Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He is considered by many to be King's "supervillain", as he has appeared in several of his writings and apparently survives even the most deadly situations. He goes by many names, ranging from mythical names such as Nyarlathotep (a character that he may have been based on) to common, everyday names. However, many of the names he goes by have the initials RF, often clueing in the reader to his presence.
As a bit of irony, Flagg's appearance is not as threatening as are his actions and personality. He appears to be merely an average-looking man, taking on the appearance of whatever the local people look like. However, his attire is strictly Americana. He dresses in typical American clothing such as blue jeans, a hooded sweater, and boots with worn down heels. Particularly noteworthy are the buttons he collects and attaches to his clothing over the course of his appearances. Amongst these are a peace symbol, a smiley face, and a "CK" button (which most likely stands for Crimson King, though appears similar to the logo for Calvin Klein). In the Dark Tower series, he also has one that has a picture of an eye on it.
He is an archetype for the plague-bearer and Ahasuerus (the legendary Wandering Jew), carrying pamphlets for the Ku Klux Klan and other such radical groups, presumably to stir up trouble where none exists.
Recently, King has revealed Flagg to be a guise of the Man in Black from his Dark Tower series. So whilst the name Randall Flagg is more popular with the fans and has been used more, it would be more accurate to refer to his character as his true name, Walter o'Dim.
Origins
Throughout most of King's novels, Flagg's origins and true nature are left to the reader's imagination. In The Stand, it is suggested that Flagg cannot remember his life before each "era" of his history (possibly because this variation of him never really had a childhood, and just at some point "became"), and that he has vague memories of having been a Marine, a Klansman, and of being involved in the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. It is said that he was always able to find extremists and rally them together for a malevolent cause. It is known for a fact that Flagg was not always known as Flagg; he had many aliases, almost all of which have the initials "RF". In Eyes of the Dragon, he is described as an aged wizard that eventually reveals itself to be demonic in nature, and in The Gunslinger he describes himself, in the guise of Walter o'Dim, as an "Ageless Stranger". In his final appearance, in The Dark Tower, it is revealed that Flagg is in fact a human being, born 600 years or more earlier as Walter Padick in a land called Delain (the setting of Eyes of the Dragon). He is said to have run away from home at the age of thirteen and, after being tortured and raped by a bandit on the road a year later, became determined to exact revenge on Delain, the place of his suffering. He resisted the temptation to slink back home and instead went on further to find his destiny and devote his life to darkness. Becoming a powerful wizard, Flagg began to sow discord and strife through Delain and neighboring lands, seldom acting directly, preferring to move behind the scenes and patiently set events into motion over years, decades, or even centuries. At some point, after fleeing Delain, he attracts the attention of the Crimson King and becomes his emissary.
Biography
The Stand
Flagg made his first appearance in the 1978 novel The Stand. In it, he was an antichrist-like being who was trying to stop civilization in the United States from rebuilding after a devastating plague by an out-of-control virus. Building a following around him in Las Vegas, Nevada, Flagg planned to attack and destroy the other emerging civilization in Boulder, Colorado, leaving his civilization of criminals and immoral individuals to be the only survivors. However, his plan was foiled when an act of God caused a nuclear bomb to be detonated in Vegas, killing all of his followers.
Whether or not Flagg himself was killed in this event is debatable. In the original version King implies that Flagg may have had an out-of-body experience during the explosion that allowed him to spiritually (possibly magically, as later books suggest) escape unharmed. Still, even in this case it is likely that Flagg's physical body was destroyed in the blast. While the original version of the novel does not tell of Flagg's fate afterwards, the 1990 expanded re-release of the novel, The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition, tells that Flagg reappeared somewhere on a beach with complete amnesia, where it is suggested that he continued to wreak havoc upon the human race in his new form.
It is believed by some fans that the original edition of The Stand and the expanded edition are actually parallel dimension variations of the same story. This theory is due to the multiple dimensions of the Dark Tower series, which the story of The Stand intersects. If this is true, then it is possible that there are two different Flaggs as well (one for each dimension).
Flagg was depicted in film by Jamey Sheridan in the TV miniseries version of The Stand. This miniseries was based on the original edition of the novel. As of 2005, this is the only film appearance the character has had.
The Eyes of the Dragon
In the 1984 novel The Eyes of the Dragon, the villain is a wizard called Flagg. While it is not explicitly stated that this is Randall Flagg, hints are made to this when a connection between this novel and The Dark Tower series indirectly connects The Eyes of the Dragon to The Stand. The two characters are even further connected by an event in Hearts in Atlantis (see the Other appearances section) and the use of the alias "the Dark Man".
Because Flagg here acts and looks slightly different than he was in The Stand, (most likely because The Eyes of the Dragon features a medieval setting while The Stand took place in more modern times) some have argued that the two are different versions of him from two different dimensions, given the presence of parallel dimensions in the Dark Tower series. However, Stephen King strongly implies that the two are indeed one and the same in the final Dark Tower novel, in which we find out Flagg was born in Delain, the setting of The Eyes of the Dragon.
Though Flagg is never killed in the course of the novel, he is wounded badly by an arrow that is shot into his eye. It is suggested, however, that he may have been killed in the aftermath of the story. Due to the fact that the story takes place in the same world as The Dark Tower, it could be assumed that, if he did in fact die, then he had reincarnated once again in this same world, much like in the case of the extended version of The Stand. This may also explain the Stand-like variation of him that appears in the Dark Tower series.
The Dark Tower series
Flagg has made the majority of his appearances in The Dark Tower series. He is hinted at early on in the series, but his role in the story does not become evident until near the end of the third book, The Waste Lands. Though he is referred to as a wizard in this series, he appears to be the Flagg of The Stand.
Flagg appears in the first line of The Gunslinger as "The Man in Black", calling himself Walter o'Dim (though the character is not identified as Flagg at this time) and practicing the art of necromancy. After leading Roland Deschain, the series' main hero, on a lengthy pursuit across the Mohaine Desert, he gives Roland a tarot reading which predicts events to occur in several of the following novels. He also, oddly enough, warns Roland about himself, telling him that he must be defeated before Roland can enter the Tower and, paraphrasing the Bible, identifies himself as Legion (Mark 5:9: "And [Jesus] asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.") He then gives Roland a vision of the Tower that sends him into a deep delirium. When Roland awakes, Flagg is gone, having left behind a skeleton that convinces Roland, for the moment, that Walter is dead.
He next appears near the end of the third novel, The Wastelands, in the city of Lud to save the Tick-Tock Man, who becomes Flagg's devoted servant afterwards (similar in the way that the Trashcan Man became Flagg's servant in The Stand). He appears for just a short time in this book, so there is little else of him until the fourth book, Wizard and Glass. In this, Roland reveals Flagg to be the wizard Marten, who had corrupted Roland's homeland, seduced his mother Gabrielle and has been conspiring along with the Crimson King to cause the fall of the Dark Tower. Flagg manages to escape from Roland in this book before Roland gets a chance to kill him.
Flagg also appears in the lengthy flashback that comprises the middle part of "Wizard and Glass". Once again in the role of Walter O'Dim, he entrusts a cursed crystal ball to the witch Rhea of the Coos, hoping its presence will drive the people of Mejis to madness. He also acts as an emissary for the rebel leader John Farson (who may also have been one of Flagg's identities.)
Death
Flagg met his death in the final book of the Dark Tower series. Before this, it is revealed that his goal all along has been the same as Roland's, to climb The Dark Tower and see the room at its top. To unlock the tower, Flagg believes he needs the red-marked foot of Mordred Deschain, the bastard son of Roland. In their first and only encounter, Mordred senses Flagg's intentions telepathically, and devours Flagg's eyes and tongue before killing him and eating the rest of his body.
Before this, we learn Flagg's origin. Flagg was born in Delain (the setting of the novel The Eyes of the Dragon) as Walter Padick. Running away at the age of thirteen, he was raped the next year. This presumably started his downfall into evil, and also serves as a possible motivation for his resentment towards Delain in The Eyes of the Dragon.
Flagg's death was met with much controversy by the fans. Supporters claimed that it was fitting that Flagg would be ultimately undone by his arrogance and that it suited King's general opinion that all evil are ultimately 'bumhugs'.
On the other side of the argument, fans were disappointed that one of King's greatest villains was met with such a mediocre end before getting the chance to face Roland. It also seemed to them like a cheap ploy on King's part to give Mordred extra credibility.
Other appearances
Flagg has had more subtle appearances outside of the above books. In the 1999 book Hearts in Atlantis, he makes a brief appearance towards the end of the book. While little is said to show that it is him, the disturbing nature of his presence along with the use of the name "Raymond Fiegler" (which follows Flagg's "RF" theme in his aliases) clue readers into the character being him. Also worthy of note is the connections made to previous books with Flagg as a character. For instance, Carol Gerber mentions that she was taught by someone how to turn "dim" (which hints at the possibility that Flagg from The Eyes of the Dragon may be Randall Flagg). She also says that she and Fiegler were the only survivors of an act of arson on a small house in Los Angeles. This is quite similar to an event in Randall Flagg's life that he brings to mind in The Stand.
It is also speculated that Flagg appeared in the novel The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (a pseudonym King once wrote under). In the end of the novel, the last surviving contestant in the Walk sees a "dark man" in the distance, and attempts to follow him. It is speculated by fans that this man is either Flagg or the Man in Black from King's The Gunslinger. Still, it is possible that this is only a coincidence, and that the contest winner may have been hallucinating.
Aliases
According to The Stand, Flagg has been known to use or be refered to by the following names:
- Ahaz
- Anubis
- Astaroth
- Beelzebub]
- The Boogeyman
- The Dark Man
- John the Conqueror
- Legion
- The Man with No Face
- The Midnight Rambler
- Nyarlathotep
- Old Creeping Judas
- Ramsey Forrest
- Richard Fry
- Robert Franq
- Russell Faraday
- R'lyeh
- Seti
- The Walkin' Dude
The Eyes of the Dragon claims he also used the following:
- Bill Hinch
- Browson
- The Dark Man
He used the following in The Dark Tower series:
- The Ageless Stranger
- John Farson (supposedly, in fact the two are separate people)
- Legion
- Maerlyn (arguably)
- Marten Broadcloak
- Richard Fannin
- Rudin Filaro
- Walter o'Dim
- Walter Padick
- The Wizard
In the short story collection Everything's Eventual he was known as:
- The Man in the Black Suit
- Walter Kerr
In Hearts in Atlantis, he is known as:
- Raymond Fiegler
See also
References
- Garris, M., Laurel Entertainment Inc., Greengrass Productions (1994). Stephen King's The Stand. American Broadcasting Company, Republic Pictures Corporation.
- King, Stephen. The Bachman Books. New York: Signet, 1986. ISBN 0451147367
- King, Stephen. The Eyes of the Dragon. New York: Signet, 1987. ISBN 0451166582
- King, Stephen. Hearts In Atlantis. New York: Pocket, 2000. ISBN 0671024248
- King, Stephen. The Stand. New York: Signet, 1980.
- King, Stephen. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition. Doubleday, 1990. ISBN 0385199570
- King, Stephen. The Wastelands: The Dark Tower III. New York: Signet, 1991. ISBN 0451173317
- King, Stephen. Wizard and Glass: The Dark Tower IV. New York: Signet, 1997. ISBN 0451194861