Brian Rusk is a minor antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse.
Serving as a supporting antagonist of the novel Needful Things, and it’s 1993 film adaptation of the same name.
Brian lives in Castle Rock with his mother, Cora Rusk, and his little brother. Brian is one of the many Castle Rock citizens to have been manipulated by Leland Gaunt into doing horrible things in order to pay for their personal "Needful Thing".
Personality[]
Brian is a stereotypical young man with a particular interest in baseball. He is greedy and easily manipulated, preforming illegal acts of vandalism in order to repay his debt for a baseball card that he really wanted. After realizing the consequences of his actions, he revealed himself to be remorseful and sought to take his own life, blaming himself for what happened to Wilma Jerzyck and Nettie Cobb.
Biography[]
Brian is first seen taking his bike over to Leland Gaunt's Needful Things store, where he curiously walked inside. After exploring inside, he bumped into Leland Gaunt, whom introduced himself. After talking for a while, Gaunt asked Brian what he wanted more than anything in the world, and the boys response was the Mickey Mantle baseball card (Sandy Koufax in the novel). Much to Brian's surprise, Gaunt was able to present the card signed for the boy. When Brian tried to pay, Gaunt refused the little cash he had and instead proposed that Brian instead throw mud all over Wilma Jerzyck's laundry. Brian would later take his bike down to their home and do exactly this.
Brian is again seen when Gaunt confronted him hanging around a lighthouse, where he told the boy that his work wasn't done. He told the boy that he had to return to the Jerzyck property and destroy all of the windows he could using Nettie's green apples. Brian would proceed to bike back down to to the home and do exactly this using his experienced throwing arm.
Brian would be seen later that night back at the property to find out what happened to Wilma and Nettie. Putting the pieces together, he would proceed to run away, but not before running into Gaunt. Sometime later, Sheriff Pangborn would arrive to Brian's hangout place at the beach. He would find the boy hanging out in the building and spot Brian's rare baseball card on the wooden staircase leading up to where he was. Brian would then take out a gun and threaten his life, telling the sheriff to stay away while trying to explain what he discovered about Gaunt. When the sheriff got too close, Brian would shoot the gun, the bullet missing a fatal shot but still landing Brian in a hospital.