Summary
In any excellent, exceptionally long-form television series, each season of a popular drama, sci-fi, and fantasy series has a typical setup. In the present day, the main villain or antagonist/problem that the protagonists must face takes center stage. In contrast, a secondary villain or antagonist/problem is introduced in flashbacks or backstories, which usually helps elevate the evolution of the show’s protagonist and heroes. A great example of this was in the days of theArrowverse, in shows like Arrow, which had a secondary villain each season. In the upcoming adaption of Stephen King’sThe Dark Tower, while the main villain of the first season may very well focus on the man in black, the secondary villain of the season should be none other than John Farson.
Farson, a name many fans of King’sDark Towerbooks will know well, was the leader of the army that rebelled and laid siege to Roland’s world, including the famed city of the gunslingers, Gilead, and was responsible for leading the charge in one of Roland’s most costly battles of his youth. With Farson having such a significant impact onRoland’s journey to the Dark Tower, it is hard to imagine Farson not being involved in the series going forward, which is why he would make such a formidable secondary villain in the first season of the upcoming adaption.
John Farson, Explained
John Farson, also known as The Good Man, was a pivotalvillain in the early years of Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers and the series' hero. Farson began his role as a villain by working as a stage robber who worked with his brother, but after his brother betrayed him, Farson arranged for his brother and sister-in-law to be taken out by a pack of billy-bumblers, creatures native to their world. Farson would soon take on a more indirect role as a villain, leading the charge for a new political system.
Fighting under the banner of “The Good Man,” Farson promised his followers a more democratic society, as opposed to the more feudalist stylethat the city of Gileadand the gunslingers had imposed on the land long before. The first man Roland ever saw die, Hax the Cook, was inspired by Farson to commit treason, poisoning a city in his name and later, as a ghost, lamenting the lives of innocent children who perished as a result.
Farson later revealed a growing power he held once Roland and his allies figured out that he was gathering oil from the Barony of Mejis, the town Roland and his friends from Gilead went to on his father Steven’s orders to investigate tales of corruption. This proved true, with the oil the town gave to Farson’s men promising to be used on massive machines from before Roland’s time, when the world “moved on.”These were likely machines the Great Old Onesbuilt, such as mechanized infantry.
After sending his nephew undercover into Gilead to try andsteal the object known as Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, Farson led the final battle in the fall of Gilead. The use of his army, as well as a small army of slow mutants, ended up being the final nail in the coffin for the gunslingers, and with that final move, the gunslingers fell, as did Gilead. While not present at the Battle of Jericho Hill, he ordered the bodies of Roland and his gunslingers not to be mutilated as a sign of respect for a worthy adversary. Farson also flew the symbol of the Crimson King on his banners, which indicated his affiliation with the main villain ofThe Dark Towerseries.
John Farson in Live-Action
Not only does Farson represent a fantasy version of the “unconventional” political figure who leads a revolution and, in the process, tears down the old institutions, a shocking reality for many around the world in recent years, but Farson also represents a character typefound in many of Stephen King’s books, including Greg Stillson, one of the main antagonists from The Dead Zone. The mixture of political drama and master tactician actions makes Farson a deadly opponent who challenges Roland uniquely.
Farson also represented the final foe that Roland’s father, Steven, would face as the leader of Gilead and the gunslingers. As a villain, Farson challenged the old ways of Gilead and the established order that came from before the world “moved on.” The character not only showcases a different and powerful villain but presents a challenge to the established order that can highlight the growing tensions in Roland’s realmleading up to the fall of Gilead, as well as be the villain who introduces the machines and creations of the Great Old Ones that were left behind after their demise. When balancing Roland’s story with flashbacks and explorations of his childhood and the years leading up to his people’s demise, Farson would make the perfect secondary villain to connect with Roland and the main villain of the first season ofThe Dark Towerseries, which should be the man in black himself.
