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Greg Stillson
First appearance	The Dead Zone (1979)
Last appearance	The Dead Zone (2007)
Created by	Stephen King
Portrayed by	Martin Sheen (film) Sean Patrick Flanery (television)
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Polititian Presidential Candidate Salesman

Greg Stillson is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of Stephen King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone. He is portrayed by Golden Globe-winner Martin Sheen in the film adaptation and Sean Patrick Flanery in the USA Network television series of the same name. Greg Stillson is a rising politician and future U.S. President whose rise to power will eventually bring on Armageddon.

Novel biography

In the novel, Greg Stillson was raised in Oklahoma by an abusive oil field worker. He is introduced at the beginning of the novel as a travelling Bible salesman in 1955. During a stop at a house in rural Iowa, Stillson is attacked by the absent homeowners' dog and, enraged, sprays ammonia in the animal's eyes before beating it to death. As he drives away, Stillson comes to the blind realization that he is destined for greatness. It is revealed later that Stillson held a series of odd occupations in the years following this incident, among them being a successful rainmaker.

After arriving in New Hampshire in 1971, Stillson begins a career in politics and blackmails a biker, Sonny Elliman, into helping him intimidate his rivals. In 1976, Stillson is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after a campaign marked by his eccentric populism. During one rally, Stillson shake hands with psychic Johnny Smith. The physical contact causes Smith to have an apocalyptic vision in which he sees Stillson inaugurated as president, followed by a feeling of utter desolation. Smith, believing that Stillson will trigger a future nuclear war, reluctantly contemplates assassinating him. After being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, Smith realizes he has precious little time to avert the future catastrophe.

Smith arrives in Jackson, New Hampshire and finds a decent snipers' nest at a town hall meeting featuring Stillson. However, Smith misses Stillson several times when he opens fire. Stillson grabs a nearby child and uses him as a human shield, which is captured by a photographer. When Smith hesitates, he is shot and mortally wounded. Smith touches Stillson again when they meet the final time, and dies knowing that Stillson will never come to power. It is implied that Stillson's career ends in disgrace after the damning photo of him holding the child against Smith's fire is published.

Film biography

In David Cronenberg's 1983 film The Dead Zone, Stillson is played by Martin Sheen. Stillson's actions and characterizations are largely similar in the film adaptation, showing him to be a charismatic politician who harbors a near-psychotic ambition to be president. Still, several elements are changed. Stillson runs for the U.S. Senate instead of the U.S. House of Representatives, and engages in less eccentric behavior during his rallies. Smith's vision of Stillson's future is different. In the novel, Smith sees Stillson's inauguration followed by a sense of utter desolation; in the film, he sees Stillson at Camp David, forcing an Army general to help him enter the launch codes to America's nuclear arsenal.

The circumstances for Stillson's downfall are also different. During Smith's assassination attempt, the child Stillson grabs is Denny, the infant son of his love interest, Sarah Bracknell. When the mortally wounded Smith touches Stillson following the failed attempt, he has a vision of Stillson committing suicide when a photo of him holding Denny is published by Newsweek.

Role in the TV series

In the USA Network television series The Dead Zone, Stillson is played by Sean Patrick Flannery. During his childhood, he is used by his abusive father, con artist James Stillson, as a ploy and accomplice in his various petty crimes. Stillson encounters Johnny Smith when they are both nine years old; Smith has a vague vision and passes out upon meeting him. Years later, Stillson — by then the mayor of Cleaves Mills, Maine — passes Smith's car accident on his way to the office of Charlie Richardson, who he and Sonny Elliman threaten for leaking stories to the press. As Smith wakes from his coma, Stillson is sworn in as a member of the Maine House of Representatives.

When Stillson runs for Congress, he visits a disaster site to make a speech. However, the reporters abandon him when they spot Smith, who had saved hundreds of lives by foreseeing the event. When Stillson learns of Smith's investigations into his background, he tries to dissuade Smith by offering him connections after he is elected. Smith responds by helping Stillson's opponent, Harrison Fisher, best him in a debate. Smarting from the defeat, Stillson vents his hatred for Smith, whom Elliman assaults. After scandal forces Fisher from the race, Stillson asks Smith to "join forces" with him to put their combined resources behind the congressional campaign. Smith declines the offer.

Stillson falls in love with Rachel Caldwell, a student filmmaker who has been hired to make a campaign documentary. Rachel goes missing after she unwittingly walks in on a demonstration of a voting machine designed to steal votes for Stillson. Despite being questioned by both Smith and Sheriff Bannerman, Stillson devotes his campaign's resources to finding Rachel. When Rachel's body is found and Smith is arrested for her murder, Stillson gives Elliman photographs of the psychic's "armageddon board" with instructions to distribute them to the press. However, Smith is eventually exonerated, and resumes his investigation into the killing.

Stillson discounts voters' names that are even remotely similar to convicted felons, resulting in his "election." During the victory party, Stillson walks in on Sarah searching his office. He attempts to seduce her, but his advances are cut off when an aide bursts into the office, giving her an opportunity to escape. Later, Stillson throws his support behind a crime bill named after Rachel. Stillson is visited by Rebecca and Smith, and asks that Rebecca attend the bill-signing ceremony in Washington. Rebecca declines the offer. Smith shakes hands with Stillson, but one again collapses from the resulting vision of the nuclear apocalypse. Stillson phones for paramedics.

Later, Rebecca changes her mind and decides to attend the signing ceremony. James, however, becomes leery of what looks like a relationship between Stillson and Rebecca, and orders Elliman to place wiretaps in her apartment. Smith finds the wiretaps while Elliman is captured by Bannerman. On the morning of the signing, Stillson and Rebecca are hustled to his suite when Smith is spotted nearby. Rebecca, under the impression that Stillson murdered Rachel, tries to kill him out of revenge. However, Smith bursts in and reveals that James killed Rachel. When James confesses, his son strangles him in a fit of rage.

Stillson authorizes Congress to give federal subsidies to fund a biomedical firm, whose research would provide soft money for his re-election campaign. Stillson and his newly hired advisor, Malcolm Janus, discuss the work of Alex Connors, an employee at the biomedical firm who is a former student of Smith's. Stillson visits Connors, learning that he and Smith had a falling-out over his current work. Stillson tells Janus that Smith must be kept out of Connors' research in order to secure the firm's funds. Stillson later runs into Smith, who offers to avoid Stillson if he distances himself from Connors. Stillson seems to agree, but orders Connors kidnapped.

Over the next several months, Stillson becomes romantically involved with Miranda Ellis, the daughter of Maine senator Harlan Ellis. However, an inebriated Stillson confesses to Miranda about murdering James. Not long after, she goes missing. Stillson and Smith reluctantly partner up to search for her, but turn up no leads. Later, Janus tells Stillson that Miranda is alive and gives him her whereabouts; Stillson admits to telling Miranda the truth about James' death. Stillson holds a press conference to announce Miranda's safe return and publicly propose to her.

As Stillson goes over wedding details with Miranda and Harlan, he learns that one of his rivals in Congress, Patrick Kelley, has been invited to the ceremony. He also learns that Miranda has been seeing a doctor for a heart condition. Stillson meets with Kelley to discuss an intelligence leak to a newspaper, as Kelley is the committee chairman for Homeland Security. Stillson tries to threaten Kelley with the leak, but is rebuffed. Later, Janus shows him photographs of Miranda at Smith's residence. Enraged, Stillson orders Janus to "handle the situation." At the wedding, Kelly is harangued by reporters over the intelligence leak. However, as Stillson waits at the altar, Miranda collapses and dies.

During a congressional recess, Smith confronts Stillson over the deaths of James and Miranda. Later, he is instructed by Janus to join Vice President Eric Danbury on a hunting expedition. During the trip, Stillson witnesses Danbury's assassination. He returns fire in the direction of the assassin, and is publicly credited with taking down the triggerman. He is appointed vice president upon Danbury's death. However, when the Rev. Eugene Purdy tries to withdraw his support for Stillson, a struggle with Janus results in Janus' accidental death as well as a fire that kills Sheriff Bannerman. When Stillson and Smith shake hands at Bannerman's wake, Smith does not have an apocalyptic vision.

In the final episode of the series, "Denouement", Smith learns that Stillson in fact has taken the Janus' place in the Corporation for a Better American Society, and has orchestrated nearly everything that has been going on. While still charming Sarah and J.J., Stillson asks them to move with him to Washington. When Sarah refuses, Stillson becomes violent and knocks J.J. to the floor of her house. Upon hitting his head, both J.J., as well as Johnny at another location, have a vision of the nuclear apocalypse again. Sarah angrily tells Stillson to leave, and he dejectedly returns to Washington. However, J.J. keeps his vision to himself.

Other Stephen King works

The robot Nigel the Butler mentions Stillson and his campaign motto in The Dark Tower.

Comparisons to Donald Trump

The character of Greg Stillson is often compared to United States President Donald Trump. King himself has recognised the similarities between Stillson and Trump stating in an interview with Stephen Colbert during the Coronavirus Pandemic, "You know, people have been telling me for years that I sort of, forsaw Donald Trump. I wrote a book called The Dead Zone, and there was this character in there kind of a TV comedian type guy who appealed to the common people and told everybody that he was gonna solve the pollution problem and the problem of garbage, he was gonna shoot it all into outer space! And then he would hand out hot dogs and he's day 'You're gonna say "Hot Dog" when you elect Greg Stillson for President'" After Trump's initial election, King made another comparison to Stillson stating "I had written about such men before. In The Dead Zone, Greg Stillson is a door-to-door Bible salesman with a gift of gab, a ready wit and the common touch. He is laughed at when he runs for mayor in his small New England town, but he wins. He is laughed at when he runs for the House of Representatives (part of his platform is a promise to rocket America’s trash into outer space), but he wins again. When Johnny Smith, the novel’s precognitive hero, shakes his hand, he realizes that some day Stillson is going to laugh and joke his way into the White House, where he will start world war three.”

References

Category:Fictional characters from Oklahoma Category:Fictional murderers Category:Fictional United States presidential candidates Category:Fictional United States independent politicians Category:Fictional members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Fictional Vice Presidents of the United States Category:Science fiction film characters Category:Stephen King characters Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1979 Category:Characters in American novels of the 20th century Category:Literary villains