"Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty" is an American comic book story by writer Michael Uslan and artists Stan Goldberg and Bob Smith that was originally presented in Archie # 600–606. In issues # 600–602, the story features a futuristic look into the life of Riverdale teen Archie Andrews in the years that follow his college graduation when Archie makes his ultimate decision to marry Veronica Lodge instead of Betty Cooper. In Issues # 603–605, the story switches and Archie proposes marriage to Betty instead of to Veronica. Issue #606 serves as the epilogue to the story and ties the previous six issues together.
In May 2009, Archie Comics released plans for what they would call "The Archie Story Of The Century" and announced that Archie Andrews would ask Veronica Lodge to marry him in Archie Comics # 600,[1] the first issue of a six-part story arc detailing their engagement, marriage and life together. The publishers of Archie Comics did not expect the response they would get from readers and longtime fans telling them they made a mistake in Archie's choice. The New York Times would later reveal that the whole story is simply a fantasy and that the first half of the story would show Archie's life with Veronica, and the second half would show his life with Betty.[2]
The night before the gang's graduation from Riverdale High, The Archies play their final concert and mourn the oncoming changes. Archie comes home and after getting heat from his father about picking a college, he takes a walk down Memory Lane... literally. Archie realizes he's never walked up Memory Lane before and switches directions. After traveling through a yellow wood, Memory Lane splits into two dirt roads. He chooses the left one and was cast four years into the future on the eve of his college graduation. His mother Mary states that Veronica Lodge is waiting for him inside the house. He and Veronica discuss the changes in their lives, and both accept growing up.
After the graduation, Veronica hosts a party at her mansion. Archie learns that Veronica is planning to work for her father's company in either London or Hong Kong. As for the rest of the gang, Moose Mason is going to manage his uncle's burger joint on Staten Island while his girlfriend Midge Klump will be running her own nail salon in Bayonne, New Jersey. Dilton Doiley is going to M.I.T. for his doctorate in quantum mechanics, Reggie Mantle will become a used car salesman in Atlanta and Jughead Jones will stick around Riverdale grilling burgers at Pop Tate's Choklit Shoppe until he "figures things out". Finally, Betty Cooper will be working as a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.
After the party, Archie is given a large sum of money by his parents which he uses for the down payment on an engagement ring for Veronica a few weeks later in New York. He proposes to her just as Betty and Jughead happen to walk by and witness. Veronica accepts, while Betty runs weeping in an unknown direction. Eventually, Archie and Veronica tell Mr. Lodge, who accepts Archie as his future son-in-law as long as he works for Lodge Industries. Archie accepts while his fiancée plans the biggest wedding Riverdale has ever seen. Jughead later chastises Archie for not telling him his plan, and advised him not to go near Betty for a while, so that she will be able to get over with and move on.
The residents of Riverdale are overwhelmed with shock that Archie finally chose between his two girlfriends, but also concerned with Betty's well-being. Veronica calls Betty and asks her to be her maid of honor. Instead of answering, Betty simply leaves the phone on her bed.