Lost: The 10 Saddest Things About Michael

In every fandom, there are characters that fans love and hate with a deep passion. While many Lost fans still love characters like Sawyer and Hurley, many of them despise Michael Dawson. These negative feelings are largely rooted in Michael betraying his friends and murdering Ana Lucia Cortez and Libby Smith, with Libby’s death being particularly devastating.

Consumed with animosity toward Michael, many fans tend to overlook much of the hardship and suffering that the character endured. He had one of the saddest backstories and he continued to suffer greatly on the Island, when he got off the Island, and even after he died.

10 He Never Got To Fulfill His Dreams Of Becoming A Professional Artist

Michael was a gifted artist. He had aspirations to take his talents to the next level and become a professional artist, but he put his dreams on hold so he could work in construction, thereby providing a better life for his son, Walt.

Unfortunately, Michael never got to fulfill his dreams because of the selfish decisions that his partner Susan made. Michael made a sacrifice for the betterment of his family, and in the end, it was for naught as Susan tore apart the family they were supposed to build together.

9 Susan Took Walt From Him

Not long after Walt was born, Susan accepted a prestigious legal job in Amsterdam and took Walt with her. She accepted the job and made the decision before even talking about the situation with Michael. She took his son away from him and despite her promises that it wasn’t goodbye forever, she went back on her word.

Susan married a man named Brian Porter and she convinced Michael to relinquish his custody so Brian could adopt Walt. Michael was thus cut out of his son’s life entirely. Walt didn’t even know who Michael was until Susan died.

8 Susan Never Shared His Letters With Walt

Despite being separated from his son, Michael sent him many letters, cards, and drawings. Susan hid them from Walt, never letting him know that he had a father overseas who loved him very much. After Susan’s death and Brian’s plea that Michael be the one to take care of Walt now, Michael traveled to Australia and learned that Walt had never seen any of the letters, cards, or drawings.

It wasn’t until they were on the Island that Walt got a chance to see them and to understand that even though Michael hadn’t been there through his childhood, Michael cared deeply for Walt and had been doing his best to communicate and stay connected with his son over the years.

7 The Others Kidnapped Walt

After being separated from his son for years, Michael and Walt finally got to spend time together and embrace their father-son relationship. This made it all the crueler when the Others kidnapped Walt.

Michael had finally reunited with his son. He was learning how to become a wonderful father and both he and Walt were better because of it. Kidnapping Walt was a devastating moment for Michael that led to self-loathing guilt and set him on a tragic and self-destructive path.

6 …And They Blew Up The Raft

Michael poured his heart and soul into building a raft that would get him and Walt off of the Island and bring rescue to the rest of the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors. After facing many obstacles, Michael and the other survivors managed to successfully launch the raft.

The hope brought by the raft was short-lived as the Others blew it up after they snatched Walt off of it. Not only did Michael lose his son, but he also lost the best chance he, Walt, and their friends had at finally being rescued.

5 Manipulated By The Others

The Others knew that Michael would do anything to get his son back. They used his desperation to manipulate him and convince him to betray his friends and his values. Michael freed Ben, killed Ana Lucia and Libby, lied about what happened, and led his friends into a trap where they were captured by the Others.

He only did those things because it was the only way to get Walt back. Even after Michael left the Island, the Others continued to manipulate him, convincing him to become their spy on Charles Widmore’s freighter.

4 He Became Tormented By His Guilt

Michael was consumed with guilt over the things he did to get Walt back. He was particularly haunted by the fact that he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby. Learning what Michael did made Walt want to have nothing to do with his father. Walt went to live with Michael’s mother and refused to see his father.

These events drove Michael to become suicidal and he tried to end his life on multiple occasions. The Island wasn’t done with Michael yet and both attempts were unsuccessful, leaving him alive for a while longer in the series while he was tormented with agonizing guilt and regret.

3 He Sacrificed Himself

Michael ultimately sacrificed his life to save Jin, Sun, and everyone else aboard the Kahana. He stayed on the Kahana and did everything in his power to stop the freighter and the many people aboard from being blown up by C-4.

He worked on freezing the battery connected to the explosives, even after the C-4 was triggered to detonate. He stayed until the end and lost his life in the brutal explosion. These actions demonstrated Michael’s positive character development, but it was also a harsh and violent end to an already tragic life.

2 His Spirit Was Trapped On The Island

Even death could not bring Michael any peace as his spirit remained trapped on the Island. Michael was unable to move on because of what he did to Ana Lucia and Libby and he became one of the whispers that Hurley and the other characters would often hear in the jungle.

Michael had wanted to get off the Island arguably more than any other character. This made it feel particularly cruel that his spirit was trapped there even after dying.

1 No Reconciliation With Walt

The saddest thing about Michael’s story was that after all he went through and suffered, fans never saw him get the chance to reconcile with Walt. Everything Michael did–the good and the bad–was rooted in the love he had for his son. Most of the show’s main characters had a chance to reconcile and make peace with their loved ones either in life or in the flash-sideways. Michael and Walt never got the proper conclusion that their relationship deserved, though.

In the show’s epilogue “The New Man In Charge” Ben told Walt that he needed to return to the Island because he had work to do, which included helping his father. Walt knew Michael was dead, but Ben insisted that Michael still needed his son’s help, and Walt ultimately agreed to return to the Island. All of this suggests that Walt will help his father move on and they will hopefully have the reconciliation and resolution they deserve, but it’s a shame that fans will never see this or know for sure whether Michael and Walt got the happy endings that they needed.

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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