Summary
At the heart of any great story, where a hero rises and faces the world’s challenges, there must also be a great villain. Who wouldBatmanbe without the Joker, or Luke Skywalker without Darth Vader? A great hero is usually defined by the caliber of their greatest villain and how the villain challenges them. Then there are the all-powerful villains, who challenge the hero and throw the weight of entire worlds at them to fulfill a cosmic, grander purpose. In the universe Stephen King created with his seriesThe Dark Tower, that villain is the Crimson King, and there isone legendaryStar Warsactor who would ideally bring this sinister villain to life: Mark Hamill.
Not only the man, the myth, and the legend behindStar Wars' very own hero and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, he has both starred as and voiced some truly iconic characters, including DC Comics’ The Joker and The Trickster, and roles in series likeWhat We Do in the ShadowsandThe Fall of the House of Usher. Now with roles in two upcomingStephen King adaptations,The Life of ChuckandThe Long Walk, respectively, casting this iconic actor as the Crimson King would be one of the forthcoming adaptation’s biggest castings aside from The Gunslinger and The Man in Black.
The Crimson King FromThe Dark Tower, EXPLAINED
Although the most hands-on, immediate villain in Roland Deschain’s life isThe Man in Black, aka Randall Flagg, the most vile and powerful villain driving the attack on the Dark Tower is The Crimson King. Being described as many things, from a demon and magical entity to a trans-dimensional being, the leader of the forces of the Red was born to the Crimson Queen after she had a brief affair with Arthur Eld on the night of his coronation, where she attempted to end his life, only to be foiled by one of Arthur’s knights. This also makes the Crimson King related to Roland, as the Gunslinger is a descendant of Arthur Eld, the last of his line.
A powerful entity, the Crimson King,rules over the land of Discordia, and in his obsession with destroying the Dark Tower and bringing back the chaos of the darkness known as The Prim, he loses his mind and takes the lives of all those who serve him in his castle, and then his own life in the end. However, this doesn’t entirely end him, making him undead and powerful in ways no one could have imagined, even making him the most formidable threat Roland could face on his journey to the Dark Tower.
His evil nature seeps into many other stories, including the main plot ofInsomniaand the sequel to Stephen King and Peter Straub’sThe Talisman, Black House, where it is revealed he used a serial killer to lure powerful children into a prison being used to destroy the beams holding the Dark Tower in place. His obsession grew so strong that he stormed the Dark Tower itself, only to become forever stuck on one of its great balconies. Here, Roland and the Crimson King are destined for a grand battle, each equally matched and set to fight for the fate of reality that the Dark Tower holds in place.
Mark Hamill As The Crimson King Is Perfect Casting
Actor Mark Hamill has made a long and storied career for himself by bringing memorable heroes and villains to life in some of the best horror, fantasy, and sci-fi projects ever. First,he brought Luke Skywalker, a young boy who grew up to become a leader in the rebellion and a Jedi Master who helped defeat the Emperor and his Empire. Yet for all the heroics he brought to life, Mark Hamill has helped bring some truly haunting and chilling villains, especially as the Joker in many DC Comics projects, opposite the late great Kevin Conroy as Batman.
Between his command of voice acting, his ability to tap into both disturbing and terrifying emotions as a villain, and his commitment to crafting memorable characters, Mark Hamill has a resume that screams for him to be cast as The Crimson King. This villain is meant to be an all-consuming threat that pops up multiple times throughout Roland’s journey, with his sigil sprayed across everything from revolutions to ancient technology and so much more. His presence is heavy and intense, andperformances such as The Jokerhave shown he can have that kind of presence inThe Dark Tower.
What also cements him as a perfect casting is his existing connection to other Stephen King projects, from the upcoming adaptation ofThe Life of Chuckto his sinister turn asThe Major inThe Long Walk. This dystopian thriller will make audiences hate his character. Include in that the fact that he has starred inThe Fall of the House of Usher, directed by creator Mike Flanagan, who is also set to createThe Dark Towerseries. There can be little doubt that Mark Hamill is the right choice to bring this vile and haunting villain to life when this series finally comes to life.
