Jacob's nemesis

From Lostpedia

Jacob's nemesis is a man who appears to be antagonistic to Jacob. His name, identity, motives, and origin are unknown. He spent more than a century trying to find a loophole that would allow him to kill Jacob. In 2007, he seems to have succeeded in doing so by assuming the form of the deceased John Locke. Using the appearance of Locke, he convinced Benjamin Linus to kill Jacob inside the base of the Statue of Taweret.

Contents 1 On the Island 1.1 1800s 1.2 As John Locke (2007) 2 Trivia 2.1 Fan nicknames 2.2 Cultural References 3 Unanswered questions 4 References

On the Island

1800s

Jacob's nemesis was on the Island with Jacob when a sailing ship appeared on the horizon. The man approached Jacob, who was sitting on the beach near the base of the Statue of Taweret. He claimed Jacob had brought the ship to the Island, saying that this would only end in fighting, destruction and corruption as it always had, a view which Jacob disputed. Before walking away, Jacob's nemesis said to Jacob "Do you have any idea how badly I want to kill you?" He promised he would one day find a "loophole" allowing him to do so. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")

As John Locke (2007)

When John Locke's body was returned to the Island aboard Ajira Airways Flight 316, Jacob's nemesis appeared in Locke's form in the water near the survivors' beach camp on the Hydra Island. He introduced himself as "John Locke". When questioned, the impostor revealed to Ilana how he came to be on the Island, and was able to recite information from the real Locke's memories, stating that he remembered dying. The impostor later found Ben in the makeshift hospital set up in the Hydra offices, and informed Caesar that Ben was the man who had killed him. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham") The impostor Locke waited at Ben's bedside until Ben awoke, welcoming him back to "the land of the living". ("Whatever Happened, Happened")

Ben, truly surprised at seeing Locke alive, stated that he expected Locke's resurrection. However, Ben began planning to murder Locke once again, manipulating the survivors of Ajira Flight 316 to become suspicious of the impostor Locke. After a confrontation in which Caesar was killed, Ben and the impostor Locke traveled to the main Island in the outriggers, where they met Sun and Frank. Once there, the impostor disappeared into the jungle while Ben unsuccessfully attempted to summon the monster in order to be judged. The impostor Locke then returned, stating that he knew where the monster resided, leading Ben and Sun to the Temple. Throughout their journey, the impostor Locke asked Ben a series of questions about Ben's transgressions, seemingly holding him accountable for them (why did you kill me, "is that why you shot an unarmed man?,"). After entering the underground complex of the Temple, Ben fell through the floor onto a lower level. Despite Ben's pleas not to, the impostor Locke left Ben to get something to help him back up. Meanwhile, Ben was visited by a manifestation of his daughter, product of the smoke monster. Alex informed Ben that she knew of his plan to kill Locke again, and demanded his firm dedication to follow Locke's leadership, or she would "destroy" him. Ben promised to follow this, and Alex disappeared. Ben, with the help of the impostor Locke, left the Temple after telling the impostor that the monster had let him live. ("Dead Is Dead")

The impostor Locke then led Ben and Sun to the Others' camp, where they met with Richard Alpert. Richard greeted him in awe, and commented that there was something different about him. The impostor attributed this to him now having a purpose. Impostor Locke, Richard and Ben ran an errand; he asked Richard to give instructions to a time-traveling version of Locke from the past. His instructions included the fact that he would have to die, a fate which would later come true. The impostor Locke then demanded to be taken to Jacob, inviting along all of the Others. As they set out, he secretly told Ben he intended to kill Jacob. ("Follow the Leader")

As Richard led the Others to Jacob, Ben told Impostor Locke how his dead daughter had ordered him to follow Locke's every word. Impostor Locke, pleased by this, then told Ben it would be him who was to kill Jacob. Richard later asked Impostor Locke how he had come to be alive again. Impostor Locke attributed it to Jacob, and claimed he wanted to thank Jacob for this. As they made a stop at the beach camp Impostor Locke made Ben finally admit he had never met Jacob. He then recounted how, in spite of all of Ben's loyal service to the Island, he had contracted cancer, and eventually been banished, asking why Ben wouldn't want Jacob dead. Richard, the Others, Ben, Sun and the impostor Locke eventually arrived at Jacob's home, which was in the base of the ruins of the Statue of Taweret. The impostor Locke took Ben inside with him, despite Richard's objections that only one leader could see Jacob.

“

ENEMY: Hello Jacob. JACOB: Well, you found your loophole. ENEMY: Indeed I did. And you have no idea what I've gone through to be here.

”

He told Ben he knew his task wouldn't be easy, but promised that once Jacob was dead, things would change. The two entered Jacob's room. Jacob immediately recognized the impostor Locke as being his old nemesis, realizing that the impostor had found his long-sought "loophole." The Impostor said solemnly that Jacob had "no idea what [he'd] gone through to be here." Jacob was then stabbed by Ben after reminding him of his insignificance. Falling to the ground, Jacob whispered to his nemesis that "They're coming," startling the impostor, who kicked Jacob into the fire pit, setting him alight and apparently killing him. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")

Trivia

• The casting call described Jacob's nemesis as "Samuel. Any ethnicity, 40s-60s. A corporate raider looking to take over his next company. Powerful, devious and obtuse. He has a cunning intellect and a strong sense of danger. May lead to recurring. Looking for someone very interesting and very special for this role..."^[1]
  • Samuel in the Bible was a prophet and judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David; similar to how it appears Jacob appoints leaders of the Others, such as Charles Widmore, Eloise Hawking, Benjamin Linus and John Locke.

Fan nicknames

As this character was fairly prominent in Season 5 and has yet to be named, fans have created several nicknames for this character:

• "Esau" (עֵשָׂו) the brother of the Biblical Jacob.^[2]
• "Flocke", a portmanteau word of the words 'Fake' and 'Locke'.
• "Un-Locke", a name coined in reference to the character's similarities to a figure in the novel Perelandra, used subsequently in TV Guide.^[3]
• "Samuel", often used as a reference to the character's initial casting call.
• "The Man in Black" (MIB) name used by ABC.com in episode synopses and on the Internet Movie Database.

Cultural References

• ABC's recap of The Incident^[4] refers to him as the Man in Black. In Stephen King's The Stand and Dark Tower series, "the man in black" is a featured antagonist, and uses the names Randall Flagg and Walter o'Dim.

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Jacob's nemesis/Theories

Jacob's Nemesis

• Who or what is he?
• What powers or abilities does he possess?
  • How is it that he possesses foreknowledge of events to come?
  • How was he able to take on Locke's appearance?
  • How is it that he has Locke's memories?

History

• How long has he been on the island?
• What is the nature of his relationship with Jacob?
  • What is their point of contention?
• Why does he need a loophole in order to kill Jacob?
• Are the Others aware of his existence?

Recent Events

• What was he doing while Ben was summoning the Smoke Monster?
  • What is the connection between Locke or Jacob's Nemesis and the Smoke Monster?
• Why did he want the Others to come with him to see Jacob?
• What are his plans for the other Ajira passengers?
• What does he have planned for the Others?

References

v • d • e Supporting characters Oceanic Flight 815 survivors Aaron Littleton • Leslie Arzt • Cindy Chandler • Edward Mars • Bernard Nadler • Rose Nadler • Vincent DHARMA Initiative members Pierre Chang • Horace Goodspeed • Roger Linus • Phil • Stuart Radzinsky The Others Richard Alpert • Mikhail Bakunin • Tom Friendly • Eloise Hawking • Jacob • Karl Martin • Danny Pickett • Ethan Rom • Alex Rousseau • Goodwin Stanhope • Charles Widmore Kahana crew Naomi Dorrit • Martin Keamy • Frank Lapidus • Omar Family members Noor "Nadia" Abed Jazeem • Anthony Cooper • Penelope Hume • Diane Janssen • Carmen Reyes • Sarah Shephard • Christian Shephard Additional Island inhabitants Bram • Ilana • Jacob's nemesis • The Monster • Danielle Rousseau

v • d • e Jacob Portrayed by Mark Pellegrino Centric episode "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2" Flashback characters Jacob's nemesis Associated characters Richard Alpert • Kate Austen • Tom Brennan • James "Sawyer" Ford • Ilana • Sayid Jarrah • Noor "Nadia" Abed Jazeem • Jin-Soo Kwon • Sun-Hwa Kwon • Benjamin Linus • John Locke • Hugo "Hurley" Reyes • Christian Shephard • Jack Shephard • Mr. Springer • Taxi driver Items and Locations Statue of Taweret • Jacob's cabin • Jacob's chamber • Jacob's knife • Jacob's painting • Jacob's tapestry See Also: Supporting Characters