Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl Marjorie Blossom | |
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Archie Comics character | |
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First appearance | Betty and Veronica (1982) |
Created by | Dan DeCarlo |
Portrayed by |
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Hometown | Pembrooke (previously) Jason Blossom † (twin brother) (
nephew)Rose Blossom (grandmother) Claudius Blossom † (uncle) Bedford Blossom † (uncle) Dreyfus Starkweather (half uncle) Martin Tucker † (half uncle) Cricket Blossom † (aunt) Fester Blossom † (cousin) Juniper Blossom (nephew) Dagwood Blossom † (3rd cousin) |
Cheryl Marjorie Blossom is a fictional character of the
History and character
Cheryl Blossom was introduced in 1982 in Betty and Veronica #320
In the 1980s, when a number of alternate universe series were published, Cheryl was a minor recurring character in the short-lived title
The character was reintroduced into the main continuity and Archie Andrews' life during the "Love Showdown" four-part series in 1994. During the series, Archie receives a letter from Cheryl which states she will be returning to Riverdale. Archie, infatuated with girls as always, decides to keep Cheryl's return a secret from Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. He merely acts in a typical Archie girl crush maneuver (looking dreamy, uttering nonsense). Unknown to Archie is that Betty and Veronica both think the other person did this to Archie, and they declare war on each other to win back Archie once and for all. Super Soakers, dirty dancing, and fraud are just some of the tactics that the girls use on each other. Cheryl returns to Riverdale, leaving readers wondering whom Archie will choose in the end.[2]
Cheryl has appeared in several comic book stories over the years, including her own series. In one story, it was revealed that an ancestor of Archie once fell in love with an ancestor of Cheryl's back in
Cheryl Blossom was ranked 92nd in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[4]
Friends and family
Cheryl has a twin brother,
At one point, in the story "Undercover Blossom", Cheryl decided that she would try to get into Riverdale High under false pretenses. She chose the alias "Shirley Merriwether"; at first nobody thought anything amiss, until she decided to cause trouble, (i.e., sending fake love letters; and stealing a couple of term papers) and then she'd frame Archie for it, almost turning his friends against him. She had almost succeeded in destroying their friendship forever, but was thwarted when Mr. Weatherbee discovered her fraudulent enrollment papers. At a dance, the following evening, Cheryl's parents, who had been informed of her deceit by Mr. Weatherbee, exposed the entire scam to Cheryl's embarrassment. Her punishment was that she would attend Riverdale High. Her parents thought that since she got in by less than honest means, she would stay there and finish out her school year there.[5] Betty became Cheryl's best friend in the three-part story and loved her dearly. "Friendly Fire" in an issue of Cheryl's title series after Veronica humiliated Cheryl on Betty and Veronica's local public-access television cable TV show, which alienated Betty from Veronica. Veronica, for no other reason than missing Betty's friendship, eventually very publicly apologized to Cheryl, winning back Betty's friendship in the process. Cheryl was shown to still be friends with Betty in a later issue, inviting Betty over to her house. It is unclear how much Archie writers other than Holly Golightly (the writer of "Friendly Fire") portrayed Betty and Cheryl as friends, but a story in Archie & Friends in early 2006 involves Betty suggesting that she, Veronica, and Cheryl go to Pop Tate's Chock'lit Shoppe and hang out. Veronica and Cheryl accept and walk off with Betty, indicating that Betty and Cheryl are still friends.
In the late 1990s, Cheryl began dating Dilton Doiley. They were paired together online, without knowing each other's true identity, fell in love, met in real life, and decided to continue their romantic relationship, though this was largely ignored in later stories.
At one point, Reggie and Cheryl started dating because they both had devilish minds and were very alike. Their relationship was unsuccessful, so Cheryl appeared on a dating show. In a reader-poll event, Archie Comics finally gave Cheryl a new boyfriend, with readers voting on the potential boyfriends featured on the show: blond-haired fitness-guru Austin, dark-complected computer genius Brandon, and shaved-headed gourmet chef George. The winner of the 'contest' was George.
Raj Patel's younger sister Tina Patel, who was introduced to Archie Comics in 2007, has been written into
Pembrooke
Cheryl and Jason lived in the neighboring, upscale community of Pembrooke during her second stay in the comic books, which lasted until the quiet cancellation of her title series and her subsequent move to Paris. However, Cheryl was soon brought back by popular demand from her fans. Cheryl now lives in Riverdale, and no longer attends Pembrooke, although in some stories she and her brother return to visit friends there. (After her family almost lost all their wealth in one story, the Blossom family decide to make their son and daughter attend Riverdale High for the same reasons that the Lodge family make Veronica attend public school instead of private school).
Pembrooke Academy is the local private school in Pembrooke. The students who attend are frequently portrayed as antagonists to Riverdale High School, often disdaining Riverdale students as "townies." The Blossom twins are the only students who openly date Riverdale "townies," a practice that most Pembrooke students find barely tolerable were it not for the Blossom twins' wealth and popularity.
Pembrooke Academy's athletics were not above using unfair tactics such as sabotage to win a competition. In many stories that feature a rivalry between Riverdale and Pembrooke, Pembrooke often loses despite their attempts to cheat to victory, or the two teams decide to come to a truce.
Other versions
Archie's Weird Mysteries
Cheryl appears twice in the 2000–2002 Archie's Weird Mysteries comic series, despite not appearing in the TV series of the same name. She reprises her role as one of Archie's love interests alongside Betty and Veronica, although the more sexual aspects of her character are toned down, and Jason does not appear alongside her in this continuity.
Afterlife with Archie
Cheryl along with her brother Jason appear in the 2013 adult
Archie vs. Predator
Cheryl and Jason appeared in the first issue of the 2015 crossover series Archie vs. Predator. Cheryl and Jason take a trip to Los Perdidos Resort for a spring break, until they both were killed by an alien creature hunter, known as the Predator.
Life with Archie: The Married Life
In 2010, Cheryl Blossom made a guest appearance in the first issue of the revival series, Life with Archie: The Married Life. She was seen as a washed-up actress waiting tables in Los Angeles. It was revealed that her parents cut her off financially because they disapproved of her moving there to become an actress. Her brother, Jason, was revealed to be working for Mr. Lodge.[6]
Cheryl returned to Life with Archie in issue 21 (July 2012). In this issue, Cheryl returns to Riverdale; however, unknown to her family and friends back home, she was being treated for breast cancer. Part of this storyline features an underlying issue on the affordability of, and the right to, healthcare.[7][8]
New Riverdale
Cheryl Blossom appeared in Archie No. 13, her first appearance in a new Riverdale series. She was introduced as Riverdale's queen bee who is not interested with making friends with the newly transferred Veronica Lodge.
In other media
Live-action
Television
Cheryl Blossom appears in
Film
- Cheryl made a film adaptation appearance in The Archies on Netflix, portrayed by Diya Gupta.[10]
References
- ^ Ask the Archivist Archived January 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Did You Know? Archived June 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cheryl No. 34
- ISBN 978-1-4402-2988-6.
- ^ Archie's Pals n' Gals Double Digest No. 120
- ^ "The 10 Craziest Moments from Life with Archie: The Married Life (So Far)". toplessrobot.com. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ comicbook.com: "Life With Archie Tackles Cancer", March 6, 2012.
- ^ Associated Press: "That's seriously funny: Comics tackle tough issues", March 6, 2012.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2016). "'Riverdale' CW Pilot Finds Cheryl Blossom". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ Mer Eclarinal, Aeron (December 8, 2023). "The Archies Netflix Movie Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos)". The Direct. Retrieved December 17, 2023.