any theories on who Ben really is?

[dano81818]

we know he is a man who can come up w/ $3.2mm. Miles says not to treat him like one of the survivors because he knows who Ben really is... so, who is he? other than the leader of the massacare of dharma subjects....

[Rain13]

I personally think that Ben is one of the most powerful men in the world, if not the most powerful, because of what he has discovered on the island. I think that human beings had discovered the power of the island long before Ben, and when he joined up with "The Hostiles", who the creators have said were just a group of people who had come to the island at various times throughout history, he became the master of this power. Perhaps Jacob is working through Ben, or perhaps Jacob isn't important at all, but what matters is that Ben knows that the island needs to be protected and he is willing to kill and manipulate people in order to ensure that this is the case. He is clearly a genius and a masterful tactician, and the fact that these people are after him and seem to be treating him like a very dangerous person is indicative of the fact that he wields great power because of what he knows about the island. For some reason that photo of him that Miles reminds me of the kind of photo that the FBI has of terrorists that they've never gotten into custody. I personally think that Ben is known to the powers of the world, perhaps in a limited sense, and that he's more than just a crazyman who's trying to create a Utopian society on a deserted island.

With that said, the real question for me has always been is Ben good or bad? I think that the writers have been very ambiguous about this, (can you think of one single incident where Ben has been outright evil as opposed to just coldly manipulative?). I personally think that he is not evil, and that he is trying to save humanity somehow. Only time will tell...

[dano81818]

how about when he and the hostiles gassed the dharma subjects... seemed pretty "evil" to me.

[dano81818]

oh god, ben is trying to be the savior of humanity? here comes that sick feeling again.. i cant take this friggin show! same has occurred to me on occasion, but i just can't get past the kidnappings and the mass murder long enough to accept this.

[Olecrowfan]

Ben Is Kane or at least thats become my idea. to walk the Earth forr eternity for what he did to Abel. I don't remember all the bull**** that went along with it, Bible school was a long time ago.

[Rain13]

I would be very surprised if the writers took a biblical/religious approach towards explaining things. I find it interesting that many of the theories on this website are religious in nature, but I think we have to realize that that kind of stuff doesn't really fly in Hollywood :D Can you imagine how outraged many people would be if it was revealed that this show, completely secular in nature as of yet, was based on a Christian religious belief? Hell, the athiests and the Christians would be mad. It's not going to happen, trust me.

Anyway, responding to the question about Ben gassing the Dharma Initiative: I suppose that is one occurrence that I have overlooked, thank you for pointing it out to me. But I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If it was revealed to us that Ben has indeed discovered something that will save all of humanity, could we not look back at all of his actions and see them as justified? For example, we have never seen him do anything outrightly malicious simply for the sake of being mean, as you would see nearly any other TV show villain doing. Everything that Ben has done, despite how twisted it has seemed, has been to achieve his purpose. I find it quite interesting that the writers have ensured that he hasn't done anything "evil for the sake of evil", as Immanuel Kant would say. And further, as Kant would say, if one commits an evil act for the sake of good, than he himself is not evil. Sorry for the philosophy, but I think the writers are pretty big fans themselves.

[dano81818]

i dont think you are supposed to easily dismiss a massacre of innocent people. as far as i am concerned he is an SOB until proven otherwise...

[though2544]

Stealing a gun off a person's body, firing the gun into that person's gut, and leaving them to rot in an open grave with corpses of people slain by one's own hand. Coldy manipulative...or evil? Sounds pretty evil to me.

[dano81818]

yeah i still aint buyin that he's one of the good guys... he actually has to do something overtly good before i even consider it.

[Archangel-Player]

Ben is a natural born leader. He has all the potential to be a leader. He doesn't breack under presure. He sticks to his guns no matter whatthe consqueances of it. If his planes fail. He always has a back up. Ben is like any other leader in the world. He will do anything in his power to make sure his land is safe and secure.

[Rain13]

Hmm, maybe you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. Everything that Ben has done thus far he has done in order to achieve his purpose, which as of yet, is unknown to us. He has never committed a single act simply for the sake of being evil, but instead only to advance his goals. This is very unusual for a fictional villain, particularly when the ambiguity surrounding the morality of this person is so important to the show. Now, while we aren't yet aware of his purpose, many of the other characters on the show are. Namely, The Others. Of all the characters who are, presumably, aware of Ben's purpose, (Mikhail, Richard Alpert, most of the Others), there is not one who chooses not to follow him. Now, the writers could go two ways with this. Either Ben is simply an evil, twisted cult leader who easily wins the loyalty of people in order to carry out his evil plan, or he truly is the good guy who knows that he must accomplish his goal by any means necessary. Am I alone in thinking that it would be a huge let down and rather poor writing if it were to be revealed that he's just a cult leader?

[gilligan]

yes, rain13. There are a lot of folks on here who think ben may be good. I prefer to think he is a bad guy...but maybe on the good team? btw someone mentioned him slaughtering all the innocent Dharma--we dont know if they were innocent.

[naclu]

yes, rain13. There are a lot of folks on here who think ben may be good. I prefer to think he is a bad guy...but maybe on the good team? btw someone mentioned him slaughtering all the innocent Dharma--we dont know if they were innocent.

That's my point, too... I haven't made up my mind what I believe yet - good or evil... BUT...

I was going to support Rain13's theory that perhaps he has done evil things, but not for the sake of being evil...

Where was it said that the Dharma people were supposedly a bunch of peace loving hippies, but even they couldn't get a long with the "hostiles". Where the natives really hostile or is that the fear that they installed into everyone there?

It's obvious that all of these folks were brainwashed on some level... Some more than others, perhaps... Which is why they had to be "purged".