Everything about Randall Flagg totally explained
Randall Flagg is a
fictional character created by
Stephen King. Flagg's first appearance was as the main antagonist in the 1978 novel
The Stand, where he assembles a group of violent citizens after the majority of the United States' population is killed off by a super-flu virus. The character has appeared in nine of King's novels, a television
adaptation of The Stand, as well as a comic book miniseries.
Flagg is described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark" with general
supernatural abilities involving
necromancy,
prophecy, and unnatural influence over people's behavior. His goals typically center on spreading destruction and causing conflict, usually through bringing down civilizations. In
The Stand, in which he's also referred to as the "Walkin' Dude", he organizes what is left of the "dregs of society" after the
United States is almost destroyed by the accidental release of a government-made
superflu. In
The Eyes of the Dragon, he hopes to bring an entire kingdom to ruin by manipulating others. In
The Dark Tower series, Flagg, using the name
Marten Broadcloak, is influential in weakening and destroying the "Affiliation", the feudal system of government in Mid-World.
Flagg often goes under different names, most of which can be abbreviated by the initials R.F. However, exceptions such as
Walter Padick exist, and the name most often associated with Flagg in
The Dark Tower series is
Walter o'Dim.
Appearances
Randall Flagg has appeared in various Stephen King novels, sometimes as the main antagonist and others as in a brief cameo. Even when he isn't the primary antagonist in the book, his appearances are never without some scheme of his own. King's novels are not the only place Flagg has appeared; he's been adapted in the comic book medium, as well as a single appearance in a
made-for-television movie adaptation of
The Stand.
In novels
Flagg made his first official appearance in the 1978
apocalyptic novel
The Stand. In it, he's trying to rebuild civilization in the United States in his image after a plague has killed off most of the population. Flagg’s backstory is vague, unknown even to him, with Flagg stating that at some point he just “became”; although, he's memories of being a
marine, a
Klansman, as well as having a hand in the kidnapping of
Patty Hearst. Stationed in
Las Vegas, Flagg attracts people who are drawn to destruction, power and a
fascist culture. Flagg uses
crucifixion,
torture, and other
torments as punishment for those who are disloyal. His followers reorganize the society, and rebuild the city. In the novel, Flagg plans to attack and destroy the other emerging civilization—Mother Abagail's "Free Zone" in
Boulder, Colorado—to become the dominant society in the former United States.
After Flagg's men fail to kill the leaders of the "Free Zone", Mother Abagail sends a group of men to Las Vegas, to stop Flagg. After being taken prisoner, the men are brought before the city for a public execution. Before Flagg can kill them, one of his most loyal and devoted followers, the Trashcan Man, arrives with a
nuclear warhead. "The Hand of God" reaches down, just as the Trashcan Man stops, and detonates the bomb, destroying Flagg's followers and the two remaining prisoners. In the original version, Flagg's
fate is left uncertain. The novel was re-released in 1990, expanded to include the text that was cut during its original publication. Here, the novel explains that Flagg reappeared somewhere on a beach with complete
amnesia, and a new group of individuals to control.
In King's book
Hearts in Atlantis (1999), a character by the name of Raymond Fiegler is identified toward the end as the leader of an
activist group, when he convinces a young girl to abandon her attempts to retrieve an unexploded bomb. King never explicitely identifies Fiegler as Flagg, but
Christopher Golden and Hank Wagner, coauthors of
The Complete Stephen King Universe, suggest that there's little doubt Fiegler is Flagg. They present evidence of Fiegler's actions and persona, as well as the fact that Flagg often uses many aliases, usually with the initials "R.F.".
Randall Flagg would make the next six appearances as part of King's
Dark Tower series, which follows gunslinger
Roland Deschain as he travels the world in search of the Dark Tower. In this seven novel series, Flagg takes on the guise of several individuals. He first appears as Walter o'Dim, being chased across the desert by Roland. Here, he identifies his true self to be the demon Legion, and states that Roland must defeat him if he's to enter the tower. In flashback sequences, Flagg assumes the identity of Marten Broadcloak, a wizard that conspired with the Crimson King to cause the fall of the Dark Tower. Flagg has an affair with Roland's mother, Gabrielle, in an attempt to enrage Roland into taking the gunslinger test early. His hope is for Roland to fail, so that he'll be exiled, but Roland passes the test. Eventually, Roland catches Walter and they've a long discussion which causes Roland to slip into deep delirium. He wakes later to find a pile of bones in Walter's place. In the original printing, Walter and Marten are separate characters, with Walter clearly dying at the end of the novel. When Stephen King published an expanded edition of the novel, Walter and Marten are portrayed as being one in the same, and Walter fakes his own death.
Randall Flagg makes his next appearance in the series' third novel,
The Waste Lands. Flagg appears in the city of
Lud, where he saves the Tick-Tock Man
Andrew Quick, an enemy of Roland's
ka-tet, who was left for dead in an earlier confrontation. Quick becomes Flagg's devoted servant afterwards. In this guise, Flagg assumes the name of
Richard Fannin. Flagg returns in the fourth book,
Wizard and Glass, where he's officially revealed to be Marten Broadcloak. Here, he identifies himself as Flagg as well, and warns Roland and his ka-tet to abandoned their quest for the Dark Tower. It is also learned through flashbacks that Flagg, as Walter o'Dim, was the emissary
John Farson, one of the main individuals responsible for the destruction of Gilead, Roland's home. In the "Argument" (a recap of the series so far that precedes the story) of
The Wolves of Calla, the fifth novel in the series, it's noted that Flagg is known as Broadcloak, Fannin, and also John Farson, depending on what world he's residing in. In
Wolves of the Calla, Flagg would make a brief appearance as Walter o'Dim when
Father Callahan first arrives into Roland's world. Here, Flagg gives Father Callahan
Black Thirteen, a dangerous crystal ball, in hopes that it'll kill Roland on his journey to the tower. In this encounter, Callahan calls Flagg "cruel" and is surprised to see the wizard looking "deeply hurt" in response. The character's appearance in
The Song of Susannah is set in a flashback, where it's revealed that Flagg made a bargain with the
succubus Mia, which resulted in her giving birth a son who was the child of both Roland and the Crimson King.
In the last novel, Flagg indicates that he isn't John Farson, but merely served under him until Farson's downfall. Flagg's ultimate goal, to climb the Dark Tower and see the room at the top, is revealed in this final book. The character believes that the only way to enter the tower is with the red-marked foot of Roland's son,
Mordred Deschain, seeing this as an opportunity to become the God of all. Flagg attempts to befriend Mordred, pledging allegiance to him, but Mordred
telepathically sense Flagg's true motives and kills him.
The Dark Tower also reveals more of Flagg’s backstory, stating that he was born 1500 years earlier to Sam the Miller of Eastar’d Barony, and named Walter Padick. Here, he runs award from home at the age of 13, and set out for a life on the road. While on his journey he's
raped by a fellow wanderer, but instead of returning home he decides to devote his life to darkness. Flagg eventually became a wizard, and used his powers to exact revenge on his hometown of Delain, but always behind the scenes. He set several events into motion that took years, sometimes centuries, to finally come into action; he attracted the attention of the Crimson King, who took him as his emissary. This first miniseries uses the flashbacks from
The Gunslinger and
Wizard and Glass to present one cohesive story. Here, the characters Marten Broadcloak and Walter o'Dim are present in the series. In the first issue, it reveals that Marten was acting on the orders of the Crimson King—who wanted to prevent the prophecy that Roland would kill him—when he coaxes Roland into his manhood test early in order to have him exiled. Later issues show Walter plotting against Roland alongside the Crimson King and John Farson, indicating that Flagg wasn't both characters.
The second series to be released was entitled . This series focuses on Walter and John Farson’s scheming, as well as the relationship between Walter and Maerlyn.
The Long Road Home also features the first appearance of Marten Broadcloak. Here, Marten's soul is trapped in the Pink Grapefruit of the Wizard’s Rainbow, while his physical body is stuck in a comatose state. When Roland discovers Marten inside the Pink Grapefruit the two begin to fight, but Marten's physical body comes to life and attacks Roland's friends Cuthbert and Alain. The confrontation nearly destroys them, Roland and the Pink Grapefruit.
In film
Stephen King had a hand in deciding who would portray Flagg for the
television adaptation of The Stand. King felt Flagg was the best villain he'd ever created, and he wanted the actor portraying him to be right for the part. The original ideas tossed around by director Mick Garris and the studios were to give the role to an established star such as
Christopher Walken,
James Woods,
Willem Dafoe, or
Jeff Goldblum.
Miguel Ferrer, who played Flagg's henchman in the film, was also interested in playing the villain.
King's idea for the role was someone who "would make the ladies' hearts go pitty pat that looked like the type of guy you'd see on the cover of one of those sweet, savage love paperback romances". He eventually persuaded the decision makers to cast a lesser-known actor as Flagg, which ultimately ended up being
Jamey Sheridan.
Sheridan's performance was generally well-received. Erik Childress of Apollo Movie Guide wrote that Sheridan stood out among the rest of the cast, who also gave strong performances.
Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker wrote that the best acting came from Sheridan, who avoids camping up the role, and instead focuses on giving the character a “grim intensity”. Tucker also commented on Sheridan’s physical appearance, stating that he's “leading-man looks” with the hair of a “dissolute
heavy metal star”, which makes him “unsettling” even when he isn't wearing makeup that makes him look like a devil.
Douglas E. Winter, of
Fangoria magazine, believed that Sheridan might have been a bit young and “zany” for the part, but he gave a credible performance as Flagg; Winter stated that Sheridan attacked the role “with the swagger of
Elvis, the sway of David Koresh and as much craziness as your heart desires (and network TV allows).
Concept and creation
Stephen King initially attributed
Donald DeFreeze, the lead kidnapper in the
Patty Hearst case, as his inspiration for Randall Flagg. According to King, he was remembering the Patty Hearst case when he began to write a description of DeFreeze. King started by writing, "Donald DeFreeze is a dark man.” He remembered through the photographs taken of the bank robbery that Patty Hearst took part in that DeFreeze was only partially visible, hidden under a large hat. What he looked like was based on guesses made by people who only saw a portion of him. This inspired King, who then wrote, "A dark man with no face." After reading the motto, "Once in every generation the plague will fall among them," King set to work writing
The Stand, and developing the character of Randall Flagg. In 2004, King stated that Flagg's real inspiration just came to him "out of nowhere", while he was attending college. According to King, he just had this image of a guy in cowboy boots, denim jeans and jacket, who was always walking the roads. This character inspired King to write "The Dark Man", a poem about a man who rides the rails and admits to murder and rape. To the author, what made Flagg interesting was the fact that he was a villain who was "always on the outside looking in". King has stated that he believes that Flagg has been present since he first began his writing career.
Characterization
A common characteristic of Randall Flagg is his embodiment of evil. When Stephen King was first creating his vision of Flagg, he based him around what he believed evil to represent. To King, Flagg is “somebody who’s very charismatic, laughs a lot, [is] tremendously attractive to men and women both, and [is] somebody who just appeals to the worst in all of us.” According to Stephen King, he wasn't trying to say that Flagg
was the
Devil. He wanted Flagg to represent a "gigantic evil", though the character was supposed to taper off by the end of
The Stand. King states, "I think the Devil is probably a pretty funny guy. Flagg is like the
archetype of everything that I know about real
evil, going back all the way to
Charles Starkweather in the '50s — he's somebody who is empty and who has to be filled with other people's hates, fears, resentments, laughs. Flagg,
Koresh,
Jim Jones,
Hitler — they're all basically the same guy." Though Flagg was never intended to represent the Devil, that didn't detract from what King sees as his ultimate goal. King notes that it doesn't matter who sees him, or how they see him—as Flagg can appear differently to each individual—but that his message is always the same: "I know all the things that you want and I can give them to you and all you've to do is give me your
soul." Heidi Stringell finds that Flagg truly is “an embodiment of pure evil”, though she also states that he doesn't represent either the Devil, or any other demon for that matter. Stringell believes that King sees good and evil as “real forces”, and that Flagg’s representation of pure evil is validated by the fact that “he is a killer, a maker of mischief, a liar, and a tempter”. To Stringell, Flagg’s disappearance at the end of
The Stand shows that “evil ultimately leads nowhere”. The author goes into further detail when she calls Flagg a “generic hybrid” of the character archetypes “the Dark Man and the Trickster”. To her, it's the combination of these two characteristics, both found in different cultural realms, that force people to face their own “flawed humanity” with the “amorality” Flagg represents.
Douglas Winter believes that Flagg is actually epitomizes the Gothic villain—an “atavistic embodiment of evil”—as his appearance is indistinct, malleable and a “collection of masks”. Flagg symbolizes “the inexplicable fear of the return of bygone powers – both technological and, as his last name intimates, sociopolitical”. Like other Gothic villains, Flagg’s plans seem to fail at every turn, while seeming to need to convince others of his importance. Winter states that Flagg is a
Miltonic superman whose receives his strength from some dark, mysterious source. He compares Flagg to
J.R.R. Tolkien’s
Sauron, from
Lord of the Rings, in that both men collapse when directly confronted. Alissa Stickler describes Flagg as a “contemporary medievalist interpretation on the themes of evil, magic and the (d)evil figure”. Stickler likened Flagg’s presence to that of Merlin whispering in the ear of Arthur; she notes that Flagg was politically powerful in both
The Stand and
The Eyes of the Dragon, but that he uses his power differently in each novel and challenges the depictions of evil and witchcraft that was common in medieval times. First, she explains that there doesn't appear to be a higher power to which Flagg “must appeal to his abilities”, as there typically is with the traditional evil. Flagg appears more as a “humanesque evil”, which ultimately works against him as much as it does for him. Flagg’s supernatural knowledge is far from infallible, and that customary depiction of black and white is replaced with an “acceptance of a shadowy gray area”. She states that even though Flagg appears “terrifying and supernatural”, thanks to King’s narration, there are no absolutes. Stickler concluded that Flagg represents the medieval monster of both yesterday and tomorrow, which challenges and at the same time supports the perception of the literary Middle Ages.
Flagg’s representation of evil isn't without its detractors. In his essay "The Glass-Eyed Dragon", author
L. Sprague de Camp criticized Flagg's appearance in
Eyes of the Dragon, saying that Flagg was one of the least believable characters in the book and that he was too evil to be credible. According to de Camp, absolute evil is hard to believe in, and where evil men like
Adolf Hitler and
Joseph Stalin believed that they were actually bettering the world by their actions; Flagg only enjoys causing destruction and chaos. The author goes on to say that Flagg fails to see that there are no advantages in his actions.
Representing evil isn't the only characteristic seen by critics. Joseph Reino commented that Randall Flagg presence in
The Stand was "Stephen King's version of a pestilential
Big Brother". Tony Magistrale revisited the character in a second book, this time comparing him to
Norman Mailer. Here, Magistrale states that in
The Stand Flagg gives the reader an “illustration of King’s jaundiced perspective of modern America”, as he presents the natural consequence of worshipping technology and sacrificing “moral integrity to the quest for synthetic productivity”.
Flagg’s physical characterization changes with each novel. In
The Eyes of the Dragon, Flagg is describe as a "thin and stern faced man of about 50 [yearsof age]". He is further described as a hooded figure, who stood in the dark and controlled the kings and queens of Delain; he's also described as a "sickness" that always seems to reappear whenever there's something worth destroying. On the other hand, Matthew Peckham felt that Flagg’s death was unjustified given the amount of spotlight the character had received in the previous novels in the series, as well as unrelated novels.
Another reviewer felt Flagg’s death seemed “pointless”, “
anti-climactic”, and even appeared to contradict the character’s supernatural nature in past novels.
Michael Whelan, the artist for
The Gunslinger and
The Dark Tower, concurred with the sentiment that Flagg’s death was disappointing given how the series starts—“The man in black fled across the desert”—but he also felt that Flagg’s death was certainly among the “most horrible scenes” to appear in any of Stephen King’s fiction, referring to Flagg’s forced assistance in his own death.
Further Information
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