Riverdale has brought in many villains over the years. From the mystery of Jason Blossom's killer to Percival Pickens, the small town has dealt with death since it started. But, of all the antagonists that have walked through town, Hiram Lodge may have been the worst villain in Riverdale. His time on the show began in season two, and at that time, introducing him was about upping the stakes. Hiram's presence had been teased throughout the first season, so when he finally shows up and reunites with Veronica, the audience knows they are in for an exciting time. Except, Hiram's time as a villain never expanded beyond a one-note bad guy.
Hiram Lodge is Riverdale's portrayal of the mafia. He has experience doing the wrong thing and is not interested in changing his ways. He is set in them, and his family is more than aware of his capabilities. Although Hiram shows he cares for Veronica and Hermione, everyone else is a pawn in a giant game. Except, even his long game grows tired and dull after a while. It becomes a question of what he is still doing in town when his wife and daughter want nothing to do with him.
10 He Stuck Around Too Long
When a villain sticks around too long, they risk becoming frustrating, laughable, or irrelevant. Hiram became all of those things. His presence began losing its antagonistic darkness to be replaced by annoyance that he was still around. He dragged Riverdale down as everyone had to deal with whatever problems Hiram was bringing to town. If Riverdale planned on giving Hiram a redemption arc during his time in town, keeping him around for so long would have made more sense, as he would have been further developed. But, to keep him as an antagonist for as long as he was, Hiram would have been better off being a one-season villain.
9 His Sickness Never Seemed Legit
Hiram's reveal that he is sick and possibly dying is meant to create a deeper connection between Hiram, Hermione, and Veronica as a family. Veronica knows her father has done awful things. While she may not forgive him for those, can she step away from her father entirely if he is dying? It could have been an exciting way to end Hiram's story permanently. The main downfall was that he never looked sick in any convincing way, and it showed. He was still beating people up and having Hiram appear in Katy Keene, which took place five years into the future from Riverdale, all but confirmed there were no stakes toward Hiram's illness as he would survive it anyway. In an episode following the time jump, Veronica even questions whether her father had ever been sick.
8 Turned Teenagers Into Enemies
Rather than have Jughead and Archie slide off his back, he enacts war against them. Hiram calls for Jughead to be severely beaten and nearly killed. He also has Archie get falsely arrested for something Archie never did. As a grown adult, Hiram turns two teenage boys into enemies and finds nothing wrong with this. It was as if Hiram enjoyed fighting against them. Hiram was not a serial killer like the Black Hood. His role as a villain was different. Yet, he still took enjoyment in torturing and harming teenagers.
7 Constantly Fighting With Veronica
Veronica's wish to be better than her father makes them fall into a dance of death. They will circle each other repeatedly until one dies, and it is a paradox that will never stop. Hiram does not care that he is harming Veronica's friends and the town she has grown to care for. Instead, he turns his daughter into a competitor and then relishes the opportunity to go head-to-head with her as if it is a game for them and not Veronica trying to help the town as he tears it down.
6 His Backstory Came Too Late
In season five, Riverdale determined the time had come to reveal Hiram's backstory. But, if it was meant to have the audience give him sympathy or empathy, the time had come far too late. At that point, he had already been on the show for years, proving himself to be the bad guy at every turn without an ounce of regret. If Riverdale wanted to make Hiram a sympathetic character, it should have been in season two or three, when it was still early enough to add a layer to his character in an organic way.
5 The Time Jump Should Have Gotten Rid of Him
A time jump can be a reset of sorts. Allow the characters a few years to grow before returning to the story to see where they turned up. Riverdale could have delivered a fresh start by having Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead return to their hometown, with Hiram having been gone for a while. The time jump could have explained that Hiram found interest elsewhere, such as New York, as he had turned up in Katy Keene's finale. Instead, the seven-year time jump just has everyone come back to where they left it. Riverdale is slowly falling apart, and Hiram Lodge remains behind the town's decline.
4 He Seemed Untouchable
No matter what anyone did, Hiram Lodge would not die. All the main characters hated him and what he was doing to their town. His behavior was evil and toxic to those he cared about. He could not be removed from power because he had too many connections. Hiram could not be defeated because he owned everything. Having a villain so untouchable, physically and emotionally, was unsatisfying. It never seemed anything could get to him, or he would get revenge quickly and easily. Although sometimes others were smart enough to counter his moves, it would usually be a temporary fix.
3 Hiram Was Not Very Exciting
Although Hiram spent four seasons as one of the central villains, he was not very exciting. He lacked the charisma that would have made him an entertaining antagonist. He mainly was one-note and spoke in the same tone to everyone. Although Hiram constantly had an extensive scheme to ruin Riverdale for his own purposes, he never came across as someone fun to watch, which is a problem when this is a villain who the show insists on keeping around for so long.
2 Never Grew as a Character
One of Hiram's most significant problems was that he never went through any character development. He was a bad guy from the first time he was introduced to when he was finally kicked out of town. He never cared that he was hurting his daughter or wife with his actions. He never grew into a better person. Riverdale never chose to try and give him a redemption arc for all the bad things he had done and the people he had hurt. Hiram's development could be shown in a perfectly straight line. He never got better or worse, always remaining in the same spot for as long as he was on the show.
1 His Death Felt Anti-Climactic
When Hiram finally died, it was off-screen. One of the issues of off-screen deaths is because of the number of fake-outs. It is almost impossible to trust that the person the show is claiming to have died is dead. Hiram's death occurs when Veronica, who has finally had enough, puts a hit out on her father to finally put him behind them. Hiram's death is never shown on-screen; thus, just the news of it does not feel like enough for an antagonist who had been around so long.