Stephen King's Former Alias, Richard Bachman, Appeared In An Adaptation Of The Stand

It's astonishing how often we have returned to Stephen King's "The Stand." The original version of the novel was published in 1978, and it was a big hit. In 1990, however, King restored over 300 pages to the already-long novel, time-shifting the events forward a decade, and then publishing it as the Complete & Uncut Edition. The complete version runs 1,152 pages, making it King's longest novel to date. 

"The Stand" follows the fate of the world after the outbreak of a deadly flu-like virus nicknamed Captain Trips. It takes a month for the virus to reduce Earth's human population by 99.4%. The survivors, however, find themselves being alternately tantalized by one of two eerie, divine beings that are essentially attempting to gather them into camps. On one side, people follow the gentle and spiritual 108-year-old woman named Mother Abigail. On the other, there is the demonic Randall Flagg, who has superpowers and fascist aspirations. 

In 1994, ABC adapted "The Stand" into a four-episode miniseries starring Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and many others. In 2020, Paramount+ put out a nine-episode remake of "The Stand" with Whoopi Goldberg, James Marsden, and a huge cast. For that one, they fixed the ending.

In between those two, from 2008 to 2012, Marvel Comics adapted "The Stand" into a 31-issue comic series. The comic was divided into six story arcs of five issues each, with the final arc running six issues. It was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and drawn by Laura Martin and Mike Perkins, and it covered every event in the Complete version of the novel. 

And it had a Stephen King cameo in it. Well, a Stephen King-looking character named "Richard Bachman" appeared in the comic, referring to King's long-term pen name, used for several of King's novels from 1977 through 2007.

The page with the cameo has been preserved on a Stephen King Lovers Facebook fan page, and Bachman is called out by name. In the comic, Richard Bachman was one of Randall Flagg's inner circle who gathered to worship him in his enclave in Las Vegas. The Richard Bachman scene came at the end of the "Stand" story, when people began to stand up to Flagg and his wickedness.

"This ain't right!" Richard Bachman yelled. "We was American once! I wasn't much before, but I know this ain't how Americans act! Listening to a murdering freak in cowboy boots!" Richard Bachman then accuses Randall Flagg of being the Devil, which he gleefully confirms. Flagg then kills Bachman with some sort of demonic magic. 

The Facebook post also clarifies something for fans of "The Stand." This mysterious Richard Bachman character was actually a replacement for the minor character of Whitney "Whitey" Horgan from the original novel. Horgan was also in the 1994 TV miniseries, played by Sam Anderson. In the book, Horgan is explained to be the caterer for Randall Flagg and his inner circle. In the miniseries, he's just sort of a generic henchman. In the book, like in the Marvel Comic, Horgan does eventually stand up to Randall Flagg, calling him a freak in cowboy boots. 

Those who have read "The Stand," though, know that this was the point when a nuclear bomb became involved in the action and not everything ends well for the city of Las Vegas. 

Stephen King has made many cameos in adaptations of his work, but this may be the only appearance ever from Richard Bachman.