Stephen Kinghas created plenty of iconic villains throughout his literary career, and as a result, it’s almost impossible to identify which of them is truly the best, but Randall Flagg and the Crimson King are contenders.Several of his classic antagonists have appeared in multiple stories, shifting between worlds and taking on different faces as they pose new threats to new heroes. This has allowed the author to create a kind of interconnected universe, with his books connected by these faceless villains that take on new roles each time. While many would agree thatRandall Flagg is King’s best villain, there’s another suitable candidate for that title.
BothRandall Flagg and the Crimson King are powerful villainsfrom theDark Towerseries, which spans several novels and even bleeds through into some of King’s more popular standalone works. The series is the cornerstone of the author’s interconnected universe, with these villains playing huge roles in other dimensions outside their own. There’s been endless debate about whether Flagg or the Crimson King is ultimately the better villain, but each character has their own strengths.The Dark Towerbook series is hugely popularand most of that comes down to the characters, including the two overarching villains of the series and beyond.
10Randall Flagg Has The Most Appearances Across King’s Novels
The Villain First Appeared In The Post-Apocalyptic Thriller The Stand
When discussing King’s best villain, there’s a reason that Randall Flagg’s name is brought up so often. He’s undeniably the most interesting and complex villain the author has created, and much of this comes down to the fact that he’s appeared in multiple novels - including some of King’s most popular. Not only is he the primary antagonist of theDark Towerseries, buthe’s also the main villain inThe Stand, and has a starring role inThe Eyes of the Dragon.
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The character is so entrenched in King’s bibliography thatit’s hard to read any of the author’s early works without at least seeing the footprints of the character on this world. There are also countless theories about the figure that fans have deduced throughout the years, including thatRandall Flagg is Carrie’s fatheror that he was secretly the coordinator of the titular mist inThe Mist. The fact that there’s so much evidence for these theories proves just how dense King’s writing and characterization of this figure are.
9The Crimson King Is Flagg’s Superior
The Creature Has Much More Power Than Flagg
However, while Flagg is undeniably powerful and displays some shocking abilities across his several appearances, the truth still remains that the Crimson King is his superior.He’s a higher-ranking villain in the order of theDark Towerfranchise, taking the antagonist role in the final book of the series and displaying the full strength of his supernatural abilities. He’s clearly more powerful than Flagg, and undeniably the most powerful villain in King’s multiverse, period, and his authority makes him even more intimidating.
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The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
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Without the Crimson King, Flagg wouldn’t have the strength needed to fight so effortlessly against the gunslinger during their encounters. While it’s reductive to say that Flagg is a puppet of the Crimson King, he certainly owes some of his strength to theDark Towerbeing, and that’s clear enough evidence to state thatthe Crimson King is a more powerful and dangerous villain. However, in Stephen King’s world, strength isn’t all that’s needed to be a formidable villain.
8Flagg Is A More Complex Character
His Personality Is Much More Unpredictable
While the Crimson King may have untouchable strength, Flagg’s complexities and ambiguous background make him much more interesting to read about. The only real information that’s known about his origins and intentions is what he decides to share with the gunslinger, and even that can’t fully be trusted. His motives are more dubious and less straightforward than the Crimson King’s quest for chaos, which makes him arguably even more dangerous. Although Flagg wasn’t that interesting in theDark Towermovie that even Stephen King himself criticized,he’s much more complex and enigmatic in the books.
Stephen King has said in the past that he views Randall Flagg as the equivalent of the Devil in his his universe.
Flagg is present from the very beginning of theDark Towerseries, and it’s his cat-and-mouse chase with the gunslinger that makes that first story work so well. The reader doesn’t know much about either character, but from the very beginning, Flagg’s seemingly impossible feats of breeding devils and reviving strangers make him such a compelling villain, and his revolving cycle of nicknames inThe Dark Towershow his shapeshifting and trickster abilities. From there, King’s characterization just gets richer and richer asthe dynamic between these two characters gets increasingly complicatedand difficult to discern.
7The Crimson King’s Only Goal Is Destruction
He’s Only Interested In Destroying The World And Taking Everybody With It
While Randall Flagg has complex motives and ambiguous goals that are often kept hidden from the reader, the Crimson King’s goal is much simpler:he thrives in chaos and seeks to destroy the entire multiverseby bringing down the Dark Tower, the nexus point that holds up all universes. While simplicity is often seen as the mark of a weak character, King really makes it work by presenting the Crimson King as somebody who simply doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions and is only driven by making others suffer. In that way, he’s much less human and more frightening than Flagg.
Flagg is aware of his own immorality, even if it never stops him from being selfish and destructive.
There’s something chilling about the Crimson King’s total lack of compassion or even recognition of his own evil; Flagg is at least aware of his own nature, even if it never stops him from being selfish and destructive. The Crimson King is the opposite - he’s more of a primal force than a human, born of the primordial soup from which the multiverse was created and driven by instincts of destruction and chaos. If the villain appears in the upcomingDark Towertelevision series, it would be fascinating to finally see this character adapted for the screen.
6Flagg Has A More Developed Backstory
King Has Devoted More Time To Exploring Flagg’s Character
Although it’s the Crimson King’s unknowability that makes him such a great villain, there’s arguably even more strength in having a villain with a rich, layered backstory that’s gradually revealed throughout the series. This is what King does with Randall Flagg, offering readers a glimpse of his past duringThe Dark Tower’s most unsuspecting moments.These details always help to make the character feel more real, giving him another dimension that’s never present in the Crimson King.
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But notably, King never goes too far with his detailing of Flagg’s backstory, only revealing bits and pieces of his past when he went by other names, such as Walter o’Dim or Marten Broadcloak.There’s still plenty of mystery there to keep readers investedand frequently confused by his actions, which makes him even more interesting. A full backstory would definitely help make Flagg’s actions more comprehensive and understandable, but King knows that this would only distract from the mystery of the character.
5The Crimson King Is An Original Fantasy Character
He’s One Of Stephen King’s Most Interesting Creations
Throughout the course of his career,King has created several iconic characters who aren’t human. Pennywise is likely the most obvious, with other creatures such as the Boogeyman and the vampire Kurt Barlow displaying the same creative horror that makes King such an accomplished writer. The Crimson King is a perfect example of this, serving as a vessel for some of the most evocative, disturbing prose in the horror genre as a whole.
There’s an ongoing theory among King’s fans that his frequently featured town ofCastle Rock is actually cursed, and the Crimson King is certainly evidence in favor of that conclusion.There are so many disturbing, supernatural creatures that King has createdin his fictional universe that it’s impossible to believe these towns and worlds aren’t cursed by something - butThe Dark Towerhas the darkest and most gruesome creatures of them all.
4Flagg Is More Present Outside The Dark Tower Series
He’s Got The Most Surprise Appearances In King’s Bibliography
Both of these characters are best known for their presence in King’sDark Towerseries, but that wasn’t actually the first place that Randall Flagg was seen.The character was first introduced inThe Stand, where he is portrayed as a post-apocalyptic demon who wreaks havoc after the world is destroyed by a supervirus. This is later revealed to be the Dark Tower’s connection between universes, allowing Flagg to travel between stories and appear in countless different places.
This rich history among King’s works definitely makes him the most recognizable villain he’s written so far.
This is what makes him such a great villain- he could feature in any Stephen King story, and the author has played around with that idea a lot. Flagg was a major character inThe Eyes of the Dragontoo, allowing him to make a name for himself beforeThe Dark Towerfranchise finally brought him into the spotlight, and he’s appeared in other novels and short stories. This rich history among King’s works definitely makes him the most recognizable villain he’s written so far.
3The Crimson King Is Described As Omnipotent
The True Extent Of His Power Is Unknown
Of all theStephen King villainsthat have been introduced throughout the years, the Crimson King has a strong case for being the most powerful. During his final appearance inThe Dark Tower, the creature is essentially described as totally omnipotent - he’s close to making himself a God, with all the power in the multiverse at his fingertips. The only other entity in Stephen King’s multiverse that bests the Crimson King in powerisStephen King’s multiversal god, Gan.Flagg’s power doesn’t even come close to this.
While power obviously isn’t enough to make a great villain alone, it’s the way that the Crimson King uses his power that makes him so domineering. He’s never afraid to push the limits of his abilities, going further than any of King’s other villains and posing a legitimate threat to the fabric of reality. While such ferocious characters can often ruin stories by being overpowered,it’s the unlimited power of the Crimson King that keepsThe Dark Tower’s stakes consistently high, as truly anything could happen, especially with an antagonist whose evil manipulations can ripple into and through multiple universes.
2Flagg Has Multiple Different Identities
The Villain Has Many Names And Faces
One strength of having a character appear across multiple different timelines and projects is that he doesn’t always have to use the same identity. This is exactly the case for Randall Flagg, whose true name is somewhat of a mystery.He’s used several different monikers throughout King’s career, which allows him to adopt several different personalities and ideologies while remaining the same person.
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Although Flagg hasn’t been asinteresting a villain in movies and miniseries as in Stephen King’s books,the original version of the character is something unlike any other literary villain.He appears in different places under different names, and, as a quasi-immortal being, he’s lived for centuries, and it takes some real detective work to even realize that they’re the same person. It’s like an extra challenge for the reader, trying to uncover Flagg’s various identities alongside the book’s heroes.
1The Crimson King Is The Puppet Behind Other King Villains
The Villain Is Responsible For Many More Monsters In The King Universe
Although Flagg is a more interesting character in isolation, the Crimson King has the added bonus of being responsible for countless other villains in Stephen King lore. His position as the “omnipotent” creature inThe Dark Towerseries essentially gives him dominion over the lesser monsters in that universe, including vampires and zombie-like creatures that cause trouble on his behalf.
Stephen Kinghas frequently said thatthe Crimson King is heavily inspired by Sauron fromThe Lord of the Rings, a dark wizard with control over the orc population of Middle-Earth. While there are several differences between the characters, this is just another notch to prove the Crimson King’s immense strength, and it allows the villain to claim responsibility for the actions of countless other monsters in the series.
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Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
