Lost: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Ben (And 5 Times We Hated Him)

With each passing episode he was in, Benjamin Linus quickly became one of Lost‘s most fascinating and complex characters. He committed some truly despicable acts as a manipulative, cunning, and selfish character. That was only part of his character, though, as fans realized he suffered as a child and grew to suffer in different ways as an adult. As much as Ben manipulated others in abhorrent ways, there were also characters who manipulated him and made him suffer.

The character was brought to life in a manner where he could be loathed in some moments while still retaining enough humanity to make him sympathetic in other situations. It’s because of this complexity that fans of Lost didn’t know if they should hate Ben or if they should sympathize with him. Here are 5 times fans really hated Ben and 5 more times they actually felt bad for him.

10 FELT BAD FOR HIM: When He Was Blamed For His Mother’s Death & Abused By His Father

Ben’s mother died shortly after giving birth to him. Roger Linus, Ben’s father, blamed his wife’s death on Ben. It didn’t matter that Ben was only a child. In Roger’s mind, Ben was responsible for his mother’s death and for Roger’s failings.

Roger became an alcoholic, along with being a neglectful and abusive father. Not only was he mentally abusive with all the blame he thrust on Ben, but he was also physically abusive. In one instance, when a young Ben tried to give a sandwich to an imprisoned Sayid, Roger slammed his son against the bars.

9 HATED HIM: Leaving Locke For Dead In A Mass Grave

Ben envied John Locke. Locke seemed to have a deep connection to the Island that Ben wanted, but never possessed. The Island healed Locke while it gave Ben a malignant tumor. It appeared that Jacob had spoken to Locke while Ben had never been able to speak to him.

Given Ben’s jealous nature, he eventually overreacted as he shot Locke and left him to die in a Dharma Initiative mass grave. Ben’s actions in this instance were spiteful and it was a miracle that he didn’t end up killing Locke.

8 FELT BAD FOR HIM: When He Was Shot By Sayid

When Sayid was a captive of the Dharma Initiative, young Ben helped Sayid escape. He thought Sayid was one of the Hostiles/Others and that freeing him would be the key to a new and better life on the Island.

Despite Ben’s help, Sayid shot and nearly killed him. Sayid hated Ben for the ways he manipulated him and made him a killer again. At this point in the timeline, though, Ben was just a desperate child shot by someone he thought he could trust.

7 HATED HIM: When He Helped Massacre The Dharma Initiative

Ben helped the Others massacre the Dharma Initiative, including his father Roger Linus. Killing his abusive and neglectful father was one thing, but lethally gassing the many innocent men, women, and children in the Dharma Initiative was a ruthless crime that could never be justified.

Even worse, these were the same people Ben grew up with, people who’d been his neighbors and classmates, and yet he killed them without a moment’s hesitation.

6 FELT BAD FOR HIM: “What About You?”

When Ben finally met Jacob, he reflected on everything he’d done in service to Jacob and all the ways he’d suffered and been ignored. Ben eventually asked, “What was it that was so wrong about me? What about me?” Jacob replied, “What about you?”

Jacob’s reply was cruel and soul-crushing. Ben was essentially told that Jacob thought he was a joke, as was everything Ben endured and suffered for Jacob.

5 HATED HIM: When He Stole Alex From Her Mother

While Ben did grow to care for Alex and raised her as his own, it was never his right to become her father in the first place. She was Danielle Rousseau’s daughter and Ben stole her when she was only a baby. Alex was all Rousseau had left in the world and Ben snatched her away.

This caused Rousseau to descend into a crazed and paranoid state of mind for the rest of her life. Rousseau didn’t even get a chance to meet her daughter until many years later, soon after which Rousseau was murdered. Charles Widmore had ordered Ben to kill Rousseau and the baby, so while Ben did save their lives, that didn’t negate the crime of stealing a child from her mother.

4 FELT BAD FOR HIM: His Monologue To Ilana

When Ilana learned that Ben killed Jacob, she ordered Ben to dig his own grave. The Man in Black gave Ben a chance to run away and turn on Ilana, but Ben used the opportunity to explain to Ilana why he killed Jacob.

He delivered a tearful, gut-wrenching monologue about how he sacrificed everything he cared about–even his daughter Alex–in service to Jacob and the Island. When he realized Jacob didn’t care about any of those sacrifices, Ben killed him. He regretted it, but what he regretted most of all was choosing power and the Island over his daughter. This scene provided a rare insight into the more vulnerable and humane aspects of Ben’s character.

3 HATED HIM: When He Killed Locke

Ben manipulated Locke until the very end. When Locke was about to commit suicide, Ben intervened and coaxed him out of it, convincing Locke that he was too important to die.

Moments later when Locke shared the information that Ben needed, though, Ben proceeded to strangle Locke to death. Ben then staged the scene to make it look like a suicide. Talking Locke out of suicide and then murdering him moments later will always stand out as one of Ben’s most abhorrent moments.

2 FELT BAD FOR HIM: When He Stayed Outside Of The Church

In a flash-sideways scene during the series finale, most of the main characters gathered in a church where they would move on together. Ben sat outside the church and had two emotional interactions. The first was with Locke, where Ben agonized over his selfishness and the jealousy he once felt for Locke, which led to decisions that Ben still regretted. Locke forgave him, but it was clear Ben still hadn’t forgiven himself.

The next interaction was with Hurley, who invited Ben into the church, but Ben chose to stay outside. While everyone else was ready to move on, Ben wasn’t ready yet and still needed to work on becoming a better version of himself. This character growth was admirable, yet it was still difficult to see Ben choosing to stay outside of the church while most of the other main characters moved on together as a group.

1 HATED HIM: When He Let Alex Die

Martin Keamy told Ben that he would spare Alex’s life if Ben came out of the house and surrendered. Alex had just seen Keamy and his men murder her mother Danielle Rousseau and her boyfriend Karl. She knew he wasn’t bluffing and tearfully told her father as much through the walkie-talkie.

Ben’s ego wouldn’t let him surrender his power on the Island or lose his sick “game” with Charles Widmore. Ben refused to listen to his daughter and Keamy killed her, just as he said he would. For the rest of his life, Ben would have to live with the knowledge that he let his daughter die.

About The Author

Matthew Rudoy
(278 Articles Published)

Matthew Rudoy is a freelance writer who loves to write about his favorite movies and TV shows. In addition to Screen Rant, he also currently contributes to Dork Side of the Force. He has previously self-published two fantasy/sci-fi novels titled CORRUPTION and DESTRUCTION. While his favorite movies and TV shows tend to also fall in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, he enjoys and is open to anything that provides an engaging story, strong character development, and in-depth world-building. Matthew is grateful for the opportunity to write for Screen Rant and looks forward to continue contributing to the site.

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