Lost: 10 Fan Favorite Characters, According To Reddit

Lost worked for a large number of reasons. Of course, everyone was glued to the television set week after week thanks in large part to the tantalizing mysteries and thrilling sense of adventure. The overall storyline is what kept the viewers returning for more, and it helped Lost become the watercooler show of the decade.

However, there’s another major ingredient in its success, and that is the characters. The characters of Lost are iconic, and their dramatic and personal stories helped elevate the show to genuine greatness. Whether it is Sawyer, Locke, or Charlie, everyone has a different favorite.

10 Sawyer

Reddit user tketchum12 writes, “I may be in the minority with this but my favorite character for the whole show was Sawyer. I thought he was hilarious and was a fine line between good and bad. I like how his character developed throughout the show.”

Lost is an acclaimed drama about antiheroes, and Sawyer fits that bill better than any other character. He’s a wonderfully complex character, filled with hate and menace and violence, but also a capacity to love. His character arc is also one of the best in the show, going from villain to reluctant hero.

9 Faraday

Daniel Faraday is easily one of the greatest characters that wasn’t in the first season of Lost. In fact, he didn’t make his first appearance until season four. Reddit user Snazzle-Frazzle writes, “Danial Faraday is favorite character in the show. I love his soft spoken voice and I find his back-story to be very moving, not as much as John Locke’s back-story but still.”

Faraday’s backstory is arguably the most tragic in the entire show, as he is destined to be killed by his own mother while traveling through time.

8 Locke

Redditor we_gobba_go_back states, “My favorite was probably Locke. In the first couple seasons his mysteriousness, ‘connection’ to the island, and ideas about fate and what the island was really drew me to him. As the show went on I couldn’t get enough of him.”

Locke is easily one of the most popular characters, and it’s exactly for the reasons that we_gobba_go_back listed. Locke was unlike any other character on the show in terms of backstory, motivation, island lore, theme, and moral complexity.

7 Desmond

It’s very hard to introduce new characters to a show – especially in the midst of a cast as beloved as Lost’s. But the showrunners succeeded with the invention of Desmond. Reddit user noobpunk writes, “Got to be Desmond…His love story is the most hard-hitting of ’em all.”

There is simply no Desmond without Penny. Desmond is fantastic on his own, but his relationship with Penny provided much of the show’s human drama and heart. It also led to “The Constant,” which many argue is the greatest episode of Lost.

6 Charlie

Charlie is another universal fan favorite. He provided much of the show’s comic relief through his relationship with Hurley, and he was very loving towards Claire. But as Redditor Ludoth31st states, “Not Penny’s Boat kills me every single time.”

Charlie definitely had one of the saddest deaths on Lost, sacrificing himself to save both Desmond and the island castaways. Charlie and his gung-ho sense of fun and adventure will always remain in the hearts of fans.

5 Ben

Reddit user tinhtinh argues, “Ben was great up until they didn’t know what to do with him.” Ben was indeed one of Lost‘s top villains, a strategic mastermind and puppet master who controlled many actions from behind the scenes. His character was a lot of malicious fun, and he was also played to perfection by Michael Emerson.

What tinhtinh is likely referring to with “until they didn’t know what to do with him” is his storyline in season six, which saw Ben going good and joining the castaways after killing Jacob.

4 Juliet

Redditor Parenegade writes, “Juliet for sure. I loved her quiet strength.” Lost was always great at creating strong female characters, including Kate and Juliet. Another late addition to the show, Juliet immediately became a fan favorite thanks to her tragic back story and take-no-nonsense attitude.

As Parenegade states, she had a “quiet strength” about her, and it often saw her taking leadership positions and defying expectations. She’s one of the strongest female characters on a show full of them.

3 Kate

trentw24 writes, “Kate, loved her and Evangeline Lilly.” Kate is one of the primary faces of Lost, remaining a main character throughout all six of its seasons. She generated quite a fanbase thanks to her moral complexity and fascinating back story, which involved her killing her own abusive stepfather and going on the lam to evade the authorities.

Her popularity was made possible thanks to the strong performance of Evangeline Lilly, who received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2007.

2 Jack

Lost is an ensemble drama, but if there is to be one “main” character, it’s Jack Shepherd. Redditor free_trdr_bewl writes, “Jack for sure. I love this show for its character based drama but his story line is definitely my favorite.” And that’s because his storyline is arguably the main storyline of Lost entire.

Lost is Jack’s story, as he makes the transition from man of science to man of faith, starts to believe in both Locke and the island, and ends up dying to protect it. His spiritual adventure provided the very soul and thematic relevance of Lost.

1 Richard Alpert

chappyarizona has a unique favorite character, and that is Richard Alpert. As they state, “I was fascinated by Richard Alpert his arc was so unique seeing the island through so many cycles and changes.” Alpert is arguably the most distinctive character on the show – a man who doesn’t age or take sides.

His immortality and flashbacks also allowed the viewers to explore the island’s past and learn much about its history and lore. He’s a fascinating character intrinsically tied to the imaginative worldbuilding of Lost.

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Nathan Sharp
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Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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