As a form of cosmic irony, characters' roles reverse as the series progresses. Sometimes, characters fulfill a role that is opposite from an earlier one. Other times, they reverse roles with a specific other character.
Reversal of characters' own roles[]
Ben Linus |
The chessmaster |
The pawn |
Ben spent much of the series as a master manipulator. He divided Locke and Jack while imprisoned in the Swan, drove Kate and Sawyer to a romantic encounter that convinced Jack to operate on him and got Locke to blow up the Galaga, among other things. Alex said Ben's defining characteristic was tricking others into doing his bidding. Ben eventually learned though that the Man in Black manipulated him over the entire course of his life, leading him towards killing Jacob. |
Mass murderer |
Kind teacher |
Ben killed several people over the course of the series - scores, counting the Purge. In his afterlife though, he taught at a high school. This change may reflect his years as Hurley's second-in-command in "helping people" on the island post-series. | |
Roger's killer |
Roger's caregiver |
Ben killed his father as his initiation into the Others' leadership. In his afterlife though, he cared for his father in a manner similar to how he'd killed: he killed his father with poison gas and cared for his father with oxygen gas. | |
Bernard Nadler |
Dentist |
Sugar lover |
Though Bernard was a dentist, he developed a "sweet tooth," and Rose pocketed a candy bar for him while they were apart. |
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Boone Carlyle |
Lifeguard |
Drowning victim |
Boone was a trained lifeguard, besides his position at his mother's wedding business. He even tried administering CPR on Rose, but Jack told him he was performing it improperly. A few days later, he tried saving a drowning woman, but he almost drowned himself, and Jack had to again intervene. |
Daniel Faraday |
Time travel skeptic |
Time traveler |
In 1996, a mysterious Scot visited Daniel, claiming to have traveled from the future. Daniel dismissed this a colleague's prank. Years, later, Daniel traveled back in time himself. Pierre dismissed his story as one of his colleague's pranks. |
Desmond Hume |
Coward |
Fearless |
Several people - Ruth, Penny, Widmore - called Desmond a coward before he came to the island. In the Hatch though, he turned the fail-safe, an act no one had previously had the bravery to do. Later still, after briefly flashing into the afterlife, Desmond appeared almost supernaturally fearless, confusing and angering the Man in Black. |
Eko |
Warlord |
Priest |
Warlord Eko disguised himself as a priest to smuggle drugs out of the country. When the plan failed, he became an actual priest. |
Ethan Rom |
Crash survivor shooter |
Crash survivor shooting victim |
Ethan saw Locke time traveling and shot him. Years later, Charlie shot Ethan. As Richard said about the reversal, "What goes around comes around." |
Hugo Reyes |
Working stiff |
Millionaire CEO |
Hurley was poor, working for minimal wages at a fast-food restaurant, when he won the lottery and then further increased his financial worth through investments. ("Numbers") |
Jack Shephard |
Doctor |
Patient |
Jack, though a doctor, often submitted to others' medical treatment:
|
Respected surgeon |
Lowly workman |
Sawyer purposely assigned Jack a menial position in the DHARMA Initiative, reigniting their old rivalry. | |
Island escapee |
Island searcher |
Jack was the survivor most keen on leaving the island. Afterward, he became a depressed addict who wanted to return. | |
Awed son |
Imposing father |
Jack's father scared him during his childhood, and Jack felt he could never please him. In his afterlife, Jack created a son just like young Jack. Imposing Jack scared David, who feared failing in front of his father. | |
Man of science |
Man of faith |
Jack and Locke were often at odds with one another over the debate between science and faith, free will and destiny. Jack changed positions, first after seeing visions of his dead father, then by managing to return mystically to the island and finally by learning that Jacob watched him his whole life. | |
Kate Austen |
Fugitive |
Tracker |
Kate was a fugitive from the law in all her flashbacks, flash sideways and current off-island action. On the island though, she tracked people with skill:
|
Cop hater |
Cop lover |
Kate spent years running from police for her crimes. Despite this, she married an officer, Kevin Callis. | |
Libby Smith |
Mental patient |
Psychologist |
Libby the mental patient pretended to be a psychologist on the island. Or perhaps Libby the psychologist ended up in a mental institution. |
John Locke |
Paralytic |
Health-Ed teacher |
As a teacher in his afterlife, Locke took on two roles at odds with his paralysis - gym teacher and health-ed teacher. |
Button pusher |
Button rebel |
Locke began the season as the person most determined to push the button. He ended it as the one least likely to. | |
Drug grower |
Drug fighter |
Locke worked for a farm growing drugs. He later helped Charlie overcome his drug addiction on the Island. ("Further Instructions") ("The Moth") | |
James "Sawyer" Ford |
Con man |
Con victim |
Long after becoming an adept con-man, Sawyer has fallen for several cons. - Hibbs's, Ben's, the Man in Black's and even Hurley's. ("Outlaws") ("Every Man for Himself") ("The Candidate") ("Left Behind")
|
Outlaw |
Law man |
Despite his years breaking the law, including time in prison, Sawyer became DHARMA's head of security. He continued as a law man in the afterlife. | |
Sayid Jarrah |
Torturer |
Torture victim |
Sayid the torturer has repeatedly suffered torture and interrogation.
|
Terrorist negotiator |
Suicide bomber |
After once seeking redemption by dissuading Essam from martyring himself with C-4, Sayid achieved it by doing so himself. ("The Candidate") |
Reversals with another character[]
Hurley and Libby
Jin and SunJin orders Sun |
Sun orders Jin |
Jin ordered Sun around during their marriage, hurting their relationship. After their on-island reconciliation, Sun ordered him around. Sun commented on the reversal. |
Libby suffered from mental illness after her husband's death. On the Island, she discovered Hurley, a fellow inmate from the hospital, and she convinced him he was sane. After death, Libby imagined herself in the hospital again. This time, Hurley, now free from madness, convinced her of her sanity. | ||
Ben and JackJack imprisons Ben |
Ben imprisons Jack |
Jack imprisoned Ben in the Swan for the latter part of season 2. For the first half of the following season, Ben imprisoned Jack on Hydra Island. Ben commented on the reversal. |
Ben and LockeLocke imprisons Ben |
Ben imprisons Locke |
Locke imprisoned Ben in the Swan for the latter part of season 2. For a brief time of the following season, Ben had Locke locked up when he had destroyed the submarine. Locke imprisoned Ben again the following season. |
Ben and SayidSayid interrogates Ben |
Ben interrogates Sayid |
Sayid questioned and tortured Ben when in the Swan station. Years later, Sayid traveled to 1977 and found himself imprisoned. A 12-year-old Ben came to question him. |
Horace and SawyerHorace wakes Sawyer |
Sawyer wakes Horace |
After the sonic fence knocked him out, Sawyer awoke on a couch to Horace asking, "How's your head?" Sawyer replied, "It hurts." Years later, Horace awoke on a couch to Sawyer asking the same question and gave the same reply. |
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Others and SurvivorsClueless survivors |
Clueless Others |
After 815 crashed, the Others knew all about the survivors and the survivors knew nothing about the Others. After 316 crashed, the survivors knew a lot about the Others, but the Others knew nothing about the survivors. |