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Benjamin Linus/Theories

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Benjamin Linus 		Main Discussion
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  1. Stated as questions or possibilities (avoid question marks, "Maybe", "I think", etc).
  2. More appropriate for another article.
  3. Illogical or previously disproven.
  4. Proven by canon source, and moved to main article.
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  6. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead).
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  • Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response.

See the Lostpedia theory policy for more details.

Contents

Relationships

Theory 1: Ben and Locke are half-brothers.

Evidence

Counter-evidence

  • Ben's mother died after Ben was born, whereas Locke's mother visits him when he is an adult.
    • She helped Anthony Cooper con Locke, which is not very mother-ish. Perhaps she was a hired actress.
  • The "Emily" characters are played by different actresses
  • Many people are named Emily, it doesn't mean that everyone with a mother named "Emily" is related.
    • But it sure is one HUGE coincidence.
  • Hurley has also seen Jacob - does this mean that he is also Ben and Locke's brother?
    • Seeing Jacob is not a requisite of being of the same family. And Locke never saw Jacob. Hurley saw an eye.
      • Locke did see him for a flash, and the eye hurley saw wasn't nessisarily Jacobs. to me it looked like locke's
  • The reference to the book The Brothers Karamazov may not be a reference to the fact that they are brothers. The book is also about men killing their fathers. Given that Ben asks Locke to do this later on in the series makes this seem like more plausible foreshadowing.

Theory 2: Ben is lonely

Evidence

  • This is why he keeps the doll from Annie - she is the only real friend he has ever had that we know of.
  • This is why Ben adopts Alex - despite the fact that there are many couples on the Island who would like to have children.
  • This is why he is so upset over Juliet's relationships with other people.
  • Though he is one of the Others, as their leader, he is always separate from those around him.

Jacob

Theory 1: Ben does not really see Jacob.

Evidence

  • When trying to stop him, he grabs the chair, not the arms of a man who would be sitting on it; also, he is a bit too close to the chair back, he would collide with the sitter; finally, his eyes doesn't seem to look where the head of the sitter would be.
  • This is the reason he shoots Locke as he is scared of losing the power he has over the Others, which would probably occur if they found out Jacob could talk to Locke and not Ben.
  • When Jacob says "help me" Ben doesn't hear it. Possibly Ben has been lying to the Others all along to make them think he is also 'special' as is Locke.
  • It also could be that Ben can literally see Jacob, but he cannot hear him. The conversation he had with him was only to 'impress' Locke

Counter-evidence/logic

  • This could be just due to acting without a real person on the chair.
  • We did see that Jacob was sitting in that chair, so Ben it makes sense that Ben could in fact see him there, and that's why he was talking to that chair.
  • He was grabbing imaginary shoulders, not the chair it self.
  • This may be an assumption based on the fact that Ben could not here what Jacob said to Locke, however, this may only mean that Jacob can speak to people without other people hearing.
  • If Ben couldn't see Jacob at all, how would he ever find the cabin?
  • Another likely theory - Jacob intends to abandon Ben in favor of Locke - hence Ben begins to lose the ability to see/interact with Jacob as Locke begins to gain this ability. Ben's awareness of this process may be why he chose to shoot Locke at the end of "The Man Behind the Curtain" (see 'position of power' below). This is consistent with the finale of season 4.

Theory 2: Jacob only exists in Ben's mind.

  • Ben faked everything and was even the person who said "help me" to Locke. It looked like Ben said or at least heard the "help me" and pretended like he didn't. Also, his Jacob personality could have said it without he himself realizing it. Locke was certain it was Ben that said it.
  • Ben could have staged the whole thing, even shooting John knowing he will be healed later, to make John do what he wants : Hide from the freighter's people, start a war and stay on the Island.

Evidence? Without evidence to support it, this theory will be removed.

Counter-evidence/logic

  • Locke was certain it was Ben that said it because he didn't believe there was anyone else in the room.
  • We saw someone in the chair.
  • Ben seemed to really want to know what Jacob said.
  • If Ben staged it, why would he say "I hope you are happy now, Jacob"? Nobody else was there.
  • Hurley saw the cabin when no one else was around so it is unlikely that Jacob isn't real

Theory 3: Ben is holding Jacob prisoner and he is using Jacob's power for his personal agenda.

Evidence:

  • Could explain the strange grey/black powder around the area where Jacob's cabin is. Strange powder like this are sometimes used as barriers in some cults/religions to refrain ghosts/spirits from crossing them.

Counter-evidence:

  • There is no evidence as to whether the powder has a purpose, or if it is something that is merely a feature of the place where the cabin appears and disappears.
  • Then why would Ben voluntary leave the Island? He could have told Locke to turn the wheel and been rid of him forever.
  • If Ben is truly at odds with Jacob, is Jacob still giving Ben advice? If they were enemies, why would Jacob help Ben and vice versa?

Theory 4: Ben selectively does what Jacob asks based on his own judgment.

Evidence:

  • When Ben confronts Jacob in the Cabin with Locke in "The Man Behind the Curtain", his relationship with Jacob seems to be more antagonistic than we have been led to believe. Ben seems more like he is willing to stand against Jacob rather than blindly submit to whatever he choses to do.
  • If Jacob has the power to heal and harm (as Ben leads us to believe when Juliet's sister is cured of cancer) then the failed pregnancies and deaths of the mothers on the Island may also be a manifestation of Jacob's displeasure with Ben choosing not to follow his advice.
  • This may be why Jacob favors Locke over Ben. Even when people die as a result, Locke does exactly what the Island tells him to do, and has sacrificed Boone, Naomi, and others for that goal without making any personal judgments.
  • Ben may have developed his tumor because Jacob wanted him to die - this is why Ben kept his tumor so secret, why the Others see Locke's recovery from paralysis as so important, and why Ben emphasizes the "miracle" of Jack being on flight 815 - he is afraid the Others will realize that Jacob doesn't want him (Ben) to be the leader anymore.

Counter evidence:

  • In "Through the Looking Glass", Ben tells Mikhail that jamming the communications of the Others without there knowledge was what Jacob told him to do.
  • Ben leaves the Island voluntarily when the apparition of Christian tells Locke to move the Island. Ben could have easily tricked Locke into moving the Island and kept the leadership role for himself.

Theory 5: Ben is doing what Jacob tells him to the letter.

Evidence:

  • In "Through the Looking Glass", Ben tells Mikhail that jamming the communications of the Others without there knowledge was what Jacob told him to do.
  • Ben leaves the Island voluntarily when the apparition of Christian tells Locke to move the Island. Ben could have easily tricked Locke into moving the Island and kept the leadership role for himself.
  • So far, we have no evidence of any plan of Jacob's that Ben has not followed.
    • This theory probably isnt true because ben went behind jacob's back and brought jack with kate, sawyer, and hurley. That's why ben isnt the leader any more, he didnt trust jacob to heal him

Position of Power

It is indicated several times that Ben's position of power comes from his ability to hear Jacob, and the Others do what Ben says because they believe that Jacob has given them these instructions through Ben (e.g. by Bonnie in "Through the Looking Glass")

Ben doesn't want to lose control of the Island.

Evidence:

  • Ben is the leader of The Others because he is the only one who can speak to and understand Jacob.
  • Ben shot Locke because he was afraid that Locke would replace him.

Counter-evidence:

  • Ultimately, Ben voluntary leaves the Island. He could have told Locke to turn the wheel and been rid of him forever.

Birth

  • Ben claims to have been "born" on the Island because he sees his betrayal of DHARMA as his "birth". The Benjamin Linus that arrived on the Island in the 1970s is not the same Benjamin Linus that now exists, metaphorically speaking.
    • When talking to Locke later and says he wasn't born on the Island, he says so to win Locke's confidence.
  • Ben was born on December 19, 1964. Jack said that the x-rays came from a man who was about forty years old.

Motives

  • Pregnant women dying before they can come to term is a manifestation of Ben's because his mother died after childbirth.
    • Ben's mother had him in her 7th month, so very early 3rd trimester, Juliet told Sun that Women on the Island die around their late 2nd trimester (since there is no 'definition' of the length of a trimester [i.e. not exactly 3 months] there could really be something to this theory.)
    • The fact that pregnant women die on the Island is just a coincidence, but it is a particularly poignant dilemma for Ben, given the death of his own mother.
  • Ben said that entering the numbers on the computer was a joke, because he really believed they were. Dharma members could not be aware of the dangers of the electromagnetic, because this would add stress to the already stressful job of working for the DI, such as dealing with the hostiles. The numbers may have been entered remotely from another, backup, computer. (see ThePearl/theories )
  • The introduction of time travel being plausible through the Looking Glass Station gives weight to the theory that Ben is trying to find a cure for what is killing the pregnant women late in their second trimester in order to travel back through time and cure his mother. This is supported by seeing his mother on the Island in "The Man Behind the Curtain" and his insistence that Juliet continue her work till her job is done in "One of Us".
    • Perhaps that is what his mother meant when she told Ben "it's not time yet".
      • This seems to be possible, as was seen in The Orchid Orientation video, two separate copies of apparently the same creature can exist simultaneously.
    • Ben is a false prophet - he claimed he was born on the Island.
  • Ben's situation might be similar to Evelyn Mulwray's in the movie Chinatown. He could be protecting the Island with extreme ruthlessness only because he knows what the people behind the freighter would do with it.
  • Ben and Widmore, are both playing a game. This is supported by the fact that in "The Shape of Things to Come", Ben said Widmore changed the rules. If this is true, then the "rules" are something that Ben and Widmore have agreed upon previously, probably being the rules of how their interaction to get the Island should happen. Therefore, they both may be playing some kind of game, much resembling a chess game, in which the winner will have the Island and unlimited power.
    • Also supported by the idea that Ben called Alex a "pawn" to convince Keamy not to kill her.
    • Also supported by the fact that King (Ben white/good & Widmore black/bad) cannot be killed in a chess game.

Off the Island

  • Ben has been preparing for a life off the Island. That is the reason for multiple passports and currencies hidden in his house. Ben always has a plan and would plan for living a life off the Island should that day come.
  • Ben is using the Oceanic 6 as part of a grander plan to get BACK to the Island and re-claim control of the Others. The 6 survivors DON'T need to go back together, but rather he needs them all to execute his plan to get back. Cause as we know he "always has a plan" (There's no place like home- part one)
  • The people Ben is having Sayid kill are connected to the Others. In fact, they used to work for Ben and helped keep the Others supplied. Ben is having them killed to get Locke's attention (since they now work for him) and get him to travel off the Island so Ben can kill him, too. This is all a part of Ben's plan (he always has a plan, remember) to reclaim his place on the Island.

Name references

Benjamin:

  • The book of Genesis tells how Benjamin was the twelfth son of Jacob (Israel). Jacob's second wife Rachel gave birth first to Joseph (of the coat of many colors) then with her next pregnancy died in childbirth, Benjamin being a breech baby. According to Genesis 35:18, as Rachel died she called out her son's name - Ben-oni (the son of my pain), which Jacob later changed to Benjamin. Jacob's sons each founded the twelve tribes of Israel. Benjamin founded the tribe of Benjamin. Jacob's favorite son was Joseph, while Joseph's favorite brother was Benjamin.
Jacob blessed his sons prior to his death and calls Benjamin "a ravenous wolf" who will devour prey and divide the plunder, a reference to their success in war to the point at which their warriors were trained to fight left handed as a tactical advantage. But they made war with their own cousins, the remaining tribes of Israel, which spelled their doom. The tribe of Benjamin suffered greatly and was nearly destroyed; they were eventually assimilated into the tribes of Judah and the Others.
  • "Ben" is a reference to Ben Gunn in Treasure Island who is a crazed marooned former shipmate.

Linus:

  • Linus was a person mentioned in the Second Epistle to Timothy, written by Paul the Apostle: "Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren (II Timothy 4:21)."
  • Linus (in Greek, Linos) may refer to any of three sons of Apollo from Greek mythology. The killing of Linus brought forth a "child killing plague" upon the kingdom of Argos sent by Apollo.
  • Two-time Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling, was a "quantum chemist and biochemist, widely regarded as the premier chemist of the twentieth century." Pauling is noted as a versatile scholar for his expertise in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, metallurgy, immunology, anesthesiology, psychology, debate, radioactive decay, and the aftermath of nuclear weapons, in addition to quantum mechanics and molecular biology.
  • May be a reference to the Peanuts character Linus van Pelt. He also made his own "quasi"-religious idol that he calls "the Great Pumpkin". Linus is the only one who believes in the Great Pumpkin. Though he occasionally convinces other characters the Great Pumpkin is real, they always lose faith while Linus keeps his.
    • Also, one of the major themes in LOST is letting go of your past, in order to be re-born. The character of Linus from Peanuts holds onto his blanket, and cannot bring himself to literally let go of it. Likewise, Ben cannot let go of the guilt he feels over being the apparent cause of his mother's death. Just as Jack's unresolved issues with his father led to a vision of Christian on the Island, so, too does Ben's mother appear. It is Ben's strong feelings of holding onto the memory/guilt associated with his mother that causes the "magic box" to repeatedly kill pregnant women in the same trimester as Ben was born. When Ben Linus can let go of this guilt and shame (his metaphorical blanket) then the pregnancy problem will be solved.
  • Reference to Linus Benedict Torvalds, godfather of Linux.

Theories which either need additional evidence/logic or to be removed to comply with the Lostpedia theory policy

  • Ben had some kind of affectionate relationship with Sabine, perhaps even as her partner and/or the father of her child.
    • No one consoled Ben over Sabine's death. In fact he consoled Juliet. If he had been romantically involved with Sabine she would have expressed her sympathy. Moreover, he is in love with Juliet at this time.
  • He is in love with Juliet, and believes she belongs to him, however his feelings are apparently not reciprocated. "The Other Woman"
  • Ben was romantically involved with Annie.
    • Annie died carrying Ben's child.
      • This is also why Ben so hard wants to solve the problem with pregnancy on the Island.
  • Since the purge, Ben has been the father of every failed pregnancy on the Island.
    • There is no evidence to suggest this. Furthermore, his fear of Alex getting pregnant through Karl suggests that any birth on the Island will result in death.
      • Obviously there are couples on the Island (Danny and Colleen, Alex and Karl), so it is unlikely that Ben would be fathering all the offspring, rather than allowing it to happen naturally.
        • Additional evidence from "Jack, Meet Ethan. Ethan? Jack" indicates that Ethan's wife died in childbirth on the Island. It is unlikely that Ben would have fathered that child.
  • Ben said that the Looking Glass station was flooded because Annie was down there and Ben did not want her to be killed.
  • Rousseau was Annie.
  • Ben had an affair with Sarah, Jack’s wife. In "The Cost of Living" Ben asks Jack is he’s noticed the resemblance between Juliet and Sarah. Later in "The Other Woman", Harper suggests that Ben likes Juliet because she “looks just like her”, implying that Juliet looks like another woman Ben cares about.
    • This doesn't rule out a connection between Ben and Sarah, but we clearly see her new boyfriend when she bails Jack out of jail in "A Tale of Two Cities". Sarah laughed and giggled with a co-worker, but he wasn't the guy.
      • We don't know that this was Sarah's boyfriend, we only assume it is.
      • Ben blames Jacob for his banishment from the Island and Locke becomes the new leader of the Others.
    • Ben has a different voice when we see him in the future, before stitching Sayid's wound. Maybe he's the one who talked to Locke.
      • Ben does not have a different voice in the future. He's speaking quietly and in very short two- or three-word phrases so that when the camera finally shows him the audience will be surprised. If you re-watch the episode knowing it's him, you will recognize his voice.
  • Ben ís Widmore. That's why he was so totally shocked. Somehow he knew what was about to happen and it wasn't getting Alex shot in the head.
    • Maybe Ben has flashes after all, like Desmond. And to go even further, maybe Widmore doesn't realize this en calls them 'nightmares'.
    • Richard did not appear to Ben the child, that was Jacob. The real richard shows up later for the purge, as he does age.
  • Ben already seems the leader of the Hostiles at the time of the gas attack to the Barracks: Richard can be seen as following his orders (he seems a bit uncomfortable, and waits for Ben's directions on what to do with Roger's body).
      • This is more likely a sign of respect to Ben than a sign of submission. Ben however didn't want his father to have any respect, but he did give Horace his respect by closing his eyes.
  • Ben is leader of the Others because they all think he was born on the Island (some kind of prophetic figure the inhabitants have been expecting...even though it's clear to us he's not)
    • Richard Alpert knows that he was not born on the Island, and so do any hostiles that met him as a child and aided him in the purge.
  • Ben is a pathological liar, but as the leader of the Others, his smooth untruths often come into good use. Juliet and Locke are the only ones who have figured this out, as Juliet is the only person who has known him as something other than simply the highest-ranking Other, and Ben told Locke personally that he was a pathological liar. (see the Juliet section on this page)
    • Other people have known Ben as someone other than the leader, for example Richard, whom Ben met at a young age.
    • Ben isn't a pathological liar (he doesn't have a mental illness which causes him to lie continuously), he just sees nothing wrong with lying in order to achieve his ends.
  • Ben is a boy who called wolf - up until the Season 3 finale, Ben lied at every opportunity and did everything he could to divide the Losties. However, when he said everyone would be killed by the 'rescuers', he was telling the truth but since he is now known as a liar, nobody believed him.]
  • The idea of the other's can be looked at as a pseudo communist community removed from the world. Ben plays the role of that member of the aristocracy (DHARMA) class that created the spark (the purge) to create the uprising of the proletariat above this aristocracy and seized control. Now with the Island in danger and his life in jeopardy he needs a member of the new aristocracy to help him once again regain control of society. Locke plays the role of this person because he is easily influenced by people.
  • It is known since Season 3 that Ben is manipulator. What if he actually wants someone to find this Island? He knew Locke is special and is a true beliver into this Island. He knew that if he makes Locke to belive that the Swan station is a complete 'joke', Locke would stop pushing the button, which would give the 'bad guys' a chance to find the Island. Also, he knew he can't stop Jack for getting contact with the freighter so he went alone and failed his mission. Like Alex said to Locke, Ben is a manipulator. He makes people do things and then makes them think it's their idea but it's actually his, just like blowing up the submarine.
    • It seems a lot of work just for someone else to find the Island when there are loyal Others who would follow his orders without question to reveal the Island.
  • When trying to convince Keamy, Ben only lied because he didn't believe Alex would get killed due to the "rules."
  • He was testing Locke's faith.
  • That's why he told Locke that he had not pushed it and nothing had happened; the clock had just reset itself. The result of his ploy was cataclysmic (in "Live Together, Die Alone") causing the discharge.
  • He wanted the Discharge to happen, as it would stop communication with the Island (remember when Jack asked Tom "So you people can come and go as you want?", Tom answering "Ever since the sky turned purple [interrupted]..."). Stopping communication would lead to impossibility for the Freigther to get there, and we know Ben really want to avoid the Freigther people coming to The Island.
  • He intentionally showed Locke the map by turning on the black light while in the room with the computer. He could have done this to lead Locke to the Pearl, which would destroy his faith in the importance of inputting the Numbers.
    • But the Others didn't know about the interior workings of the Swan until the Losties got in. If they didn't even know about the 108 machine, how would they know about the blast door map?
      • It is possible that they have monitored the interior workings of the Swan from the Pearl station, and did in fact know about the workings of it. Also, Ben probably knew about it from his time working for the DHARMA Initiative.
  • He knew of the lock-down procedure. As evidence, Ben shouted to Locke after he heard the loudspeaker to lure him from the computer room (so he would be shut out). In the last 10 seconds before the procedure, Ben shouts "Maybe we should get Jack" knowing that this would anger John. Sure enough, John shouts back, "Will you shut up!" as the lockdown occurs. Ben knew that the vents were the only way to breach the locked areas, and he knew John would enlist his help in doing so, so that he could do something when he was left alone with the Swan computer.
    • The lockdown could have been part of the whole plan of Ben going to the Hatch.
    • While alone with the computer, he either contacted the Others to tell them what had happened to him and/or initiated the supply drop. As evidence, Ms. Klugh later tells Michael that she knows "one of our people has been captured by yours".
    • He may have used the computer to contact Mikhail, but it's likely that they were monitoring the Swan from either the Pearl or the Flame, and knew that Ben had been captured because they saw him being brought in.
    • We know now from season three that the Others' equipment was not destroyed, but was being jammed. Nevertheless the pulse would have been a fantastic excuse to initiate the jam and state that the pulse had caused problems, so that communications with the outside world would cease.
    • It seems a bit ridiculous to assume that Ben knew not only what would happen if Desmond initiated the fail-safe, but that Desmond would in fact initiate the fail-safe. Desmond could have just as easily run away, thinking that the fail-safe would kill him.
  • Ben definitely knew about the Pearl Station and had been there before the purge so it's likely he knew what it did. If he had watched the orientation video there he would believe that the Swan Station was just a psychological experiment and the button did nothing. Therefore he might assume that it was safe to try to stop Locke pushing the button - the Others would know he was invested in it from the Pearl video feeds, and if he made Locke angry enough he might make a mistake, giving him a chance to escape.
    • Alternatively Ben could have been trying to prevent Locke being a slave to something he believed to be useless - he believes Locke is special and one of the 'good ones'.
  • Ben is neither good nor bad, he's just fighting for what he believes to be a worthy cause: the protection of the Island. This can be supported by the fact that Ben considers himself a "good" guy despite all of his actions. This judgement is based upon what he believes to be good - protecting the Island from forces such as Widmore, the freighter, maybe Hanso. Thus, he is in a sense, determined and motivated, a man with a cause, making him in a sense "better" than our islanders that only care about themselves and not "the greater good"

Ben is unstuck in time

  • Ben is unstuck in time, similar to Desmond, but retains control.

Evidence?

    • Ben is able to time-shift at will to obtain information that he needs. For example, Sawyer quoted a line from "Of Mice and Men", but Ben didn't recognize it. After a short delay, Ben was able to recite an extended passage of from the book. This is because Ben time-shifted, read the book and took the time to memorize the passage, in order to mess with Sawyer (which was the whole objective of their walk to the cliffside.)
    • Bens constant is Sayid. He needs to be in contact with him in the future which is why he is so eager to meet up with him in Iraq after he wakes up in the jungle. Evidence?
    • This explains why Ben always seems so sure of himself, he already knows what is going to happen.

Evidence? We ALMOST always see how he got his information.

    • This cannot be true, because if Ben was unstuck in time, he would either find a constant, which would end the process the same way that Desmond's talk with Penny did, or die within a few days due to the fact that he had no constant.
      • Maybe Richard Alpert or even Locke are Ben's Constant. Evidence?
        • If that's the case, Richard, who doesn't age, is most likely to be Ben's constant. That way, Ben could travel to any moment after he met Richard on the Island. Richard would then know Ben, and speed up Ben's travel back to the real time, when he finished his job in the past.
    • This explains why Ben is always able to be at the right place at the right time, and take the appropriate actions. Evidence? We ALMOST always see how he got his information.
      • For example, Ben told Harper exactly where and when to meet Juliet to give her a specific message about the Tempest, even though he was being held hostage when the message was delivered. He simply moved ahead in time, learned what was happening, then moved back in time and told Harper what to do in the past. Evidence? We don't know that Harper was actually given this information by Ben in the present rather than in the past, since he knew he would be taken prisoner.
        • Harper said, "Ben is exactly where he wants to be."
    • This explains why Ben is able to get what he needs. Evidence? There are other explanations possible.
      • For example, Ben learned that having Locke/Sawyer's father (Anthony Cooper) would be to his advantage. So he sent his consciousness back in time and told his underlings to find Cooper and bring him to the Island. The magic box is possible because all you have to do is decide you want something, zip back in time and arrange for its delivery, and then zip forward again and ta-da, it is here! Evidence? We ALMOST always see how he got his information - Mikhail collected extensive information on all the Losties.
      • In addition, this explains why Ben can get the $3.2 million for Miles, all he has to do is check the historical stock market data, find a stockthat was hot in the past, go back, buy it just before it took off, sell it at the right time, and ta-da, $3.2 million in the bank (or any amount he wants really). Evidence? If he could time travel, why not go back in time and avoid Mile's blackmailing him in the first place?.
        • Obviously this ability gives one the potential to get very rich, which is why Widmore is looking for Ben. Evidence? Widmore is already rich ... does it make sense that he is mainly concerned with the money?
    • But Desmond goes back and forth from one point in time to the present time. He doesn't go to any point he wishes. To order something in the past, Ben would have to go back, and to get information, he would have to go forward. That's at least 3 points on the timeline, which is not what's happening with Desmond.
    • Ben asked Godwin and Ethan to go to the crash sites when he saw the plane. If Ben really saw the future, the 2 dudes would have been sent in advance. You can find tons of examples where Ben failed to see the future.
  • Charles Widmore is Ben's constant. Note Ben's offhanded remark in the penthouse that he could not kill Charles for obvious reasons. Evidence? An alternative explanation is that Widmore can't be killed - just as Locke could not be killed when the Island "chose" him. We do not have sufficient evidence to know that Widmore is Ben's constant, or whether Ben even needs a constant.
    • It is not even established Ben is unstuck in time, let alone Widmore is his constant. Only people who were exposed to radiation suffer unstuckness and Ben has not been seen in this situation. The reason Ben doesn't kill Charles may be obvious for them, but not for us.
      • Ben and Widmore Are both unable to die as the Island wont let them, hence trying to kill eachother would be pointless
        • because of the unique time bending properties of the Island, Ben knows there is something that happens between him and Widmore in the future, therefore ben knows he cant kill him. (because he's still alive in the future, so trying would be pointless) The same thing happened with Michael (thats why Tom knew he wouldnt be able to kill himself.) The same thing happened with Locke eventually leading the Others. (When Ben is talking about when he shot Locke to Locke and Hurley, he says he doesnt know why he did it, he knew it would pointless.. He knew it would be pointless because he knows locke is alive at some point in the future, so he must live through the gun shot- Ben blames it on his not being in the right state of mind.) The best way to explain this time anomaly to other people is to just say 'The Island wont let you die' or something to the effect. The Island is a magical place that bends time, but it's doesnt REALLY have a consciousness.
    • It doesn't seem unlikely that Ben had been exposed to radiation or electromagnetism, especially since the whole island could have been affected by the discharge
      • What if ben has used the orchid to time travel and already knows the outcome of "the Island." He always tells Locke, that he knows the plan, or has had a plan from the beginning. Ben knows the future of the Island and is doing what he has to, to have it his way. he mentions to Sayid that he can find who killed his wife.
  • Ben's constant could be his glasses, his doll, his painting, the Island itself, or his telescopic baton. As pointed out, a constant isn't necessarily a person; Desmond decided to use a person, but Daniel was describing an anchor of any sort, like an object.
  • Devil's Advocate:
  • At the end of Season 3, Ben is surprised to find out that Juliet, and Alex (through Carl) have betrayed him.
  • Ben is completely surprised to find out that Charlie is in the Looking Glass.
  • Ben thinks he can talk Jack out of calling the freighter.
  • Ben orders Tom to kill Bernard, Jin, Sayid.
  • In season 4, Ben sends Alex, Danielle and Karl off to the temple
  • Ben calls Keamy's bluff and Keamy kills Alex.
  • Each of these incidents involve Ben making a bad decision. ie; Ben trusted the wrong people, or sent his daughter into the jungle to get captured and murdered. If Ben could see the future, wouldn't he be able to prevent such things from happening?
    • Ben wanted these things to happen, because it is necessary for a greater purpose, yet unknown for us.
  • Ben can see the future in a similar way to Desmond, or Jacob can see the future and tells Ben what happens.

Evidence?

Counter-evidence:

    • If so, his prescience failed him when Locke returned to their camp with the body. Perhaps his visions, if he has them, are more intermittent or less defined than are Desmond's.
      • Perhaps this is what REALLY makes Locke 'special' - he somehow has a control of fate, or at the very least is not bound by it.
        • This is backed up by the test that Richard gives young Locke.
    • Ben can't see the future; he's just smart and well informed.
  • Ben is determined to stop the infertility on the Island because of his mother's death during labor. Evidence?
    • Curing the fertility issue is also the only thing that keeps the Island from being able to sustain a population.
  • Ben has similar powers to Walt- he can manifest his will on reality - which would explain the Others' interest in Walt. He is controlling the Island psychically, making The Monster, Jacob, and even the Black Rock and Richard. He may not be fully aware of his psychic impact on reality, which would explain his strange relationship with Jacob.

Evidence?

    • This could be an explanation as to why he was happy to release Walt with Michael, despite Walt's apparent importance to the Others. Ben has displayed an interest in self preservation, and another with similar abilities may threaten his position (be it as leader of the Others or controller of the Island).
    • Richard and the Black Rock both exist in the real world.
  • His childhood "magic box" wishes have come true: to see his mother again and to escape from the DHARMA compound.

Evidence?

  • Ben uses the Islands bizarre time anomaly to build a fortune and gather information on people who seek to use the Island for their own purposes.

Evidence?

    • Juliet tells Jack that the freighter crew is here to wage war on Ben and that they're all going to die. She doesn't know how Ben has such power, only that he has it. This power comes from being able to cross from Island Time to Real World Time and back again. He also has people working for him off the Island feeding him information.
  • The young Benjamin Linus we see in Ben's season 3 flashback and present Ben are not the same person. On some yet unknown point in history, Ben's body got taken over by some sort of entity/island spirit or else. This spirit used Benjamin Linus' inside position to infiltrate and purge the DHARMA initiative, so that the hostiles could take over the Island again. This take over happened between the time young Ben first crossed the sonic fence, through which he got lured by an apparition by his dead mother (similar to "Ben's" present method of exploiting people's only weakness as he quoted in Exposé!) and the day of the purge. The whispers of the scene when Ben crosses the border contain a low male voice saying "you're mine now" or something like that. That's why Widmore says "I know WHAT you are" in ep 409. Maybe Widmore is also controlled by some kind of ancient force and his and Ben's little game has been going on for way longer than we might think. Carlton even said that there have been various purges in island history - in fact the freighties mission is some kind of purge attempt, too, so that Widmore could take back control over the Island. (I'm not quite sure which role Jacob is playing in this whole theory but I think we will find out more about Jacob in 4x11 so... we'll see.)

Evidence?

    • Well, it could fit with my theory that Ben is sort of a descendant to Seth (younger brother of Cain and Abel and, basically, a good guy...)

Evidence?

Connection to the Island

  • Ben seems to have the greatest ability of all characters seen so far to consciously or unconsciously produce "manifestations" on the Island.

Evidence?

    • Immediately after discovering that he was afflicted with a spinal tumor, a spinal surgeon survives his plane's crash-landing onto the Island. Evidence? Do we know Ben made this happen?
    • After his spinal surgery, Ben wishes for someone other than himself to destroy the submarine before Jack and Juliet can leave the Island on it. Locke does this moments before Jack and Juliet are scheduled to depart. Evidence? Locke did this ostensibly because the Island told him to.
    • Ben's mother died giving birth to him early in her third trimester. Now all women impregnated on the Island die right before they can reach their early third trimester. Also, three women on the Island who were in romantic relationships are shown to have been killed by being shot in the lower abdomen (or, in a Freudian sense, the womb).
    • Ana Lucia was shot in the chest.
  • From Ben's comments in the Hatch, he considers himself a prophet or a martyr (or some mix of the two) for the Island, and possibly believes that this may have some connection to becoming sick.
    • We now know that becoming sick, or experiencing the "sickness" is caused by the time shifting that happens when crossing on and off the Island. Ben has no control over that.
      • That is not necesseraly true. Rousseau claims her crew also were afflicted by the "sickness". And they did not go on and off island a bunch of times.
        • We can't possibly know that. We know nothing about Rousseau's crew so it is impossible to say what they did or didn't do when they got to the Island. The producers have hinted in the past that Rosseau's "sickness" and the time shift effects are one and the same.
  • The Island is Ben's constant. This is why he's so protective of it.
  • Ben is an agent of evil. "Ghostbuster" Miles knows a demon when he sees him. Ben knows that a divine presence is fated to be born on the Island and brought into the world...so he's been working to prevent that from happening. Evidence?
    • Miles is ready to protect Ben for the right price.
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