Summary

• The unpredictability of Lost series is showcased by the survival of surprisingly few key characters.
• The ambiguity of series finale leaves survivors' fates and happiness unknown.
• Several characters escaped the Island through survival instinct, luck, and sacrifices.

A retrospective of every main character who managed to survive in Lost shows just how unpredictable the 2004-2010 mystery drama could be, since there are several staple characters who didn't live past the finale. While not as trigger-happy as the likes of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, Lost certainly wasn't afraid to bump off major characters when necessary, and with so many trials on the island for the Oceanic survivors to overcome, it's no surprise that not everyone made it out alive.

Given the ambiguities of Lost's final episode, while the rest were whisked away to another plane of existence and forced to wait for everyone else to die so that all the cast could move on to the afterlife together.

Kate Austen

Evangeline Lilly

With both survival skills and a smart attitude, Kate never felt like a character at risk of being killed off on Lost. Lacking the impulsiveness of Jack, but adapting to the island more naturally than most, Kate managed to escape via boat, return, and then leave once again on the hastily-repaired Ajira plane. She also time-traveled back to the 1970s, living for a while as a key member of the DHARMA initiative before jumping forward in time once more to 2007.

It's unknown exactly what happened to Kate, but the show did reveal that once she'd died she was reunited with Jack in the afterlife.

The fact that both Jack and Sawyer were desperately vying for Kate's affections perhaps aided her chances of survival, with Jack ultimately sacrificing himself shortly after declaring his love. However, Kate proved she was more than capable of looking after herself by killing the Man in Black. After escaping the island with Claire, it's unknown exactly what happened to Kate, but the show did reveal that once she'd died she was reunited with Jack in the afterlife.

James "Sawyer" Ford

Josh Holloway

Just like Kate, Sawyer was a character on Lost who never felt too at-risk of being killed off, though since there were never any guarantees that any character was truly safe, many fans were relieved to see him survive to make it off the island. Sawyer nobly gave up his seat during Lost's first escape attempt, but made sure he was on board the Ajira plane in the series finale.

Deeply troubled before his arrival on the island, it's hard to imagine Sawyer leading a happy life back in the real world, especially after losing Juliet in Lost season 5. Like Kate, Sawyer jumped backward in time when Ben moved the island, and lived for a while in the 1970s as the head of security for the DHARMA initiative. There's an unspoken implication that, with Jack and Juliet both deceased, Kate and Sawyer might finally get together, but this is left entirely to the audience's imagination.

James "Sawyer" Ford also appeared in 2011's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as Trevor Hanaway.

Claire Littleton

Emilie de Ravin

A key reason Kate decided to return to the Island and jump forward in time was to rescue Claire, the mother of Aaron Littleton. Claire had been pregnant with Aaron when Oceanic Flight 815 first crashed on the island, giving birth to him in the shows first season. However, when it seemed that Claire may have been killed after she disappeared, Kate opted to take Aaron with her as part of the Oceanic Six, raising him as her own when they first escaped.

However, once she learned that Claire might still be alive and simply being held captive, Kate wanted to return to get her out so Aaron could be brought up by his real mom. As Kate and Sawyer fled the island for the final time, they managed to bring Claire along with them. While the show tricked viewers into believing she had died, Claire was actually taken by the Others and disappeared completely for several seasons. Returning in season 6, Claire had evidently suffered some sort of breakdown following her abduction and was still in a poor state when leaving the island.

Desmond Hume

Henry Ian Cusick

Desmond was one of the main characters of Lost who wasn't one of the Oceanic 815 engers, but someone the survivors of the crash encountered in the Island. He'd been living on the Island for several years, and was one of the most mysterious characters in Lost — especially due to the electromagnetism that seemed to send his mind backwards and forwards in time.

Unlike the other main characters, Desmond returned to the island in season 6 under duress, forced to cooperate due to his unique electromagnetic properties.

Of all Lost's love stories, viewers were most heavily invested in Desmond's relationship with Penny. Unlike the other main characters, Desmond returned to the island in season 6 under duress, forced to cooperate due to his unique electromagnetic properties. Although he survives the final episode, Desmond doesn't make it onto the Ajira plane, but it's heavily implied that Hurley and Ben plan to ensure he's returned home to Penny safely.

Richard Alpert

Nestor Carbonell

The character who had spent the most time on the Island outside of Jacob and the Man in Black was Richard Alpert, who had arrived in 1867 after the slave ship Black Rock shipwrecked on the same shores that the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors would wash up on decades later. Richard was granted the gift of immortality by Jacob, though under the specific condition that he would act as a leader for the Others and act as Jacob's messenger for those the Island brought in.

Richard had left the Island multiple times over the decades, such as when he checked in on John Locke's childhood. Richard ultimately decided to leave the Island for good along with Kate, Lapidus, Claire, Sawyer, and Miles on the repaired Ajira. It's unknown exactly what happened to Richard when he vacated the Island for the final time. However, the presence of gray hairs following the death of Jacob seems to hint that he'd lost his immortality and would being ageing again.

Miles Straume

Ken Leung

Miles Straume, like Desmond and Richard, wasn't one of the Oceanic Flight 815 engers, and wasn't introduced to the show until Lost season 4. The son of Lara and Pierre Chang, Miles was born on the Island in the late 1970s though he was taken to California before he'd turned a year old. Also like Desmond and Richard, Miles had a unique ability — he could gain information from corpses by touching them.

He was also a victim of the time jumps that followed Ben moving the Island, spending some time in the 1970s as a member of the DHARMA initiative.

Miles was initially introduced as part of the science team that parachuted onto the Island in Lost season 4, and he had a hard time getting the Oceanic 815 survivors to trust him. He was also a victim of the time jumps that followed Ben moving the Island, spending some time in the 1970s as a member of the DHARMA initiative. He later travels back to his true timeline in the 2000s, where he ed the others in trying to contain the Man in Black on the island, eventually fleeing with the other remaining survivors on the Ajira plane.

Frank Lapidus

Jeff Fahey

Frank Lapidus was another main character who survived on Lost that wasn't introduced in the show's first season, but instead made his debut in the season 4 episode "Confirmed Dead". Like many of the late entrants to the show though, Frank did have a connection with Oceanic Flight 815, as he was supposed to be the pilot but missed the flight due to oversleeping. After seeing through the hoax wreckage at the bottom of the Sunda Trench, Frank ed the Kahuna expedition as the chopper pilot for the same science team Miles was a member of.

Frank also managed to escape the Island after arriving alongside the Oceanic Six, though would return with them three years later as the pilot of Ajira Flight 316. After his attempts to reason with the Man in Black failed, Frank was saved by Miles and Richard. He left on the repaired Ajira plane, though the show didn't reveal anything about his life after leaving the island for the final time.

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes

Jorge Garcia

One of the most interesting characters in Lost was Hurley, who quickly became a fan favorite. While Hurley survived the final episode of Lost, he didn't escape the Island but chose to remain — though he had a very good reason, since he was chosen as the new protector of the Island after being selected as a potential candidate by Jacob.

Hurley, played by Jorge Garcia, was, by his own ission, not best suited to being a plane crash survivor on a desert island and had several brushes with death over the course of Lost's six seasons. Hurley's survival can perhaps be partly attributed to his strange relationship with luck both before and after arriving on the Island. Following Jack's death, however, Hurley proves his mettle by becoming the protector of the island and tying up the loose ends that remained at the end of Lost's final season.

Benjamin "Ben" Linus

Michael Emerson

The final main character to survive in Lost was Michael Emerson's Ben Linus, who also wasn't one of the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors. Ben was initially introduced in Lost season 2 and started out as an antagonist, since he was the leader of the Others. However, as Lost progressed, he proved to be a much more nuanced character than it first seemed (though he was never an outright hero).

While working for Hurley appeared to be an attempt to make amends, it was also an easy choice for Ben to make, given that the alternative was likely death.

Like Hurley, Ben chooses to remain on the Island, accepting a position as Hurley's advisor. Ben committed some reprehensible acts during his time on the island and acting as Hurley's partner provided the character with a path towards redemption. In many ways, it's not at all surprising that Ben survived the events of Lost. The villain had a wily sense of self-preservation and prioritized his own well-being above all else, and while working for Hurley appeared to be an attempt to make amends, it was also an easy choice for Ben to make, given that the alternative was likely death.