The groundbreaking legacy of ABC’s supernatural dramaLost, with its vast ensemble cast and intricately plotted story, introduced audiences to a large roster of memorable characters, each contributing to the show’s critically acclaimed six-season run. While iconic figures like Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), and Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) often dominated fan discussions and swept up Primetime Emmy Awards, there remain manycharacters who played pivotal roles, but were frequently overlooked. These underrated characters were immensely compelling in their own right, boasting stirring performances, and often furthering critical plot advancements, but without receiving the full recognition they deserved.
DespiteLost’s emphasis on mystery elements and itsunderlying dedication to supernatural fiction,Lostremains fundamentally a character-driven narrative; the show’s most compelling moments often stemmed from the personal journeys of its diverse ensemble, noteworthy at the time of premiere for boasting an immense multicultural cast. The series masterfully intertwined its headier concepts with much more emotionally relatable stories of its characters, blending high-concept sci-fi with intimate character studies, and ensuring thatthe heart ofLostlies in the complex relationships between survivors, making the audience’s connection to the characters the true driving force behind the show’s enduring impact.
10Richard Alpert
Portrayed by Néstor Carbonell
Richard Alpert, the loyal advisor of the “Others” and Jacob (Mark Pellegrino)’s right-hand-man, is initially one of the most enigmatic figures on the island. Introduced as a mysterious, ageless figure who appears unchanged across vast expanses of the Island’s history, Richard’s background is gradually unveiled, revealing a compelling character witha moving backstory and powerful motivations well worth watching. Initially appearing to be a secondary character, Richard’s true importance becomes clear towards the end ofLost’s final season, revealing his centuries-old connection to the island and his pivotal role in its mythology.
Richard’s journey as a Spanish prisoner in the 19th century to the confidant of Jacob in Season 6’s “Ab Eterno,” remains one of the show’s most well-received episodes, with a rich, self-contained narrative arc that engages with the show’s central themes of fate and redemption. Despite his integral role in the fate of the castaways,Néstor Carbonell was frequently a guest star, and was only promoted to the main cast in the ultimate season. Carbonell’s subtle and nuanced performance brings a quiet dignity to Richard, portraying him as both wise and deeply tormented by his immortality. Beginning as the Island’s most devoted protector,Richard finds purpose in survival, and once again learns to value his life.
9Charlie Pace
Portrayed by Dominic Monaghan
Lovable, naive, obsessive and loyal, Charlie Pace is a former rock star with a heart of gold. Struggling with addiction and a sense of lost purpose, Charlie’s character arc is one of redemption and sacrifice, which results inone of the most tear-jerking deaths in the entire series. As a member of the band Drive Shaft, Charlie’s flashbacks often revolve around his rise to fame and subsequent struggle with drug abuse, but once on the Island, he becomes an unexpected hero; forming deep bonds with fellow survivors like Claire and Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and ultimately sacrificing his life in a bid to save his friends.
Charlie’s self-destructive tendencies and journey to overcome them are some of the most potent and dramatic character moments of the series, yet he often doesn’t receive the same recognition as characters like Jack or Sawyer, mostly due to his status as a comic-relief character. Monaghan’s performance, while endearingly funny, somehowalso manages to capture Charlie’s latent darkness, making his character arc heartbreaking and, ultimately, inspiring. His final sacrifice in theLooking Glass at the end of Season 3beautifully synthesizes the show’s themes of redemption and found family, proving that Charlie’s obsessive, driven nature isn’t the weakness he always assumed it to be, but instead has the ability to make him every bit as strong as it has made him weak.
8Martin Keamy
Portrayed by Kevin Durand
Played with devilish aplomb by Kevin Durand, the remarkably hated Martin Keamy serves asone of the most formidable antagonists inLost. Introduced as a mercenary hired by Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) onboard the freighter in Season 4, Keamy’sruthless pursuit of Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson)and his cold-blooded attitude makes him a terrifying presence on the Island. Keamy’s military precision and his distinct lack of empathy set him apart from other villains of the series, as he carries out his mission with a chilling efficiency and seems to relish every moment of violence. Keamy’s actions, including his orchestration of the devastating freighter explosion and his merciless murder of Alex Rousseau (Tania Raymonde), add a significant layer of danger and tension to the series’ fourth season.
Whereas many TV villains in serialized dramas stand around making empty threats, Martin Keamy does exactly what he says he is going to do every single time. Despite being a pivotal adversary in the series, Keamy doesn’t receive the same level of attention as other villains like Ben or the Man in Black (Titus Welliver), most likely due to his relatively small amount of screentime. However, Durand’s portrayal of Keamy is breathless and commanding, imbuing the character with a horrible charisma that is difficult to look away from. Keamy serves an important purpose asthe human embodiment of escalation, raising the stakes astronomically in a very tangible way. In a show where a black column of smoke rips people apart, it is a testament to Durand’s chilling performance that the character of Keamy remains one of the most effective television antagonists of all time.
7U.S. Marshal Edward Mars
Portrayed by Fredric Lehne
Edward Mars, the smooth talking U.S. Marshal tasked with hunting down Kate Austen, is an unsung gem of a character who highlights all the most interesting aspects of Kate’s character, while taking none of the credit.Appearing most often in flashbacksafter his death on the Island, Mars is relentless in his attempts to bring Kate to justice, providing her with a dramatic foil for her troubled past which showcases the complexities of her character. His presence on the island, though short-lived, leaves a lasting impact as it serves to deepen the plotlines of Kate, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Jack, as well as revealing crucial details about Kate’s life before the crash.
Mars’s dogged pursuit and his interactions with Kate offer some of the best writing in the series, summating Kate’s thematic devotion to the chase and her inability to stay in one place for too long. Mars’s appearance onLostis notably brief, which makes the lasting impact of his character all the more impressive, as his death haunts the castaways long after Sawyer’s poorly-aimed gunshot rings out. Fredric Lehne’s performance effectively conveys the marshal’s single-minded determination and moral rigidity, making him a formidable yet somewhat tragic figure,evocative of detective characters in noir thrillers: trapped in a never-ending game of cat and mouse with their ultimate adversary.
6Danielle Rousseau
Portrayed by Mira Furlan
Few characters onLostembody tragedy quite like Danielle Rousseau, who, from her very first appearance, is a haunting and enigmatic presence on the Island. As a French scientist stranded alone for sixteen years, Rousseau’s story serves asa cautionary tale against the dangers of isolating oneselffrom a community, and the powerful notion that it is never too late to open back up to people. Rousseau’s desperate search for her daughter, Alex, and her terrifying early warnings about the mysterious “Others” added some ofthe earliest layers of supernatural mysteryto the series, while her extensive knowledge of the island and its dangers often serves as a critical resource for the main characters, despite her reclusive and paranoid demeanor.
Rousseau is a potent character whose journey to find herself is heartbreaking and powerful. Furlan, who plays Rousseau following her isolation, brings a beautiful, elegant pathos to Rousseau which is brilliantly in conflict with her unkempt appearance. Her relationship with Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and her eventual reunion with Alex are poignant moments which directly engage with the show’s thematic preoccupation with loneliness and theimportance of community for survival, and her enduring status as one of the show’s most well drawn and complex characters is evidence of her underrated reputation.
5Frank Lapidus
Portrayed by Jeff Fahey
The gruff, lovable Frank Lapidus, played by Jeff Fahey, is introduced as the hotshot pilot who was originally meant to fly Oceanic Flight 815. Frank’s easygoing and pragmatic disposition provides a refreshing contrast to the intense and often dramatic personalities of the other cast members,providing the audience with a delightfully charismatic everyman. Throughout the later seasons, Frank proves himself to be reliable, courageous, kind and resourceful, playing a key role in several rescue missions and ultimately saving the remaining castaways in a desperate bid toescape the Island once and for all.
Fahey’s performance imbues Frank with a rugged charm that makes him relatable and endearing, while his one-liners and weathered good looks make him feel at times like an 80s action star thrown into a science-fiction drama. Frank’s bravery and quiet resignation is often played for laughs, but through his underlying dedication to doing what’s right, and his commitment to looking out for the people who place their trust in him,Lapidus ultimately rises to every occasion that’s thrown at him. By ensuring his passenger’s safety and buckling up no matter the challenge, Frank Lapidus cements himself as a quintessential unsung hero.
4Shannon Rutherford
Portrayed by Maggie Grace
Shannon Rutherford, the conflicted, bratty step-sister of Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder), starts off as one of the more polarizing characters onLost. Initially portrayed as a spoiled and self-centered young woman with no interest in the lives of the other castaways, Shannon’s character undergoes significant development over the course of the first two seasons, revealing a deeper vulnerability and afear of inadequacy that she learns to overcome. The tumultuous relationship with her stepbrother and the eventual romance with Sayid offered a powerful insight intoShannon’s desire for acceptance and unconditional love, ultimately making her one of the most relatable and tragic characters in the series.
Shannon’s sudden death in Season 2 bookends her character arc by forcing Sayid into a downward spiral, and raising the stakes to previously unseen heights. While she is often dismissed as inconsequential due to her early exit and initial characterization, Maggie Grace’s nuanced performance deserves recognition for capturingShannon’s transformation from a seemingly superficial character into one with depth and shattering humanity. Grace is able to do so much with a single look, conveying desperation, insecurity, incredulity, love, or abject terror, as effortlessly as her other, more critically lauded castmates; and by humanizing the seemingly stereotypical, Shannon embodies one of the core tenets of the series' legacy: its dedication to portraying the inner complexities of even the most easily overlooked characters.
3Charles Widmore
Portrayed by Alan Dale
Cold, driven, and insincere to his last breath, Charles Widmore isone of the principal antagonists of the series, whose ambitions and underhanded machinations drive much of the conflict in the later seasons ofLost. As a former leader of the Others and a wealthy industrialist,Widmore feels an intense level of ownership over the Island, which leads to the intertwining of personal vendettas and a climactic bloodbath in the show’s final season. His rivalry with Benjamin Linus and his efforts to control the Island’s fate position him as a formidable force within the show’s intricate plot, while his single-minded obsession over ownership and control can be seen in his approach to everything in his life: from who is worthy of drinking his whiskey, to who is worthy of loving his daughter, to who is worthy of living and dying.
Widmore’s imposing demeanor and complex conspiracies are admittedly understated next to the more openly villainous intentions of the Man in Black, whose rivalry with the castaways coincides with Widmore’s final bid for the Island in Season 6. But Dale’s portrayal of Widmore as a ruthless, calculating, yet deeply passionate individual adds layers of complexity to the character that are worth a second look; his backstory, including his banishment from the island and his strained relationship with his daughter, Penny, provides a unique dynamic thatcasts him almost in the same vein as a deposed king, robbed of that which he sees as his property, and dedicated, body and soul, to pursuing the reclaimation of his rightful domain.
2Daniel Faraday
Portrayed by Jeremy Davies
The twitchy, lovable Daniel Faraday is introduced as a physicist with a complicated understanding of the Island’s temporal electromagnetic properties. Faraday’s brilliance and eccentricity make him a distinctly intriguing character that stands out as one of the more fully-fledged lateadditions to the show’s enormous cast. Faraday’s ill-fated efforts to understand the complexities of time travel, and his circuitous destiny, intertwined with that of his mother, Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan), give him a tragic edge that results in one of the show’s most powerful deaths.The poetic concept of an afflicted genius who cannot remember his own researchis a powerful idea effectively brought to life through an emotionally-driven performance from Davies.
Faraday is most likely overshadowed by the show’s core cast, and his disappearance midway through Season 5 no doubt contributes to his underrated status. However, Davies’ performance captures Faraday’s vulnerability, intelligence, and his obsessive dedication to his research. In the hands of another actor, the character could have easily become an inaccessibly brilliant genius, but Davies imbues Faraday witha humanizing pathos that makes him deeply relatable and devastatingly empathetic. Faraday’s intellectual curiosity and emotional struggle to regain control over his own mental capacity provide a compelling and introspective counterpoint to the more action-driven characters, imbuing the 4th and 5th Seasons with a beating heart worn proudly on the sleeve of a tortured mind.
1Ana Lucia Cortez
Portrayed by Michelle Rodriguez
When audiences first meet Ana Lucia Cortez, she is a fierce, determined former police officer who becomes a key leader of the tail section survivors.Her tough exterior and abrasive personality immediately put her into conflict with the other characters, but are eventually revealed to mask the deep-seated guilt she carries with her from her past. Ana Lucia’s journey, including her difficult relationship with the concept of redemption and her dedication to protecting her group, reveal a complex character with a strong sense of duty to others, despite her outward assurances to the contrary. Introduced early in Season 2, Ana Lucia’s introduction overlaps with the tragic accidental killing of Shannon, resulting in a tense relationship between her and the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which is rife with dramatic opportunities.
Despite her strong presence, Ana Lucia is unapologetically polarizing, due to her difficult personality and her disregard for the authority of more well-established characters. ButMichelle Rodriguez’s intense and heartfelt performancebrings depth to Cortez, highlighting her inner conflict, and suggestinga narrative arc which is brilliantly subverted when her life is cut shorttowards the end of her debut season. Her tragic death at the hands of Michael marks a significant turning point in the series, ripping the proverbial rug out from under the audience, and proving that no one is safe from an untimely end, a quality in serialized television often accredited toGame of Thrones, but observable inLostyears earlier. Ana Lucia’s sudden end, her dedication to leadership, her bold courage, and her emotional complexity make her a standout character who deserves more recognition, solidifying her as the most underrated character in the series.
