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, every-day names. However, many of the names he goes by have the initials RF, often cluing in the reader to his presence.
As a bit of irony, Flagg's appearance is not really 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 typicial American clothing such as blue jeans and a hooded sweater. Particularly noteworthy is the buttons he collects and attachs to his clothing over the course of his appearances. Amongst these are a peace symbol, a smiley face, and a CK button. In the Dark Tower series, he also has one that has a picture of an eye on it.
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 youth, and that he has vague memories of having been a Marine and of being involved in the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. In Eyes of the Dragon, he is described as 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 fourteen and, after being sodomized by a bandit on the road, became determined to exact revenge on the universe for the poor lot he had been cast in life. 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, 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 the one other growing civilization in Boulder, Colorado while 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 exploded in Vegas, killing all of his followers.
Whether or not Flagg himself was killed in this event is debatable, due to the fact that 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 reincarnated somewhere in Africa, where it is suggested that he continued to wreak havok 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 off the original edition of the novel. As of 2004 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". Still, whether or not the two men are the same person is debated amongst fans of King. It is even believed by some that he is in fact the same man, but a different version of him from another dimension. Given the multiple dimensions of the Dark Tower series, this is not an entirely unfounded theory.
Still, this Flagg shows some differences from the one from The Stand. This Flagg dresses differently, wearing a typical wizard's robe rather than the clothes of the other Flagg. There is also the use of his "dim" ability (which allows him to turn near-invisible), which has so far never been used by Randall Flagg.
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 that 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 refered 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 on a lenghty pursuit across the Mohayne 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 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.)
Flagg meets his death in the final book of the 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. 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.
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 that Flagg was in. 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 the following names:
- Ahaz
- Anubis
- Astaroth
- The Boogeyman
- The Dark Man
- John the Conqueror
- The Man with No Face
- The Midnight Rambler
- Nyarlathotep
- Old Creeping Judas
- Ramsey Forrest
- Richard
- Richard Fry
- Robert Franq
- Russell Faraday
- R'lyeh
- Seti
- The Walking 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:
- Walter O'Dim
- Marten Broadcloak
- John Farson
- Maerlyn
- Merlin
- Richard Fannin
- The Ageless Stranger
- Legion
See also