Drop 42 characters on a deserted island with little hope of rescue and limited resources, and you've got a recipe for conflict. Throw in a few love triangles and a box of guns, and you can count on some deep seated feuds. Where two characters compete for a single prize, that's a rivalry. The following is a list of rivalries on Lost. Green boxes represent rivalries that the show resolved, either by one character gaining the upper hand or by the rivals settling their differences. Pink boxes represent rivalries that the show never resolved.
Origin: Locke's mistrust of Charlie over heroin addiction.
Prize: They both believe that they are fighting for Claire and Aaron's best interests.
Fuel: Locke found Charlie's new heroin stash after he had tried to help him kick his addiction and punched him out when Charlie tried to baptize Aaron ("Fire + Water"). Charlie thought that Locke was trying to steal his role as a father figure for Aaron, after Claire kicked Charlie out ("The 23rd Psalm"). Charlie's consequently participated in Sawyer's con to make Locke look foolish ("The Long Con") and also helped Eko break into the Swan after Locke initiated a lockdown ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1").
Resolved: Apparently resolved. After the Discharge, Locke seemed willing to set old hurts aside, and even asked Charlie to help him by acting as lookout while Locke was in the sweat lodge. With Locke acknowledging and taking responsibility for his own shortcomings, Charlie seems to no longer carry a grudge. Shortly afterward, Charlie died, thus ending this rivalry.
Origin: Kate took Aaron off the island and was unable to retrieve Claire before the island vanished, leaving her stranded alone for three years.
Prize: Aaron.
Fuel: After a near-death experience at the Barracks, Claire began acting strangely and eventually followed an apparition of her father into the jungle, leaving Aaron behind. Kate took Aaron with her on the helicopter ride to the freighter. On the way back to the island, Ben moved it, causing it to jump through time erratically. Claire was apparently unaffected by these shifts, instead living alone for three years and coming into conflict with the Others. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3") When Jin found Claire, he told her Kate had taken Aaron, then lied and said this was untrue. Claire said she would kill Kate if she really did raise Aaron. ("Lighthouse") Claire helped the Man in Black massacre the Temple inhabitants, and found Kate. Kate admitted she had raised Aaron, angering Claire. ("Sundown") Claire later tried to kill Kate with a dagger but was stopped by the Man in Black. ("Dr. Linus") Kate talked some sense into Claire before allowing her onto The Elizabeth, and the two seem to be on speaking terms again. ("The Last Recruit") They resume their estrangement once again when the survivors take the injured Kate on board the submarine that would allow them to escape from the island - with Claire left behind.("The Candidate")
Resolved: Yes. Though the submarine escape attempt ultimately failed, Kate managed to find Claire and begged her to come with her on the Ajira plane in order to finally reunite her with Aaron. Claire initially refuses, claiming that the years of being alone on The Island had taken a toll on both her physical and mental health, which she believes would drive Aaron away. Kate then comforts her and states that she is not alone, and that she will assist her in raising her son. Claire then accepts Kate's request and boards the plane. ("The End")
Origin: Locke lied about the cause of Boone's injuries, which Jack felt contributed directly to his death.
Prize: For Jack- Getting off of the island; For Locke - To make sure everyone stays on the island and prevent anyone else coming to it. Also pride and leadership among the survivors.
Fuel: From the time that they arrived on the Island, Locke threatened Jack's leadership. Many survivors trusted Locke over with their lives. Locke withheld knowledge of the Hatch, which cost him Jack's trust ("Do No Harm"). Their time living together in the Hatch extended their rivalry. The two's arguments became such a constant distraction that even Ana Lucia commented how "Jack and Locke are busy worrying about Locke and Jack." Locke conspired with Sayid to interrogate Henry Gale. Locke only gave in to Jack's demand to halt it when Jack threatened him with the countdown timer. ("One of Them"). Ben noted their conflict and baited Locke with the knowledge ("Lockdown"). Later, when Jack was imprisoned by the Others, Locke destroyed their submarine, which Jack planned to use to leave the Island ("The Man from Tallahassee"). Locke later killed Naomi and threatened to shoot Jack if he called the freighter.("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1"). Jack tried to kill him when they next met. Locke led a group of survivors to the Barracks, while Jack's group stayed at the beach, hoping for rescue. ("The Beginning of the End") Jack had a hard time keeping people from going to Locke's camp t. ("Ji Yeon") At their next meeting, Locke tried and failed to keep Jack on the island. When Locke moved the island, Jack refused to believe what he saw. Three years later, Locke visited Jack, and when he died, only Jack attended the funeral.
Resolved: Yes. While Locke died with many of their issues unresolved, Jack took Locke's words to heart. When he eventually faced off with The Man in Black who has taken the form of Locke, Jack told him that he disrespected Locke's memory by wearing his face, and that he wished he could have told Locke that he was right. After death, Jack and Locke come to forgive one another and Jack fixed Locke's paralysis. ("The End")
Prize: Kate's affection, control of resources, leadership for the survivors, justice for Juliet's death, and later the opportunity to flee from the island.
Fuel: The two have constantly competed for Kate's attention. Their fight over Shannon's inhaler is a perfect example of this - Jack believed that Sawyer had Shannon's asthma medication. Sawyer didn't, but refused to say, even after Jack and Sayid tortured him. Instead, he used the possibility as a bargaining chip for a kiss from Kate ("Confidence Man"). Sawyer took much of the control over the Losties away from Jack with his con to get the guns. ("The Long Con") Kate herself exacerbated the situation by confessing mixed emotions to Sawyer and then kissing Jack. ("What Kate Did") Sawyer was also perturbed to learn that Kate and Jack had been "caught in a net." ("?") Later, during their captivity, Jack found a monitor showing an intimate moment between Kate and Sawyer. Instead of letting Sawyer die, Jack helped them escape in a selfless act ("I Do"). This rivalry was revisited after Sawyer was left stranded in the island on 1974 spending three years living with the Dharma Initiative. When Jack returned to the island from 2007, he and Sawyer disagreed on how to handle their return. This was complicated when Sayid was captured by the Dharma Initiative ("Namaste"). Later, Jack intended to detonate a hydrogen bomb in the island, and Sawyer disagreed with him not wanting to leave the island ("Follow the Leader"). Sawyer and Juliet eventually left in the submarine, but she convinced Sawyer of returning. The rivalry reached its climax when Sawyer confronted Jack and told him that his return had ruined his life on the island. After fighting, Juliet convinced Sawyer of letting him do what he wanted to do ("The Incident, Part 1"). Sawyer attacked Jack when the Jughead plan failed and then threatned to kill him if Juliet died. He later told Kate, after Juliet died that he wouldn't kill Jack cause he wanted him to suffer.("LA X, Part 2") Sawyer later puts his differences with Jack aside and allows him to partake in his plan to flee to Hydra Island on Desmond's Sailboat, and eventually from the island for good. However, Jack and Sawyer find themselves at odds once again when Jack expresses doubt in Sawyer's plan, believing that fleeing would not be a part of their destiny, and that they have a bigger purpose back on the island. Jack's desire to return to the island infuriates Sawyer and revives the enmity between the two men. Sawyer then orders Jack to leave the boat ("The Last Recruit"). The two are reunited shortly after Widmore's attempts to kill them forces a brief alliance between the survivors and The Man In Black. The two board the submarine with their fellow survivors, only to find that The Man in Black had planted a bomb that was timed for explosion. Jack tells Sawyer to have faith in his word that the bomb would not explode, but Sawyer agonizingly tells him that he does not and tries to diffuse the bomb. However, his attempt only accelerate the bomb's countdown. Jack and Sawyer narrowly escape with Hurley and Kate before the submarine explodes, but the rest of the survivors die onboard.("The Candidate")
Resolved: Yes. Jack comforts Sawyer in his guilt for his role in the deaths of Jin, Sun, and Sayid, telling him not to blame himself, but rather The Man in Black ("What They Died For"). When the two eventually part ways for good, Jack wishes Sawyer luck, while Sawyer thanks Jack "for everything," cementing the mutual respect that had eluded them for years. ("The End")
Origin: Jin became jealous of Michael's interactions with Sun.
Prize: Jin's watch
Fuel: Michael disapproved of the harsh tones Jin used when speaking to Sun. Then Michael found a watch on the beach and decided to wear it, not knowing that it actually belonged to Jin's Father-in-law, Mr. Paik. Jin thought that Michael had stolen it, and nearly drowned Michael in retribution. Because supposedly no one could translate, racial tension was the presumed motive, and the Losties handcuffed Jin to the wreckage ("House of the Rising Sun"). Because of their history of confrontation, Michael automatically blamed Jin for setting the first raft on fire ("...In Translation").
Resolved: Yes. Sun eventually admitted to speaking English, which broke down some of the communication barrier. Jin helped Michael build a second raft, and the two became close friends. Jin's opinion of Michael likely changed after learning his responsibility in Ana Lucia and Libby's death, but right before Michael's death on the Kahana, Jin risked his own life in helping him freeze the bomb, only leaving when Michael made him.
Origin: Sawyer is captured by Ana Lucia and the "Tailies" and Sawyer resents her leadership.
Prize: Pride
Fuel: Sawyer hated being in captivity, and hated answering to a woman even more. ("Adrift") He defied Ana Lucia at every chance, despite suffering from a gunshot wound. The more Sawyer defies her, the more determined Ana Lucia became to prove her authority. ("Abandoned").
Resolved: Yes. Sawyer and Ana Lucia formed an unlikely bond before her death. ("Two for the Road")
Fuel: Locke found Walt's dog, Vincent, with a whistle he had made when Michael couldn't; Yet he insisted that Michael take the credit for it ("Tabula Rasa"). Walt admired Locke for this and Locke returned the favor by teaching Walt how to throw knives ("Special"). Walt insisted on spending time with him, despite his father's jealousy of Locke.
Resolved: Yes. They worked together to rescue Walt from a polar bear, and afterward were amiable until Michael betrayed the survivors.
Fuel: Boone confronted Sayid about his relationship with Shannon, and Sayid stood his ground.
Resolved: Yes. Locke convinced Boone to let go of Shannon's harmful influence in his life. Sayid ended up speaking highly of Boone at his funeral, voicing regret at not knowing the man more closely.
In their flash sideways, Boone showed complete comfort with Sayid and Shannon's relationship. He worked actively to reunite them, even taking a voluntary beating in the process.
Origin: When Sayid is in the jungle attempting to triangulate Rousseau's distress signal, he receives positive static only before being knocked out by Locke from behind. Locke then destroys Sayid's equipment. ("The Moth") Additionally, after Boone's death, Shannon talks Sayid into interrogating Locke, who was seemingly the only person who witnessed Boone's accident. Sayid comes to understand that Boone's eventual death was an accident, but pursues Locke for his deception regarding the Hatch. ("The Greater Good") With Sayid's reliance on rationality and Locke's reliance on faith, they are diametrically opposed to each other's plan of action, each preferring to solve the mysteries of the island in different ways.
Prize: Leadership and objectives of the A-team and Losties. Also finding a way to get off of the island
Fuel: Sayid is at odds with Locke's plan of heading north with information gathered solely from Eko's stick. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes") When Kate and Sawyer escape from the Others, they plan to set out with Rousseau to reach the Barracks, seemingly for different motives. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead") The tension between Sayid and Locke concerning judgment is present throughout their journey to the Barracks. When the team discovers The Flame, as Sayid discovers C4 explosives in the basement of the compound, he neglects to tell Locke. Likewise, Locke beats the computer chess game and recklessly enters in some crucial numbers without informing Sayid. When The Flame compound proceeds to detonate, Sayid says to Locke, "What have you done?" ("Enter 77") Sayid and Locke continue to bicker over their course of action, to Mikhail's delight. When Locke pushes Mikhail past the lethal fence, Sayid and Kate berate him for killing their only informant. Sayid then discovers a unit of C4 in Locke's backpack, after Locke had used his ignorance of the C4 in the basement of the Flame as an excuse to absolve himself of responsibility in its destruction ("Par Avion"). Sayid appears angry at Locke when he sees him again and asks him why he blew up the sub ("The Beginning of the End"). Sayid later goes to the Barracks in order to get Charlotte so he could get off of the Island, so Locke agrees to trade Miles for Charlotte. ("The Economist")
Resolved: No, although Sayid did offer Locke to do some real good in helping construct the school in the Dominican Republic. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
Origin: Racial tension quickly brought Sayid and Sawyer to violence, when Sawyer assumed that Sayid was responsible for the crash of Flight 815, based on stereotypes of Sayid's Iraqi background. Sayid, meanwhile, suspected Sawyer of being the fugitive after Sawyer found the marshal's badge and gun.
Prize: Machismo. For a short while, they also competed for Kate's attention, but Sayid chose Shannon instead.
Fuel: After Sayid was knocked out during the mission to triangulate the source of the transmission, Locke convinced him that Sawyer was the most likely suspect. Later, when the Losties assumed that Sawyer was withholding Shannon's asthma medication, Sayid and Jack attacked Sawyer in his sleep. They tied him to a tree, and shoved bamboo splinters underneath his fingernails, but he refused to talk. It turned out that he never had the medication. Disturbed by his own actions, Sayid left the camp on a solo mission to chart the Island. Sawyer maintained Sayid's signal fire in his absence, and when the man returned from Danielle's camp wounded, Sawyer noted an opportunity for revenge but did not take it.
Resolved: The two achieved mutual respect following this reconciliation, and in the season finale, Sawyer spoke highly of Sayid's technical skill, contrasting with his skepticism in the pilot. When Michael excluded Sayid from the expedition to retrieve Walt, Sawyer fought to include him and armed him with a gun. Later, they worked together in interrogating Juliet, who considered them one another's equals. Long afterward, a new conflict arose when Sayid entered James's town as a prisoner, and the two relived this dynamic in their flash sideways.
Origin: Locke used Boone as an apprentice, and Shannon was very suspicious of what they were doing. ("Hearts and Minds"). Later, she believed that he killed her step brother Boone("Deus Ex Machina").
Prize: Revenge. Shannon believed Locke was responsible for her brother's death and wanted revenge.
Fuel: Locke and Boone found The Hatch in the jungle. ("Whatever the Case May Be"). Shannon became increasingly suspicious about what they were doing. Boone's death further complicated matters. Shannon stole the key to the case of guns and nearly killed Locke--but Sayid stopped her from doing so ("The Greater Good").
Resolved: Maybe. Shannon's death has seemed to resolved this rivalry, as Locke was seen at her funeral dropping sand on her grave ("What Kate Did").
Origin: Christian's fatherhood of Claire produces bad relations between Christian and Claire's family, namely Lindsey.
Prize: Claire's kinship.
Fuel: After Claire's mother goes into a coma, Christian makes a visit to Australia to see her and Claire. Lindsey is not pleased at the sight of him. He tries to tell Claire about his relation to her, at Lindsey's disapproval. ("Par Avion") Christian makes another visit to Lindsey and Claire's house with Ana Lucia, where he drunkenly tries to gain access into their home in order to see Claire. ("Two for the Road") In both cases, Christian's money is a factor, funding the hospital fees of Claire's mother as well as the mortgage on Lindsey and Claire's home.
Resolved: No. Christian has passed away, but before his death he made a last ditch effort to see Claire, implying that Christian did not consider his relationship with Claire to be full or complete. He has revealed to her, however, that he is her father.
Origin: Christian told Jack as a child not to try and fix everything all the time because he wouldnt have what it takes when he failed to do so.
Prize: Control over Jack's destiny. Christian is fighting to regain Jack's respect, Jack is fighting to free himself of his father's influence.
Fuel: Christian pressured Jack to sign a report that a patient Christian had operated while drunk arrived beyond hope of recovery. Upon finding out that the patient had been pregnant, Jack reversed his statement and turned Christian in. Christian lost his license and continued to struggle with alcohol ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"). Jack's wife, Sarah, sponsored Christian into Alcoholics Anonymous and Jack misinterpreted this as an inappropriate relationship between his wife and his father. He followed his father to an AA meeting where he punched him out ("A Tale of Two Cities"). Christian caught a flight to Australia and went on a bender ("Outlaws"). Jack's mother sent him to Australia to retrieve Christian ("White Rabbit").
Resolved: Yes. While Christian died with many of their issues unresolved, in the flash-sideways timeline they forgive each other instantly since they are both happy just to be reunited once more. They each tell each other how much they love each other and Christian helps Jack let go. ("The End")
Origin: Edward Mars was the U.S. Marshal assigned to bring Kate in for the murder of her biological father.
Prize: Kate's freedom. Kate wants to run, Mars wants her apprehended.
Fuel: Edward Mars caught Kate at a bus station, but she escaped after a car accident involving a horse ("What Kate Did"). Mars then found the toy airplane that had belonged to Kate's childhood sweetheart and put it in a safe deposit box ("Born to Run"), hoping Kate would come looking for it ("Whatever the Case May Be"). Rather than come to him, she robbed the bank. She would also call Mars at his office, asking for him to stop chasing her. He taunted her that he would, only if Kate could stop running, which she could not ("I Do"). Mars recaptured Kate in Australia, and was flying her back to the U.S. to face prosecution when the plane crashed ("Pilot, Part 2"). Edward Mars was fatally wounded in the crash, but revived long enough to warn Jack that Kate was dangerous ("Tabula Rasa").
Resolved: Yes. Edward Mars finally begged Kate to euthanize him. She couldn't, but she asked Sawyer to. Sawyer missed, and Jack had to step in and finish the job.
Origin: Locke woke up in a hospital room missing both his newfound father, and a kidney, to realize that he had been the victim of a con. ("Deus Ex Machina")
Prize: Locke's best interest. Cooper, as a criminal, has maintained his distance from Locke whenever possible, and tried to leave him a large sum of cash when he fled the country. Locke however, seems to believe that a father figure would be the best thing for him.
Fuel: After Locke's incident with his kidney, he began shadowing Anthony Cooper and watching his house. Anthony came out to Locke's car one night and told Locke expressly that it was all a con, and Locke wasn't welcome around the house anymore. Locke nearly lost his girlfriend Helen over his behavior concerning his father, and did his best to put it behind him ("Orientation"). Anthony Cooper later faked his own death, and Locke went to his funeral despite what he had done to him. Anthony then approached Locke and persuaded him about taking part in another one of his cons. Because of Locke's involvement, gangsters who were after Anthony came to Locke's house while Helen was home. Helen left Locke when she found out that he had taken back up with Anthony, and Anthony left town ("Lockdown"). Sometime after this, Locke found out, through the victim's son, that Anthony was conning a woman into marrying him for her money. After meeting with Anthony and making him agree to call off the wedding, the woman's son was mysteriously murdered. Locke confronted Anthony again in an apartment high rise, and Anthony pushed Locke out of the window, causing him to fall 8 stories and break his back ("The Man from Tallahassee").
Resolved: Yes. Ben revealed to Locke that Cooper was on the Island. After humiliating Locke in front of the Others for refusing to kill the man that had ruined his life, Locke made sure that Sawyer killed him instead. ("The Brig")
Origin: Sayid returning from the balloon, with proof Ben was lying about his identity.
Prize: Free will. Ben is an effective conman who has been directly and indirectly acting to manipulate Jack. Jack is both smart and stubborn, and despises being controlled.
Fuel: Jack took Ben prisoner and locked him in the vault, where he lied about his identity, even under torture from Sayid ("One of Them"). During his captivity, Ben manipulated Locke to widen the rift between Locke and Jack ("Lockdown"). After Ben's escape, Jack believed that Ben shot Libby, Ana Lucia, and Michael, until Michael confessed. Shortly after, Ben took Jack, Kate, and Sawyer prisoner after his escape and locked them up separately on Hydra Island ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1"). He revealed to Jack that he had a tumor on his spine and that he wanted Jack to operate on it, to which Jack consented ("The Cost of Living"). During the surgery, Jack punctured Ben's kidney to make him a hostage and give Kate time to escape. ("I Do") Jack did eventually sew up the puncture and finish the operation successfully. ("Not in Portland"). Jack and Ben confronted each other once more when Jack was going to the radio tower. His hatred was so strong, that he would kill him once they got off of the island so Ben would know he failed ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1"). Ben afterwards continuously ridicules Jack once Jack finds out that something about the situation isn't right. Ben leaves with Locke and goes back to the Barracks, since they share the same views on the people coming to the Island ("The Beginning of the End"). It is later revealed that Ben strongly spites Jack due to the fact that he has won Juliet's affections over, and he has so far been unsuccessful ("The Other Woman"). Three years after Jack left the Island, Ben comes to him a Hoffs Dawler Funeral Home when Jack breaks into in the middle of the night. He tells him that Jack has gotten dark thoughts and asked if "he" told him that Ben had left the Island. Ben tells him that the only way to go back to the Island is to get everyone who has left the Island and then the Island would let him return. Ben also says that he needs to carry the body of John Locke back to the Island, also known as Jeremy Bentham. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
Resolved: Yes. Ben and Jack maintain a successful partnership in their efforts to return the Oceanic 6 to the Island ("The Little Prince"). While a brief tension erupts after Ben has Kate's legal custody of Aaron threatened ("This Place Is Death"), all appears to be forgiven on board Ajira 316. During the flight, Jack turns to Ben for console after reading Locke's suicide note. Ben assures Jack that it wasn't his fault. ("316"). Upon returning to the Island, Ben ultimately joins Hugo in aiding Jack's final mission to restore the light to the Island. Jack succeeds, and dies with Ben as an ally ("The End").
Origin: Ben likely first heard of Locke from Richard and Ethan, who'd met his time traveling self. He eventually learned Locke was on the island and had miraculously started to walk. He evidently ordered Cooper's kidnapping to use him against his son and soon trekked to the survivors' camp. Ben wound up a prisoner in the Swan, where he provoked Locke about his doubts and Jack's authority.
Prize: To be the Island's protector and leader of the Others
Fuel: Ben deceived Locke into thinking the Swan meaningless, shattering his faith. Then when Locke visited Ben at the Barracks, Ben manipulated him into destroying the submarine. Locke tried to join the Others, and Ben humiliated him by challenging him to kill his father. Though Ben knew he'd fail this task, Locke later appeared to succeed, and Ben reluctantly took him to Jacob's cabin, where Locke appeared to hear someone, though Ben never had. Ben then shot Locke and left him for dead. Locke recovered and led a new survivor faction, which Ben joined, once again Locke's prisoner. He manipulated his way to partial freedom and later took Locke to another trip to the cabin. Locke learned the Island had to move, and Ben decided to move it himself, leaving Locke in charge of the Others.
Locke later left the island himself, catching the eye of one of Ben's men. Ben tracked Locke, who now worked for Ben's rival Widmore, and killed his driver. He then visited Locke, learned some information from him and murdered him. He brought Locke's body to the island, where he appeared to resurrect, and Ben began following his every word despite misgivings, especially after his daughter commanded him to do so., Ben later learned this wasn't Locke at all but the monster incarnate. Ben delivered a eulogy at Locke's on-island funeral, apologizing for killing him.
Resolved: After death, Ben and Locke ended up working at the same school as teachers, and Locke suggested Ben try to become principal. A hit-and-run driver later attacked Locke, and Ben took him to the hospital and later attempted to apprehend the attacker. But he learned it was an attempt to awaken Locke, and he told Locke this, convincing him to undergo surgery. Once both had awoken, they had a final conversation, in which Locke forgave Ben.
Origin: Ben beat Sawyer and successfully conned him. Also Ben imprisoned Sawyer for a week.
Prize: Pride. Ben very much enjoys ridiculing Sawyer over his past and how Kate and Jack are far more suited for each other.
Fuel: Ben abducts Jack, Kate, and Sawyer at the Hydra Station. ("A Tale of Two Cities") At one point Ben beats Sawyer after Sawyer tries to electrocute him, eventually knocking him unconscious. He then cons Sawyer into thinking he has an artificial pace maker in him in order for Sawyer to behave. He also threatened to put one in Kate also if he told her. This of course turned out to be a con, and Sawyer hit Ben hard in the face over it. ("Every Man for Himself") Once Sawyer escapes, he is approached by Locke who asks him to kill Ben since Ben humiliated him. Sawyer says he wouldn't do so, but Locke says he'll change his mind once he finds out what he has to say. This turned out to be Cooper instead. ("The Brig") Sawyer joins Locke's group before the freighter arrives, which in turn makes him with Ben. ("The Beginning of the End") Ben keeps telling Sawyer that Kate will end up with Jack if she is rescued. Sawyer proceeds to beat Ben, and asks Locke if he could kill him, which Locke says no. Once Ben shoots Charlotte (she's wearing a bulletproof vest), Sawyer beats Ben again, and asks Locke if Locke wants to kill him or if he does, and Locke agrees to do it. They don't kill him once Ben reveals who Charlotte is though. ("Confirmed Dead")
Resolved: Yes. Despite a couple tumultuous encounters, mostly facilitated by Ben's on-and-off allegiance to the Man in Black, Sawyer and Ben appear to form a mutual respect in the end. Sawyer sacrifices his safety to free Ben from a fallen tree, after the Source is uncorked and the Island faces imminent destruction. Shortly after the tree is removed, Ben shares a final goodbye to Sawyer, telling him that if the island goes down, he will go down with it ("The End").
Origin: Sayid captured Ben in the Swan and tortures him.
Prize: Pride. Ben used Sayid as a hit man, casually firing him after he was of no more use. Also, Sayid has a moral objection to Ben's atrocities and has sought justice against him.
Fuel: Sayid is the first of the survivors to meet Ben and he proceeds to drag him into the Swan and torture him for information since he is almost sure Ben is an Other, despite him saying he's not. ("One of Them") Once Sayid confirms personally that Ben is not who he says he is, by finding the body of the person Ben was claiming to be (Henry Gale), Sayid almost kills Ben, but is saved by Ana Lucia. ("Dave") Ben eventually escapes from the Hatch. ("Two for the Road") Once the Oceanic 6 make it off of the Island, Sayid meets Nadia again and marries her, but she is supposedly killed by Ishmael Bakir. Ben goes to Nadia's funeral and tells Sayid this, and Sayid proceeds to kill Bakir a few days later. Sayid then agrees to work for Ben, since Ben claims that Charles Widmore ordered the assassination. ("The Shape of Things to Come") Sayid grows to hate Ben and feels that he has been deceived into assassinating for Ben. ("The Economist") Sayid eventually leaves Ben under unknown circumstances. Sayid goes to Hurley to get him out of Santa Rosa before Ben is able to get to him. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") Sayid warns Hurley to never trust Ben and do the opposite. ("Because You Left") This backfires when Ben goes to get Hurley, but Hurley then turns himself into the police so Ben couldn't get him. ("The Lie") Sayid also resents Ben classifying him as a killer by nature, dispite later acknowledging him to be right. Once in the past, he attempts to murder a 12 year old Ben ("He's Our You") and expresses no remorse for the crime afterwards ("Follow the Leader").
Resolved: No. Sayid nearly succeeded in killing Ben before Kate and Sawyer interfered. However, he took another opportunity to change the past when Jack told him about the plan to detonate the hydrogen bomb.
Origin: Kate sees Juliet as a threat to Jack's affection
Prize: Jack's/Sawyer's affection
Fuel: Kate sees Jack with Juliet in the Barracks and is infuriated. ("The Man from Tallahassee") When Ben handcuffed Kate and Juliet together, they ran through the jungle, even getting into a fight. Juliet's refusal to answer questions did not help Kate trust her, especially after she lied about not having a key to unlock the handcuffs. Kate continued to grow jealous when Jack insists on bringing Juliet back to the beach with them. ("Left Behind") After Kate came to Jack to explain the camp's disapproval of Juliet's presence, Jack and Juliet's blatantly hinted at withholding a secret in front of Kate. ("The Brig") When both in the DHARMA Initiative, they both worked side-by-side in the motor pool. Seconds before Juliet's death, Kate tried her hardest to stop Juliet from falling, however, she was unsuccessful. ("The Incident, Part 2")
Resolved: Yes. Juliet died after the Incident and Kate professes that her true love is Jack
Origin: Ethan kidnapped Claire & Charlie while Claire was having false contractions.
Prize: Aaron. Because he was pressured to kidnap Claire and her baby for the Others, Ethan wanted Aaron badly enough to cut him out of Claire early, and Charlie wants to protect both Aaron and Claire.
Fuel: Ethan kidnapped Charlie and Claire when they were alone in the jungle ("Raised by Another"). To distract his pursuers, Ethan hanged Charlie hanged from a tree ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"). Ethan then took Claire to the Staff and (presumably) drugged her repeatedly, giving her sour water and injecting her pregnant belly. Eventually Claire escaped, but had no memory of anything since the crash- including the time she'd spent with Charlie. When Ethan found out that Claire was missing, he demanded that she be returned to him. He killed Scott when Claire wasn't returned before the deadline. Using Claire as bait, the Losties set a trap for Ethan, and captured him ("Homecoming").
Origin: The two have despised each other since Kate and Sawyer's first day of work at the quarry.
Prize: Unknown. At this point, it is unclear why Pickett chose Sawyer. It may have been a case of hate at first sight, though Sawyer is not known to endear himself in these types of situations.
Fuel: Sawyer disarmed Pickett while working in the quarry, and tried to shock him with the taser ("Every Man for Himself"). Pickett saw Sawyer as a representative of the Losties after this, whom he blamed for the death of his wife ("The Cost of Living"). Pickett used Ben's surgery as a distraction to execute Sawyer, and only stopped when radioed that Jack was holding Ben hostage ("I Do"). When freed, Sawyer attacked him and caused him to be electrically shocked.
Resolved: Yes, Pickett was killed by Juliet while Sawyer and Kate were escaping the Hydra Island("Not in Portland").
Origin: Upon coming to the Temple, Dogen drowns Sayid in the spring in an attempt to heal his bullet wound from Roger Linus. After Sayid's resurrection, Dogen tortures him in a test to determine whether Sayid is light or dark.
Prize: Revenge. Sayid wants to get back at Dogen for attempting to kill him/actually killing him.
Fuel: Sayid is rushed to the Temple to be healed after being shot. He was attempted to be healed in the spring, but he died after the Others submerged him. Hours later though, he returned to life. The Others dragged him to another room, where Dogen tortured him. Lennon called the ordeal a "test" and that he had "passed". Later, Jack was told by Dogen to give Sayid a pill, but changed his mind when he did not know what it was. It was later found out the pill was poison. ("LA X, Parts 1 & 2")("What Kate Does")("Sundown"). Confronted, Dogen told Sayid the test proved evil had taken him over. Dogen then fought and almost killed Sayid, but stopped and instead gave him a knife and a mission to assassinate the Man in Black. Sayid encountered the Man in Black in the jungle in Locke's form and stabbed him in the chest. The Man in Black was unfazed and said Dogen had tried to con Sayid into getting killed by trying to kill MiB. Sayid returned to the Temple and told the Others to leave or die. He then met again with Dogen, drowned him in the spring, and slit Lennon's throat. ("Sundown").
Resolved: Yes, Sayid killed Dogen by drowning him in the same spring Dogen drowned Sayid in. ("Sundown").
Origin: Desmond asked for permission from Widmore to marry his daughter, and he refused, even greatly demeaning him.
Prize: Penny's wishes
Fuel: Desmond asked for permission to marry Penny, but while Widmore admitted it was noble gesture and pulled out a very expensive bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey and says that unlike himself and the whiskey's maker, he is not a great man. Since Desmond is not worthy of drinking his whiskey, he is not worthy of marrying his daughter. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes") Desmond goes to Widmore at a auction and asks for Penny's number, which Widmore gladly gave to him since Desmond was a coward and his daughter now hated him. ("The Constant") After Desmond got out of prison, Widmore waited in his limo outside of the compound and offered Desmond a ride. Desmond reluctantly did. Widmore presented Desmond with 2 boxes, one containing all the letters he had written to Penny over the years, and the other contained an extremely large sum of money. Desmond refuses to take the money, despite what Widmore thought he would do since he was a coward. Desmond later participates in Widmore's race around the world in order to show him how honorable he is and win back Penny's heart, but Desmond instead gets lost at sea and crashes on the Island. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1") Desmond later makes it off of the Island with the Oceanic 6, and Jack warns Desmond to not let Widmore find him. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
Resolved: Yes. Later Desmond finally married Penny and Widmore has urged them both to keep themselves hidden because of the war with Ben. ("Jughead") However Widmore kipnapped Desmond and brought him back to the island against his will but also told him he was sorry for doing so after he was attack by him for doing what he did. He then unleased a huge amount of electromagnetism on Desmond to see if he could survive, hoping Desmond would venture, as he successfully did, into The Heart of the Island and stop the Man in Black from destroying it and escaping. As proven in the flash-sideways timeline, now known to be the Afterlife, Desmond and Charles Widmore seemed to have a very good working relationship, symbolizing that each were able to accept their differences and "move on."
Fuel: After the mercenary's return, Keamy demands Omar as Mayhew's replacement on his team. He has an argument with Frank about going back to the Island, and threatens him, by cutting Ray's throat, and dumping him in the ocean. He also tries to kill Kevin Johnson, but his gun doesn't start. Gault is furious, and tries to stop Martin from following the second protocol, even threatening to kill Keamy. ("Cabin Fever")
Prize: Motherhood. Danielle's baby daughter was kidnapped sixteen years before, and she was jealous of Claire's new happiness.
Fuel: Danielle has scars on her arm from Claire scratching her during a struggle. Claire believed that Danielle was trying to take her back to the Others, but Claire was heavily drugged, with her memory impaired, and she misinterpreted the situation ("Maternity Leave").
Resolved: Yes. Once Claire regained her memory, she realized Danielle was trying to save her from drawing Ethan's attention to herself in the jungle. Claire told Danielle about having met Alex in the Staff, and this strengthened a bond between them.
Origin:Desmond saved Claire twice, and has advised Charlie against spending time with Claire.
Prize: Charlie's relationship with Claire. Desmond intuits that Charlie's time spent with Claire will lead to deadly consequences, and therefore advises against it. Charlie, on the other hand, still makes an effort to maintain his relationship with Claire.
Fuel:Desmond has future-sight that Charlie is going to die soon. He saves Claire from being electrocuted by lightning and drowning in the riptide in order to save Charlie, and Charlie feels helpless that he can't help his own fate while seeking Claire's affection.
Resolved: Yes. Desmond offered to die in Charlie's place, but Charlie did not allow it and knocked him unconscious.
Fuel: Throughout Juliet's time at the Barracks, Ben desperately wanted her to be his, but Goodwin stood in the way ("The Other Woman"). Juliet, initially recruited to work there for 6 months, is forced to stay there for 3 years since Ben will not let her leave the Island since the pregnancy problem still exists ("One of Us"). Juliet held a meeting of a book club at her house, and didn't invite Ben. She also chose a book for the meeting that the whole group knew he wouldn't enjoy, Stephen King's Carrie("A Tale of Two Cities"). When the plane crashes, Ben sends Goodwin to the Tail Section to infiltrate them, which Ben hoped would result in his death and did. He cooked Juliet a dinner one night and she asked why Goodwin couldn't come back, which agitated Ben. Ben finally shows Juliet Goodwin's corpse, and he said that Juliet belonged to him and that she will never leave the Island ("The Other Woman"). Months later, when Jack momentarily broke free in the Hydra, he held Juliet hostage with a broken shard of pottery at her throat, for which Ben showed no concern. When Jack forced open a door that flooded the room, Ben closed the door on Juliet to save himself ("A Tale of Two Cities"). Days later, Juliet apparently foiled Ben's plans to break Jack by leaving an x-ray of Ben's tumor where Jack would obviously see it. She then conspired with Jack to kill Ben ("The Cost of Living"). With Ben on the surgery recovery table, Juliet was tried for her attempt to have Ben killed by Jack during the spinal operation. Just as her conviction and subsequent execution seemed imminent, the bed-ridden Ben sent a note to the trial that Juliet be spared but "marked" for her crime ("Stranger in a Strange Land"). Juliet remarked on a recorder (although turned off) that she hates him ("D.O.C.").
Resolved: No, although, when 'Child Ben's' life was in danger, Juliet went against the people she was friends with for 3 years to save him, even knowing he would become the monster he is.
Origin: Ben is unable to win Juliet's affections over Goodwin's.
Prize: Juliet's affection (at least Ben sees it that way)
Fuel: Ben began to notice Juliet's and Goodwin's relationship. As punishment, Ben sent Goodwin to infiltrate the tail section hoping that it would end in his death, and it did.
Origin: Both claim the island as their own, and both have had some history together on the Island.
Prize: The island itself.
Fuel: Widmore lived on the Island as an Other and their rivalry began when Ben brings Alex into their camp. Widmore is mad because he told Ben to kill Alex but Ben decided not too. ("Dead Is Dead"). A war soon erupted triggered by Widmore's exile for fathering Penelope with an outsider, which is against the rules that the Others have. ("Dead Is Dead"). Ben is well aware that Widmore is searching for the island and that he is behind the freighter mission. ("Confirmed Dead"). Widmore claims that Ben has taken something from him that is not rightfully his. He is most likely refering to the island. Ben claims that Widmore changed the rules of their rivalry when Keamy executed Alex and declares his intention to kill Penny. Widmore and Ben then rise up the stakes on who can secure the Island first. ("The Shape of Things to Come").
Origin: As a child, the man in black discovered his origins and rejected his false Mother while Jacob stayed with her.
Prize: The Man in Black's freedom, Mother's love, the truth about human nature
Fuel: The man in black joined the ancient village to find a way to leave the Island. Even though he proposed Jacob to go with him, the latter saw the Island as his home. Jacob took care of Mother and reluctantly accepted to watch the Source when she will be gone, and noted several times she liked his brother most. After the Man in Black killed Mother for ruining his efforts to leave, Jacob fought his brother. Out of rage, he threw him in the Source, transforming him in the smoke monster. Jacob later found the man in black’s body and tearfully brought him near his Mother’s corpse. ("Across the Sea") What happened next has yet to be revealed, but the Man in black came back to life and kept his obsession of leaving. Jacob (who also gained supernatural abilities) somehow kept him on the Island. This lead the man in black to seek a way to kill his brother. He couldn’t do it himself because of Mother’s memory, and they seem to have put some rules to their rivalries. In the opening of "The Incident, Part 1", a flashback shows Jacob and his nemesis living on the island, apparently around the 1800s. During their conversation, the second man told Jacob how much he wanted to kill him and that someday he might find a "loophole".
The man in black later met Ricardo and told him that Jacob was the devil to get his brother killed. This plan (which was perhaps close to the loophole) failed when Jacob defended himself and eventually got Ricardo on his side. The twins later confront each other. The man in black asks Jacob one last time to let him leave, only to be turned down again. The man in black says once more that he will kill Jacob and whoever will replace him.("Ab Aeterno")
At the end of the season 5, it is revealed that the "John Locke" that had apparently been brought to life at the island, was in reality a manifestation of Jacob's nemesis. This manifestation convinced Ben Linus to kill Jacob, which Ben did by stabbing him with a knife. After doing so, "Locke" kicked his body into a fire.
Resolved: Yes. Both now deceased, the candidates carried on Jacob's quest and killed the Man in Black. They successfully protected the island and prevented the Man in Black from leaving the island. Jacob successfully proved that humans could be good, as evident in the redemption/life changing moments the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors experienced during their stay on the island.
Origin: After losing his daughter and position of power in the name of Jacob, Ben stabbed him to death. ("The Incident, Part 2")
Prize: None; Ilana wanted revenge on Ben for killing her father figure.
Fuel: Ben was convinced by the Man in Black, in the form of Locke, to kill Jacob. After doing so, he lied to Ilana, claiming the Man in Black killed Jacob. Suspicious, she asked Miles to investigate by communicating with Jacob's spirit through his ashes, and Miles determined Ben was responsible. Enraged, Ilana had Ben dig his own grave with the intent to kill him. After being freed by the Man in Black, Ben had an intense confrontation with Ilana where he explained his reasons for killing Jacob.
Resolved: Seemingly. Ilana tearfully forgave Ben and invited him to join her group instead of the Man in Black's.