Nick Andros is a vital character in The Stand, but the CBS adaptation appears to set him on a different path than his original one. His loyalties are crystal-clear in the original book, but the newest adaptation of the CBS paints him as more of a wildcard.
The Stand is Stephen King's sprawling epic of good versus evil set in a post-apocalyptic world. After a deadly superflu kills 99% of the world population, the remaining survivors have one of two shared dreams — that of an old, prophetic woman named Mother Abigail or a dark and dangerous man called Randall Flagg. The survivors must pledge their allegiance to one of the two sides before they take their final stand.
Nick is an interesting case as he has dreams about both Mother Abagail and Flagg. Despite being pulled to both sides, the novel sees Nick pledge stark allegiance to Mother Abagail. They grow extremely close right away. However, the newest adaptation of The Stand is setting up a more roundabout path for Nick to get to that point.
The newest adaptation of The Stand changes Nick's backstory, informing his behaviors and motivations in the miniseries. As showrunner Benjamin Cavell told Den of Geek, The Stand altered some characters' backgrounds in order to diversify the show. So as part of that decision, Nick became an immigrant. It's a small change, but it enhances the lone wolf aspect of his personality laid down in the book. King establishes that Nick is a bit of a loner who works odd jobs to make ends meet. Making him an immigrant adds to that feeling that Nick has always worked hard for the things he has and values a sense of independence.
So it was a natural move to make Nick the reluctant right-hand man to Mother Abagail in the new series. Just like in the novel, both Flagg and Mother Abigail attempt to lure him to their respective sides. Nick immediately turns down Flagg, recognizing right away that he was a dark entity to be feared. But when it comes to Mother Abigail, the responsibility of being her voice is thrust upon him. In the novel, he took on the role until his death. But the new miniseries teases something different.
King has famously changed and added onto to The Stand's ending multiple times since its original publication in 1978. It's been confirmed that he's doing it again, as King has written the new ending for the miniseries himself. With a new ending, fans can probably expect other events to change in order to support a new finale. One of those events may be Nick's journey to accepting his place of importance on Mother Abigail's committee. Since he so staunchly rejected Flagg during their first meeting, it's unlikely that Nick Andros will completely change allegiances. Instead, he may just reject the role for a while all together before eventually coming back to her in time for whatever The Stand has in store for its new finale.