The Five Greatest Stephen King Villains: From Misery to The Stand

December 04, 2008 by
Will Stape  
Will Stape
Will Stape
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Kathy Bates  |  The Stand  |  David Koresh  |  Misery  |  Stephen  |  Stephen King

Annie Wilkes, Andre Linoge, & Margaret White Are Stephen King's Best Baddies

Author extraordinaire Stephen King has given the world dozens of complex novels full of unforgettable characters. Noble heroes and everday heroines play out their fascinating stories while staying at enormous wealthy resorts or living seemingly normal lives right
 in the heart of downtown suburbia. Clashing with King's good guys are a smorgasbord of the weirdest, nastiest and even somewhat magnetic bad guys. For every good guy or gal we root for, there has to be an equally wicked man or women to keep things moving and interesting. Here are my picks for most memorable, intriguing and just downright slimy villains borne of the frightfully fertile mind of shock master Stephen King.

Annie Wilkes - Misery

Every great author has to have fans. In King's novel Misery, Annie Wilkes is the super, duper uber fan of all time. Pity she's as crazy as a corn dog.

King's Annie Wilkes is every writer's nightmare. She's someone so feverishly loyal, so pathetically prideful that when her beloved fictional character Misery is killed off, she takes it so personally it's either a rewrite and reimagination or Mister Man Paul Sheldon will soon find himself six feet under. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her searingly complex portrayal of the deranged literary lunatic opposite a underated James Caan playing Paul Sheldon. Bates took King's creation and conjured up one of the most eerily fascinatng characters ever seen on film.

Andre Linoge - Storm Of The Century

"Give me what I want, and I'll go away." This is the haunting demand of Andre Linoge as he terrorizes the simple townsfolk of Little Tall Island.

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I think it's fantastic that you list the Overlook as one of the villains; I totally agree. I'm torn on whether or not I actually consider either The Dark Tower itself or ka to be a villain as well, though they both seem more indifferent than actually villainous.
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Posted on 05/18/2009 at 8:05:52 PM

There is something quite alluring in Randal Flagg. It's not that he is a symbol of the devil, that would be too simplistic. There is something else there. I haven't been able to put my finger on what it is.
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Posted on 04/15/2009 at 10:04:38 PM

A very good list. I wrote my own top 10 King villains (you can read the article here http://www.examiner.com/x-4886-Stephen-King-Examiner~y2009m3d3-The-Top-10-Greatest-Stephen-King-Villains There's a bit of overlap so we have pretty similar tastes when it comes to villains.
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Posted on 03/20/2009 at 3:03:56 PM

yep Annie was pretty scarey
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Posted on 01/01/2009 at 10:01:12 AM

Thanks for the comment. Great article - love Stephen King.
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Posted on 12/27/2008 at 10:12:15 AM

For some odd reason, I've never read The Stand. It's next on my list now. Great article.
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Posted on 12/27/2008 at 10:12:55 AM

I think Annie would be my fav!!
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Posted on 12/22/2008 at 5:12:48 PM

Great job on this article! I was very happy to see that you listed Jack from The Shining. . .it's my favorite King novel.
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Posted on 12/18/2008 at 12:12:53 PM

You can see my unique page about Stephen King from my home state of Maine from my main page here> www.squidoo.com/StephenKing-FamousHorrorWriter
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Posted on 12/13/2008 at 8:12:21 PM

I read this because King is one of my favorite authors and I am always curious to know what others' opinions on his books are. I really enjoyed reading it, especially considering you included the hotel in The Shining (which raises interesting questions itself) and Randall Flagg. Fantastic article; thanks for a very interesting read. :)
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Posted on 12/09/2008 at 6:12:24 PM

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