses.

And let’s not forget Edgar, who runs a brainwashing cult where the disciples would get their organs removed. If anything, he would pass as fair competition with Hiram (whom I will get to in a second), but in the end, his relationship with his wife makes him too ambiguous.

Now as for Hiram, he’s been causing trouble even before he first appeared. While he remains offscreen throughout all of season one, he spends most of that season scheming in the background. Then in season two, he spends the season manipulating Archie into doing his dirty work before showing just how far he would go to achieve power. He tries to have a teenager killed, orders a Black Hood impersonator to assassinate Fred, and finally has Archie framed for a murder that he ordered. And in season three, he goes full lengths to hunt down Archie, and he even resorts to mass murder in order to cover up his tracks before trying to beat Archie to death at the end of the season. By that time, his behavior towards his family also crosses into full-blown abuse. In the same season, he assists the Gargoyle King in causing deaths and other forms of disorder throughout Riverdale.

Even villains who don’t come close to counting do enough to outclass Clifford in heinousness. Don’t forget that in season two, Cheryl was nearly raped by Nick, who not only tried to force himself on Veronica earlier but is also implied to have done the same to many other girls based on conversations held by other characters. And Mrs. Grundy is a sexual predator who has sex with her students. And that’s not to mention all the other abusive parents (namely Alice and Penelope).

Now as for redeeming qualities, it can be assumed that part of Clifford’s behavior came from his own parents, who forced Penelope to become his life companion after claiming her from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. But judging by the context, it’s likely that even without his parents’ abusive nature, he still would have ended up the same way.

Ultimately, he did have chances of counting back in season one, but every seasons after that pretty much kill any of those chances of him qualifying.

So again, no.