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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | As for the end of the universe… I say let it come as it will, in ice, fire, or darkness. What did the universe ever do for me that I should mind its welfare? | „ |
| ~ Randall Flagg in The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower — his most famous quote. |
Walter Padick, better known as Randall Flagg, is the main antagonist in the Stephen King mythos, specifically of the Dark Tower franchise.
Without a doubt the most important villain in the Stephen King multiverse, with countless acts of atrocities committed in his name, Randall Flagg is, following King's own words, the best villain he created, whom he had in mind since he began writing. Flagg has appeared in many of his works as a powerful and charismatic embodiment of evil. He is also a servant of the ultimate evil in the multiverse, the Crimson King.
In the 1994 series, he was portrayed by James Sheridan. In the 2020 miniseries, he was portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
In General[]
- He was part of the Vietnam War, Ku Klux Klan lynchings, police murders, and race riots, and each time he was part of a violent experience, it would ultimately serve to empower the evil within him.
- Even though he did have a relatively tragic background as he was raped by a fellow wanderer when he was a child, he manages to subvert all of this by raping and abusing people in the future and inflicting pain and suffering upon his victims, and overall, the story doesn't play it for sympathy. Moreover, he already burned down his home at age 13.
- While he seems to be affable when talking with others, his friendliness is clearly a façade, and it is only to manipulate people to further his ends.
- He is implied to have been many villains and malevolent creatures throughout the stories:
- He's implied to be part of why Margaret White (from Carrie) turned insane, as she talked about encountering "The Black Man." Due to her madness, she abused Carrie White horribly, which played a big role in her going insane and destroying Chamberlain.
- It is implied that he is the demon known as He Who Walks Behind the Rows in Children of the Corn, as he shares similarities with the biblical demon Legion, which The Eyes of the Dragon novel calls him as such.
- It is implied that Mrs. Carmody from The Mist was manipulated by him under the belief she was guided by God; while praying, she uses the phrase "My life for you," a phrase commonly associated with Flagg.
- His ultimate goal was to betray his master and climb to the top of the Dark Tower in order to become the God of all and destroy the Dark Tower.
Background[]
- When a mill owner and his wife were handed Randall Flagg so they could teach him how to be a man, but when he was 13 years old, he became bored, set fire to his home, and killed them. After that, he went in search of his biological father, Maerlyn. Once he discovered his father and learned the arts of evil magic, Flagg transformed into a kind of "quasi-immortal" demon.
The Eyes of the Dragon[]
- He stated that he performed hundreds of decapitations during his time as an executioner in Delain.
- He plotted to put the medieval city of Delain into chaos. He begins by murdering Queen Sasha and framing Prince Peter for poisoning his own father, King Roland, a crime that Flagg himself committed. and then plunges Delain into a new dark age by manipulating the remaining heir, Thomas.
The Stand[]
- After an deadly virus is accidentally released and killed 99.4% of human population, he fought Mother Abagail for control over the survivors who were immune to the virus and survived the pandemic.
- He appears as a Dark Messiah in a post-apocalyptic, plague-ravaged United States. Here he builds a new civilization in Las Vegas, calling to him those with penchants for destruction, power, and fascism. Flagg has people publicly crucified for opposing or failing him and plans on destroying the peaceful "Free Zone" settlement just so his civilization can be the dominant one.
- He chose and raped Nadline Cross, whom he has been visiting in her nightmares. This resulted in Cross committing suicide by jumping off the balcony of Flagg's penthouse in Las Vegas. Flagg was responsible for the deaths of her and his unborn child.
- After the destruction of Vegas by a nuke, he is revealed to be alive. He awakes on a small island, where he enslaves the natives.
The Dark Tower Series[]
- He earns Roland Deschain's undying hatred for beating and sleeping with Roland’s mother and for aiding the revolutionary John Farson in causing the destruction of the city of Gilead.
- At one point, he attempts to drive a wedge between John Farson and James Farson, revealing the truth about James' parent deaths, which causes him to be on the side of the Crimson King.
- He forces Roland to let his preteen companion Jake Chambers die and drives a girl insane by telling her the trigger phrase, which causes a formerly dead man to recount the afterlife to her.
- Flagg took part in the crucial fight that resulted in the downfall of Gilead in a minor but crucial way. Flagg, assuming the appearance of a blue-faced warrior, shot Cuthbert in the eye and killed him.
- Even though his death is cruel, he is killed and eaten by Mordred and dismembered in the process. It's completely deserved for his horrible actions, and it’s not played for sympathy.
External Links[]
- Randall Flagg on the Villains Wiki
- Randall Flagg on the Stephen King Wiki
- Randall Flagg on the The Dark Tower Wiki
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 Pure Evils
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Novels Adaptations The Resurrection of Rose | ||