The following is a partial list of characters from Stephen King's novel The Stand. The novel was published in 1978, with its narrative set during the 1980s; however, a second edition was released in 1990, is considerably longer than the first version (1,200 pages compared to 800 pages), and is set in the 1990s. The two versions are essentially the same, although some content was added in the second version, including a new ending. The book was also adapted into a television mini-series, starring Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and Rob Lowe and was released by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network in 1994. In 2008, Marvel Comics published a comic book adaptation that was ended in 2012. Warner Bros. Pictures released an announcement in January 2011 that the company would be producing a movie remake of the King novel. The project never came to fruition and the book was eventually adapted as a second miniseries for the streaming service CBS All Access where it is currently streaming.

Charles Campion is an American soldier stationed at a military base in the California desert. While Campion is on night duty, a deadly superflu virus escapes containment; a system intended to lock down the base fails to activate immediately, giving Campion time to flee by car with his wife and daughter. He finally succumbs to the superflu at a gas station in the fictional town of Arnette, East Texas, spreading the virus and making him its patient zero.

In the 1994 miniseries, Campion is portrayed by Ray McKinnon. In the 2020 miniseries, he is portrayed by Curtiss Cook Jr.

As the commanding officer of Project Blue, William Starkey is aware that, once loose, the superflu is almost impossible to control due to its constant mutations, meaning it will be impossible to create a vaccine. Though compassionate, he goes to extreme lengths to cover up the accidental outbreak and subsequent pandemic for as long as he can, which includes ordering the execution of journalists who try to reveal the truth. In an attempt to maintain plausible deniability, he activates a contingency plan to have spies release the virus in the Eastern Bloc and China, ensuring these Communist nations are destroyed along with the United States. After being dismissed by the President of the United States due to his failure to contain the virus, Starkey commits suicide in the laboratory where the superflu was created.

In the 1994 miniseries, Starkey is portrayed by Ed Harris. In the 2020 miniseries, he is portrayed by J. K. Simmons.

Creighton is General Starkey's friend and right-hand man; he periodically updates Starkey on the situation. He assumes command of the containment operation after Starkey's removal and subsequent suicide. The character is last heard speaking to an army officer via radio in Los Angeles, but it is unknown whether he survives the superflu or the chaos that follows.

^† This character is named Len Carsleigh in pre-1990 editions of the novel and in the 1994 miniseries.

In the 1994 miniseries, Carsleigh is played by Robert Knott. The character does not appear in the 2020 miniseries.