Summary
- Rhea of the Coos is a pivotal character in Roland's life, marked by great loss and tragedy.
- Rhea's connection to the Crimson King and her impact on Roland's evolution as a gunslinger are crucial.
- Mike Flanagan's live-action adaptation of The Dark Tower series needs to include Rhea for Roland's story to feel complete.
In every television series, at least in genre-specific shows, there are some characters that fans will know right out of the gate are bad news. Whether that is characters like Benjamin Linus on Lost, or Eobard Thawne on The Flash, some characters embody the evil they are meant to represent, and in a landscape known for creating complex characters that embody both good and evil, the need to have these forces of nature in a series is more important than ever to create an equally complex plot narrative. In the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, there is one character who had a serious impact on protagonist Roland Deschain’s life: Rhea of the Coos.
A character deeply meshed into the backstory of Roland Deschain, Rhea of the Coos was a witch who helped orchestrate some of the most pivotal tragedies that made Roland into the Gunslinger the series came to know. A villain connected more and more to the dark magic the world Roland hails from is known for, the series needs to make sure this character has an equal impact on Roland’s story moving forward. That is why Rhea of the Coos is one of the most pivotal characters to include in the Dark Tower series.
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The Dark Tower's Rhea Of The Coos, EXPLAINED
A woman who has lived far longer than the town from which she hails, Rhea was born Rhea Dubativo, who gained knowledge of the world of magic when a shard of a powerful object known as The Laughing Glass embedded itself into her eye, showing her the magic in the world around her. Believing in survival of the fittest as a philosophy, Rhea moved from town to town, using spells and curses to put hardships on people she healed. When she was older and neared death, she begged the Crimson King to extend her life, and he obliged, placing her in the town of Hambry and telling her to wait for his instructions. It was here she would meet Roland Deschain.
Eldred Jonas, leader of the Big Coffin Hunters, delivered the artifact known as Maerlyn’s Grapefruit to Rhea. Rhea becomes enamored by the power of the sphere, and this, coupled with her hatred for local town girl Susan Delgado, begins a campaign to destroy the young girl and keep the power of the grapefruit for herself. She starts by putting a spell on Susan, telling her to cut her long hair once she is no longer “pure”. After Susan’s night with Roland, she nearly does this, but Roland is able to stop her and determines Rhea was the one who put her up to the act.
Roland confronts Rhea, warning her to stay away from Susan and taking out one of her mutant pets when she summons it to attack him. When Eldred Jonas separated Rhea from the Grapefruit at the behest of the Man in Black, Rhea became enraged and told him where to find Susan as the young girl tried to escape the town to be with Roland. Rhea helped lead a mob against the girl, inciting the mob to burn Susan on a festival pyre. Later, while under the influence of the Grapefruit, Roland saw a vision of Rhea, believing the witch had invaded his home of Gilead. However, after he took out Rhea, he discovered it had been a lie, and that he had instead taken the life of his own mother, completing her revenge on Roland for his interference once and for all.
Including Rhea Of The Coos In The Dark Tower Show Is Pretty Much Required
It is safe to say that Rhea of the Coos had a huge impact on Roland’s young life. A willing participant and servant of the Crimson King and Red, Rhea dedicated her life to the chaos that the Crimson King advocated for. The life of Roland Deschain is one marked by tragedy, especially great loss. This journey to the Dark Tower and the losses he would endure began with Rhea of the Coos, who not only took the love of his life, Susan Delgado, from him but also became the instrument of his own mother’s destruction.
This path of loss is so vital to Roland's journey that it must also become a vital part of the live-action series that Mike Flanagan is developing. Understanding that profound sense of loss and heartbreak illustrates the path that Roland took to build up the hardened walls in his heart that made him such a lethal gunslinger and sole survivor of his people. The entire Dark Tower series is a testament to the journey, not just to the Dark Tower, but to Roland and his family, both the one he was born into and the one he made for himself.
Rhea is an essential part of that journey. Her vicious attack on the first true love Roland had and her connection to the Crimson King and his greater plans made her so crucial to the road Roland would find himself on. His losses would fuel him forward into the Battle of Jericho Hill, the Battle of Tull, and the confrontation with the Man in Black that would lead him down the road to the Dark Tower itself. Developing Rhea as a villain into Roland’s backstory and flashbacks in the adaptation is necessary to make Roland’s evolution as a protagonist feel truly complete.
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- Birthdate
- September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
- Portland, Maine
- Notable Projects
- The Shining, Cujo, The Shawshank Redemption, It, Carrie