The Crimson King , known to some as Los' or Ram Abbalah , is a fictional character created by Stephen King and the main antagonist of King's eight-volume Dark Tower series , as well as the novels Insomnia (1994) and Black House (2001). Described as " Gan 's crazy side", the Crimson King is the ultimate ruler of the Red (also called the Random and the Outer Dark ), and the archetypal embodiment of evil in Stephen King's fictional multiverse. His goal is to topple the Dark Tower which serves as the linchpin of time and space, destroying the multitude of universes which revolve around it so that he can rule in the primordial chaos which follows.
31-534: The Crimson 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 protagonist, Ralph Roberts. He makes his next appearance at the end of Black House , where he
62-556: A pro-choice petition. Months later, Helen leaves Ed and hides at a women's shelter . Ralph begins to suffer from sleep maintenance insomnia , waking earlier each night until he is barely able to sleep an hour each night. As his insomnia develops, he begins to see things invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people ( auras ) and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors", based on their appearance. He gradually concludes these are not hallucinations but genuine things present on
93-599: A child. When he later intrudes upon a homicide investigation in Santa Monica , certain aspects of the crime scene threaten to revive his repressed memories. He subsequently resigns from the LAPD, moving to French Landing to enjoy his early retirement. When the Fisherman begins to terrorize French Landing, the police all but beg "Hollywood" Jack Sawyer for his assistance and are surprised when he flatly refuses. Memories of
124-470: A conscious effort by the killer to emulate the methods of serial killer Albert Fish . Like Fish, French Landing's killer targets children and indulges in cannibalism of the bodies. Two victims have already been discovered as the story opens, with a third awaiting discovery. The nature of the crimes, and the local police's inability to capture the killer, have led people all over the region to become more anxious with each passing day, and certain elements of
155-509: A different level of reality. He realizes that Ed also sees these things. Ralph's friend Lois Chasse admits to him that she too has recently begun seeing auras which she can interpret. Ralph and Lois encounter two bald doctors, calling themselves Clotho and Lachesis , who act with dignity and free people from life when it is "their time" to pass away. A third bald doctor, Atropos , is a crazed rogue who seems to delight in disrupting lives and prematurely ending them. Ralph and Lois learn that life
186-669: A legendary gunslinger, and the Crimson Queen, a demonic creature of the Prim – the chaotic primordial void from which the Dark Tower, and all universes, arose. With the aid of the wizard Maerlyn, the Crimson Queen took on human form and deceived Arthur Eld to achieve this union. Roland Deschain is himself a distant descendant of Eld; this makes the Crimson King Roland's half-uncle, albeit through many generations. This
217-653: A mixture of Roland's blood and a rose's petals to finish the drawing; then he erases the King from existence, forever banishing him to some other world, or to the todash space between the worlds. Only his red eyes remain, trapped eternally on the balcony of the Tower. Writer Robin Furth wrote a new backstory for the Crimson King in the Dark Tower comics . Here, the Crimson King was the bastard offspring of Arthur Eld ,
248-503: A plan to upset the entire order of the universe. Unable to intervene directly, Clotho and Lachesis, agents of the Purpose, gave Ralph and Lois insomnia to help them perceive, gain and even access other levels of reality so they can defeat Atropos. The benign bald doctors describe these levels as beams of a "skyscraper", and Ralph has a vision of The Dark Tower , a representation of the multiverse. Controversial pro-choice activist Susan Day
279-672: Is a horror (collaborative) novel by American writers Stephen King and Peter Straub . Published in 2001, it is the sequel to The Talisman . This is one of King's numerous novels, such as Hearts in Atlantis and Insomnia , which tie in with the Dark Tower series. Black House was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel . The novel is set in Straub's homeland of Wisconsin, rather than in King's frequently used backdrop of Maine . The town of "French Landing"
310-532: Is a 1994 horror / fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King . It follows retired widower Ralph Roberts, whose increasing insomnia allows him to perceive auras and other hidden things, leading him to join a conflict between the forces of the Purpose and the Random. Like It and Dreamcatcher , the story is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine . It includes connections to other Stephen King stories, particularly his novel series The Dark Tower . Insomnia
341-415: Is a fictionalized version of Trempealeau, Wisconsin . Many nearby areas are mentioned, such as Onalaska , Sparta , and Madison , or fictionalized, such as La Riviere for La Crosse , Arden for Arcadia , and Centralia, named for nearby Centerville , located at the intersection of Hwy 93 and Hwy 35. A chapter of the book is written around Edgar Allan Poe 's poem " The Raven ". In 2023, King has expressed
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#1732773093032372-575: Is also mentioned in the Stephen King novella Low Men in Yellow Coats , found within the 1999 collection Hearts in Atlantis . He is also hinted at in The Stand by Mother Abagail. As she describes main antagonist Randall Flagg , she mentions that, "He ain't Satan, but he and Satan know of each other and have kept their councils together of old." Insomnia (novel) Insomnia
403-554: Is due to talk at the Derry civic center. Lois and Ralph see the building shrouded by a black aura, signifying a dark future. The Crimson King has been provoking Ed's feelings regarding abortion, turning him into a violent and paranoid fanatic. With a small plane containing C-4 explosives , Ed intends to make a kamikaze attack on the civic center during Day's speech, killing her and everyone within. Lois and Ralph are resentful at being manipulated by outside forces but decide they must prevent
434-449: Is largely governed by "The Purpose" and "The Random", forces or entities which are not enemies so much as opposites. Ed is one of a few very rare beings who is not assigned to either force and can, therefore, greatly change existence. Ralph and Lois learn of the " Crimson King ," a shape-shifting higher-dimensional being who feeds on negative emotions and craves chaos to rule over. The Crimson King has sent Atropos to manipulate Ed as part of
465-458: 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 also master of the series' main villain, Walter O'Dim/Padick . He
496-410: 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 himself. He thus becomes undead and possibly immune to protagonist Roland Deschain 's guns. He reaches the tower before Roland, but
527-561: Is the key through which Roland can defeat the King, as stated in a prophecy laid out during the course of the series. In the one-shot comic The Dark Tower: The Sorcerer , Randall Flagg and the Pink Grapefruit (one of the 13 Bends o' the Rainbow ) refer to the Crimson King as their cousin. The Crimson King has taken many forms throughout the series. In The Dark Tower VI , Susannah Dean explains that, in her world, people see
558-431: 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 "sneetches" from his imprisonment in the Tower. As previously predicted, Roland and Patrick Danville bring about the Crimson King's downfall. Patrick captures the King's image with his supernatural artistic abilities, using
589-788: The Los Angeles Police Department , where his professionalism and uncanny talent have helped him establish a nearly legendary reputation. When a series of murders in Los Angeles are traced to a farm insurance salesman from French Landing, Wisconsin, Jack cooperates with the French Landing police to capture the killer. While in Wisconsin, Jack is irresistibly enraptured by the natural beauty of the Coulee Country, echoing his reaction to The Territories as
620-562: The Crimson King as a horned, red-skinned monster called Satan . As evidenced in Insomnia , the Crimson King is a shapeshifter; like the titular creature in It , he takes the form most terrifying to whoever confronts 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 see properly, suggesting that his true form is incomprehensible to human beings. When he finally appears near
651-448: The King fades in and out of view due to his transcendent magical powers. The Crimson King prefers to work from behind the scenes. His sigil, a glaring red eye, is seen throughout each of the books in which he has appeared. He employs other people to do his bidding, as well as numerous supernatural beings, including Atropos, Mr. Munshun , Dandelo, Randall Flagg , John Farson, and various vampires, low men , and taheen . The Crimson King
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#1732773093032682-590: The Santa Monica event threaten to overwhelm Jack, and he fears that involving himself in the investigation may affect his sanity. When a fourth child is taken by the Fisherman, events no longer allow Jack to remain aloof. It quickly becomes apparent to him that the Fisherman is much more than a serial killer. In fact, he is an agent of the Crimson King , and his task is to find children with the potential to serve as Breakers . The fourth victim, Tyler Marshall,
713-407: The attack. Allies of Ed set fire to the shelter where Helen has been staying since leaving him. Ralph and Lois save the residents, then seek out Atropos. Ralph overcomes the malicious being, extracting a promise from Atropos that he will not interfere with him and Lois, knowing the little bald doctors are bound to their promises. Once released, Atropos torments Ralph with a vision of a car accident in
744-463: The end of the Dark Tower series, the Crimson King has the appearance of an old man with white hair and one fang, 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
775-415: The events unfolding," as the success or failure of Ed's attack could affect all of reality. The Crimson King's true target is not Day, as they had assumed, but a boy from the shelter who will be in the audience: Patrick Danville , a young artist prophesied to one day play an instrumental role in preserving the Dark Tower and aiding in the defeat of the Crimson King. The Crimson King has repeatedly tried to end
806-506: The life of a "messiah" but in Derry, a place of convergence, this is now possible. Ed takes off in his plane and Ralph fights him on board. The Crimson King manifests to prevent him from interrupting Ed's mission, but Ralph succeeds in causing the plane to crash some distance away from the center, surviving by shifting himself to a higher plane of reality before impact. Returning to his proper place and reality, Ralph and Lois fall in love and get married, gradually forgetting their adventures with
837-484: The little bald doctors. In an epilogue taking place some years later, Ralph again starts experiencing insomnia. He once again sees auras and eventually remembers the promise he made to exchange his life for Natalie's. He arrives in time to see the car from his vision appear and veer towards Natalie. Ralph pushes her to safety, losing his own life in the process. He dies peacefully with Lois at his side as Clotho and Lachesis watch over him. Mr. Munshun Black House
868-459: The local media exacerbate the situation with inflammatory and provocative coverage. After the events of The Talisman , Jack Sawyer has repressed the memories of his adventures in "The Territories" and his hunt for the Talisman as a twelve-year-old boy, though the residue of these events has served to subtly affect his life even after he has forgotten them. Jack grew up to become a lieutenant in
899-537: The near future that will take the life of Helen's young daughter Natalie. Her death will be retaliation for Atropos not being able to interfere with Ralph. Ralph tells the benign bald doctors he will not stop Ed unless they allow him to save Natalie later, offering his own life for hers. A higher-level entity briefly manifests, causing awe in Clotho and Lachesis as it declares that Ralph's terms are acceptable. He and Lois learn that "almost all of reality has stopped to watch
930-399: The possibility to write the third installment of The Talisman series despite the passing of Peter Straub, saying: "Before he died, Peter sent me this long letter and said we oughta do the third one, and he gave me a really cool idea and I had some ideas of my own." A series of murders has begun to plague the town of French Landing, Wisconsin . The murderer is dubbed "The Fisherman," due to
961-483: Was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1994. The story is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine . Retiree Ralph Roberts encounters his formerly good-natured acquaintance Ed Deepneau at the local airfield. Ed is aggressive and swearing obscenely at a driver he accuses of secretly transporting fetal tissue from abortions . Some months later, Ralph (now a widower ) encounters Ed's wife Helen who has been badly beaten by her husband after having signed