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The Monster/Theories

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Main Article Theories about
The Monster 		Main Discussion
 Theories may be removed if ... 
  1. Stated as questions or possibilities (avoid question marks, "Maybe", "I think", etc).
  2. More appropriate for another article.
  3. Illogical or previously disproven.
  4. Proven by canon source, and moved to main article.
  5. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments.
  6. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead).
  • This does not include responses that can stand alone as its own theory.
  • Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response.

See the Lostpedia theory policy for more details.


Contents

Physical characteristics

The following are theories concerning the nature of specific physical characteristics of the monster.

Black smoke

  • The producers have said that the black smoke is only half of the Monster, perhaps the other half is only visible to the dead (those whom speak the whispers). The black smoke is visible by the living, and it's true idetity is visible by the deceased.
  • The Monster may not actually be made of black smoke, instead maybe the black smoke acts as a cloud around the real monster.

Flashing images

Eko facing the Monster - Note the image of what appears to be his face staring back at himself
  • The flashes occur very quickly to an external observer, however, the person encountering the Monster relives the moments as they happened. This is an example of relativity "Dead Is Dead"
  • The flashes do not represent the Monster's judgment, but those moments when the observer has judged himself/herself. For example, Ben has obsessed about Alex's death and his part in it. The Monster allows him to relive those moments and judge himself. He admitted he was wrong and forgave himself, so the Monster allowed him to live. Many people, however, cannot forgive themselves, so death is a welcome relief.
  • The flashing light is a "scanning" process. The images seen in the light are a means of examining the conscience of the individual being scanned, in order to pass judgment on the individual's moral standing. It scans for images in the observer's subconscious, and then displays them to the individual to test his or her emotional response and physical reaction. This may be why the Monster in some instances, as in its first encounter with Mr. Eko and John Locke, lets some of its test subjects go unharmed.
  • In "The 23rd Psalm" when the Monster is "scanning" Mr. Eko, we see this process from its perspective, and it shows many images including the three men Eko killed and Yemi. The images are stored and later used to produce and present faux living individual to whom Eko has had crucial personal ties. The Monster poses as Yemi in order to make it easier for Eko to repent.
    • The scanning process of the Monster (as seen in "Left Behind"), shown as several flashes of white light, can be linked to Locke's original viewing of it as "a white light".
    • However, there were also flashes of light when Ben summoned The Monster to attack Keamy and his men, which wasn't a scanning process.
    • It could still be a scanning process, like the monsters vision or eyes.

Sounds

  • The monster appears to have three main sounds. One is used often when the monster has just suddenly appeared, and it sounds similar to a gate crashing down. A second one is where the monster is free floating, just moving forwards, and this is the taxi receipt sound. The third is a mechanical sound, like gears turning. It also has a fourth sound that is similar to a roar, though it is generally heard from distances, so it is likely an echo of one of the aforementioned sounds.
    • In the episode The Incident, Part 2 after Jack drops the bomb down the shaft and the electromagnetic pulse begins we hear sounds that are associated with the Monster. First the crash when the drill collapses, then the mechanical sound when the chains begin to get pulled down.
      • This probably says more about how the Monster sounds like screeching metal than how screeching metal sounds like the Monster. However, given the significance of the "Incident" in the Island's history, this theory could tally with the "remembers and mimics sounds of significance" theory below.
      • Did we ever see any manifestation of the Monster during the Dharma era? That's a very interesting theory that the Monster is a result of the incidence, although it has been heavily alluded to that the Monster has existed for a long long time (the temple, the sonar fences, etc.). Perhaps the incident altered this "security system" in some way.
      • We never see the monster in the 70's. I find this very interesting. Especially since mostly nobody has mentioned this.
        • Ben's mother may be a manifestation of the monster. Also, DI's construction of a sonic fence that can keep the monster out may indicate that they're aware of it as part of the "diverse wildlife" on the island.
  • The sounds coming from the Monster is heard in a less uniform fashion when the camera pans through it during its first encounter with Mr. Eko. The sounds are accompanied by flashes of light in which images that may relate to Mr. Eko's past can be seen. This suggests that the noise it is making is not made purely for the sake of making terrifying noise.
  • We can hear a faint whisper saying something right before the Monster kills Eko in the episode "The Cost of Living".
  • When the "arm" of the Monster is flailing around Eko in the episode "The Cost of Living", the viewer can clearly hear a mechanical sound. The sound is similar to that of gears turning, and is audible the entire time the "arm" is operational.
  • It seems to make noises that are similar to Renaissance age mechanical devices. Chain clanks, gears turning, and pulley systems.
  • The noises the Monster makes are significant noises, or noises that it "remembers" from during different significant Island events. The loud, horn like echoing noise made is that of some ancient culture, perhaps before an execution or some other ritual. The gate crashing sound is that of Oceanic 815 crashing. The gears and the taxi receipt sound are that of some mechanical device that was used by the time travelers/DI. The other roars are that of wild animals.
  • In Some Like It Hoth there are prolonged sequences inside a moving Dharma van. The muted engine noise used on the internal shots sounds vaguely reminiscent of the clockwork part of the monster's noise.
  • In the very first episode Rose said that it sounded familiar. As a cancer patient and survivor who has more than likely undergone many different medical procedures and exams, she is very familiar with the sound of medical scanning equipment (ie. MRI, CT scans, etc). The function of the smoke is to scan or examine its subjects thoughts and mental processes, scanning images of their life to add to its security database and use towards its purpose of protecting the island. Given the electromagnetic properties of the island and the electromagnetic nature of MRI machines, this seems plausible.

Abilities/behavior

The following theories concern the monster's abilities and behavior.

  • It tracks people by their movements. In "Exodus, Part 1", Locke told Hurley to stay immobile. In "The 23rd Psalm", Mr. Eko stares motionless at the Monster.
  • Can sense living things. This is why it can be avoided by hiding in trees; the life force of the tree masks that of the people hiding inside it.
  • The monster is afraid of water. It is not on the Island by choice and it can not leave. To summon it, Ben has to flood its chamber with water, driving it out. It does not go too near the black rock, because its a ship. It can however move under the water through tunnels. It is repelled by the water due to some electric or magnetic force.
    • This could possibly explain why we have yet to see the Monster on the Hydra Island.
    • It may be more accurate to say that water may wake the monster up, not that it's "afraid". It came out right after the rain started in "Left Behind" and didn't seem to be repelled by it. There's no evidence that it can't be near other forms of water.

Manifestations

The Monster can take the form of the living (Walt), the dead (Christian, Locke), insects and animals (Kate's horse, Medusa spider) and possibly plant life (shaking of the trees).

  • Bodies must be unburied (living or dead) to be used by the Smoke Monster. For example, Locke and Christian (in coffins--although Christian's body seems to have disappeared...), Eko's brother (in the airplane), and Alex (unburied as far as we know after getting shot by Keamy).
    • Thus, the Others (Jacob's people) demand burial or burning of dead bodies in their truce with the Dharma Initiative. This is to prevent the smoke monster from taking their form.
  • The first encounter between younger Benjamin Linus in the jungle and Richard hints at more complexity to the Monster taking the form of deceased individuals. At first, Richard had been rather casual about his meeting with Ben, suggesting he go home and having a friendly conversation. When Ben mentions he had followed his deceased mother's image into the woods, he is still nonchalant about asking if she died on the island. It is only when Ben notes that she died elsewhere that Richard seems stunned. Only after that point does he seem to entertain the possibility that Ben could come to live with the Others. Suggesting a significance between the Monster manifesting as those who have died on the island, and manifesting as people who never went there.
    • Also, if the monster is Jacob's nemesis, or under the control of him, then this might explain why Jacob never appeared to Ben. It was through Jacob's nemesis's doing (appearing to Ben as his mother) that Ben joined The Others, which maybe Jacob never approved of, explaining why Ben was able to join and become the leader of The Others yet never saw or spoke to Jacob. Although Richard Alpert can speak to Jacob and was the one who let Ben into The Others, so perhaps that is not the case.
  • In the scene where Mr. Eko is drinking from the stream and the Monster creeps up behind, the Monster briefly manifests itself as Mr. Eko's face.

The sonic fence

  • The Monster is the manifestation of the high electromagnetic fields the island produces. High electromagnetic fields are known to cause hallucinations and "fear cages" that can enclose on peoples psyches. DHARMA has been studying electromagnetism and possibly made the connection that the Monster is made up high electromagnetic fields, so they built the fence around the barracks to protect themselves.
  • The spectral analysis of the sound made by the sonic barrier, one of the frequency bands corresponds to 972 Hz, which is the average resonant frequency of the human skull. The barrier could be a means of not allowing the Monster to "get into the mind" or "skull" of it's target.

Summoning the monster

  • Only the Island's leader can summon the Monster. Benjamin Linus summoned it, at least before he moved the Island.
    • Ben may have been successful after his return, assuming that fake Locke was a manifestation of the Monster. Since we haven't seen anyone else attempt to use the summoning chamber, this theory seems like a stretch.

Cerberus Vents

  • The reference "a mouse does not rely on just one hole" that is on the blast door map (assuming that 'Cerberus' is the smoke monster) is referring to the Cerberus Vents, or CV I-CV IV. These include the hole that the monster almost dragged Locke into.

Nature/purpose/function of the monster

  • In Lost: The Answers, executive producers and writers of the show Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse bring up the Monster answering questions dealing with the monster's function and abilities. Lindelof: "Does the Monster have some sort of ability to judge you? Locke passed it the first time he saw it, but then later on, the Monster grabbed him and tried to pull him into a hole. And then, what does it do with that judgment? (That) is a very interesting question as we move forward on the show." Lindelof then lets the question go unanswered as to what the flashes are that you can see inside the Monster (but ambiguously gives the hint that when it experiences Juliet's presence "it's almost as if it is taking pictures of her"). Lindelof: "We do know that when the Monster looks at you, it seems to be able to process certain memories that you may have had." Narrator: "And some memories can become quite real." Cuse: "We have learned that the Island is capable of these apparitions. Jack can see his dead father. Walt, who was off in some other place, mysteriously appears for Shannon and Sayid. Kate sees a horse that was part of her past. All these characters are seeking redemption for misdeeds of their past."


"Smart dust"/nanotech

  • Michael Emerson: "I think it all has something to do with metallic dust. I think the smoke monster is connected to that ring of powder that surrounds Jacob's cabin. They've established that there are super magnetic forces are at work on the Island, so what better medium for those forces to work through than through fine filings of metal?"[1]
  • A cloud of iron atoms suspended in a magnetic field. By changing the magnetic orientations of the atoms, they could act as a data storage system of enormous capacity. Canadian scientist Michael Persinger has shown that magnetic fields can cause hallucinations. The strong magnetic field needed to produce the Monster may result in the images seen by various characters.
  • A cloud of metallic or magnetic particles that are moved by a machine traveling through tunnels underground. The underground machine, which must be moved on tracks, focuses the electromagnetic properties of the Island to keep the Monster elevated. This explains why it was tugging Locke down into a hole. This also explains why it was unseen for so long after it had dynamite thrown at it; the Others had to repair the system. It also explains why Rousseau knew that if they were positioned in a certain place, it wouldn't attack them because they were out of the path of the tunnel. It also explains why it could not go over the sonic barrier and why trees are pulled out - because their roots stand in way of underground machine.
    • The smoke cannot fly freely, as indicated in one of the Official Podcasts where it is questioned whether the Monster is able to completely detach itself from the ground. This statement, phrased as a question, was made by Carlton Cuse in response to a viewer question about why the Monster can't simply fly over the Sonic Fence. It would thus appear that the mechanical apparatus used to transport the Monster underground cannot be detached completely from the cloud of smoke at any time.
    • The blast door map references a network of underground EEP (or Emergency Escape Protocol) conduits. The locations of these conduits may define the effective range of the Monster. Additionally, the mechanical noises associated with the Monster may simply be the physical workings of the electromagnet (perhaps on rails, as mentioned above) as it repositions and manipulates the magnetic field.
  • The Monster is emitted from the CV (Cerberus Vents) noted on the blast door map. Requires tunnels to travel through such as one it was trying to travel through in "Exodus, Part 2". (Hinted at during 4/16/07 podcast.)

Psychological phenomenon

  • The Monster is made of electromagnetic energy whose visual appearance is completely hallucinogenic. Manipulated electromagnetism stimulates the receptors in the brain such that if more than one person is around they all share the same visual and tactile hallucination. Black smoke is a Jungian symbol for both death and cleansing which is a part of the universal human subconscious. The Monster only has this appearance to the characters of the show because they are facing either death or redemption, and black smoke is the symbol for these experiences shared in our collective perception of reality.

The "magic box"

  • The Monster is the Box that Ben tells Locke about. Ben says: "Imagine a box, John. And whatever you wanted to be in that box, there it would be. Somewhere on this island is a very large box."
    • The monster is confirmed to have taken the form of several people that the Losties most desired to see, or the person they need to see most. It has been confirmed that the Monster has taken the form of Christian for Jack (who is dead) and Walt (who was alive) for Shannon, and Alex for Ben.
      • The theory further states that the monster has taken the form of Kate's horse, which it would not have seen without access to Kate's memory, and (central to this theory) Locke's father. The Others have killed those who get in their way, but this would be the first instance of the Others calling for the death of an otherwise innocent person unrelated to the island. We know Ben has the power to summon the monster, and did so in order to test Locke.
    • The monster was worshiped by whoever built the temple for its ability to Judge and fulfill/manifest wishes. In this way it was not an entirely angry god, i.e. something that must be worshiped lest it be wrathful, but also because it was benevolent.
  • A machine designed to let a person materialize life-altering memories, just like in film 'The Forbidden Planet'. Though the people that created the machine considered themselves civilized, their subconscious destructive and savage desires were unleashed by the almost limitless power of the machine. As a consequence, they were wiped out in a cataclysm as their subconscious acted out their darkest urges, fueled by the machine's power.
  • Alternately, we should turn to Michael Crichton and his novel 'The Sphere' for the answer. According to this theory, the monster is a controlled by the subconscious of each character. They unknowingly project their fantasies and thoughts to the monster, as evidenced by its transformations into important figures from each character's past. Characters more in touch with their dreams and subconscious, such as Walt and possibly Ben and Locke, are said to be "special" and are able to control the Monster. A further path taken in this line of thinking has to do with time and fate and suggests the possibility that while the present consciousness of each character is unaware of their future experiences, their subconscious is aware of what's going to happen.

Metaphysical explanations

  • The Monster is the antipole to Jacob, i.e. the traditional god / devil theme reflected in many religions and mythologies. Although, similar to the religious themes, good may not mean perfect and their positions relative to good and evil may depend on circumstances. So, rather than good and evil, the Jacob/monster theme (or theory) may refer to two opposing forces which battle for the power over the Island and its inhabitants.
  • The Monster is a mass of volcanic soot/ash/smoke inhabited by spirits dwelling beneath the Island. Its purpose is to protect the Temple which serves as an entrance to the underworld and is situated on or near the crater of the Island's volcano.
  • The monster acts as a course correction force for a fate that has to happen with necessity. As where Seth Norris was never supposed to be flying flight 815 therefore never supposed to be on the Island. Another Example is that Eko was supposed to be on the Drug Smuggler's plane. The Plane crashed on the Island so therefore Eko should have already been dead. That's why the monster killed him.

See also Monster (Various Forms) for more information.

Cerberus/security system

Cerberus as a metaphor for a guardian

These theories build on the notion that the Monster indeed is a protector of the Island:

  • Rousseau told Jack and Kate that it is a security system designed to protect the Island. Robert had told her that it protects the Temple. ("This Place Is Death")
  • The mythological Cerberus guarded spirits from escaping Hades. The Monster is guarding a virus or disease from escaping.
    • This could be a reference to the sickness and/or possibly a reference to "the disease worsens with the treatment. The remedy is worse than the disease." on the blast door map.
  • The Monster is a security system in regards to Jacob and Esau. A bi-partisan judge ensuring that they each follow the "rules".
  • Naturally defends the Island. The DHARMA projects may restrict the Island's natural expression and so the Monster may want to destroy them. It may have wanted the survivors of Oceanic 815 to stop pushing the button, so it could continue its natural existence in harmony with the Island.
  • The Others determine who and what can reside on the Island by using the Monster as a watchdog. The main person/entity controlling the watchdog is Jacob. He is the master of the Island, the one who shaped the monster, brought it into being and gave it the name of Cerberus.
  • When the Monster dragged Montand to The Temple, it was not going to kill him, but it was dragging him there for some other unknown Purpose.
  • This lends credence to the theory that the monster is symbolic of Cerberus (see below) - the three-headed guard dog of Hades.
  • There could be three different monsters or just three different properties of it. What Locke saw was beautiful, that's one. It can be a killer like with Mr. Eko, that's two. The third would be judgement like with Ben. so there's either a good monster, bad monster, and neutral monster. Or it can be all three.

Actually Cerberus

  • The Smoke Monster is actually Cerberus, the three headed dog of the underworld. In the underground of the temple Ben saw Anubis summoning the smoke monster on the wall and if you look closely you can see the smoke monster has a head of a dog.
  • Anubis was associated with funerary rituals and the afterlife; it follows that the monster's original function was to do with the dead and burial. The Others are very concerned with disposing of bodies properly. The smoke monster is also able to mimic the dead, and seemingly absorb their experiences. If a doomed civilization was unable to procreate, then the only way to "save" the race from extinction would be to somehow preserve the experiences of the dead.
  • Cerberus in Greek mythology was charmed by music. This could be the function of the Sonic barrier as seen in "Left Behind".
  • The Cerberus uses tunnels or underwater passages to travel around the Island. The underwater reference is related to the “large number of underwater springs” and the fact that Cerberus are also a name for dog-faced water snakes. The written references about Cerberus on the map are limited to the areas where the tunnels are located, which appears to validate this is the mode of travel.
  • Cerberus may not refer specifically to the smoke monster. The producers said in an interview that we've seen the Monster in the second half of season two without realizing what we were looking at. Cerberus refers to the entire underground electromagnetic contraption that we saw part of when Sayid and Jack went in the Hatch's crawlspace and there was a lot of machinery whose purpose they didn't know.
    • The monster has the confirmed ability to disguise itself and appear to those on the island. This is most likely what the producers were referring to.
  • The mythological Cerberus had three heads. If the smoke monster can possess dead bodies, then the three heads/entities of Cerberus are Jacob, Jacob's enemy (the other man) and Richard. This explains why both Jacob and Jacob's enemy have the ability to possess dead bodies (Jacob - Christian, Jacob's enemy - Locke) and why Jacob and Richard never appear to age (because they are inside bodies that died at that age and therefore their age is static). Jacob and Jacob's enemy had a fight long ago about something (the future of the island/mankind/whatever). Richard doesn't want to get involved. He knew Locke was different/that Jacob's enemy had possessed him, and that's why he let him in to see Jacob when he didn't Ben or the other leaders. He's going to let them sort it out.
  • Cerberus guarded Hades, where the dead would await judgment. We have seen many of the characters 'judged' by the smoke monster and then died (the most obvious being Eko).



A judge

  • The Monster is both Judge, Jury and Executioner. In Mr. Eko's first encounter the Monster was showing him the crimes of his past and seeing his reaction to those crimes. The second time it came in the form of Yemi to ask him if he was sorry for the crimes he had committed, but as Mr. Eko's answer was that he had "committed no sin", the Monster carried out the punishment it decided Mr. Eko deserved. Hence he was given a chance by the Monster to admit he had done wrong in his life, but instead didn't.
  • Judges people as good or bad, and only the "Good" people can pass it. That's why the "Others" are collecting "Good" people, so they can send them to do some task in the area the Monster is protecting.
    • The Monster only kills good people, those who would make it on Jacob's list (or, as Ilana puts it, would be "candidates"). Eko would have been made one of the Others had he not fended off his abductors.
    • This is somewhat supported by the fact that Locke sees it as a bright light; he calls it beautiful. Later, Ben (while masquerading as Henry Gale) tells Locke that it was his mission to to kidnap Locke, and that he is one of the "good ones". Eko was judged as not being one of the "good ones", and the Monster killed him.
  • Specifically judges people who have killed other people. This would explain the Others’ reluctance to kill and their references to not killing people as well as their reluctance to associate with the survivors of Oceanic 815 until they discover who is a killer and who is not. In this form it would have been created as a way to rid the world of murder.
    • Whenever the Monster appears, someone has recently died or been killed. The Pilot could be seen as partly responsible for the passengers who died. When it attacked Locke in Exodus, Locke's self-serving interest in the Hatch had just caused Boone's death. Moreover, when it attacked Keamy and his men and Juliet on the other side of the sonic fence, both Keamy and Juliet had recently committed murder.
  • Forces people to confront their past. Once they do so, the Monster either removes them or helps them reach redemption.
    • Causes flashbacks as a way to view the conscience of the ones it encounters and uses what it sees as a basis for judgment. This theory suggests that it acts as a manifestation of Karma, protecting innocents from evil by identifying the ones with guilty conscience, judging them and punishing them.
  • The Monster is Ammit, the Great Swallower of Egyptian mythology.
    • In Egyptian mythology, Ammit was the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs one had committed in life. She dwelt in the Hall of Ma'at, who was the personification of the concept of truth, balance, and order.The hearts of the dead were weighed by Anubis against a feather from Ma'at's headdress. The hearts of those who were heavy with wrongdoing failed the test were given to Ammit for her to devour. Those whose souls were devoured were not permitted to enter Aaru, having to be restless forever—effectively dying a second time. If the heart was lighter than a feather then the soul was judged by the god of the underworld, Osiris. With the strong Egyptian undertones, especially this season, the monster could be a personification of Ammit. When the monster poses as Yemi, it asks Eko if he is sorry for the wrongdoings in his life. When Eko says no, the monster kills him. We saw in "This Place is Death" that the monster lives in the Temple with the hieroglyphics on it. This temple, which goes underground, could represent the Hall of Ma'at where souls are judged.
      • Interesting idea. Would this make the Temple the hall of Ma'at, and the Island itself Benben?
  • Jacobs enemy seems to have a hate for human nature so it judges humans as the monster to see if jacob was right about "progress"
  • The monster's actions as an all knowing benevolent judge do not fit - it chooses to kill some seemingly innocent people (Sabine) without hesitation, yet pause upon the killing of a murderous druglord (Eko). Rather than a 'judge' of humanity, killing for moral reasons, it is easier to view the monster as a selfish entity, killing not as judgment but as serving its own needs. It's desires aren't completely clear, but viewing it as a flawed, selfish, human-like entity, fits more than a benevolent judge.

See also: Good and bad people



Origin

Man-made/technological creation

The following theories concern the nature of the monster as a man-made or technological creation -- not a living creature, natural or supernatural phenomenon.

  • A successful attempt at making Nikola Tesla's proposed "mind reading device" a reality. Here is a quote from Tesla himself: "The theory I have formulated is that the images were the result of a reflex action from the brain on the retina under great excitation. They certainly were not hallucinations such as are produced in diseased and anguished minds, for in other respects I was normal and composed. To give an idea of my distress, suppose that I had witnessed a funeral or some such nerve-wracking spectacle. Then, inevitably, in the stillness of night, a vivid picture of the scene would thrust itself before my eyes and persist despite all my efforts to banish it. If my explanation is correct, it should be possible to project on a screen the image of any object one conceives and make it visible. Such an advance would revolutionize all human relations. I am convinced that this wonder can and will be accomplished in time to come. I may add that I have devoted much thought to the solution of the problem."

Created pre-DHARMA

  • It was shown in "Cabin Fever" that, prior to DHARMA establishing itself on the Island, Locke drew and Richard recognized an image of the Monster attacking someone.
    • And more importantly, Richard reacts to the picture as though it were significant, meaning he has seen the monster before, meaning the monster is older than Dharma.
  • Created by the inhabitants who also constructed the statue; the Monster would then be part of the Island's earlier history (and therefore possibly hostile to the "Others").
  • The noises (clanking gears, grinding gears and steam whistles) and visual attributes (black smoke, chains) of the Monster are reminiscent not of modern technology but that of the late industrial age (think Jules Verne.) The Monster pre-dates Dharma and is instead a Utopian experiment of the late Victorian era, perhaps constructed by Magnus Hanso.
  • The Monster is a creation of the other much earlier inhabitants of the Island. It got altered by the electromagnetism of the Island along with its creators for whom Jacob is the leader. The ancient indigenous inhabitants are responsible for the whispers, the Monster and the four toed statue and the pillar Anthony Cooper was tied to and the ancient stone door that hidden in Ben's house.
  • When Richard visits Locke as a boy, he sees a picture Locke has drawn of the Monster. It is clear that Richard recognizes the Monster in this drawing. Richard visits Locke sometime in the late 1950s-early 1960s, before DHARMA came to the island. If DHARMA created the monster, Locke probably wouldn't have been drawing it, and Richard certainly wouldn't have recognized it.
    • It is possible that the Smoke monster was a creation of Locke. That his drawing was not simply a connection to the island, but that his drawing was the creation of the smoke monster itself. There are many biblical references, such as Adam and Eve, why can there not be a creator? So far, Locke has also shown himself to rise from death, making him a creator or god-like figure wouldn't be too unlikely!
  • In This Place Is Death, Robert asserts that it is a security system for The Temple. This would suggest that the Monster was a remnant of a past civilization, which had built the temple and is responsible for the various hieroglyphic signs around the Island.
    • This is also supported by the fact that in The Shape of Things to Come, when Ben enters the tunnel to summon the Monster, there are also hieroglyphic characters on the walls there.
  • In This Place Is Death it was also shown that the apparent CV was a part of a temple site. In Exodus, Part 2, the CV was shown as a hole in the ground. If DHARMA constructed any CV for the Monster there would be certainly remnants of it. This could mean that the DI either was not responsible for the Monster or the temple site at this location was destroyed by something or that monster has its own exits and entries to the underground.

Created Post-DHARMA

The Remains of a Future Civilization

  • A future civilization created/will create the monster for a purpose yet to be revealed. They moved the island in time (possibly to the time of the Black Rock). All that remains of them is the monster. The monster appears to be composed of mechanical elements of an advanced technology. Perhaps this civilization is the origin of the Island's apparent supernatural properties.
    • It's connection to the Temple suggests it was sent back even further than the Black Rock times.
  • A future civilization confronted with its imminent demise created the monster as an attempt to preserve human civilization; the monster's function is to absorb the memories and experiences of the dead and serve as a storage receptacle for these experiences. Jacob is from this future also, and has transported the island back into the distant past in order for him to attempt to change things and prevent human civilization from dying out. His dispute with his Enemy (who may or may not be the Monster) is that Jacob wants to preserve the world along with humanity, while the Enemy wants to preserve the world without humanity (or at least only those humans it approves of).
  • The monster is essentially a self aware machine that has discovered time travel. For the sake of its own survival, it attempts to automate efforts to course correct events that happen during time shifts that couple disrupt its eventual existence.
  • The remains of the incident and Juliet form the Monster: The Incident combined with Juliet setting off the nuke creates the monster. All of the metal being sucked into the hole left by the drill along with Juliet who becomes the conscience of the monster. When Juliet detonated the bomb, because of the properties of the pocket, everything was blown to atomic sized particles but remained contained thus creating the Monster. This might explain why the monster never kills any of the people Juliet had a good relationship with.
  • However, the Monster has a vested interest in the island (whether an agent of Jacob, Nemesis or something else). For some time now, all Juliet has wanted has been to get off the island.

Created in the future

Non Man-Made

Natural phenomenon

These theories hold it true that the Monster emerged naturally on the Island. It could be seen as any of the following:

  • A natural phenomenon responsible for fatalities of the pregnant women on the Island.
  • A force of nature that has evolved to maintain balance between warring elements in nature as well as in the human psyche. It can thus be seen both as a destructive force and a guardian of the elements whose existence it deems worthy and good and spares from its destruction. It dwells deep underground where no instrument made by man ever can reach it and it protects those whose mental images convey innocence and goodness (i.e., not threat to the natural order and balance that it has evolved to keep intact).
    • The Egyptian hieroglyphics in the Hatch translated into underworld. When Ben opens the ancient gate he seems to be looking down onto a staircase leading to the underworld. The hieroglyphics on the door in Ben's secret room says to summon protection. This could be a reference to the Monster — i.e. the Island's security system.
  • It is a naturally occurring phenomenon on the island and was worshiped by the Egyptians inhabitants of the island in much the same way that the sun was once worshiped by primitive religions.
    • It was somehow altered/tamed/taught by the Egyptians to serve the purpose of judgment and punishment.

Supernatural phenomenon

These theories hold it true that the Monster is of a supernatural essence. It is therefore to be seen as any of the following:

  • An emanation of the Island itself that takes over the memories of the ones it kills, thereby forming a collective consciousness comprised by the consciousness of each of its victims.
  • A manifestation or embodiment of the original inhabitants of the Island, a higher form of collective existence. May have been created as a result of the Purge.
  • The "spirit" or consciousness of the Island, or a supernatural force that carries out the desires of that consciousness. The Monster can manifest itself in the minds of the inhabitants of the Island, such as Yemi to Eko.
  • The avatar of the man we know as Jacob, who has transcended time and space and become one with the supernatural properties of the Island. The Island has always had powerful properties, most visibly in the form of electromagnetic anomalies that makes it invisible, but it never had a conscious mind and so it never directed these powers towards a specific purpose in the way that we've seen in various actions taken by the Monster. When the Island first became inhabited by humans in ancient times one man went down to its underworld and there merged with the core of the electromagnetic anomaly, sending his consciousness far into the future. Benjamin Linus first interacted with this entity as it took the form of Ben's only childhood friend, Jacob, who passed away in the purge.
    • The Monster is NOT Jacob. Ben claims that he is going to see something that the Others "have no name for." If it IS Jacob, then the Others have no idea that he is connected to the monster, or he is lying again.
    • The human consciousness within the Monster is freed of the body that caged it, yet this means that the man who in ancient times merged his consciousness with the properties of the Island is forced to live through all ages like a ghost. The only way for him to interact with the outside world is to use the properties of the Island to take on different forms of apparitions, which he does by letting his consciousness mirror the consciousness of others to judge them. It's because the physical entity of Jacob is dead since long (his consciousness is trapped in time because of the time-warping properties of the Island) that he can't physically touch anything or speak audibly. He uses the powers of the Island purposefully to become a force of judgment.
  • With the episode "Dead is Dead", Ben goes down into the temple to get judge by the smoke monster and sees a hieroglyph showing the Egyptian god, Anubis, talking or being judged by the monster, which bears a demon like face, like those depicted as the dead back in Egyptian time. This shows that the monster has something to do with the spirits of the dead that died on the island, and this explains why it must protect the temple, because a majority of what the monster is made up of is the spirits of the Egyptians. This is just a theory or what might be.
  • Island manifestation of the deep emotions of those on the island. If you go back to most of the appearances of the monster, it appears during times of high emotions. In its first appearance, the survivors have just arrived on the island after the crash, they are all afraid or anxious. Ben "summons" it after feeling deep sadness, anger, and regret at just having watched Keamy kill his daughter. Ben "summons" it again when trying to atone for the death of his daughter, still quite obviously deeply sorry. It attacks Rousseau's team after they crash on the island, and they are in the same state of fear as the 815 survivors. It approaches John Locke when he is deeply depressed at being shot and apparently unable to walk anymore. It appears as Walt to Shannon when she is still very sad at the loss of Boone, etc;
  • The monster is the original form of Jacob's Enemy. It's simply a dark cloud, and the "bright light" Locke, later Juliet and Kate saw is not any part of The Monster/Jacob's Enemy. The Bright Light is the original form of Jacob, he came to help Locke, later Kate and Juliet. There's an ancient war between The Monster and The Bright Light, and this is the main thing what we're going to see in season 6.
  • If the Monster is Jacob's Enemy (he was wearing black and unnamed), then Jacob might be like Prospero in THE TEMPEST, who controls the magical creatures of that island (Ariel and Caliban) to do his bidding, and the Monster/Jacob's enemy is looking for a way to get out from under Jacob's Prospero-like control of him/it. Jacob's Enemy accusing Jacob of bringing the ship we believe to be the Black Rock to the island is also in line with the plot of The Tempest (where Prospero uses the magics of the island to shipwreck a passing vessel)
  • A spirit of the man that once was Jacob's nemesis's father. This would solve the mystery of the connection of Nemesis and the Monster.

God-like being

The Monster is an unknowable hidden force of nature that in its composition is invisible to man. It is immaterial as it is made of light particles. Instead of, like us, move in a physical, tangible dimension, it moves in a dimension of light. Though it feeds on light and would die if it lost what corresponds to the human circulatory or nervous system, in the eyes of humans it is indistinguishable from a divine power.

  • The light shed is beautiful to look at, bringing a feeling of euphoria. But for the ones fully captured by it, the experience is comparable to enslavement. They are manipulated for the Monster's purposes, which is to teach a critical truth or give a prophetic message. The Monster can possess and raise the dead who for the time of their brief reanimation never can speak on their own behalf.
  • The god-like being seeks to reach order and harmony in nature through destruction. It is thereby a destructive but just avenger - a redemptive force. The redemption experienced by various protagonists in Lost is the triumph of the free will to defy predictable patterns of behavior. Free will is expressed when characters forgive (Claire), seek forgiveness (Charlie), let go of grudges (Jack) or atone for past transgressions (Sawyer and Kate, Sayid and Michael). The Monster tests an individual's moral integrity by introducing temptations to reject altruism. If they fall for the temptation and refuse to atone their mistakes (which was the case with Eko), the Monster punishes the transgressor. When the characters instead listen to their inner conscience and act unselfishly, having learned from their past transgressions, the Monster lets them go in peace.
  • The monster is a force that "course corrects" offending people and things. If the past is changed, and a character no longer exists (due to his past self being terminated in some way), then the monster destroys that character. Much like a "Langolier," in Stephen King's The Langoliers.


  • Might be a version of djinn that inhabits the Island. A djinn (also jinn, genie) is a supernatural, fiery being who possesses free will.
  • The djinn are described as living in colonies (there are several "wisps" of smoke that make up the Monster) often in a particular place (The Temple, Dark Territory, etc.) While djinn are said to be made from "smokeless fire", it is possible the producers have twisted the typical definition of djinn to create the Monster.
  • Djinn are supposed to be much stronger than humans (easily grabs people, uproots trees, etc.) and often harass people. Sometimes, djinn possess people or duplicate their form (for example, the manifestation of Yemi?) The Qur'an described them as creatures of different forms; some resembling vultures and snakes, or as dragons, or a number of other animals. (May explain Hurley Bird?)
  • The use of Hieroglyphics throughout the show may be a hint to the Monster's origin and/or background. While djinn are from Arabian folklore, the producers may extend djinn lore to the Egyptian era.
  • As a supernatural being, different rules may apply to the Monster. Some legends claim that spirits and other supernatural creatures can be controlled or bidden through iron, or blood, or special symbols.
    • For example, the Black Rock was carrying slaves (possibly also the Monster, whose presence or "attention" was bound to the ship by the slaves in irons?)
    • Ben's secret door bore hieroglyphs. Roughly translated, they read "to summon protection..."
  • The Monster is a manifestation of the Egyptian god [Apep], the deification of darkness and evil, often depicted as a snake with a head of flint. Apep's consort is the Egyptian goddess of fertility, Taweret, the hypothesized deity depicted by The Statue. Apep was considered "The Eater-Up of Souls", and the dead were buried with protection spells against him. If The Monster is Apep, this may explain why a principle law of the truce between DHARMA and The Hostiles was to bury the dead.
  • The Monster is the Judaic Angel of Death, Sammael. Sammael, is Esau's guardian angel.

Other explanations

  • It´s a life form from the future - a post nuclear Armageddon future. That´s why it´s almost incomprehensible for the islanders, and for us.
    • Not absurd, if we remember that even our friend La Fleur and his pals are "from the future" in 1977.

Relation to other characters

A conduit of the island leader

  • The monster is a creation of The Island and it can fuse with the leader to give them an intimate knowledge of the Island, this happens when the leader is resurrected. This means that the leader has the ability to summon the monster, which is why Ben, who still hasn't gotten over the fact that he's not in charge anymore, could not summon it. Charles Widmore also had the fusion take place, and it left him with a hunger to go back to the Island, willing to kill anyone to get there and reclaim what he believes is his, despite a new leader been chosen.
    • We know that people can come and go from the Island. So, maybe the leader cannot leave and return as the leader. That's why Charles can never have the Island again.
    • Ben also exhibits a similar hunger, although because he has more recently been displaced he is more willing to make sure John is the correct choice, so he kills him, and also forced him to murder Anthony Cooper, two things that will either lead to him becoming the new leader, or ending up dead.

It is Jacob's nemesis

  • The Monster is Jacob's nemesis, the impostor of Locke. This can be backed up by the fact that when Ben summoned the Monster "Dead Is Dead", Locke walked out of the jungle. It manifested itself as Alex so that Ben will listen to the other manifestation, Locke.
    • The Smoke Monster is Jacob's Nemesis, and it let Ben live so it could use him to kill Jacob. It also "judged" Ben, to read his memories and find out more about Locke so that it would be able to impersonate him better. It seems fairly clear that the Nemesis is The Monster, especially based on three events in this episode: 1) When Ben summons the Monster, Locke goes somewhere. And when Ben says the Monster is coming, Locke walks out of the jungle---seems like a major hint. 2) The monster doesn't appear until Ben is separated from Locke. Locke doesn't reappear until the Monster disappears. 3) The Monster appears as Alex to tell Ben to follow Locke's every word. If the Monster is the Nemesis, this allows the Nemesis even more control over Ben (so he can make Ben kill Jacob).
      • If The Monster isn't Jacob's Nemesis, then they must have some connection. Perhaps The Monster is a pet of sorts to Jacob's Nemesis.
      • Also, when Ben is beneath the Temple, he sees Alex and only Alex. At this time Locke is nowhere to be seen. But as soon as Alex disappears, we see Locke again.
  • Assuming that the Monster is Jacob's nemesis, it/he could not kill Jacob because Jacob is a being without sin. As a creature of judgment, it cannot harm a truly innocent man, and therefore had to act through an intermediary. It/he wanted Jacob dead because he kept leading men (and by extension, sin) to the Island, and hated him for it.
  • The monster is Jacob's enemy's attempt to find a "loophole" and kill Jacob. Since the attempt doesn't work, he lets the monster roam along the island, to the point that the Others think of it as a "security system" for the island. When the monster encounters new arrivals to the island, it scans them to see if they would be suitable for the nemesis to pose as. This would explain why everyone sees it as a dark cloud except Locke, who says it is a "bright light", because he was chosen by the monster. It also explains why the "Un-Locke" left Benjamin in the chamber beneath the temple, so that the monster could scare him and Ben could be manipulated by the "Un-Locke" in order to kill Jacob.
  • The monster is Jacob's Nemesis; it is AMMIT, who is upset with Anubis(Jacob) for not living up to his responsibilities as guardian of the dead. Anubis is required to judge souls and to feed the hearts of the "wicked" to Ammit, the crocodile-headed hippo-footed "devourer of souls."
  • The Monster, as Christian, told Frank and Sun to wait for Nemesis (disguised as Locke) before doing anything.
    • The phenomenon that the passengers of 815 refer to as the Monster could actually be a manifestation of psychic power that originated from Jacob's nemesis, just an extension of himself. He uses it for psychic manipulation where he can appear as deceased people on the Island. Until he got a hold of John Locke though he could not maintain the illusion.

Created by Jacob's Nemesis

  • The Monster we know is actually a creation from the future. It is used by Jacob's nemesis to mess in time lines created by Jacob. The two are in a constant battle, and they use the physics of time as a weapon. The IDEA of a DHARMA initiative came from the same person, but that person traveled back in time to manipulate the De Groots' time lines so they would create DHARMA, just like Eloise Hawking created a time line for her son by manipulating him into becoming a scientist. This person came from the future, where the technology for creating an apparatus like the smoke monster is available. By bringing it to a time where the technology isn't available yet, he can manipulate certain events, as the people involved will think it is a monster. They simply can't understand what they see, and therefore label it as Monster. Imagine the power you would have if you travelled back to old Egypt, and had something under your control that scared the bejesus out of the people there. You would be a god.

Two monsters

  • There are two monsters, a White and a black. The white monster has only ever once been seen, by Locke in "Walkabout". He described it as a "bright light", and beautiful. The other monster is black and has been seen many times.
  • In the episode Namaste, it was pretty inconspicuous, but when Sun traipsed into that Dharma Processing Center with the pictures on the wall and met Christian, while speaking to Christian, a smoky mass entered through the door behind Sun. It seemed a bit different from the black smoke monster in that it was a lighter, misty color, almost like a white or pale blue. And then, in the shot behind Sun, there was a light-haired female character in the background who looked like Charlotte, but could've been Claire. If indeed there are two different "smoke monsters", this may indicate that Christian is indeed a representative of Jacob as he claimed in Cabin Fever. Christian is Jacobs's avatar (with white tennis shoes) and fake Locke is the black smoke's avatar (wearing black shoes).
    • If indeed there are 2 smoke monsters, then perhaps the one controlled by Jacob is the "beautiful white light" that Locke witnessed in Season 1. We never directly saw what it was, so we cannot automatically assume that it was the black monster.
    • While they never appear on the screen at the same time, the smoke monster and the dead people always seem to be coming from completely different directions. Such as the instance when Mr. Eko is killed. He is speaking to his brother, then turns around and is attacked by the monster. Also when Ben is judged in Dead is Dead, the monster retreats down it's hole and Alex appears behind him. The only way they could be the same entity is if it can teleport or become invisible, which is not consistent with previous behavior. We've always seen the monster moving through the jungle, even when it is just going past and not attacking. To further prove this, the smoke monster doesn't appear to be able to go through the sonic fence around the Dharma barracks. However, in the The Man Behind the Curtain episode, Ben clearly sees his dead mother standing outside his window while the fence is active. Ben's mother also goes to disprove the "unburied dead" theory of dead people being seen. I think it is safe to assume that she was buried somewhere in the U.S. where she died.
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