Candidates

Candidates, according to The Man in Black, are individuals chosen by Jacob to protect the island.

Information

Most information about the candidates comes from the Man in Black, a potentially unreliable source due to his conflict with Jacob.

In 2007, the Man in Black, in the form of John Locke, brought Sawyer to a cave in the cliffside where Jacob had apparently scrawled dozens of names and accompanying numbers all over the ceiling. The Man in Black explained that these individuals were candidates chosen by Jacob to protect the island, and that each candidate had met Jacob. He explained that Jacob had been interfering with their lives and making choices for them, something of which the Man in Black appeared to disapprove.

Sawyer noticed that many candidate names were crossed out. The Man in Black proceeded to cross out Locke's name and implied that if Sawyer did not join him, his name might be crossed out too. This indicates that when candidates die, their names are crossed out. However, it is unclear what other reasons for being "crossed out" can be (for instance, Straume is crossed out but Miles is alive).

There were several candidates chosen by Jacob, many numbered successively. Jacob (and later, the Man in Black) struck out names of those who could not be candidates. Currently only five candidates remain alive: Sawyer, Hurley, Jack, Sayid, and one of the Kwons (Jin or Sun). Their numbering corresponds with the numbers (minus 4, which was Locke's number).

Known candidates

Picture	Name	Number	Information
	John Locke (LOCKE)	4	Deceased; crossed off. He met Jacob when he was thrown out a window by his father. Jacob touched his shoulder and said he was sorry that happened to him. Was crossed off the list by the Man in Black. Locke was in a wheelchair for 4 years.
	Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (REYES)	8	Met Jacob upon release from prison, and was talked into booking passage on Ajira Flight 316. Jacob touched Hurley's chest when emphasizing the importance of the flight. Identified as a candidate by the Man in Black.
	James "Sawyer" Ford (FORD)	15	Met Jacob as a child at his parents' funeral. Jacob touched Sawyer when he handed him a pen, which Sawyer used to write his letter. Identified as a candidate by the Man in Black.
	Sayid Jarrah (JARRAH)	16	Met Jacob when his wife Nadia was murdered. He touched Sayid's shoulder briefly. Identified as a candidate by the Man in Black.
	Jack Shephard (SHEPHARD)	23	Met Jacob at the hospital where he worked after his first successful surgery. Jacob offered Jack an Apollo Bar that he had unsuccessfully tried to dislodge from the vending machine. Their fingers touched as Jacob passed the bar to Jack. Identified as a candidate by the Man in Black.

Possible candidates

Picture	Name	Number	Information
	Jin-Soo Kwon (KWON) Sun-Hwa Kwon (KWON)	42	Met Jacob when during their wedding when he congratulated them and advised them to keep their promises. Both were touched by Jacob simultaneously notably on their shoulders The Man in Black indicated one of them was a candidate but was unable to identify which one.
	Frank Lapidus	None	Was not seen to have met Jacob. Indicated by Bram as a "possible candidate".

Unidentified candidates

Number	Name	Information
10	MATTINGLY	Possibly the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by an Other in 1954.
20	ROU?	Possibly Alex Rousseau or Danielle Rousseau).
29	BRENNAN	Possibly the Brennan from the science expedition or Tom Brennan, who was there when Jacob encountered Kate.
31	RUTHERFORD	Possibly Shannon Rutherford.
33	MARTIN	Possibly Karl Martin.
55	BURKE	Possibly Juliet. Her death occurred after Jacob's, so her name would have to have been crossed-off before her death. Could also be her late ex-husband, Edmund Burke.
64	GOLDSTEIN	Unknown.
90	TROUPE	Possibly Gary Troup, author of Bad Twin
115	BARGAS	Unknown.
117	LINUS	Possibly Ben Linus, or his father Roger Linus
119	ALMEIDA	Unknown.
147	LEWIS	Possibly Charlotte Lewis, or her parents David and Jeanette.
171	STRAUME	Possibly Miles Straume.
175	COSTA	Unknown.
195	PACE	Probably Charlie Pace.
222	O'TOOLE	Unknown.
231	AMISTAD	Unknown.
233	JONES	Possibly the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by Charles Widmore in 1954.
251	YARIS	Unknown.
272	ORALINGO	Unknown.
282	AGUELLA	Unknown.
285	JENKINS	Possibly Steve Jenkins, a survivor who died in the flaming arrow attack.
291	DOMINGO	Unknown.
301	MARS	Possibly Edward Mars.
313	LITTLETON	Possibly Claire or Aaron.
317	CUNNINGHAM	Possibly the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by an Other in 1954.
321	FERNANDEZ	Possibly Nikki Fernandez who was on board Oceanic Flight 815 but later killed.
335	HENDERSON	Possibly Rose Nadler, the only known Henderson (maiden name).
346/396	GRANT	Unknown.
761	FARADAY	Possibly Daniel Faraday.
	AGUILA	Unknown.
	CHANG	Possibly Pierre or Lara. Miles is separately listed under Straume.
	GARNER	Unknown.
	GOODSPEED	Possibly any number of Goodspeeds, including Horace, Amy, Olivia, and Ethan.
	LACOMBE	Possibly the Lacombe from the science expedition.
	PICKETT	Possibly Danny Pickett or Colleen Pickett.
	REYNOLDS	Unknown.
	SULLIVAN	Possibly Sullivan.
	...ZKI	Possibly Stuart Radzinski or George Minkowski.

Trivia

• Justin says that Jin "is one of them" when Aldo is about to kill him, in which Aldo replies that "he may be one of them...", possibly referring to him as being a candidate. ("What Kate Does")
• Of all the known candidates from the flight 815 survivors faction, Sawyer is the only one who has not returned to the mainland since coming to the Island.
  • If Jin is a candidate, then he also shares Sawyer's status.
• Jack's number, 23, corresponds to his seat number on Oceanic Flight 815, 23B.

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Candidates/Theories

• Why isn't Kate Austin on the list?
• Why did Jacob write the names on the cave wall?
• What makes a person a candidate?
• Is Frank a candidate?
• Why would Jacob need a replacement?
• Why did Jacob compile this list of candidates?
  • Was everything the Man in Black said about the candidates truthful?
• Why does the Man in Black disapprove of Jacob's interference in the candidates' lives?
• What is the significance of the numbers beside each name?
• How is it determined to cross out a person's name?
• As a potential "recruit" of the Man in Black, is Richard Alpert a candidate whose name we haven't seen on the cave wall?
  • Was Richard Alpert a candidate in the past, or was he even possibly a protector of the Island before Jacob?