View source for Randall Flagg

{{short description|Fictional character created by Stephen King}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Randall Flagg
| series = [[Stephen King]]
| image = [[File:randallflagg7.jpg|alt=A man with a lined face wearing a hooded jacked and looking into the camera. He wears peace cross, smiley face and 'eye' buttons.|250px]]
| caption = Randall Flagg, as depicted by [[Michael Whelan]]
| first = ''[[The Stand]]'' (1978)
| creator = [[Stephen King]]
| portrayer = [[Jamey Sheridan]] (1994)<br>[[Matthew McConaughey]] (2017)<br>[[Jasper Pääkkönen]] (2019 pilot)<br>[[Alexander Skarsgård]] (2020–21)
| nickname = The Walkin' Dude<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>The Dark Man<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>The Hardcase<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>Ageless Stranger<ref name="Gunslinger"/><br>The Boogeyman<ref name="Stand uncut"/>
| alias = Walter Padick<ref name="Concordance"/><br>Walter o'Dim<ref name="Gunslinger"/><br>Marten Broadcloak<ref name="Gunslinger"/><br><ref name="Concordance"/><br>Bill Hinch<br>Russell Faraday<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>Richard Fannin<br>Richard Freemantle<br>Rudin Filaro<br>Raymond Fiegler<br>The Covenant Man<br>Richard Fry<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>Robert Franq<ref name="Stand uncut"/><br>Ramsey Forrest<ref name="Stand uncut"/>
| species = Quasi-immortal [[human]]<ref name="Concordance"/>
| nationality = Delain
| family = Sam Padick (father)
}}
'''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",<ref name="Concordance">{{cite book |last=Furth |first=Robin |title=The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance |publisher=Scribner |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7432-9734-9 |location=New York |pages=265–268 |author-link=Robin Furth}}</ref> he has [[supernatural]] abilities involving [[necromancy]], [[prophet|prophecy]], and influence over animal and human behavior. His goals typically center on bringing down civilizations through destruction and conflict.<ref name="Stickler">{{Cite journal |last=Stickler |first=Alissa |year=2002 |title=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'' |journal=This Year's Work in Medievalism |volume=17 |pages=124–138}}.</ref> 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)|The Dark Tower]]'' series.<ref name="Concordance" />

Flagg first appeared in King's 1978 novel ''[[The Stand]]'' as a [[demon]]ic figure who wreaks havoc after a [[The Stand#"Captain Trips"|plague]] kills most of the world population.<ref name="Stand uncut"/> 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.<ref name="Eyes of Dragon"/> 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 [[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|television miniseries adaptation of ''The Stand'']],<ref name="video"/> by [[Matthew McConaughey]] in a 2017 [[The Dark Tower (2017 film)|''The Dark Tower'' film adaptation]],<ref name="DT movie" /> and by [[Alexander Skarsgård]] in a 2020-21 [[The Stand (2020 miniseries)|television miniseries adaptation of ''The Stand'']].<ref name="Skarsgard" /> He has additionally appeared in adaptations of ''[[The Dark Tower (comics)|The Dark Tower]]'' and ''[[The Stand (comics)|The Stand]]'' by [[Marvel Comics]].<ref name="DT comic"/><ref name="The Stand comic"/>

King initially cited [[Donald DeFreeze]], primary kidnapper of [[Patty Hearst]], as his inspiration for Flagg.<ref name="Danse"/> 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.<ref name="King int"/>

==Appearances==
===Poem===
==== "The Dark Man" ====
King first wrote the poem "[[The Dark Man (poem)|The Dark Man]]" in college, about an unnamed man who rides the rails and confesses to murder and rape. The one-page poem was published in ''[[Ubris]]'' in 1969. According to King, the poem served as the genesis for Flagg.<ref name="King int"/>

==={{anchor|In novels}}Novels===
====''The Stand''====
{{Quote box
 | quote  =There was a dark hilarity in his face, and perhaps in his heart, too, you would think—and you would be right. It was the face of a hatefully happy man, a face that radiated a horrible handsome warmth, a face to make water glasses shatter in the hands of tired truck-stop waitresses, to make small children crash their trikes into board fences and then run wailing to their mommies with stake-shaped splinters sticking out of  their knees. It was a face guaranteed to make barroom arguments over batting averages turn bloody.
 | source = — Stephen King, ''The Stand''<ref name="Stand uncut"/>
 | width  = 25em
 | align  = right
}}

Randall Flagg makes his first named appearance in King's 1978 [[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] novel ''[[The Stand]]'', where he tries to construct a new civilization in the United States after a plague kills most of the population. Flagg is described as a "tall man of no age" in old blue jeans, denim jacket and old cowboy boots. He wears an old [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] knapsack, and his jacket pockets are stuffed with pamphlets from dozens of fringe splinter groups. Flagg's background is vague, even to him; he says that at some point he just "became", although he remembers being a [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]], a [[Ku Klux Klan|Klansman]], and a [[Viet Cong]] member, and having a hand in the kidnapping of [[Patty Hearst]]. In [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] Flagg attracts people drawn to destruction, power and tyranny, using [[crucifixion]], [[torture]] and other punishments on those disloyal to him. His followers reorganize society, repairing and restarting services in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Flagg plans to attack and destroy a rival emerging civilization—[[Mother Abagail]]'s Free Zone in [[Boulder, Colorado]]—to become the dominant society in the former [[United States]].<ref name="Stand uncut">{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition|publisher=Doubleday|year=1990|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/214 214–215]|isbn=978-0-385-19957-5|url=https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/214}}</ref>

After two of Flagg's followers fail to kill the leaders of the Free Zone, the Boulder community sends a group of men to Las Vegas to stop him. The three who reach the city are taken prisoner, and Flagg orders one of them executed for his defiance. As the other two are being prepared for a public execution, one of Flagg's most loyal followers, the Trashcan Man, arrives with a [[nuclear weapons|nuclear warhead]] salvaged from a military base. As Trash is dying of [[radiation poisoning]], the ball of fire Flagg had summoned to kill Whitney the cook descends as a supernatural hand, detonating the warhead and annihilating Flagg, his followers, and the prisoners.<ref name="Stand uncut"/>

An expanded edition of ''The Stand'' was published in 1990, restoring text that had been cut from the original edition. It includes an epilogue in which Flagg appears on a beach and finds a primitive tribe ready to fall under his influence.<ref name="Stand uncut"/>

====''The Eyes of the Dragon''====
Flagg later appears in ''[[The Eyes of the Dragon]]'', published in 1984 as an evil [[Wizard (fantasy)|wizard]] wreaking havoc in the [[medieval]] country of Delain. He is described as a "thin and stern-faced man of about 50 [years of age]", despite being much older. He hides himself under a dark cloak, and most of his magic comes from spells, potions, and poisons. He is described as a "sickness" which seems to reappear in Delain when there is something worth destroying.<ref name="Eyes of Dragon"/> In this novel, Flagg schemes to throw the kingdom of Delain into chaos by poisoning the king and framing Prince Peter, the legitimate heir to the throne, for the crime. Peter's naive, resentful younger brother Thomas becomes king instead; Flagg, whom he sees as his only friend, becomes his royal advisor. Due to his youth and inexperience, Thomas allows Flagg great power and is easily manipulated by the wizard. Flagg becomes the ''[[de facto]]'' ruler of Delain, plunging the kingdom into a Dark Age. Years later Thomas confronts Flagg about his father's murder, which he witnessed as a child but suppressed the memory out of fear. Thomas shoots Flagg in the eye with an arrow, and Flagg disappears from the kingdom. Peter is given his rightful throne; Thomas and his butler, Dennis, leave the kingdom in search of Flagg. The novel states that Thomas and Dennis find Flagg, but the nature of their encounter is never revealed<ref name="Eyes of Dragon">{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Eyes of the Dragon|publisher=Viking|year=1987|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/eyesofdragon000king/page/48 48–50]|isbn=978-0-670-81458-9|url=https://archive.org/details/eyesofdragon000king/page/48}}</ref> and Flagg survives to engender chaos in later stories.

====''The Dark Tower'' series====
[[File:Walter o'Dim.PNG|alt=Spooky-looking character in a hooded gown, holding fortune cards. The background is a desert.|thumb|Walter o'Dim, Flagg's main persona in ''The Dark Tower''. O'Dim was originally written as a separate character from Flagg, but King later combined the two. Art by [[Michael Whelan]]]]
Flagg makes several appearances in King's [[The Dark Tower (series)|''Dark Tower'' series]] (1982-2012), which follows gunslinger [[Roland Deschain]] as he travels in search of the Dark Tower. Flagg's presence is felt in the opening sentence of the first book: "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed". In this series, Flagg assumes  the guise of several individuals. He first appears as Walter o'Dim, chased across the desert by Roland. In [[flashback (literary technique)|flashbacks]] Flagg assumes the identity of Marten Broadcloak, a wizard who conspires with the [[Crimson King]] to cause the fall of the Dark Tower. In the original edition of the first novel Marten is a separate person from Walter, who is also not known to be Flagg, but Marten and Walter are [[retroactive continuity|retconned]] into one character in the revised version.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Gunslinger|publisher=Plume|date=September 1988|location=Broadway, New York|isbn=978-0-452-26134-1}}</ref>

When Roland was young, Marten had an affair with Roland's mother, Gabrielle, using the affair to provoke Roland to take the gunslinger test early. He hoped Roland would fail so he would  be exiled but Roland passed the test. Eventually, Roland catches Walter; they have a long discussion about Roland's destiny and the Tower which causes him to slip into delirium. He awakens to find a pile of bones in Walter's place.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Gunslinger|publisher=Plume|date=September 1988|location=Broadway, New York|isbn=978-0-452-26134-1|page=215}}</ref> In the original edition, Walter and Marten are separate characters, with Walter dying at the end of the novel. When King published an expanded edition of the novel, Walter and Marten are portrayed as identical, and Walter fakes his own death.<ref name="Gunslinger">{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Gunslinger: Revised and Expanded Edition|publisher=Viking Penguin|year=2003|isbn=978-0-670-03254-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780670032549/page/230 230]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780670032549/page/230}}</ref>

Flagg appears briefly in a flashback in the second installment of the ''Dark Tower'' series, ''[[The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three|The Drawing of the Three]]''.  Roland recalls seeing two men named Thomas and Dennis pursuing a man named Flagg, who was almost certainly a demon.  These are implied to be the same characters from ''The Eyes of the Dragon''. This is the first example of the ''Dark Tower'' series crossing over with one of King's other novels.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Drawing of the Three|publisher=Viking|date=June 23, 2003|location=Broadway, New York|isbn=978-0670032556}}</ref>

Flagg makes his next full appearance in the series' third installment, ''[[The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands|The Waste Lands]]''. In the city of [[Lud (city)|Lud]], Flagg saves Tick-Tock Man [[Andrew Quick (The Dark Tower)|Andrew Quick]], an enemy of Roland's [[Ka (Dark Tower)|ka-tet]] left for dead in an earlier confrontation. Quick becomes Flagg's devoted servant, and Flagg assumes the name of Richard Fannin.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Waste Lands|publisher=Plume|year=1992|isbn=978-0-452-27962-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/wastelandsking00king/page/387 387]|url=https://archive.org/details/wastelandsking00king/page/387}}</ref> The character returns in the fourth book, ''[[The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass|Wizard and Glass]]'', as Marten Broadcloak. Also identifying himself as Flagg, he warns Roland and his ka-tet to abandon their quest for the Dark Tower. In flashbacks, the reader learns that Flagg as Walter o'Dim was an emissary for [[John Farson]], one of those responsible for the destruction of Roland's home Gilead.<ref name="Concordance"/>

The "Argument", a summary of the series thus far, beginning ''[[The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla|Wolves of the Calla]]''—the fifth novel in the series—notes that Flagg is known as Broadcloak, Fannin and John Farson, depending on the world in which he lives. In ''Wolves of the Calla'', Flagg makes a brief appearance as Walter o'Dim when [[Father Callahan]] arrives in Roland's world. Flagg gives Callahan [[Wizard's Rainbow|Black Thirteen]], a dangerous crystal ball, hoping it will kill Roland on his way to the tower. In this encounter, Flagg is described with "the face of a human weasel", and "the same welling red circle" on his forehead as the [[Can-toi]].<ref name="Wolves">{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King| title=Wolves of the Calla|publisher=Donald M. Grant/Scribner|date=November 2003| isbn=978-1-880418-56-7| page=463}}</ref> His appearance in ''[[The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah|Song of Susannah]]'' is via a flashback revealing that Flagg bargained with the [[succubus]] Mia; this resulted in the birth of [[Mordred Deschain]], son of both Roland and the [[Crimson King]].<ref name="Concordance"/>

In ''[[The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower|The Dark Tower]]'', Flagg indicates that he is not John Farson, but served under him until the latter's downfall. Flagg reveals his plans to climb the Dark Tower, see the room at the top and become the god of all. Flagg believes that he can only achieve this by killing Mordred and taking his birthmark-stained foot. Although he tries to befriend Mordred and pledge allegiance to him, Mordred [[telepathy|telepathically]] senses Flagg's true motives and eats him, forcing him to rip out his eyes and tongue first.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower|publisher=Donald M. Grant/Scribner|date=September 2004|isbn=978-1-880418-62-8|url=https://archive.org/details/darktower00king}}</ref>

''The Dark Tower'' reveals more of Flagg's background, relating that he was born Walter Padick in Delain to Sam the Miller of Eastar'd Barony. At age 13, Walter set out for a life on the road, but was [[rape]]d by a fellow wanderer; author [[Bev Vincent]] hypothesized in ''The Road to the Dark Tower'' that Flagg's later actions toward Delain in ''The Eyes of the Dragon'' may have been revenge for the abuse he suffered as a child.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vincent|first=Bev|author-link=Bev Vincent|title=The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus|publisher=New American Library|year=2004|location=New York|isbn=978-0-451-21304-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780451213044/page/254 254]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780451213044/page/254}}</ref> Resisting the temptation to crawl back home, Padick instead moves toward his destiny; he learns various forms of magic, achieving a quasi-[[immortality]]. After centuries of wreaking havoc, Flagg attracts the attention of the Crimson King, who adopts him as his emissary.

In 2012, King published a new story from ''The Dark Tower'' entitled ''[[The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole|The Wind Through the Keyhole]]''. Here Flagg is depicted as the Covenant Man: central villain of the book's [[story within a story]], "The Wind Through the Keyhole", a legend from Mid-World set years before the series' beginning. He is the Barony's "tax collector" from Gilead, attempting to collect taxes from residents of the small town of Tree. The Covenant Man sends the story's protagonist, a young boy named Tim, on a perilous quest through the Endless Forest to save his mother; unbeknownst to Tim, the Covenant Man is supplying him with false prophecies and misinformation as part of a cruel practical joke. However, Tim succeeds in his journey; he saves his mother after encountering the wizard Maerlyn, who has been imprisoned in the form of a "tyger".<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole|publisher=Donald M. Grant/Scribner|date=April 2012|isbn=978-1451658903|url=https://archive.org/details/windthroughkeyho00king}}</ref> While the Covenant Man is not explicitly identified as Flagg, with only the initials "RF/MB" in his signature as identification and at one point being referred to as 'the man in the black cloak', Stephen King confirmed in an interview with [[Bev Vincent]] for his book ''The Dark Tower Companion'' that the two are one and the same.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vincent|first=Bev|author-link=Bev Vincent|title=The Dark Tower Companion|publisher=New American Library|date=April 2013|isbn=978-0451237996|page=107}}</ref>

====''Hearts in Atlantis''====
In ''[[Hearts in Atlantis]]'' (1999), Raymond Fiegler is identified near the novel's end as leader of an [[activist]] group when he prevents Carol Gerber from retrieving an unexploded bomb on a college campus.<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=Hearts in Atlantis|url=https://archive.org/details/heartsinatlanti000king|url-access=registration|publisher=Scribner|year=1999|location=New York|isbn=978-0-684-84490-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/heartsinatlanti000king/page/454 454]}}</ref> King never identifies Fiegler as Flagg, but [[Christopher Golden]] and Hank Wagner suggest in ''The Complete Stephen King Universe'' that there is little doubt Fiegler is Flagg. Golden and Wagner cite evidence such as Fiegler's ability to make himself appear "dim", an ability shared by Flagg in ''Eyes of the Dragon'', his manipulation of Carol Gerber and her activist friends and Flagg's frequent use of aliases, usually with the initials "R.F."<ref>{{cite book|first1=Christopher|last1=Golden|author-link1=Christopher Golden|first2=Hank|last2=Wagner |title=The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York City|year=2006|isbn=978-0-312-32490-2| page=518}}</ref>

====''Gwendy's Button Box'' trilogy====
Stephen King's novel ''[[Gwendy's Button Box]]'', which he co-wrote with [[Richard Chizmar]], features a mysterious man in black named Richard Farris. Farris gives a young girl, Gwendy Peterson, a "button box" which, depending on the buttons or levers that are used, can dispense magical treats or cause death and destruction. Farris reappeared in ''Gwendy's Magic Feather'' (written solely by Chizmar) and ''[[Gwendy's Final Task]]'' (co-written by both King and Chizmar).

Chizmar was asked whether or not Richard Farris's initials signified that he was another manifestation of Randall Flagg; his response was "Maayyybee... He's definitely mysterious, and it's really obvious there's more to him than meets the eye."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/books/2017/05/16/stephen-king-gwendys-button-box-richard-chizmar|title=Stephen King made a frightening proposal with Gwendy's Button Box: Write a story with him |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|location=New York City|last=Breznican|first=Anthony|date=May 16, 2017|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> Chizmar later revealed during a [[Reddit]] AMA session that the initials were indeed indicative of Farris being Flagg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/6imqhl/im_richard_chizmar_horror_writer_editor_publisher/dj7hqad|title=I'm Richard Chizmar: Horror writer, editor, publisher and Stephen King's co-author on Gwendy's Button Box. AMA!|publisher=Reddit|date=June 22, 2017|access-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref>  In 2022, King stated while the character started off as Flagg that was no longer the case: "I saw him as a force of evil when I first started to write about the box. By the time I realized he was a force of the White, it was too late to change the initials."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fangoria.com/original/exclusive-gwendys-final-task-stephen-king-and-richard-chizmar-interview/|title=GWENDY'S FINAL TASK Stephen King And Richard Chizmar Interview|publisher=Reddit|date= February 25, 2022|access-date=March 8, 2022}}</ref>

==In other media==
==={{anchor|In film}}Film and TV===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan).jpg|alt=Close-up of a smiling, long haired young man.|right|thumb|upright|King wanted to cast a lesser-known actor as Randall Flagg, getting [[Jamey Sheridan]].<ref name="video"/>]] -->

King was influential in deciding who would play Flagg in the 1994 [[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|television adaptation of ''The Stand'']]. He felt Flagg was the best villain he had ever created, and wanted the actor playing him to be right for the part. Director [[Mick Garris]] and the studios wanted to give the role to an established star such as [[Christopher Walken]], [[James Woods]], [[Willem Dafoe]] or [[Jeff Goldblum]]. King himself had suggested [[Robert Duvall]] in his introduction to the novel.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=King|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Stand|year=1978|url=https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1|url-access=registration|edition=1990|publisher=Doubleday|page=xii}}</ref> [[Miguel Ferrer]], who played Flagg's henchman in the film, was interested in playing the villain.<ref name=video>{{cite video|people=King, Stephen|title=Stephen King's The Stand|medium=DVD|publisher=Artisan|date=1999}}</ref>

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 would see on the cover of one of those sweet, savage love paperback romances". He eventually persuaded Garris to cast a lesser-known actor as Flagg; Garris ultimately chose [[Jamey Sheridan]] for the role.<ref name="video"/>

Sheridan's performance was generally well received. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s [[Ken Tucker]] wrote that the best acting came from Sheridan, who gave the character a "grim intensity". He commented that Sheridan had "leading-man looks" with the hair of a "dissolute [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] star", making him "unsettling" even when not wearing makeup that makes him look like a [[devil]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Ken|last=Tucker|author-link=Ken Tucker|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302150,00.html|title=The Stand|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|location=New York City|date=May 6, 1994|access-date=December 14, 2007|archive-date=February 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227112245/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302150,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Douglas E. Winter]] of ''[[Fangoria (magazine)|Fangoria]]'' magazine believed that Sheridan might have been a bit young and "zany" for the part, but gave a credible performance; he said that Sheridan attacked the role "with the swagger of [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]], the sway of [[David Koresh]] and as much craziness as your heart desires (and network TV allows)".<ref>{{Cite news|first=Douglas E.|last=Winter|author-link=Douglas E. Winter|title=A Television Stand-Out|newspaper=[[Fangoria (magazine)|Fangoria]]|page=33|date=June 1994}}</ref>

In February 2011, Warner Bros. announced plans to produce a new feature film adaptation of ''The Stand''. King commented that he would like to see Dutch actor [[Rutger Hauer]] in the role of Flagg, but conceded that he was perhaps too old for the part.<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen|last=King|author-link=Stephen King|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/02/03/stephen-king-10-things-i-know-about-the-remake-of-the-stand/|title=Stephen King:: 10 things I know about the remake of 'The Stand'|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|location=New York City|date=February 3, 2011|access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref> In August 2014, it was reported that Warner Bros. wanted actor [[Matthew McConaughey]] for the role.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/does-tv-hurt-movie-careers-true-detectives-matthew-mcconaughey-coveted-for-the-stand-and-gold-823461/|title=Does TV Hurt Movie Careers? 'True Detective's Matthew McConaughey Coveted For 'The Stand' And 'Gold'|magazine=Deadline|date=August 22, 2014}}</ref>

McConaughey was confirmed to be playing Walter, Flagg's alter-ego, in the [[The Dark Tower (2017 film)|film adaptation of ''The Dark Tower'']] in 2016. [[Nikolaj Arcel]], the film's director and co-writer, said, "Matthew is an incredible actor who can do anything. That's how I feel about [Walter]. He could do anything." Arcel described Walter as having "a very interesting way of seeing the world. He sees it with a sort of delight, even though he is obviously on the wrong side of the light-and-dark spectrum. He's someone I've been having a lot of fun with."<ref name="DT movie">{{cite web|first=Anthony|last=Breznican|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/29/dark-tower-rises-stephen-king-idris-elba-and-matthew-mcconaughey?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter|title=The Dark Tower rises|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|location=New York City|date=March 1, 2016}}</ref> McConaughey described Walter as "[[the Devil]] having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them".<ref name="McConaughey">{{cite web|first=Yoselin|last=Acevedo|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/matthew-mcconaughey-the-dark-tower-interview-guardians-of-the-galaxy-2-1201764366|title=Matthew McConaughey Explains Why He Chose 'The Dark Tower' Over 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'|website=[[IndieWire]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=January 3, 2017}}</ref>

The 2016 miniseries ''[[11.22.63]]'', based on King's 2011 novel ''[[11/22/63]]'', incorporates numerous references to other King stories, including an appearance by Randall Flagg, who is seen cycling through the Dallas throngs just before the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] in the final episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tv/18-stephen-king-easter-eggs-we-1400594847186998/photo-flagg-pole-sitta-episode-8-1459863062204.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415155308/https://www.yahoo.com/tv/18-stephen-king-easter-eggs-we-1400594847186998/photo-flagg-pole-sitta-episode-8-1459863062204.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2016|title=18 Stephen King Easter Eggs We Spotted in '11.22.63'|website=[[Yahoo!]]|last=Alter|first=Ethan|date=April 5, 2016|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>

In 2019, Finnish actor [[Jasper Pääkkönen]] was cast as Marten Broadcloak for the pilot of [[Amazon Prime Video]]'s television adaptation of ''[[The Dark Tower (TV series)|The Dark Tower]]'',<ref>{{cite web|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/the-dark-tower-sam-strike-cast-gunslinger-roland-deschain-jasper-paakkonen-amazon-nears-pilot-order-1202556652|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321170803/https://deadline.com/2019/03/the-dark-tower-sam-strike-cast-gunslinger-roland-deschain-jasper-paakkonen-amazon-nears-pilot-order-1202556652/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 21, 2019|title='The Dark Tower' Casts Sam Strike As Gunslinger Roland Deschain, Plus Jasper Pääkkönen As Amazon Nears Pilot Order|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> but Amazon ultimately decided not to pursue the series. In the same year, Swedish actor [[Alexander Skarsgård]] was cast as Randall Flagg in the [[CBS All Access]] miniseries adaptation of ''[[The Stand (2020 miniseries)|The Stand]]''.<ref name="Skarsgard">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/alexander-skarsgard-randall-flagg-the-stand-cast/#the-stand-flagg|title=Exclusive: Alexander Skarsgard to Play Randall Flagg in 'The Stand' on CBS All Access|work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date=September 11, 2019}}</ref> Showrunner Taylor Elmore described Skarsgård's Flagg with "[he] is so beautiful, he is absolutely a lion-like God figure. With perfect hair and... and also, there's a softness to Alex's performance that I think is fascinating. Alex just plays it where you feel not only sympathy for this character, but you hopefully understand why it's so easy for people to gravitate toward him. He's just magnetic, he's just absolutely fascinating to watch. He's galvanizing as a leader."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Anthony|last=Breznican|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/05/stephen-kings-the-stand-exclusive-first-look|title=Stephen King's The Stand Comes to Life Again|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>

==={{anchor|In comic books}}Comics===
Beginning in 2007, [[Marvel Comics]] released a series of [[The Dark Tower (comics)|comics]] which were a prequel to the ''Dark Tower'' novels.<ref name="DT comic">{{cite news|last=Colton|first=David|title='Dark Tower' looms in graphic form.|newspaper=USA Today|date=2006-12-18|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-12-18-king-darktower_x.htm}}</ref> Randall Flagg, appearing as Marten Broadcloak and Walter o'Dim, plays a significant role in the series.<ref>{{Cite comic| writer = David, Peter | title = The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born| issue = 1| date = February 2007| publisher = Marvel Comics| page =}}</ref>

In April 2009, Marvel released a single-issue comic written by [[Robin Furth]] and illustrated by [[Richard Isanove]] entitled ''[[The Dark Tower: Sorcerer]]'', which focused on the character of Marten Broadcloak-Walter o'Dim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?id=11231|title=Dark Tower: Sorcerer (2009) #1|work=marvel.com}}</ref> ''Sorcerer'' provides an origin for the character that is different from the one King initially wrote, explaining that Walter was the son of the wizard Maerlyn and Selena, Goddess of the Black Moon. Walter was left at the home of a mill owner "to learn the ways of men". At age 13, Walter burns down his adoptive father's mill before running away to find his true father; Walter's rape is not mentioned. Furth wrote in the comic's afterword that the idea of Maerlyn being Walter's father came from King.<ref name="Sorcerer comic">{{Cite comic| writer = Furth, Robin| title = The Dark Tower: Sorcerer| issue = 1| date = April 2009| publisher = Marvel Comics| page =}}</ref>

The comic also reveals that Marten had poisoned Roland's infant brother. Furth introduced the idea that the [[Wizard's Rainbow|Bends o' the Rainbow]], 13 magic spheres created by Maerlyn in the distant past, are sentient beings able to project [[personification]]s which can interact with other characters. Marten has a sexual relationship with the female personification of Maerlyn's Grapefruit, one of the spheres. This is described as [[incest]]uous, since the beings were given life by Maerlyn, Walter's biological father; Marten and the Grapefruit repeatedly call each other as brother and sister.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=2372|title=Preview: Dark Tower: Sorcerer #1|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=March 3, 2012}}</ref> The siblings also refer to the [[Crimson King]] as their "cousin", indicating that Maerlyn is related to him. In her afterword, Furth says that although she conceived these ideas, King approved them.<ref name="Sorcerer comic"/>

According to the comic, Marten's romantic feelings for Roland's mother trigger jealousy in the Grapefruit who influences Roland to unwittingly kill his mother; in ''Wizard and Glass'', the witch known as [[Rhea of the Cöos]] orchestrates Roland's [[matricide]] as revenge for his killing of her pet snake. Enraged, Marten imprisons his "sister" in the Grapefruit and vows revenge on Roland for his involvement in his beloved's death. Addressing inconsistencies between the novels and the comics, Furth stated that the comics exist on another level of the Tower: "a spinoff world, one which is very similar to, but not exactly the same as the one where [the ''Dark Tower'' novels] take place".<ref>{{Cite comic| writer = Furth, Robin| title = The Dark Tower: Sorcerer| issue = 1| date = June 2009| publisher = Marvel Comics| page = 33}}</ref>

On the character of Marten, Furth noted that "[he] is one of the scariest characters that Stephen King has ever created. He moves from book to book, bringing chaos and anarchy with him... He is quite a demonic figure, and as such he is one of the great anti-heroes of contemporary popular fiction" and that "journeying into Walter's mind is a pretty wild experience and at times a little frightening. You have to travel to very dark places."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kleid|first=Neil |title=Dark Tower: Last Days of Treachery|publisher=Marvel.com|date=2009-03-12|url=http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.7163.Dark_Tower~colon~_Last_Days_of_Treachery|access-date=2009-03-22}}</ref> To find Walter's voice, Furth went to [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', [[William Blake]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell|Proverbs of Hell]]'', the [[Bible|Biblical]] [[Song of Songs|Song of Solomon]] and the writings of [[Aleister Crowley]] for inspiration.<ref>{{Cite comic| writer = Furth, Robin| title = The Gunslinger: The Man in Black| issue = 1| date = June 2012| publisher = Marvel Comics| page = 33}}</ref>

In his interview with Bev Vincent, Isanove opined that Walter was his favorite character to draw; "[[Jae Lee|Jae]] [Lee, the original artist for the series] established him as almost androgynous. He's always got this bare chest, and he's very feminine in the way he moves, with his hands raised. He's always moving his hands around. He's got this weird face, with a broken nose and greasy hair. He's starting to bald, but he's always got a very white separation in the middle of it. He's just so greasy, he's great to draw. And he still has to be seductive at the same time, so you can't make him repulsive... He's such a great character."<ref>{{cite book|last=Vincent|first=Bev|author-link=Bev Vincent|title=The Dark Tower Companion|publisher=New American Library|date=April 2013|isbn=978-0451237996|pages=229–230}}</ref>

Marvel later released a [[The Stand (comics)|comic book adaptation of ''The Stand'']], which began in September 2008 and ran for thirty issues.<ref name="The Stand comic">{{cite web|last=Schedeen|first=Jesse |title=Marvel Chats About King's The Stand|website=IGN|date=2007-06-01|url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/878/878225p1.html?RSSwhen2008-06-01_011300|access-date=2008-10-08}}</ref> Writer [[Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa]] described Flagg as "The man of nightmares. Or, put another way, our nightmares given human (more or less) form. The dark side of the [[American Dream]]... King's 'Walkin' Dude' may not be the Devil, himself, as Mother Abagail says, but he comes pretty damn close..."<ref name="Stand Sketchbook">{{Cite comic | writer=[[Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa|Aguirre-Sacasa, Roberto]] | penciller=[[Mike Perkins|Perkins, Mike]] | title=The Stand Sketchbook | date=2008-07-02| publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref> Initially, artist [[Mike Perkins]] said he felt "Flagg needed to be designed less as a man—more as a force of nature. His hair will obscure his features, his face will be almost always in heavy shadow. This is the creature lurking under your bed, in your wardrobe, in your nightmares. Slightly familiar but wholly terrifying."<ref name="Stand Sketchbook"/> Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa later commented on the original idea of hiding Flagg's face: "...the further into the book and the adaptation you go, the less feasible that becomes. Stephen spends so much time  describing [Flagg]'s features and smiles, you need to show those things."<ref>{{Cite news| last = Phegley| first = Kiel| title = The King Makers| newspaper = Wizard #210| page = 45|date=April 2009}}</ref>

==Concept and creation==
[[File:Stephen King, Comicon.jpg|alt=Close up of a short-haired man wearing glasses.|upright|left|thumb|Stephen King has said that the inspiration for Flagg's character "came out of nowhere".<ref name="King int"/>]]
King initially named [[Donald DeFreeze]], lead kidnapper in the [[Patty Hearst]] case, as his inspiration for Randall Flagg. According to King, he remembered the Patty Hearst case when he began to write a description of DeFreeze: "Donald DeFreeze is a dark man". He remembered that in photographs of the bank robbery in which Patty Hearst participated 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 "Once in every generation the plague will fall among them", King began writing ''The Stand'' and developing the character of Randall Flagg.<ref name="Danse">{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=King|author-link=Stephen King|title=Danse Macabre|url=https://archive.org/details/stephenkingsdans00step|url-access=registration|publisher=Berkley Books|location=New York City|date=1994|isbn=978-0-425-10433-0| page=[https://archive.org/details/stephenkingsdans00step/page/399 399]}}</ref>

In 2004, King said that Flagg had been a presence in his writing since the beginning of his career, with the idea coming to him in college. He first wrote a poem, "[[The Dark Man (poem)|The Dark Man]]", about a man who rides the rails and confesses to [[murder]] and [[rape]]; written on the back of a placemat in a college restaurant, the one-page poem was published in 1969, but the character never left King's mind. To the author, what made Flagg interesting was "the idea of the villain as somebody who was always on the outside looking in, and hated people who had good fellowship and good conversation and friends".<ref name="King int">{{cite web|first=Trudy|last=Wyss|title=Stephen King's Favored Child: The Dark Tower Series Is Finally Finished|publisher=Bordersstores.com|date=2004|url=http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=stephenking|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024144123/http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=stephenking|archive-date=24 October 2007|access-date=16 March 2011}}</ref>

==Characterization and critical reception==
When Stephen King created the character of Flagg, he based him around what he believed evil represented. 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".<ref name="King int"/> This idea carries over into ''The Stand'', in which Flagg first appears as the personification of evil opposing [[Mother Abagail]], the personification of good. Character Tom Cullen ascribes to Flagg the ability to kill animals and inflict [[cancer]] at will, referring to him as the demon [[Legion (demon)|Legion]],<ref>{{cite book|last=King|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition|publisher=Doubleday|year=1990|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/818 818]|isbn=978-0-385-19957-5|url=https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/818}}</ref> while character [[Glen Bateman]] refers to him as the [[Lovecraftian]] entity [[Nyarlathotep]], among other ancient names.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=King|author-link=Stephen King|title=The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition|publisher=Doubleday|date=1990|location=New York City|page=[https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/1221 1221]|isbn=978-0-385-19957-5|url=https://archive.org/details/stand00step_1/page/1221}}</ref> King wanted Flagg to embody a "gigantic evil", although he intended the character to weaken by the end of ''The Stand''.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Michael|last=Kilgore|title=Interview with Stephen King|newspaper=[[The Tampa Tribune]]|publisher=Tampa Media Group, Inc.|location=Tampa, Florida|date=August 31, 1980}}</ref> He said, "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 is somebody who is empty and who has to be filled with other people's hates, fears, resentments, laughs. Flagg, [[David Koresh|Koresh]], [[Jim Jones]], [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]—they're all basically the same guy".<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Carl W.|last=Arrington|title=Stephen King: The Making of 'The Stand'|magazine=[[TV Guide]]|publisher=NTVB Media|location=New York City|page=13|date=May 7, 1994}}</ref> Although Flagg does not explicitly represent [[Satan]], this does not detract from what King sees as his ultimate goal. He notes that no matter who sees him or how he is seen as Flagg appears differently to different individuals, his message is the same: "I know all the things that you want and I can give them to you and all you have to do is give me your [[soul]]".<ref name="King int"/>

Critics also note Flagg's penchant for evil. [[Tony Magistrale]], author of ''Stephen King: The Second Decade, Danse Macabre to The Dark Half'' sees Flagg as a [[William Shakespeare|Shakespearean]] villain, comparing him to [[Iago]], [[Edmund (King Lear)|Edmund]] and [[Richard III (play)|Richard III]], contending that Flagg is an [[antihero]]. Magistrale believes that Flagg's evil is based on his ability to replace peace with conflict and unity with destruction; although he seeks power, it is merely a resource to achieve a greater level of destruction.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tony|last=Magistrale|title=Stephen King: The Second Decade, Danse Macabre to The Dark Half|publisher=Twayne Publishers|location=Farmington Hills, Michigan|date=1992|pages=[https://archive.org/details/stephenking00tony/page/135 135]–137|isbn=978-0-8057-3957-2|author-link=Tony Magistrale|url=https://archive.org/details/stephenking00tony|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Author and journalist Heidi Stringell finds Flagg "an embodiment of pure evil", contending that King sees good and evil as "real forces"; Flagg's embodiment of evil is confirmed 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".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stringell |first1=Heidi |year=2009 |title=On The Notions Of Good And Evil In Stephen King's Fiction |journal=The Global Journal of Perspectives...on Evil and Human Wickedness|volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=133–145 }}</ref> The author calls Flagg a "generic hybrid" of the archetypical "Dark Man and the Trickster". To her, the combination of these two characteristics found in different cultural realms forces people to face their "flawed humanity" with the "[[amorality]]" Flagg represents.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stringell|first=Heidi| title=Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism|publisher=Popular Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-299-20974-2|page=136}}</ref> Jenifer Paquette, author of ''Respecting The Stand: A Critical Analysis of Stephen King's Apocalyptic Novel'', writes that "Flagg's horror is that he looks like an ordinary man, and his behavior is a mockery of humanity - a terrible insight into the human psyche. King suggests that the thing to fear the most is inside ourselves".<ref>{{cite book|first=Jennifer|last=Paquette|title=Respecting The Stand: A Critical Analysis of Stephen King's Apocalyptic Novel|publisher=[[McFarland (publisher)|McFarland]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|date=2012|page=50|isbn=978-0786491001}}</ref>

Douglas Winter, author of ''Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King'', believes that Flagg epitomizes the [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] villain—an "[[atavism|atavistic]] embodiment of evil"—since 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 as he seems to need to convince others of his importance. Winter asserts that Flagg is a [[John Milton|Miltonic]] superman who receives his strength from a dark, mysterious source. He compares him to [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Sauron]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'': both collapse when directly confronted.<ref>{{cite book|first=Douglas E.|last=Winter|title=Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King|location=[[San Francisco, California]]|publisher=Underwood-Miller|year=1982|page=197|isbn=978-0-934438-58-2|author-link=Douglas E. Winter}}</ref>

Journalist Alissa Stickler describes Flagg as a "contemporary medievalist interpretation on the themes of evil, magic and the (d)evil figure". She likens Flagg to [[Merlin]], whispering in the ear of [[King Arthur|Arthur]]. Stickler notes that Flagg is politically powerful in ''The Stand'' and ''The Eyes of the Dragon''; he uses his power differently in each novel, challenging depictions of evil and [[witchcraft]] common in [[medieval]] times. She explains that there does not appear to be a higher power to which Flagg "must appeal to his abilities" as there is with traditional evil. Flagg is more of a "humanesque evil", which works against him as much as it does for him. His supernatural knowledge is fallible, and the customary black-and-white depiction is replaced with an "acceptance of a shadowy gray area". Stickler says that although Flagg appears "terrifying and supernatural" as depicted by King, there are no absolutes. She concludes that Flagg represents the medieval monster both past and future, which challenges and yet supports the literary Middle Ages.<ref name="Stickler"/>

Flagg's character has its detractors. In his essay "The Glass-Eyed Dragon", author [[L. Sprague de Camp]] criticizes Flagg in ''Eyes of the Dragon'', saying that he is one of the least-believable characters in the book and too evil to be credible. According to de Camp, absolute evil is hard to envision; whereas [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Joseph Stalin]] believed they were improving the world, Flagg only enjoys causing destruction and chaos. De Camp notes that Flagg fails to see that there is no advantage to his actions.<ref>{{cite book|author=de Camp, L. Sprague|title=Reign of Fear: The Fiction and the Films of Stephen King|location=Novato, California|publisher=Underwood-Miller|year=1988|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780887331497/page/66 66–67]|isbn=978-0-88733-149-7|author-link=L. Sprague de Camp|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780887331497/page/66}}</ref>
{{Quote box
 | quote  = Walter's eyes widen, and for a moment he looks deeply hurt. This may be absurd, but Callahan is looking into the man's deep eyes and feels sure that the emotion is nonetheless genuine. And the surety robs him of any last hope that all this might be a dream, or a final brilliant interval before true death. In dreams—his, at least—the bad guys, the ''scary'' guys, never have complex emotions.
 | source = Stephen King, ''Wolves of the Calla''<ref name="Wolves"/>
 | width  = 25em
 | align  = right
}}

Flagg's embodiment of evil is not the only characteristic seen by critics. Author Joseph Reino commented that the character's presence in ''The Stand'' was "Stephen King's version of a pestilential [[Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|Big Brother]]".<ref>{{cite book|author=Reino, Joseph|title=Stephen King: The First Decade, Carrie to Pet Semetary|location=Boston|publisher=Twayne Publishers|year=1988|pages=[https://archive.org/details/stephenking00jose/page/57 57, 59]|isbn=978-0-8057-7512-9|url=https://archive.org/details/stephenking00jose/page/57}}</ref> Tony Magistrale revisits 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 consequences of technology—worship and the sacrifice of "moral integrity to the quest for synthetic productivity".<ref>{{cite book|last=Magistrale|first=Tony|author-link=Tony Magistrale|title=Landscape of Fear: Stephen King's American Gothic|publisher=Popular Press|year=1988|isbn=978-0-87972-405-4|page=42}}</ref>

Flagg's background as a rape victim and its impact on his character have also been explored. Patrick McAleer, author of ''Inside the Dark Tower Series: Art, Evil and Intertextuality in the Stephen King Novels'', argues that Flagg's situation is the most sympathetic of all of King's characters, and his evil may be retribution: "[I]n suspending any disbelief in the possibility that reprisal is a reaction to rape, the life of Flagg becomes one that looks to strike a balance for the sexual crime committed against him. And although Flagg's possible search for justice and balance is that which becomes imbalanced and even prejudiced, the mitigating factor here is that Flagg is not an originator of evil - he is just caught up in its web as another wronged individual seeking justice". McAleer compares Flagg to [[Satan]] in ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', suggesting that he may be another "fallen angel who has a valid case supporting his devilry". While agreeing that Flagg can be seen "relishing in evil deeds at almost every juncture", he contends that no judgement can be made without the full story and context for his actions.<ref>{{cite book|last=McAleer|first=Patrick|title=Inside the Dark Tower Series: Art, Evil and Intertextuality in the Stephen King Novels|publisher=McFarland|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7864-3977-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/insidedarktowers00mcal/page/123 123–127]|url=https://archive.org/details/insidedarktowers00mcal/page/123}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://stephenking.com/DarkTower/ The Dark Tower official website]

{{The Stand}}
{{DarkTower}}<!-- Not redundant, since he is also in non–Dark Tower books. -->
{{Characters created by Stephen King}}

{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flagg, Randall}}
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