Lost: The 10 Saddest Backstories, Ranked

There were many timelines to keep up with on Lost. There was the actual crash onto the island. There were backstories for each of the main characters, ranging from their childhoods to the moments before they stepped onto Flight 815. And then there was traveling through time, to add even more confusion, drama, and interest!

The histories of the main characters helped people understand them better and added a layer of depth to the story. Most of the past was also filled with struggles and pain. That being said, this is a ranking of the 10 saddest backstories from Lost.

10 Sun & Jin

When Sun and Jin first met and were starting to get to know one another, they thought it was fate and true love. After getting married, though, they hit several bumps in the road. A big part of this was that Jin was working for Sun’s father in a job that put a strain on everything from his well-being to their relationship. Sun had secretly learned English and was planning on leaving Jin before they got on Flight 815.

They faced a few challenges on the island, as well, but soon, they were stronger than ever and more in love than ever.

9 Charlie

Back in the day, Charlie and his brother, Liam, were in a band called Drive Shaft. They got caught up in the rock and roll lifestyle, leading to heroin addiction. After some time, Liam cleaned up his act and left the band, even though Charlie still wanted to make music and was still using.  

Eventually, as fans know, he, too, got clean on the island, found new passions, and was always there to lend a helping hand. 

8 Juliet

Juliet was a medical fertility specialist, and she was brought to the island by Richard. However, she thought she was going to work in Portland, and she thought she would be back in time to see her sister have a baby. Instead, though, she got tricked, tranquilized, pushed into a submarine, and locked into a strange and difficult life in a very mysterious place. 

The silver lining was that she met the survivors and fell in love, but she faced many hardships before that time in her life. 

7 Michael

Before the crash, Michael had a son, Walt, with his girlfriend, Susan. Susan’s new job led to her to taking Walt away, meaning Michael never got to know him until Susan passed away. After that, Michael became Walt’s legal guardian, but they were still complete strangers.

Therefore, when they first ended up on the island, they bickered, did not trust one another, and had to work through some things before having a good father and son relationship. 

6 Hurley

On the island and for the most part, Hurley was a happy-go-lucky guy who enjoyed having a good time and spreading smiles. Back home, though, he won the lotto, using those iconic numbers, leading him to believe he was cursed. Furthermore, his father was absent for a good chunk of his life, he developed an eating disorder, he ended up in a mental hospital, and he started seeing an imaginary person.

While everyone seemed to be somewhat cured on the island, Hurley still struggled with mental health issues, body image issues, and the issue of believing he was cursed. Whether or not the numbers brought him bad luck or not, it was sad to see him blame himself for any negativity. 

5 Kate

The majority of Kate’s backstory focused on her running from the law; she had killed her abusive father, which led to a life of crimes such as robbing banks, stealing from people, and lying about her identity.  

She was a good person, though, and she actually didn’t want to be saved from the island. There, she was given a new start, a second chance, and a group of people who loved her and cared for her. 

4 Jack 

A large portion of Jack’s backstory focused on his relationship with his father, and a notable moment was when Jack spoke up and had Christian’s medical license taken away; both of these men had drinking problems, and Christian’s became an issue at work, during surgeries, leading to a patients’ death. 

He had an obsessive behavior that caused strains on important relationships in his life. But on the island, he became the leader, he fell in love, and he created a new family for himself. 

3 Sayid 

Previously, Sayid was an Iraqi Republican Guard torturer, but he started doubting his career choice when he met Nadia; he was supposed to interrogate then execute her, but he, instead, assisted in her escape and spent the next few years looking for her. 

All the bad that Sayid had done haunted him, so it was nice to see him use his skills for good on the island. 

2 Sawyer

Sawyer’s real name was James Ford, and the real Sawyer was a man who took all of James’ family’s money, causing James’ parents to get killed right in front of him. After that, James went on a hunt to find the real Sawyer, but instead, he became Sawyer; he took his name and started conning people out of money. 

At first, no one trusted Sawyer on the island, since he hadn’t fully outgrown his ways of stealing and such. However, he slowly opened up to those who were close and special to him, revealing that he had a soft, sensitive, and sweet side. 

1 Locke

The saddest backstory, though, was Locke’s. As a foster child, his father was not in his life until this man showed up, tricked him into giving up his kidney, and, later, pushed him out of a window. Yes, his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father led to him losing the love of his life, as well as to him breaking his back, becoming paralyzed from the waist down, and being in a wheelchair.

Furthermore, his not-so-great boss talked down to him, and he was told he couldn’t do the one thing he wanted to do most at that time, an Australian Walkabout.

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