Warning: This article discusses the topic of rape.
Randall Flagg is a staple of the Stephen King’s books are full of appearances and references to the quasi-immortal sorcerer. From his debut in The Stand to his seeming death in The Dark Tower series, Randall Flagg has shaped Stephen King's fictional world.
Randall Flagg’s appearances in Stephen King’s books are plentiful, and considering the antagonist’s ability to change forms and take on multiple new aliases, readers can never rule his involvement out. As he has gone by various names and guises in King's interconnected universe, he's spawned numerous fan theories. Some are quite fascinating and recontextualize the story.
4 Flagg Is Carrie White's Father
Is King's Villain Actually Ralph White?
The theory that Randall Flagg is Carrie White’s father is an interesting one. When the titular character is introduced in Carrie, the teenage girl is being raised alone by her overly religious, abusive mother. While there are a few mentions of Carrie’s father, Ralph, they paint him in an awful light. Ralph believes Margaret is sinful for wanting intercourse, but Carrie’s conception is a result of a rape. Ralph dies before Carrie is born, but it’s always implied that her powers come from her father’s side of the family.
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King has said his poem “The Dark Man” served as the genesis for Flagg. The titular character in the poem confesses to dark acts, including murder and rape. In a dream, Carrie white sees her mother battling a “Black Man” who arrives on her doorstep, and it's implied he defiles Margaret. Although the two monikers aren’t exactly the same, they’re similar enough to suggest a connection. She chases the man away, who has “Cloven feet striking red sparks on the cement,” which many interpret as Flagg’s notable red cowboy boots.
Her odd abilities are strangely familiar to those of Flagg’s.
Carrie’s mysterious powers lack a full backstory, and there are several connections between her and other elements of Stephen King’s fictional universe, but her odd abilities are strangely familiar to those of Flagg’s. Randall Flagg has many aliases, so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of those were Ralph White or if he had been working through Ralph White on the night of Carrie's conception.
3 Flagg & Pennywise Are The Same Person
Could Flagg Actually Be Derry's Most Fearful Clown?
IT’s Pennywise and Randall Flagg are two of Stephen King’s best book villains, but there is evidence to suggest that the two characters are actually one. Pennywise is a known shapeshifter, just as Flagg is. The horrifying creature that mainly features as a clown originates from outside the reality we know, and the fact that it’s unclear whether Flagg is a human, a demon, or something in between s the argument that he and Pennywise are the same character.
No matter who Flagg is in each of King’s stories, he is always charismatic enough to manipulate those around him and take control quickly. In a now-deleted post from social media, Stephen King directly acknowledged Screen Rant’s question about who the better villain is and asked if we have considered the other question: whether the two are “the same entity” (via Flagg and Pennywise are the same entity in different forms.
2 Flagg Is Responsible For The Events Of The Mist
Is Mrs. Carmody's Theory Actually Correct?
In The Mist, Mrs. Carmody may be one of Stephen King’s best human villains, undoubtedly a horrible and malevolent person. Still, one theory about Randall Flagg may prove she was actually right. In the book, Mrs. Carmody believes a human sacrifice is necessary to end the titular threat, but she is killed before she can convince anyone. While the ending of The Mist is left ambiguous, it’s clear that the survivors aren’t at the end of their journey either.
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It’s theorized that the monsters that come from the mist are from todash space, and Flagg is the one to rip the hole in space that allows their arrival. Considering Flagg’s actions in The Dark Tower, this makes a lot of sense, especially as his powers are often perceived as being otherworldly. While there isn’t a huge amount of evidence for the theory that Randall Flagg causes the events of The Mist, there are some strange parallels worth analyzing.
Hypothetically, it would fit exactly with Flagg's character that he would love a human sacrifice to be made to him. Flagg is power-hungry and manipulative, and this wouldn’t be the first time he warped the minds of an entire group of people. For example, Marten Broadcloak in Wizard and Glass, the second of The Dark Tower books, and his stronghold of Las Vegas in The Stand. There’s no doubt stranger things that happen in King’s universe, but this theory holds some gravitas.
1 Flagg Is He Who Walks Behind The Rows
Is Flagg Children Of The Corn's Petrifying Villain, Too?
The theory that Flagg is He Who Walks Behind The Rows is another one that seems obvious at first. However, there’s more to it than the fact they are both iconic Stephen King villains. He Who Walks Behind the Rows is an erratic god who the titular children worship, and he demands that everyone is eventually sacrificed at a certain age, a twisted form of worship that, again, dovetails with Flagg's long history of being a cult-like leader in the books.
In The Stand, it's maybe not a coincidence that Flagg often appears from the cornfield when visiting Mother Abigail and others, manipulating them from between the rows. The very specific similarity of the images is a connection. While this is only a small detail, Flagg proves in other King stories that details of his past play a part in creating his later aliases. He Who Walks Behind the Rows has dominion over his own little community, just like Flagg in The Stand.
It would make sense that Flagg would take on a new identity and recreate the attempts he makes in The Stand to run society, and who would be easier to manipulate than children? While not everything about these two characters is identical, there’s no doubt that Stephen King layers his villains with similarities, and it’s always worth considering whether Randall Flagg is hiding behind a new guise in every story.
- Birthdate
- September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
- Portland, Maine, USA
- Notable Projects
- Carrie
- Professions
- Author, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Actor
- Height
- 6 feet 4 inches
