‘Riverdale’ Season 2 Spoilers: Showrunner Reveals Cheryl Blossoms Transforms into “Darker, More Powerful” Character, Madelaine Petsch Teases New Romance

‘Riverdale’ season 2 is set to feature a “darker, more powerful” version of Cheryl Blossom as revealed by showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Actress Madelaine Petsch also teased that her character will get a new romantic interest.

According to Digital Spy, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased Cheryl Blossom’s (Madelaine Petsch) transformation into a more powerful character in the upcoming season. He even likened Cheryl to Charlize Theron’s character, Furiosa, from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’

Aguirre-Sacasa said during a recent interview, "What happens to her in the finale is sort of the most elemental, primal thing… She's baptized in a river of ice and then she steps through and rises from the fires like a phoenix, and I think it absolutely changes her in that she has nothing to lose now."

In the season 1 finale, titled "Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter," Cherly attempted to commit suicide in the icy lake where she last saw her deceased brother Jason (Trevor Stines). Archie managed to save her but she eventually exacted her own version of revenge by burning down their mansion, believing that it was the only way to start new.

Aguirre-Sacasa then explained, "She's almost like Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa. That's Cheryl, I think, on the other side of the finale… It's a harder, much darker, much more powerful character because her mom was quite cruel to her in season 1 — really cruel to her, and they withheld love from her."

According to Comicbook.com, the events from season 1 led to the revelation of Jason’s real murderer. Cheryl tried to hide help her twin brother fake his own death so he could escape with his pregnant girlfriend, Polly Cooper (Tiera Skovbye), but was shocked to learn that he was actually killed by their own father.

Their father tried to cover up the fact that their lucrative family business was only a front for drug smuggling. However, he eventually committed suicide.

Petsch also told E! News that despite everything her character has been through, she would gain a new romance. The actress said, "She went through so much in season one and she's so broken down that I think season two...she's deciding she's done, and she's going to be colder and meaner than ever… And there's going to be a little bit of an unexpected love interest for Cheryl, finally."

‘Riverdale’ season 2 was renewed on The CW last March 2017.