History Characters / TheStand

* TechnologicallyBlindElder: Refuses to go near a CB radio, the only means of communication left after the plague, because she's convinced it'll give her an electric shock.

* ChekhovsGunman: Generally serves as little more than comic relief and an obstacle for Nick Andros (albeit an amusing and endearing one) during his journey to Boulder. He's virtually forgotten by the third act, until [[spoiler:he comes out of nowhere to save Stu's life, making it possible for the other members of the Free Zone to learn of what transpired in Las Vegas]].

* HiddenDepths: He manages to creep the others out with them, under hypnosis.

* SpannerInTheWorks: His plan to redeem himself by seeking the [[spoiler:[[DeusExNukina Big Fire]]]] to destroy the people of Boulder.

* EvilFeelsGood: [[spoiler:After Harold's heel turn]], everyone comments on his newfound charisma and self-esteem.

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:Harold becomes one when he reads Frannie's diary]]. When he starts up the practice, many characters start to comment on how cheery he's become. It doesn't fool everybody, however; Nick refuses to give him a place on the committee in Boulder because he thinks there's something unsettling and fake in his constant grinning and glad-handing. Mother Abagail doesn't like him, either.

* SanitySlippage: Alternates between bouts of cataonia and unhinged behavior after being raped and impregnated by Flagg.

* OrphansOrdeal: After his family's death he nearly died of infection, and was so traumatized he stopped talking and carried a knife all the time. Nadine becames his ParentalSubstitute [[spoiler:but it doesn't end well]]. In the end, he's adopted by Larry and Lucy.

* PayEvilUntoEvil: While he's easily the most vile and monstrous character in the book, seeing his (probably) engineered rescue of Trashcan Man from the Kid, an AxCrazy nut who raped Trashcan with his pistol, and leaving him to die a slow death is still very satisfying.

* RapeAsDrama: Involving a revolver, no less.

* {{Determinator}}: He manages to drive across four states after leaving his post. Considering he was infected with the flu, ''this is a very bad thing.''

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: As soon as he realizes there's been a containment breach, he flees the base with his wife and child. Even though he's getting hazard pay, it's not enough of an incentive for him to stick around.

* PetTheDog: The closest he ever comes to a decent moment is ordering that the Trashcan Man be put to death as quickly and painlessly as possible, even after the latter has explosively destroyed his fledgling air force.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Things like love and loyalty are foreign concepts to him. He can only genuinely feel hatred, rage, and fear. His only feelings of pleasure arise from enjoying the suffering of others.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Things like love and loyalty are foreign concepts to him. He can only genuinely feel hatred, rage, and fear.

* DealWithTheDevil: Flagg does this as a matter of course to gain acolytes and tempt his enemies into giving up their struggle to stay on the path of goodness. He appears to the lonely and shunned and desperate people, offering them love and acceptance and a high purpose, only asking for their undying loyalty (in essence, their souls) in return. He tries the same with Mother Abigail's flock, offering them a release from the pain or salvation when they're in peril - he even tries it on Abigail hers in the 2020 miniseries. The interesting aspect of his deals are that none of them are truly binding: he has no power over people who cease to fear or believe in him, save for the physical power to bludgeon them to death with his bare hands. His greatest trick is convincing people who say yes to him that he owns their souls, when in reality they can spurn him at any time.

-->''Glen Bateman'': "We made such a business of you, and it turns out you're just another roach, running little roach errands!"

* KnightOfCerebus: Randall Flagg is a demonic, quasi-immortal being who frequently appears throughout King's works as an embodiment of evil. Appearing in different forms in different worlds, the one constant about Flagg is that he is always working to sow the seeds of chaos and despair wherever he goes. He's one of the darkest villains ever created by Stephen King (who in turn is one of the darkest writers ever), with only [[Characters/{{It}} Pennywise]] exceeding Flagg in terms of immediate dangerousness. Flagg is arguably the worse evil: where Pennywise will terrorize and destroy people, Flagg's power is in getting people to terrorize and destroy each other.

* KnightOfCerebus: Randall Flagg is a demonic, quasi-immortal being who frequently appears throughout King's works as an embodiment of evil. Appearing in different forms in different worlds, the one constant about Flagg is that he is always working to sow the seeds of chaos and despair wherever he goes. He's one of the darkest villains ever created by Stephen King (who in turn is one of the darkest writers ever), with only [[Characters/{{It}} Pennywise]] being more dangerous than he is.

* HumanoidAbomination: Almost literally Satan (Mother Abagail is rather clear with the fact that he isn't Satan himself, but essentially the next best thing). His mere presence can bring calamities to those around him and he radiates an aura of fear.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: While he's easily the most vile and monstrous character in the book, seeing his (probably) engineered rescue of Trashcan from the Kid, an AxCrazy nut who raped Trashcan with his pistol, and leaving him to die a slow death is still very satisfying.

* KnightOfCerebus: Randall Flagg is a demonic, quasi-immortal being who frequently appears throughout King's works as an embodiment of evil. Appearing in different forms in different worlds, the one constant about Flagg is that he is always working to sow the seeds of chaos and despair wherever he goes. He's one of the darkest villains ever created by Stephen King, with only [[Characters/{{It}} Pennywise]] being more dangerous than he is.

* PetTheDog: The closest he ever comes to a decent moment is ordering that the Trashcan Man be put to death as quickly and painlessly as possible.

** A few different times, including after he learns Trash has blown up his air force, Dayna kills herself, he realizes Tom has escaped and when Trash shows up with the nuke at the end. The irony here is that, until the nuclear warhead goes off, Flagg's position is actually not significantly affected by any of these events. Losing the jets at Indian Springs is a pain in the ass, but he can go rolling into Boulder with an armored column in the spring, Dayna only knows that Tom is the other spy and Tom doesn't actually ''know'' anything. Flagg even realizes this. But he ''wants'' to destroy Boulder as soon as possible, and he should be able to get what he wants. The people of Vegas start slipping as things go wrong, because Flagg's entire appeal is his omniscience and omnipotence.

* VillainousDemotivator: Las Vegas is decorated with the crucified bodies of those who have failed him.

* YouHaveFailedMe: Poor, poor Bobby Terry.

* AndIMustScream: Touched on. Nick, who is already deaf-mute, has one eye gouged out by the last surviving human plague victim within a 50-mile radius. Afterwards, he briefly contemplates the horror that would have been living with ''both'' eyes lost (on top of being deaf-mute), concluding that he would have offed himself in that case.

* EyeScream: The thug who mugs him at his introduction nearly gouges out an eye when he pops back up. Nick eventually heals, though his eye does cause him some discomfort afterwords.

* ImAManICan'tHelpIt: Uncharacteristically falls victim to this when he succumbs to Julie Lawry's advances, even though he knows she's bad news.

!!! Played by: Creator/RubyDee ([[Series/TheStand 1994]]), Creator/WhoopiGoldberg ([[Series/TheStand2020 2020]])

* SweaterGirl: Wears a pink sweater with no bra.

A college girl, Frannie discovered at the beginning of the book that she had become pregnant with her boyfriend, Jesse. She had traveled home to Ogonquit, Maine, to tell her parents when the Superflu hit. Frannie cares most about keeping those she loves, especially her unborn child, safe.

* AndIMustScream: Nick, who is already deaf-mute, nearly has both eyes gouged out by the last surviving human plague victim within a 50-mile radius.