| Hiram Lodge | |
| First: | Pep Comics #31 (September 1942) |
| Creator: | Bob Montana |
| Lbl1: | Voiced by |
| Data1: | Dallas McKennon (1968–1969) John Michael Lee (1999–2002) |
| Lbl2: | Portrayed by |
| Lbl21: | Hometown |
| Data21: | Riverdale |
| Spouse: | Hermione Lodge |
| Children: | Veronica Lodge (daughter) |
| Relatives: | Marcy McDermott (niece) |
| CEO and Owner of Lodge Industries | |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
Hiram P. Lodge is a fictional character in the Archie Comics series. He is a father to the series' protagonist, Veronica Lodge and a husband to her mother, Hermione Lodge.
He is the owner as well as CEO of his own multi-billion dollar conglomerate, Lodge Industries. As the richest man in Riverdale, he has risen to becoming a successful businessman who has presided as the town's most prominent industrialist.
The family name was inspired by the Lodges, a Massachusetts Brahmin political family that previously commissioned a mural from Archie Comics creator Bob Montana.
Hiram is portrayed by Mark Consuelos in the television series Riverdale and Katy Keene.
Hiram Lodge dislikes Archie Andrews especially for Veronica, leading him to disapprove the idea of the two dating. Hiram tries to avoid Archie from visiting their household, because every time he does, something goes wrong, such as Archie accidentally breaking something valuable in the household or injuring him. He allows the pair to continue dating, however, as he understands how well Archie treats Veronica. In multiple stories, Archie saves Mr. Lodge from thieves, blackmailers, and underhanded business rivals, causing Hiram to begin softening up to Archie. On one occasion, he asks Archie and Jughead to act like they are his sons in order to secure a business deal with clients, which are from a culture that do not respect a person without sons. Taking advantage, the teens drive away in Lodge's new car and boss around Veronica and Smithers. However, a typhoon breaks out just in time when the clients attempt to leave, causing a tree to break and almost fall. Archie and Jughead save the day, enabling Lodge to secure the deal, and in his joy says, "You did great, sons!", much to Veronica and Smithers' chagrin.
In one story, Veronica claims that his "Daddy has billions", despite Hiram Lodge only being a multimillionaire. This is likely due to the extreme rise of wealth in the real world since the introduction of the Archie Comics, which means that Hiram would have to be a billionaire to keep up the pretense that he is one of the richest men in the world. In the comics, this is explicated by the take-over of the Blossom corporation, owned by Cheryl Blossom's father.[1]
Lodge is usually portrayed as a successful and wealthy businessman, rather than a financier or banker, who is frequently involved in international business ventures. He has a keen eye for unusual business opportunities that others overlook. In one story, a rival businessman thought that he had outmaneuvered Mr. Lodge by selling him a garbage dump for $2,000, yet Lodge easily retorted that he had covered the dump with artificial snow and turned it into a ski resort, which made him realize a windfall profit of over $2 million USD in its initial year of operation.
The stories about his childhood are contradictory as some suggest he was born into old money and is descended from the founders of Riverdale, while others state that he built his fortune from that of his in-laws. Lodge had also served in the Army at some point in his life.
Although political matters in the Archie comics are rarely mentioned, one storyline hinted that Hiram was a conservative. In the storyline, Archie had been shrunken and was forced to use a paper airplane to fly to the other side of the room. When it was suggested that they lean to the left, Veronica quipped that her dad hated anyone who leaned to the left.
Note: In some 'Archie' stories dating from the 1960s, he is referred to as J. P. Lodge, and in his first appearance in Pep Comics #31, he is referred to as Burton K. Lodge. One story gives his name as Mark.
Despite his old age, he remains physically fit and healthy, which in one story, Lodge attributes his strong physical fitness in having successfully chased Archie away.[2]