One Of Stephen King's Best Characters Was Introduced In This Underrated Horror Show Starring Bill Skarsgård

The world of Stephen King has a variety of characters, and one of its best and most intriguing ones was introduced in an underrated TV show starring Bill Skarsgård. The works of Stephen King have served as inspiration for many artists, and for decades, many of his stories and characters have been adapted to other media, sometimes more than once. While many of the most famous Stephen King adaptations have been on the big screen, some have also found success on TV, among them a show not directly based on a specific King story.

Said TV show is Castle Rock, created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason. Set in the title town, which is a recurrent setting in the world of Stephen King, Castle Rock brings together different characters from King’s stories, characters related to some of his most famous ones (such as Jane Levy’s Diane Torrance, the niece of The Shining’s Jack Torrance), and original ones in a story that is also separate from all of King’s previous works. Thanks to this, Castle Rock introduced one of the best characters in King’s universe, played by Bill Skarsgård: the Kid.

Castle Rock’s The Kid Is An Original Character In Stephen King’s Universe

Castle Rock Is The Kid’s Only Appearance

The first season of Castle Rock began with a flashback to 1991, when Sheriff Alan Pangborn found young Henry Deaver standing on the frozen lake after having been missing for 11 days. 27 years later, Dale Lacy, on his last day as warden of Shawshank State Penitentiary, killed himself, and his successor ordered the reopening of an abandoned cell block. Shawshank guard Dennis Zalewski came across an underground cage with an unaccounted-for inmate, whom they simply referred to as “The Kid.”

The Kid underwent medical examination and whispered the name “Henry Deaver”, who was then called to return to Castle Rock. Deaver was now a death row attorney, and he ended up investigating what he could about the Kid. Castle Rock later revealed that the Kid was an adult Henry Deaver from another timeline, who found the young Henry Deaver locked in his father’s basement, where he spent years, just like he would later do in young Henry’s timeline.

The Kid is a character who perfectly fits the world of Stephen King, and, surprisingly, he’s not based on any existing characters, instead being unique to Castle Rock.

What happened was that both Henrys were unintentionally transported to each other’s timelines through a specific area in the woods that served as a space between worlds. The Kid is a character who perfectly fits the world of Stephen King, and, surprisingly, he’s not based on any existing characters, instead being unique to Castle Rock.

Castle Rock’s Biggest Mystery Was The Kid’s True Nature

The Kid Isn’t Exactly Human

Castle Rock the Kid's aged and deformed face

As mentioned above, Castle Rock showed the Kid as an alternate version of Henry Deaver, who, in his timeline, was the biological son of Ruth and Matthew, while the other Henry was their adoptive son. However, the Kid’s story took a wild turn later on in the series, where he was shown not to be entirely human. Since his “discovery” in the underground cell, chaos was triggered around the Kid, leading to riots, deaths, and even a fire at Juniper Hill after Henry sent him there.

Henry overpowered the Kid, and in a flash, the Kid showed his face aged and deformed, scaring Henry.

After yet another riot that set both the Kid and Henry free after being arrested for different reasons, the Kid led Henry into the woods at gunpoint. Henry overpowered the Kid, and in a flash, the Kid showed his face aged and deformed, scaring Henry. At the end of Castle Rock season 1, a year after all those chaotic events, the Kid was back in the underground cell in a now-shut-down Shawshank, with Henry bringing him food. Season 2 revealed that the Kid was a centuries-old being, having appeared to a young woman in the French-speaking settlement of New Jerusalem in 1619.

Back then, the Kid, referred to as an “angel”, also triggered chaos, destruction, and death, but Castle Rock still didn’t explain the Kid’s origins. This flashback to 1619 raised many more questions about the Kid, as it was now unclear if he was telling the truth about being an alternate version of Henry Deaver, if it was a lie to manipulate those around him, or if he was posing as Henry Deaver in that timeline and accidentally found himself in another one where he was helpless.

Could Castle Rock’s The Kid Actually Be One Of Stephen King’s Biggest Villains In Disguise?

The Kid Has Been Theorized To Be Other Stephen King Villains

The mysteries about Castle Rock’s The Kid, his powers, and how he brought chaos and death wherever he went have led to theories about him being one of Stephen King’s biggest villains in disguise. The Kid has been believed to be one of It’s many shapes, especially given the coincidence of the Kid being imprisoned for 27 years, which is the time It needs to hibernate. It is also known for triggering chaos and death, and the way the Kid changed his face is reminiscent of It’s shapeshifting abilities.

Bill Skarsgård played Pennywise in Andy Muschietti’s It duology.

The Kid has also been theorized to be Randall Flagg, regarded as the most evil villain in the world of Stephen King. Randall Flagg is a powerful sorcerer, servant of the Outer Dark, and demonic figure whose goal is to bring down civilizations through destruction and conflict. In The Dark Tower series, Flagg conspires with the Crimson King, another character believed to be the real identity of Castle Rock’s the Kid.

The Crimson King is the embodiment of evil in King’s universe, and among his goals is destroying the multitude of universes that revolve around the Dark Tower. With Castle Rock not getting more seasons or any type of continuation, the origins and everything else related to The Kid will remain a mystery.