10 Endings Stephen King Actually Got Right
2. The Stand
The Stand rivals The Dark Tower for Stephen King's Magnum Opus, detailing the epic showdown between good and evil, told in the landscape of a virus ravaged USA. When first published, it was missing an enormous chunk, which was restored in the '90s (thankfully).
The ending of the story details the sacrifice in the name of good by some characters, the destruction of others and an ever-existing form of evil. Stephen King is nothing if not a visionary, with his depiction of the Kingdom of the Beast being Las Vegas. This Kingdom, the height of decadence in America, is leveled and Flagg, one of King's greatest villains, survives the destruction of Hell.
He instead rises again with a savage tribe, arriving on their shores as a new Messiah, ready to share his dark gospel again. It is a downbeat ending to what is, oddly, a sort of upbeat ending to the epic.
The Stand remains one of King's best works and the new series coming (whenever any new series can) is greatly anticipated!