John Locke Is Killed by Ben

Lore & Background

In a chilling display of psychological warfare and physical violence, Ben manipulated Locke into believing he was still alive and capable of leading the Others. He led Locke to the Orchid station, where Locke turned the frozen wheel. After Locke completed the action, Ben revealed the truth: that Locke had been manipulated and was no longer needed. To silence him permanently and remove the threat he posed, Ben shot Locke point-blank with a pistol inside the frozen wheel chamber, ending the life of the man who believed he was destined to save everyone.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Temple was cool and smelled of ancient stone and damp earth. Locke stood before Ben, his eyes wide with the confusion of a man who had forgotten where he truly ended up. Ben's voice was soft, almost gentle, as he explained that the journey had already concluded for John. There was no destiny left to fulfill, only a shadow remaining in the light. Before Locke could process the horror of his own mortality, the sound of a gunshot shattered the silence. The figure collapsed, the life draining from him not into the earth, but back into the darkness he had briefly escaped.

Reader's Guide

The arc begins with John Locke returning to the Island after being presumed dead by his plane crash survivors. He seeks out Benjamin Linus, believing Ben is the key to stopping the Man in Black and restoring balance. Ben, realizing that a living Locke is a threat to his control over the Others, invites him to the Temple under false pretenses. Inside the sanctuary, Ben reveals the devastating truth: Locke died when he was shot by Miles Straume's crewmates in Season 4. The Locke walking around is effectively a ghost or a manifestation of the Island's magic. Unable to accept this and seeing no other way to stop him from interfering with his plans, Ben shoots Locke in the head. The impact is profound. Locke's physical death allows his consciousness to eventually join the purgatorial waiting room seen at the end of the series, while his body remains on the Island as a vessel for the Man in Black to use later. This act cements Ben's role as a tragic villain who destroyed a hero to save himself.

Did You Know?

• Locke was alive when Ben shot him; he had not been killed earlier by Miles' team but was murdered by Ben in the Season 5 finale, 'The Incident, Part 2'.
• The Temple was not immune to the Man in Black's influence; he entered and killed Others there in Season 6.
• Ben used a pistol to kill Locke, a weapon he had previously used against other members of his own group.
• This event directly enables the Man in Black to later inhabit Locke's physical body to attempt leaving the Island.