Summary
If one author’s works are becoming more and more prolific thanks to a surge in adaptations, that author would have to beStephen King. From OsgoodPerkins' adaptation ofThe Monkeyto the belovedITfilms and upcoming prequel, several beloved film and television series events havebrought classic and new Stephen King stories to life. One filmmaker in particular has taken a vested interest in the horror author’s works, and that is Mike Flanagan. He has adapted everything fromThe Life of ChuckandDoctor Sleepto the upcomingCarrie. Yet there is one series that fans are eager for him to bring to life, and that is the Dark Tower. The story features so many prominent figures, including the protagonist Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers. However, there is one character in particular who is of equal importance, and that is the Man in Black. There is also one actor beloved by the equally devoted fandom of the hit show Supernatural who could bring this character to life perfectly. That actor is none other than Mark Pellegrino, the man who brought Lucifer to life.
While Mark Pellegrino is known for many roles on popular shows, from Jacob onLosttoPaul on the hit showDexter, there is one role that has brought him acclaim over the years from fans of the hit showSupernatural, and that is Lucifer, the fallen son of God and the villain of many seasons of the hit show that Dean and Sam Winchester had to fight off to stop the apocalypse and so much more. His charisma and devilish charm instantly won fans over, and that is the kind of personality that would greatly add to the role of Walter O’Dim, aka Randall Flagg, aka the Man in Black.
The Dark Tower’s Man In Black, EXPLAINED
He’s Not A Nice Guy
Much like DC Comics' own Joker, the Man in Black is a bit of a mystery of sorts. His background is always changing, but at some point he, as a child, was given to a mill owner and his wife to be raised and to learn the ways of men. However, at the age of thirteen, the young Walter, also known as Walter Padick, became bored with his life with humans and burned down his adoptive family’s home. From there, he sought out his birthfather, the villainous Maerlyn. He began his destiny from there, starting his role as a wanderer of sorts, earning the nickname over the years as the Walkin’ Dude.
Walter would learn the ways of his father’s dark arts, practicing and mastering dark magic to become a wizard in his own right. He may have even learned the dark arts from his father, and Walter would end up using many of his father’s artifacts, including the spheres known as Maerlyn’s Rainbow. He also started his path of treachery by driving a wedge betweensoon-to-be villain John Farson, aka the Good Man, and John’s brother, sewing the seeds of chaos and bringing Farson into the fold as an agent of the Crimson King.
Walter would have a long career in his work as an agent of the Crimson King, first by trying to overthrow the kingdom of Delain over the course of several years in the bookThe Eyes of the Dragon, then by orchestrating events in the wake of a deadly pandemic on the Earth that Stephen King’sThe Standtakes place in, where heis introduced as Randall Flagg. Yet his true role as villain would come when he began his plot against Roland and the people of Gilead.
As a young child, Roland was the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain. Steven was the leader of Gilead and the gunslingers, and he brought Walter in as the court wizard, an advisory role to Steven as ruler of the kingdom. However, Walter began to plot immediately, having an illicit affair with Gabrielle and causing Roland to take the test of adulthood to become a gunslinger years earlier than he was meant to. Roland won the contest, however, and survived, much to Walter’s chagrin.Walter would become a mainstay in Roland’s lifefrom that point on, even through the fall of Gilead and beyond.
Mark Pellegrino Just Makes Sense As The Man In Black
Is There Anyone Better?
Part of the Man in Black’s allure is his wicked sense of charm mixed with a deep sense of dread and horror. In one instant, he can be a smooth talker, and in the next laugh maniacally or twist the knife in someone’s back without a second glance. That is the type of style and finesse that Mark Pellegrino brought tothe role of Lucifer on Supernatural. Through all the carnage and apocalyptic nightmares, Mark Pellegrino made Lucifer look like he was having way too much fun with his war against the Winchesters, and yet also drilled ice-cold glares into the viewer as his gravitas and mere presence took over a scene, bringing a chilling hush over the other characters sharing the screen with him.
Randall Flagg is much like that inthe Dark Towerseries. He enjoys his work torturing others and bringing down entire worlds and kingdoms with his schemes. From the traps he lays for Roland as the gunslinger chases him across the desert, to the multiversal travel and apocalypses he helps bring about and so much more, seeing Mark Pellegrino’s wicked humor and frightful delivery, especially in Roland’s flashbacks to his childhood and beyond, would make him the perfect fit for this role. Fans of Supernatural would love to see this actor return to a villainous role, and an actor of his caliber is needed to really bring the horror the Man in Black is known for to life when Mike Flanagan’sThe Dark Towerfinally sees its adaptation brought to life.
