Lost: Why Walt Was So Important (& Why The Show Dropped Him)

Despite being positioned as the most important person on the island, Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) eventually stopped being relevant to Lost’s story. Walt, who was a main character in Lost season 1, only made a handful of appearances after he was taken off the island. After putting a great deal of emphasis on his significance to the island, Lost left a number of unanswered questions about his character.

Michael’s 10-year-old son was the subject of one of Lost’s first mysteries. Though Michael (Harrold Perrineau) himself never really understood this, characters like Locke (Terry O’Quinn) and Ben (Michael Emerson) quickly realized that Walt was “special”. This opinion of the character factored heavily into season 2’s story, even though Walt was absent from most episodes. Shannon (Maggie Grace) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) saw mysterious visions of him when he was away from the island. Also, Walt’s importance is what motivated his kidnapping in the first place. But despite all the efforts made to capture him, they eventually turned him over to Michael. After that, Walt was pushed to the side.

Why the Others were so interested in Walt can be attributed to some hints that were dropped in Michael and Walt’s flashbacks. A bird suddenly hitting a window when the child was frustrated and his step-father’s claim that “things happen” when he’s around were signs that Walt had some sort of psychic powers. The same can be said of the moment where Walt urged Locke not to open the hatch (despite not being told about it). As for the sightings of Walt on the island in season 2, it’s possible that what Shannon and Sayid saw was a psychic projection from the child’s mind. Unfortunately, what his powers actually were and why he had them were never explained, on account of him being written off the show.

Walt’s being dropped from Lost’s storylines relates directly to the age of the actor playing him. With the first four seasons all being set in 2004, very little time passed in the series. Kelley playing a 10-year-old for four years simply wouldn’t have worked. The issue posed by Kelley’s growth spurts was acknowledged by Lost co-creator Carlton Cuse, who has cited it as a reason for Walt’s departure [Via TV Guide]. The actor’s aging made it necessary for Lost to leave Walt behind and move on to new stories.

While it would have been interesting to see the show explore more of Walt’s psychic powers, it’s possible that a specific reason never would have been given regardless. It was indicated that there are some people in Lost’s universe – like Miles (Ken Leung) – who naturally possess supernatural abilities that science can’t account for. Malcolm David Kelley’s Walt was clearly one of them. Perhaps because of these powers, the Others regarded him as a potential candidate for Jacob’s replacement.

About The Author