Benjamin Linus/Theories
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His character
He is Good
- Everything Ben does is in the best interest of the island and is to serve a greater good. While he has murdered people in cold blood, and is a pathological liar, it is all to protect the island. Much like the wizard (the man behind the curtain) in "The Wizard of Oz," Ben is a liar but has good intentions for doing so. Any of his wrong deeds can be blamed on either the island's will, or the greater good.
He is Bad
- Jacob and the Island gave Ben a tumor because he does things for his own personal gain, and not the benefit of the Island.
- Ben manipulates Sayid to kill people for his (Ben's) own gain. Everyone who Sayid killed could have prevented them from returning to the island.
- Ben manipulates everyone to benefit himself, not the island. Ben was not supposed to return to the island, but he tricked the O6 into returning, not for the gain of the island, but because he knew they would be the only way he could selfishly get back.
- Ben always has a ulterior motive for his actions, usually inconsistent with the lies he uses to justify his actions, meaning the use of the excuse that he is protecting the island could be false to justify himself.
Neither
- Lost is never black and white. Neither Ben nor Widmore is purely bad or purely good.
- What is good, what is bad? The question is somewhat irrelevant given that every main character seems to have some massive flaw. If it really mattered, then why are Kate and Sawyer, two murderers, considered important "good" guy characters in the show? "Good" and "Bad" never truly exists, only a grey scale in between. Ben is doing what he is meant to do, if he cannot change that, which we have been repeatedly told, then how can he be held accountable as bad or good. It is his fate, his destiny.
He and Widmore are Playing a Game
- Ben and Widmore, are both playing a game for control of the island. This is supported by the fact that in "The Shape of Things to Come", Ben says that Widmore changed the rules. The "rules" are something that Ben and Widmore have agreed upon previously. This games resembles a chess game, in which the winner comes away with control of the Island. Supported by the idea that Ben called Alex a "pawn" to convince Keamy not to kill her.
Charles Widmore is his Constant
- In case they are ever consciously (not physically) time traveling, Widmore is Ben's constant. While they obviously don't get along, they know enough about the island to know that they need a "constant," so they choose each other. They are both aware of each other during the DHARMA Initiative period on the island as well as within their off-island lives as evidenced in ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"). They are aware of the time-travel features of the island ("The Shape of Things to Come") ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham").
- There are "rules" that define their relationship. These are the rules of time-travel and course-correction ("The Shape of Things to Come") ("The Constant"). Figuratively(not literally), they can't kill each other, as they say in ("The Shape of Things to Come"). This is because if each of them does, then the killer loses his constant.
He knew that Locke would succeed him
- Locke was always meant to go to the island. When Locke didn't join the Mittelos Group and go to the island when he was 16, the island was forced to find a substitute. Locke would have been 16 years old, from May 30, 1972 - May 29, 1973. Ben came to the island sometime in 1973. The island settled for Ben when it couldn't have Locke...and Ben knows it.
- Ben is upset and shoots Locke when Locke hears Jacob in Jacob's cabin, because Ben had convinced himself that Locke could not be his successor.
- Ben shoots Locke to test this. If he is the John Locke who traveled through time and spoke to Ethan and Richard, he can't die because he hasn't traveled through time yet.
- Alternatively, Ben doesn't know that that it's impossible to change something that has already happened, and hopes to kill Locke to prevent him from becoming the new leader of the Others.
Never supposed to be the leader of the Others
- Ben was never supposed to be the leader of the Others. Jacob and the Island are able to cure cancer and heal many medical problems. However Ben was allowed to develop a tumor that would have killed him if Jack would not have arrived on the island and saved his life. He developed the tumor because he was being punished for taking a position without it being ordained for him.
- Christian, who said he was speaking on Jacob's behalf, told Locke (in the FDW) that listening to Ben never got him anywhere. If Ben was truly the leader, then his requests would be considered trustworthy and the right decision.
- Widmore was supposed to be the leader at the time of Ben's reign. Widmore claims that Ben 'stole' the island from him and 'tricked' him into leaving.
- In the time of the DHARMA initiative, women did not have a problem giving birth on the island. This problem arose after Ben took over leadership of the Others. The fertility problems are a side effect of his not being the true leader.
- Ben appears to be able to control the smoke monster; however, when Locke asked Ben what the monster was, he told him he didn't know. Ben 'awoke' the monster but he only appeared to control. He actually told it to do what it would have done anyway.
- Ben was able to gain the loyalty of Bonnie and Greta in the Looking Glass station to lie to the others about the station being flooded. He also gained the loyalty of Mikhail, who killed Bonnie and Greta at his orders. Before Bonnie died she told Charlie how to turn off the jamming devices. She defied Ben only after she realized he had betrayed her. When Ben asked Richard and the Others to stand up against Locke when he was beating Mikhail so that they could visit Jacob, nobody obeyed him. Similar to a king whose subjects only obey when they feel the demand is reasonable.
- When looking at a character, especially one as dynamic and deep as Ben, you have to give the writers and the character himself a break. Sure he always has a plan, but there are too many people devoted to whatever the cause is that Ben's motive cannot be to become ruler supreme. He never shows signs of wanting to become the supreme ruler, in fact often showing signs that he is lonely, and that he never wanted this position in the first place. Working for the island, he knows his work is never done, and having been such a clear devotee of what the island is and what it stands for, it would be not just a strange move for his character to only be in it for the power, but a dumb move on the writers part too, bringing an incredibly multi-dimensional character deeply involved in the story down to the level of a one dimensional "fill in" if you will.
- Ben is the pawn of Smokey/Jacob's nemesis. He was manipulated into becoming the leader of the Others, but was not Jacob's choice (visions of his mother indicating he was to join the others). He needed to be ready to kill Jacob when the time came. To have him initiated into the others required him to be fatally wounded. Which only happened due to the timey-wimey loop.
- Ben was meant to be the leader of the Others, Locke wasn't. There's no evidence to suggest that Ben's visions of his mother had anything to do with Jacob's nemesis. Nemesis used the time-skips to manipulate Richard into thinking Locke was the future leader, then after he assumed Locke's form he manipulated Ben into killing Jacob. Since Locke wasn't supposed to be the leader, Ben was still Jacob's chosen leader when he entered the statue at the end of "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2". This is backed up by the fact that Jacob was entirely respectful of Ben throughout their confrontation in the statue, even asking him if he liked the tapestry. "What about you?" was not a sign that Jacob had never chosen Ben, but a reminder that Ben had a choice to make and that the conflict he was involved in was bigger than him. As spoken by Eloise; "it's bigger than all of us."
His Off-Island Pursuits
- Ben has been preparing for a life off the Island. That is the reason for multiple passports and currencies hidden in his house. Ben always has a plan and would plan for living a life off the Island should that day come.
- Ben was able to retrieve countless amounts of information on anyone he chose while living on the Island. After he moves the Island he is still able to find out a lot of information very quickly about Sayid, Nadia, and Nadia's murderer.
- You are trusting Ben too much. Perhaps like he was manipulating Kate with blood tests, he was also manipulating Sayid giving fake evidence. Ben has just as big of a motive as Widmore to make sure no one looks for the island.
- Jacob only wanted Locke to turn the FDW. Ben manipulated Locke because he wanted off the island in order to find Widmore, and Penny, to avenge his daughter Alex's death. Ben knew that it was supposed to be Locke who turned the FDW, but told Locke that he alone was the one capable of moving the island.
Knowledge of 815 crash
- When Ben came out of his house in the Barracks on the day of 815's crash, he immediately looked up as if expecting to see something in the sky. Given that in an earthquake one wouldn't expect something to fall out of the sky, this may point to Ben having knowledge of the crash perhaps years in advance. Due to the time-traveling development in season 5, this may be the case.
- Ben had prior knowledge of the crash, but it has nothing to do with time-travel. He learned about it from Jacob, who appears to have knowledge of future events, such as the Ajira crash, when Nadia would be killed, and when Locke would be thrown out of a window by his father. Pickett mentioned one of Jacob's lists early on in S3 when Ben was having surgery, which contained the names of 815 passengers - Pickett said "Shephard isn't even on Jacob's list." Since Ben received these lists via Richard, and Richard was off-island at the time of the crash (filming Juliet's sister for Ben), this means Ben must have received the list before the crash occurred - meaning he knew the crash would happen. This explains why he immediately looked up at the sky when he came out of his house on the day of the crash.
Jacob DID choose Ben
- Richard was telling the truth in "Dead Is Dead." Jacob wanted Ben healed, and he wanted him to lead The Others. Ben never lost favor with Jacob. It was MIB that gave him the tumor, in order to manipulate him against Jacob. Re-watch Ben's exchange with Jack in "The Cost Of Living." Ben: Two Days I after I found out I had a tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky. If that's not proof of god, I don't know what is." Jacob brought Jack to the island, so It's clear to me that Jacob wanted him to save Ben.
- Jacob treats Ben respectfully during almost the entire scene in The Statue. He patiently listens to Ben's monologue, and he seems to have tears in his eyes. He knows that he caused Ben a lot of pain when he refused to meet with him, just like he knows his words will hurt Ben, but he knows it has to be done. Jacob wanted Ben to kill him, and he touches him when he dies.
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