| The Crimson King | |
|---|---|
| The Dark Tower character | |
The Crimson King as illustrated by Michael Whelan. |
|
| First appearance | Insomnia |
| Last appearance | The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (in chronological sequence) |
| Created by | Stephen King |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Red Daddy, The Red King, Big Red |
| Aliases | Los', Ram Abbalah, The Kingfish, The Red King, Lord of Discordia, Lord of Spiders |
| Species | Trans-dimensional Demon |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Leader of the Random |
| Children | Mordred Deschain (Son) |
The Crimson King, also commonly known as Los', is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He is the antagonist in the novel Insomnia (1994) the main villain due to a plot twist in Black House and one of the main villains in the latter half of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
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According to The Dark Tower comics, The Crimson King was born from a mating between Arthur Eld and a creature of the Prim, the chaotic primordial void that the universes arose from, known as the Crimson Queen. Apparently the Crimson Queen deceived Eld to achieve this union. The main protagonist of the series, Roland Deschain, is also descended from Eld, thus making them distant cousins. This is the key through which Roland can defeat the King, as stated in prophecy laid out during the course of the series.
The King is introduced in the Stephen King novel Insomnia, where he is depicted as a powerful and mysterious entity that forces others to do his bidding. He seeks to kill a child named Patrick Danville who is prophesied to aid in bringing the King down; he is defeated during a confrontation with that novel's main protagonist, Ralph Roberts. He makes his next appearance at the end of Black House, where he is revealed to be responsible for the events of that novel and is seen to have been weakened by the actions of protagonist Jack Sawyer and his allies. In the Dark Tower novels, the King is revealed to be behind the destruction of the beams that hold up the Dark Tower which holds reality and all of the universes together. He is shown to have gone insane and his intentions are not quite clear beyond that he wishes to destroy the Tower and possibly rule the darkness that would follow. He rules from the lands of Discordia and, as his insanity worsens, he kills nearly everyone in his employ and even kills himself. He thus becomes undead and possibly immune to Roland's guns. He reaches the tower before Roland, but is trapped on a balcony on one of its lower levels. When Roland finally meets the King at the climax of the final Dark Tower novel, he appears as an old man with a white beard and blood red eyes who throws grenades from his imprisonment on the Tower. As previously predicted, his downfall is wrought by Roland and Patrick Danville.
The Crimson King has taken many forms throughout the series. He has the ability to shapeshift as evidenced in Insomnia, where he takes the forms that most terrify those that confront him. When he is injured by Ralph Roberts, he reverts first to a handsome, blonde man, and then to a creature Ralph is unable to properly see, suggesting that like It, the King's true form can't be comprehended by human beings. In the Dark Tower series he has the appearance of an old man with white hair and fangs, but in the comics he appears both as a monstrous entity with spiderlike characteristics much like his son Mordred, as well as a bald man with a large tusk or horn on his head. Throughout all of his appearances his one defining characteristic is his blood red eyes, which fascinate anyone who looks into them. Patrick Danville also mentions that the King fades in and out of view due to his transcendent magical powers.
The King prefers to work from the background and his sigil, a glaring red eye, is seen throughout the books he has appeared in. He employs others to do his bidding, such as Atropos, Mr. Munshun, Dandelo, collaboration with Randall Flagg, John Farson, and a number of minor characters including human, vampires, low men, and the taheen.
King drew inspiration for the Crimson King from the 1968 song and album "In the Court of the Crimson King" by British progressive rock band King Crimson. The name of the album appears in Insomnia to signify the protagonist's entry into the Crimson King's realm.
The Crimson King is also mentioned in the Stephen King novel Hearts in Atlantis.[1]