Others (Lost) - Character History

Character History

While people have come and lived on the Island before the Others, they all died mostly due to the Man In Black killing them and Jacob not guiding them. When Richard Alpert arrived on the Island in 1867, Richard insisted that Jacob do something about this since if he didn't the Man in Black would. Jacob then appoints Richard as his representative to the people that Jacob brings to the Island and to step in for Jacob when he needed him to. In exchange Jacob grants Richard immortality. From that point forward Richard assisted Jacob in bringing people to the Island and guiding them through Jacob's will.

During the 1950s the US Army arrived on the island, bringing with them a hydrogen bomb codenamed 'Jughead'. Richard Alpert claims he attempted a peaceful solution, but in the end the Others wiped out the Army personnel. In the 1970s, the Dharma Initiative came to the island. After initial conflict, a truce was struck between the two groups. These included very strict regulations about which part of the island belonged to each group. The truce was disregarded by the Initiative and was only used to keep away the Others while the Initiative drilled into the ground far more than the allowed ten meters and even constructed a research station on their area. The Others eventually found out about some of these things and the conflict resumed. The war ended when Benjamin Linus helped to kill all Dharma Initiative members except Kelvin Inman and Stuart Radzinsky(who were in the secret station), returning total control of the island to the Others.

Not long after Flight 815 crashes on the Island, the survivors come into conflict with the Others. Hostilities mounted between the two groups, eventually resulting in armed conflict. During the course of the show, over a dozen survivors of Flight 815 have been taken by the Others. Most of these came from the tail section of the plane, where Goodwin was able to complete his 'list', whereas Ethan was discovered before he could do the same. The hostility between the two groups has continued, leading to a battle at the survivors' beach camp which saw many Others killed and injured by the survivors. Since the end of Season 4, however, they have been portrayed as less antagonistic, since both sides want to defend themselves from a band of mercenaries who arrive by freighter, sent there by a previous leader of the Others, Charles Widmore. John Locke is appointed the new leader of the Others after Ben is banished from the Island.

However, with the death of Jacob at the hands of his nemesis, a second group of Others at the Temple protected some of the survivors and showed great concern at Jacob's demise. Some of this group has since been killed by the nemesis, while others have followed him into the jungle.