Archie to Die While Saving Gay Best Friend

On Wednesday, Archie Andrews will die in the newest grown-up installment of the Archie Comics' "Life with Archie" after he takes a bullet while protecting his gay best friend, Kevin Keller, from an assassination attempt.

First introduced in 2010, Keller became the series first openly gay character and eventually landed his own solo title. The character continued to make history as he got married in February of 2012. Now, in the latest installment, the married military veteran is a newly elected senator pushing for gun control in Riverdale.

Andrews will meet his end when he saves the life of his best friend during a shooting.

"The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie," Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO, tells Associated Press. "He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It's what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years."

How he came to save Keller instead of Betty or another familiar character was indicative of how far the comics have come.

"We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone," Goldwater adds. "That's how we came up with the storyline of saving Kevin. He could have saved Betty. He could have saved Veronica. We get that, but metaphorically, by saving Kevin, a new Riverdale is born."

As for who shot Andrews, that will be a JR moment in the series, as the series will jump forward a year and focus on honoring the character's best moments.