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Who do you love? Do you love me?
~ Killian's most famous quote
This is television, that's all it is. It's nothing to do with people, it's to do with the ratings. For fifty years, we've told them what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. For Christ's sake, Ben, don't you understand? Americans love television! They wean their kids on it! Listen, they love game shows. They love wrestling. They love sports and violence. So what do we do? We give them what they want! We're number one, Ben. That's all that counts!
~ Killian explaining his philosophy to Ben Richards

Damon Killian is the main antagonist of Stephen King’s 1982 novel The Running Man, and it’s 1987 film adaptation of the same name. He serves as the host for the titular game show, and the archenemy of Ben Richards.

He was portrayed by the late Richard Dawson.

Novel[]

The show deems the runner as an enemy of the state, and allows him to go anywhere in the world. He is given a twelve-hour head start before an elite group of hunters, known as Stalkers, set out to kill him. The objective is to stay alive for thirty days.

Film[]

The Running Man television series is a gladiatorial competition taking place in the urban outback of Los Angeles, which (according to the movie's backstory) was all but destroyed by a 1997 earthquake. The show finds several "Runners" (various undesirables, often prison convicts) being challenged to survive while chased by "Stalkers" for cash and other prizes (particularly full pardons for the convicts). The Stalkers are large and physically-powerful men with ornate weaponry, costumes, and nicknames...

  • Sub-Zero is an ice-skater who slashes his victims to pieces with a razor-edged hockey stick, or blows them up with pucks made of C4, on a rink surrounded with razor-spiral.
  • Dynamo, an opera-singer, shoots bolts of lightning from his wrist-mounted plasma-casters.
  • Fireball, wearing asbestos from head to toe, wields a flamethrower and uses a jetpack. (Ben eventually cremates Fireball by rupturing and then igniting the gas-line for said hardware: "Sorry I haven't got a Bud Light...What a hothead!")
  • Buzzsaw is a motorcyclist whose jade-toothed titanium chainsaw can cut through steel as if it were wood. (Ben ultimately commandeers this weapon and turns it on Buzzsaw, then jokes, "He had to split.")
  • Captain Freedom uses his unarmed combat prowess, no weapons.

Damon Killian works with the now-corrupt U.S. government to keep the populace blind and under control, via The Running Man plus similar TV programming. He is not above manipulating the Runners' backgrounds (presenting doctored evidence, or even spinning complete and utter lies) in order to "justify" their being hunted down and executed. Moreover, Killian doesn't lie just to his audience. He cuts a deal with police officer-turned-murder scapegoat Ben Richards: if Ben agrees to become a Runner, his fellow prison-escapees will not have to. When Ben accepts, Killian goes back on his deal by putting both of the other fugitives in the game as Runners.

When innocent L.A. citizen Amber Mendez discovers that Killian has twisted the facts about Richards' past, her efforts to clear his name succeed only in landing her on Killian's death-list: Killian accuses Amber of being Richards' accomplice, and thoroughly tarnishes her reputation, on live TV. She is thrust into the game-zone, with the Stalkers on her trail. (Naturally, in fact, this is to keep Amber from exposing Killian's falsehoods to the masses.) While fleeing Fireball, she discovers that last year's Running Man winners are actually last year's losers: supposedly, these previous Runners redeemed themselves by completing the game, and are now enjoying assorted luxurious retirement packages which they won. Actually, they were all trapped and executed; Running Man is rigged so that no Runner can possibly "win".

Ben's fellow fugitives are slain by the Stalkers; Ben himself outwits and kills Sub-Zero, followed by Buzzsaw and Fireball, while Amber tricks and kills Dynamo. Captain Freedom openly declares his admiration and respect for Ben, refusing to stalk him, and is fired by Killian...who offers Ben a contract as a new Stalker. Ben angrily tells Kilian what he can do with his contract.

Ben, backed by resistance-guerillas, ultimately shows the Running Man audience Killian's true nature...by storming the fortress-like TV station and pirating Killian's broadcast-signal. The resistance troops engage the heavily armed security guards in combat, with Killian's studio-audience caught in the crossfire. While the guerillas win their battle against the police, Ben finally avenges himself and the people Killian killed by strapping the deranged host into the gameshow bobsled and launches him down the chute into the game-zone. Killian flies headlong into a billboard with his own face on it, which results in a fatal explosion. As Ben humorously observes, "Well, that hit the spot."

Trivia[]

  • In the novel the movie was based on, Killian was an executive producer on the reality show, not the host, but still plays the role as the main antagonist and arch-nemesis of Ben Richards.
    • In the book, he even had the guts to inform Richards that his wife and daughter were killed by an angry mob, ten days before starting his run.
  • Before Richard Dawson was cast, Chuck Woolery was considered for the role of Killian, but Woolery was unavailable, so Richard Dawson was cast at the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger because Dawson is a close friend of Schwarzenegger.

External Links[]

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Novels/Novellas
Carrie: Carrie White | Mortimer Snerds (Chris Hargensen, Donna and Mary Lila Grace Thibodeau, Helen Shyres, Heather Shyres & Tina Blake) | Margaret White | Billy Nolan | Ralph White
Salem's Lot: Kurt Barlow | Richard Straker | Marsten House
The Shining: Overlook Hotel | Jack Torrance | Hotel Caretaker | Grady Sisters | Lorraine Massey
Children of the Corn: Children of the Corn (Isaac Chroner & Malachai Boardman) | He Who Walks Behind the Rows
Rage: Charlie Decker | Mr. Decker
The Stand: Randall Flagg | Barry Dorgan | Bobby Terry | Harold Lauder | Julie Lawry | Lloyd Henreid | Nadine Cross | The Kid | The Rat Man | Trashcan Man | Whitney Horgan
The Long Walk: The Major | Gary Barkovitch
The Dead Zone: Greg Stillson | Frank Dodd
The Mist: Adrian Garff Mrs. Carmody | The Mist
Firestarter: Captain Hollister | Doctor Herman Pynchot | John Rainbird
Roadwork: Barton George Dawes | Sal Magliore
Cujo: Cujo | Joe Camber | Stephen Kemp
The Running Man: Damon Killian | United States of America
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: Samuel Norton | Byron Hadley | Sisters (Bogs Diamond) | Elmo Blatch
Apt Pupil: Kurt Dussander | Todd Bowden
The Body: The Cobras (John "Ace" Merrill, Richard "Eyeball" Chambers, Billy Tessio, Charlie Hogan, Vince Desjardins, Jack Mudgett & Norman "Fuzzy" Bracowicz)
Christine: Arnie Cunningham | Christine | Repperton Gang | Roland D. LeBay
Pet Sematary: Wendigo | Church | Gage Creed | Rachel Creed | Timmy Baterman
Cycle of the Werewolf: Lester Lowe
The Tailsman: Morgan Sloat
Thinner: Billy Halleck | Tadzu Lempke | Cary Rossington | Duncan Hopley | Gabe Romani | Gina Lempke | Richie Ginelli
Dolan's Cadillac: Jimmy Dolan
It: It | Bowers Gang (Belch Huggins, Henry Bowers, Marcia Fadden, Patrick Hockstetter, Peter Gordon & Vic Criss) | Alvin Marsh | Butch Bowers | Richard Macklin | Tom Rogan | Christopher Unwin | Webby Garton
Misery: Annie Wilkes
The Tommyknockers: Tommyknockers | Nancy Voss
The Dark Half: George Stark
Secret Window, Secret Garden: John Shooter
The Langoliers: Craig Toomey | Langoliers | Roger Toomey
Needful Things: Leland Gaunt | John "Ace" Merrill | Danforth Keeton III | Brian Rusk | Wilma Jerzyck | Nettie Cobb | Hugh Preist | Father Brigham (Father Meehan) | Reverend Rose
Gerald's Game: Gerald Burlingame | Moonlight Man | Tom Mahout
Dolores Claiborne: Joe St. George
Insomnia: Atropos | Crimson King
Rose Madder: Norman Daniels
The Green Mile: William Wharton | Percy Wetmore
Desperation: Tak | Sheriff Collie Entragian
The Regulators: Tak
Bag of Bones: Max Devore | Sara Tidwell | Roggete Whitmore
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: God of the Lost
Dreamcatcher: Byrus | Mr. Gray
Black House: Charles Burnside | The Crow Gorg | Mr. Munshun
From a Buick 8: The Buick
Cell: Phone Crazies | Raggedy Man
Lisey's Story: Andrew Landon | Jim Dooley | Long Boy
The Gingerbread Girl: Jim Pickering
Duma Key: Perse | Undead Victims
Under the Dome: Jim Rennie | Junior Rennie | Phil Bushey | Leatherheads
1922: Wilfred James | Henry James | Shannon Cotterie
Big Driver: Lester Norville | Ramona Norville
A Good Marriage: Robert Bob Anderson
11/22/63: Lee Harvey Oswald | Frank Dunning
In The Tall Grass: Ross Humboldt | Cal Demuth
Doctor Sleep: The True Knot (Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, Grandpa Flick, Barry the Chink & Snakebite Andi) | Andy Hallorann
Bill Hodges Trilogy: Brady Hartsfield | Morris Bellamy
Gwendy's Button Box: Richard Farris
The Outsider: The Outsider
Fairy Tale: Gogmagog | Elden | Petra | Kellin | Hana | Red Molly | Peterkin | Christopher Polley

Short Stories
Cain Rose Up: Curt Garrish
The Mangler: Bill Gartley | The Mangler
The Boogeyman: The Boogeyman
Trucks: Westway Refrigerated Truck | Bulldozer
The Ledge: Cressner
Jerusalem's Lot: Philip Boone | James Boon | The Worm
Quitter's Inc.: Mr. Donatti | Quitters Inc.
The Crate: Crate Beast
Crouch End: The Children | The Goat with a Thousand Young
The Monkey: The Monkey
The Raft: Lake Blob
Word Processor of the Gods: Richard Hagstrom | Roger Hagstrom
Gramma: Gramma Bruckner
The Night Flier: Dwight Renfield
Low Men in Yellow Coats: Harry Doolin
Blind Willie: Raymond Fiegler
Why We're In Vietnam: Ronnie Malenfant
Lunch at the Gotham Café: Guy

Films
The Shining: Overlook Hotel (Lloyd, Lorraine Massey & Hotel Caretaker) | Jack Torrance
Creepshow: Creepshow Creep | Crate Beast | Nathan Grantham | Richard Vickers | Upson Pratt | Wilma Northrup
Cat's Eye: Cressner | Mr. Donatti | Quitters Inc. | Troll
Maximum Overdrive: Bubba Hendershot | Camp Loman | Happy Toyz Truck | Ice Cream Truck | M274 Mule | Vending Machine
A Return to Salem`s Lot: Judge Axle
Creepshow 2: Creepshow Creep | Creepshow Bullies | Lake Blob | Sam Whitemoon | The HitchHiker
Sleepwalkers: Charles Brady | Mary Brady | Sleepwalkers
Pet Sematary 2: Gus Gilbert | Renee Hallow | Clyde Parker | Zowie
The Mangler Trilogy: Bill Gartley | The Mangler | Lin Sue | The Mangler Virus
The Rage: Carrie 2: Rachel Lang | Mark Bing
Creepshow 3: Creepshow Creep | Rachel
The Dark Tower: Randall Flagg
It: Part One: It | Bowers Gang (Henry Bowers, Vic Criss | Belch Huggins & Patrick Hockstetter)
Pet Sematary (2019): Ellie Creed
It: Part Two: It | Henry Bowers | Tom Rogan
Doctor Sleep: The True Knot (Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, Grandpa Flick, Barry the Chink & Snakebite Andi) | Overlook Hotel (Jack Torrance, Hotel Caretaker & Lorraine Massey)
The Boogeyman: Boogeyman

TV Series
The Stand: Randall Flagg | Harold Lauder | Julie Lawry | Nadine Cross | The Rat Woman | Trashcan Man
The Shining: Overlook Hotel | Jack Torrance | Hotel Caretaker | Lorraine Massey
Storm of the Century: André Linoge
Rose Red: Professor Joyce Reardon | Ellen Rimbauer
Under the Dome: Big Jim Rennie | Junior Rennie | Phil Bushey | The Kinship (Christine Price & Dawn Sinclair-Barbara)

Other
The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: Ellen Rimbauer

See Also
The Dark Tower Villains

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