Randall Flagg

Randall Flagg
Stephen King character
A man with a lined face wearing a hooded jacked and looking into the camera. He wears peace cross, smiley face and 'eye' buttons.
Randall Flagg, as depicted by Michael Whelan
First appearanceThe Stand (1978)
Created byStephen King
Portrayed byJamey Sheridan (1994)
Matthew McConaughey (2017)
Jasper Pääkkönen (2019 pilot)
Alexander Skarsgård (2020–21)
In-universe information
AliasWalter Padick[1]
Walter o'Dim[2]
Marten Broadcloak[2]
[1]
Bill Hinch
Russell Faraday[3]
Richard Fannin
Richard Freemantle
Rudin Filaro
Raymond Fiegler
The Covenant Man
Richard Fry[3]
Robert Franq[3]
Ramsey Forrest[3]
NicknameThe Walkin' Dude[3]
The Dark Man[3]
The Hardcase[3]
Ageless Stranger[2]
The Man in Black[2]
SpeciesQuasi-immortal human[1]
FamilySam Padick (father)
NationalityDelain

Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appeared in at least nine of his novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark",[1] he has supernatural abilities involving necromancy, prophecy, and influence over animal and human behavior. His goals typically center on bringing down civilizations through destruction and conflict.[4] He has a variety of names, usually with the initial letters "R. F." but with occasional exceptions, such as Walter o'Dim and Marten Broadcloak in The Dark Tower series.[1]

Flagg first appeared in King's 1978 novel The Stand as a demonic figure who wreaks havoc after a plague kills most of the world population.[3] He makes his second appearance in the 1984 novel The Eyes of the Dragon as an evil wizard trying to plunge the fictional medieval city of Delain into chaos.[5] Flagg is a primary antagonist in King's epic series, The Dark Tower, where he tries to keep protagonist Roland Deschain from reaching the Tower – the linchpin of existence – so he can claim it for himself and become a god. The Dark Tower expanded on Flagg's background and motivation, linking his previous appearances. Flagg was portrayed by Jamey Sheridan in a 1994 television miniseries adaptation of The Stand,[6] by Matthew McConaughey in a 2017 The Dark Tower film adaptation,[7] and by Alexander Skarsgård in a 2020-21 television miniseries adaptation of The Stand.[8] He has additionally appeared in adaptations of The Dark Tower and The Stand by Marvel Comics.[9][10]

King initially cited Donald DeFreeze, primary kidnapper of Patty Hearst, as his inspiration for Flagg.[11] Later, he attributed Flagg to an image of a man walking the roads in cowboy boots, denim jeans and a jacket, a notion which "came out of nowhere" when he was in college.[12]

  1. ^ a b c d e Furth, Robin (2006). The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. New York: Scribner. pp. 265–268. ISBN 978-0-7432-9734-9.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Gunslinger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference Stand uncut was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Stickler, Alissa (2002). "The Mid(Evil) Nightmare of Yesterday and Tomorrow: Flagg as the Immortal Monster in Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon and The Stand". This Year's Work in Medievalism. 17: 124–138..
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eyes of Dragon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference video was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DT movie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Skarsgard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference DT comic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Stand comic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Danse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference King int was invoked but never defined (see the help page).