The Standanthology can expand on unanswered questions and characters from theStephen Kingnovel. First published in 1978,The Standis considered one ofStephen King’s best books. When an epidemic wipes out most of the world’s population, the survivors become embroiled in the ultimate struggle of good versus evil, as some are drawn to the virtuous Mother Abagail, and others are drawn to one ofStephen King’s best villains, Randall Flagg. In 1990,The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Editionwas published and expanded on the story.
The enduring legacy ofThe Standis now being expanded again, this time in the form of the short story anthologyThe End of the World As We Know It. Other than the introduction, theupcoming Stephen King bookis not being written by the prolific author. Instead, King has given permission to a variety of authors to write their own short stories that explore the world ofThe Stand. These stories provide a unique opportunity to answer lingering questions and to revisit characters from King’s novel.
5How Did The Superflu Affect Countries Outside The U.S.?
The Anthology Can Provide A More International Scope
The Standfocuses on how the United States of America is affected by the superflu epidemic, ranging from urban areas like New York City to the seaside town of Ogunquit, Maine. However, there is not much focus on how other countries are impacted.The End of the World As We Know Itcan feature stories that take place in other parts of the world, revealing how quickly the superflu spread in these locations compared to the U.S., along with how the government and general populace responded.
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The original novel sees the U.S. government and the military trying to cover up their mistakes and attempting to control the narrative, going so far as to kill reporters to stop the media from sharing the truth with the public. It would be fascinating to see if governments and armed forces in other countries respond in a similar way, or if there is anywhere in the world that takes a more honest, supportive, and civilized approach. As long as the story is not set in the U.S., it has the potential to answer these questions.
4Continue Tom Cullen’s Story
As a character who is still alive duringThe Stand’s ending, Tom Cullen is a character whose story can be continued and expanded on in the anthology. Stu Redman and Frannie Goldsmith return to Maine to raise their child, but Tom is last seen in Boulder, Colorado. Most of the other characters who helped develop the Boulder Free Zone are dead by the end of the novel, and with Stu and Frannie no longer there, Tom can continue the legacy of what they originally built.
Tom is played by Brad William Henke in the 2020 adaptation ofThe Stand.
Another reason to continue Tom’s story is to provide an updated and more sensitive portrayal of a character with an intellectual disability. Certain elements of how Tom is depicted now feel outdated due to the original novel being published in 1978 and then being republished in 1990.A story told from Tom’s perspective can show what happens to him and to the Boulder Free Zone after Stu and Frannie leave, and can do justice to Tom’s character.
3More Randall Flagg Stories
There’s Always More To Explore With The Iconic Stephen King Villain
As one of King’s best villains whoconnectsThe StandtoThe Dark Tower, more Randall Flagg stories are always welcome.The End of the World As We Know Itcantell moreFlagg stories either during or after the events ofThe Stand. More could be shown about Flagg gaining followers and building his base in Las Vegas. There is a potential to tell more stories about when Boulder citizens, such as Nadine Cross, Dayna Jurgens, and Tom Cullen, are in Las Vegas as well.
The anthology may reveal what happens to Flagg during his time as Russell Faraday, or it could follow Flagg at an entirely different point in his long and nefarious life.
A Flagg story could also pick up afterThe Stand’s epilogue, which sees Flagg thrust into a new civilization after his defeat. The epilogue is part of oneStephen King’s best endingsand sees Flagg taking on the name Russell Faraday as he begins manipulating a new group of people. The anthology may reveal what happens to Flagg during his time as Russell Faraday, or it could follow Flagg at an entirely different point in his long and nefarious life.
2What Happened To Survivors Who Didn’t Go To Las Vegas Or Boulder?
There Are Others Still Out There
After the superflu decimates most of the U.S. population,The Standfollows the characters who settle in Boulder with Mother Abagail and the characters who settle in Las Vegas with Flagg. Not every survivor in the U.S. would have gone there, though.The End of the World As We Know Itcan show what happened to survivors who did not make the trips to these locations and can reveal what others did instead in a post-apocalyptic America.
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It would be intriguing to see characters being beckoned to Boulder and to Las Vegas like those inThe Stand, but they instead resist the call. While Frannie and Harold Lauder traveled from Ogunquit to Boulder, many others were likely unwilling to make such a trip across the country. This story can show what other people in the U.S. were doing whileThe Stand’s main story was unfolding in Boulder and Las Vegas.
1What Happens To The World Long After The Stand?
Stu’s Philosophical Question Can Be Answered
The official synopsis forThe End of the World As We Know Itsays that it will have"unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand." This all but confirms that at least one story will take place many years after the original book’s conclusion. Whether it is one or multiple stories, the anthology can reveal what happens to the world long afterThe Stand.
The End of the World As We Know Itis scheduled for release on August 18, 2025.
Showing what happens long aftercan answer Stu’s question from the end of the book when he asks Frannie,“Do you think people ever learn anything?“Decades, centuries, or millennia later, other writers can determine whether the survivors and the generations that followed learned their lessons. As terrifying and horrific asStephen Kingstories can be, many of them also feature hope and human resiliency, which may translate into the stories written by the anthology’s authors and their take on the distant future ofThe Stand’s world.
