The last of the gunslingers and the sole surviving member of a knightly order sworn to protect the Beams that hold the multiverse together. Roland has pursued the Man in Black across a dying world for years, driven by a singular obsession with the Dark Tower - the nexus of all realities. Trained from boyhood in Gilead, he is one of the finest warriors alive, possessed of an almost supernatural speed and accuracy with his revolvers. He is also ruthless, willing to put the quest above all else - a quality that defines him across eight books.

The primary antagonist of the early Dark Tower books and one of Stephen King's most recurring villains across his wider fiction. A sorcerer of vast age and power, Walter has manipulated events across countless worlds and centuries. He is the Man in Black whom Roland has been pursuing since the first line of the series. Devious and theatrical, he is a figure of genuine menace.

A seven-foot-tall messenger robot (Many Other Functions) built by North Central Positronics, the last functioning robot in the Calla. He predicts the Wolves' coming, offers horoscopes, and cooks meals, but secretly serves as an intelligence conduit to Thunderclap, relaying information about the children's locations. He is eventually deactivated by Jake using a voice-command code.

Foreman of Eisenhart's Rocking B ranch, father of Benny. He wears spectacles given to him by the Wolves' masters as a mark of his treachery - he has been secretly passing information about the children's hiding places to Thunderclap via Andy. Roland discovers his betrayal through Jake and uses it tactically, feeding him false information about the battle plan.

Ben Slightman's teenage son and Jake's closest friend in the Calla. A kind, eager boy who bonds quickly with Jake over barn-jumping and billy-bumbler tricks. He fights bravely during the Wolf battle, helping rescue the Tavery twins, but is killed by a sneetch - one of the Wolves' flying razor-drones - breaking Jake's heart.

Roland's closest childhood friend and fellow apprentice gunslinger in Gilead. Quick-witted, humorous, and brave, Cuthbert is described as more intelligent and talkative than Roland, with a ready grin and a tendency to make jokes even in dire situations. He trains alongside Roland under Cort and witnesses key events including the hawk David's training, the cook Hax's treasonous plot, and Roland's unprecedented early challenge for his coming of age. He goes to his death laughing, blowing a horn.

A heroin addict from 1987 New York, drawn into Mid-World through one of the doors on the beach. Quick-witted and irreverent, Eddie has a gift for defusing tension through humour that masks a deep well of courage. He becomes one of Roland's most capable and loyal companions.

A former Catholic priest first introduced in King's Salem's Lot, who crosses into the Dark Tower universe and eventually settles in Calla Bryn Sturgis. Callahan failed in his confrontation with the vampire Barlow in Salem's Lot and spent years wandering before finding purpose again with Roland's ka-tet. His backstory occupies a substantial section of Wolves of the Calla.

A boy from New York who finds himself drawn into Mid-World, where he becomes a companion to Roland and his ka-tet. Perceptive and brave beyond his years, Jake possesses a low-level psychic ability and bonds deeply with the billy-bumbler Oy.

A fourth personality inhabiting Susannah's body, whose name means 'mother' in the High Speech. She exists solely to protect and nourish the demonic chap growing inside her, hunting raw meat in swamps at night while believing she feasts in a grand castle. She ultimately seizes control of Susannah's body and flees through the Doorway Cave to New York to give birth.

A billy-bumbler - a raccoon-like creature native to Mid-World with limited speech ability - who attaches himself to Jake Chambers and becomes inseparable from him. Oy is capable of mimicking words, shows unusual loyalty and intelligence, and serves as both comic relief and emotional anchor for the ka-tet.

A civil rights activist from 1964 New York with dissociative identity disorder, drawn into Mid-World through one of the doors on the beach. Her two identities - the composed Odetta Holmes and the volatile, dangerous Detta Walker - must find a way to coexist. A wheelchair user who lost her legs below the knee in a subway accident, she becomes one of Roland's most formidable companions.

A young farmer in Calla Bryn Sturgis with two sets of twins and a singleton. He is the first to call for resistance against the Wolves, sending the opopanax feather to convene a Town Gathering. Passionate and determined, he stands with Roland from the beginning and fights in the final battle.

The biggest and most successful farmer in Calla Bryn Sturgis, initially opposed to fighting the Wolves. He wears a white Stetson and has a vast belly. His own twin brother Welland was taken and roont. Though sceptical, he is gradually won over by Roland's presence and eventually supports the decision to fight.

The fat, mild-mannered owner of The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind bookstore in New York. His real name is Toren (Dutch for 'tower'). He owns the vacant lot at Second Avenue and 46th Street where the rose grows, making him an unwitting guardian of immense power. He is being pressured by Balazar on behalf of the Sombra Corporation to sell the lot.

Tian Jaffords's ancient, nearly toothless grandfather. Despite his age and doddering state, he holds crucial knowledge: his own grandfather saw a woman named Molly Doolin kill a Wolf with a thrown plate, and when its mask was removed, there was only metal underneath. This testimony confirms that the Wolves are robots and can be destroyed.

The elderly patriarch of the Manni folk who live north of town. He guides Roland to the Doorway Cave and helps with the todash passages. The Manni are a religious sect who believe in travelling between worlds and revere the Beams. Henchick possesses deep knowledge of the old ways and recognises Roland as being of the line of Eld.

Vaughn Eisenhart's slim, dark-haired wife and the leader of the Sisters of Oriza. She demonstrates the deadly plate-throwing technique for Roland, cutting the head off a stuffy-guy at fifty yards. She fights bravely in the final battle against the Wolves but is killed by a light-stick blast, one of only two casualties.

Callahan's housekeeper at the rectory, a handsome woman of about forty. She is skilled in rough doctoring and treats Roland's arthritis with a potent cat-oil liniment. She becomes Roland's lover during the stay in the Calla and volunteers to fight with the Sisters of Oriza. Childless herself, she is fiercely protective of the Calla's children.

Owner of the Rocking B ranch, one of the three big men in the Calla alongside Overholser and Took. His twin sister Verna was roont and died young. Initially sceptical of fighting the Wolves, he comes around when his wife Margaret demonstrates the Sisters of Oriza's plate-throwing skill. His wife Margaret is killed in the final battle.