Warning: spoilers for Riverdale are ahead!
After agonising weeks of theorizing about the identity of the Black Hood (see: zooming in on everyone's eyes to see if they're green), we finally know who Riverdale's infamous serial killer is: the freakin' Riverdale High School janitor, Mr. Svenson. Rather than popping hypothetical Champagne bottles and rejoicing that the show's bloodiest mystery is finally solved, I - and the rest of the internet, for that matter - quickly realized something: there's no way in hell Svenson is actually the one and only Black Hood. I'm just not buyin' it.
In case you need additional convincing to throw your naivete out the window and see that the high school janitor is definitely not Riverdale's mysterious hooded killer, I have two pieces of hard, photographic evidence that should do the trick.
The Eyes
By far one of the most notable characteristics of the Black Hood is his eyes; they're a bright green hue that starkly contrasts against the color of his dark face mask. Each time he murders someone (or attempts to do so, in the case of Fred Andrews), we get an up-close look at his supergreen, merciless eyes peeping through the holes in his hood. To refresh your memory, here's what they look like:
Now, Svenson's eyes are most definitely not that same in-your-face green colour - they're more of a deep hazel. On top of that, his eyebrows appear to be slightly more groomed than the Black Hood's bushy, so-not-on-fleek brows. To be fair, I guess you don't really have time to squeeze in a threading appointment when you're too busy plotting murders and whatnot. See below for yourself.
To further drive home this point, allow me to remind you of when Archie and Veronica confront Mr. Svenson at school to ask about his true identity (aka Joseph Conway). Though Veronica is certain that he's the Black Hood, Archie looks into the janitor's eyes and confirms that he isn't the same guy who shot his dad at Pop's diner. He straight up says it himself - Svenson isn't the Black Hood.
The Fingernails (Yes, Seriously)
OK. I know this is such a strange thing to notice, but just hear me out. Svenson's fingernails are a dead giveaway that he isn't the same dude who's been wreaking murderous havoc on the little town of Riverdale. The real Black Hood has (surprisingly) trim, groomed nails, which we get an up-close peek at in that chilling scene when he holds Archie at gunpoint. Behold:
Svenson, on the other hand, has nubby, shard-like fingernails, which we clearly see while he stares at his old family photo in his office. This dude clearly bites his nails. Like, a lot. Plus, his fingers aren't even the same shape as those of the hooded man from Pop's. See?
What This Could Mean For the Rest of Season 2
Between Svenson's not-so-green eye color and cringe-worthy fingernails, I'm totally not on board with believing he's truly the masked man who's been murdering Riverdale's "sinners." I think the real Black Hood is still out there, and he simply used Svenson as a pawn to distract everyone from his whereabouts. So what the heck's in store for the rest of season two? For one, the real Black Hood will likely continue terrorising Riverdale, possibly using others as his pawn like he may have done with Svenson. Also, considering how Betty mysteriously refused to toss her own black face mask in the fire, I'm predicting we'll get a better look at her "Dark Betty" alter ego.
I only know one thing for sure: we're in for quite the wild, dramatic ride.