The Monster/Theories

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Theories about The Monster

Main Discussion

Theories may be removed if ...

Stated as questions or possibilities (avoid question marks, "Maybe", "I think", etc). More appropriate for another article. Illogical or previously disproven. Proven by canon source, and moved to main article. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead). This does not include responses that can stand alone as its own theory. Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response. See the Lostpedia theory policy for more details.

Contents 1 Manifestations 1.1 Encounters 1.1.1 Confirmed encounters 1.1.2 Unconfirmed encounters 1.1.3 Discredited encounters 1.2 Sounds 1.3 Flashing images 2 Function 2.1 Hallucinogenic properties 2.2 Psychic projection 3 Origin 3.1 Man-made creation 3.1.1 Intentional DHARMA creation 3.1.2 Pre-DHARMA creation 3.2 Natural phenomenon 3.2.1 Emerged naturally on the Island 3.3 God-like being 3.3.1 Demiurge 3.3.2 Khonsu 3.4 Alien origin 4 Purpose 4.1 Security system 4.2 Judgment 4.3 Fate 5 Composition 5.1 Technological 5.2 Metaphysical 6 More than one Monster 6.1 Representation of duality 6.2 Cerberus creature with separate heads 7 Other theories 8 Discredited theories 9 Possible cultural references 10 See also

Manifestations

Encounters

Fans theorize that the Monster has manifested itself in more forms than documented in the main article. The confirmed encounters support the theories about those yet unconfirmed.

Confirmed encounters

It has been confirmed (in Lost: The Answers) by writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse that these apparitions are evoked by the monster.

Episode	Form of the Monster	Notes
"White Rabbit"		In the episode "White Rabbit" (as well as in the preceding episode, "Walkabout"), Jack experienced a series of visions in which he saw his dead father on the island. The vision led Jack deep into the jungle, and tricked him into tumbling off of a cliff. Jack would have fallen to his death, but Locke arrived just in time to pull Jack back up. - Jack continued to search for what he thought was Christian, and it eventually led him to the Caves. There, Jack found Christian's coffin from the flight. He tentatively opened it, only to find that there was nothing inside. Jack destroyed the coffin in frustration and rage.
"Collision"		Not long after he was taken off the raft, a water-drenched Walt appeared before Shannon, who had just followed a fleeing Vincent into the jungle. Shannon heard him whisper incomprehensibly, which has been ascribed to reversed or backwards speech. The translation of the speech is reportedly "Push the button. Don't push the button. Bad." Whether it was actually Walt or a vision is unclear. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith") Three nights later, Walt again appeared to Shannon, this time in the new tent that Sayid had just made for her. Walt was again dripping wet and spoke in reversed speech, "They're coming and they're close". [1] Sayid returned to Shannon's screams, but Walt had disappeared and Sayid did not believe her account. The next day, Shannon resorted to using Vincent to help find Walt, with the Labrador leading her into the jungle. A doubting Sayid followed her, contesting that Walt was still on the raft, but Shannon revealed that they had found the message bottle. Later in the jungle, the two heard the whispers and Walt appeared wet with his finger to his lips, saying, "Shhh". Sayid saw him this time, and when Walt walked back into the jungle, Shannon followed him, only to be accidentally shot by Ana Lucia. ("Abandoned")
"What Kate Did"		A black horse appears to Kate that is remarkably similar to the horse that helped her escape from Edward Mars before she arrived on the Island.

Unconfirmed encounters

It has been theorized that other visions and apparitions on the island have been the monster interacting with the ones seeing these things.

Episode	Form of the Monster	Notes
"Raised by Another"		Although it was a dream, Locke is the Monster in Claire's dream. It takes his form after first seeing him in Walkabout. His white and black eyes are to resemble the white light Locke claims to have seen, and the black everyone else sees.
"Hearts and Minds"		Shannon herself in Boone's vision is the Monster, not (just) a drug-induced hallucination. Or perhaps the Monster supplemented the hallucinogen, maybe by actually chasing Boone or playing along with him.
"?"		Ana Lucia appears to Mr. Eko after her death. After she says "A dream like this one", a series of images are flashed on the screen.
		In a vision, Yemi tells Mr. Eko that Locke has lost his way, and Eko needs Locke to take him to "the question mark."
"The Cost of Living"		One man throws a machete at Eko. Eko goes to plunge a machete into another man, and it transforms into Daniel, an altar boy who says "confess".
		Mr. Eko's brother (Yemi) strangely says "you speak to me as if I was your brother". Right after, the Monster appears and kills Mr. Eko. - *The encounter is extremely similar to Eko's later encounter in "The Cost of Living", where Eko followed a vision of his dead brother, saying "Where are You?" repeatedly (like Jack did), Yemi's dead body was also missing from it's resting place, and the encounter led to Eko's death. Jack had an uncomfortably close brush with death in his encounter.
"Through the Looking Glass"		Walt appears to Locke just before Locke can commit suicide in the DHARMA Initiative's mass grave.
"The Beginning of the End"		Charlie appears to Hurley in the future off of the Island multiple times telling him that "They need you." It also seems that he may be more than a figment of Hurley's imagination since another man at the mental institution was able to see him.
"Something Nice Back Home"		Christian Shepherd appears to Jack twice in the future (and maybe more), and it was after Hurley told Jack he would receive a visitor. Also Claire sees him holding Aaron on the Island in the present day, and follows him to a certain place.

Discredited encounters

Episode	Form of the Monster	Notes
"Outlaws"		A boar targets Sawyer by repeatedly ransacking his belongings. Locke tells a story that suggests the boar is more than it seems. In the 3-21-08 podcast, Damon says the boar is not a manifestation of the monster.
"Dave"		Dave taunts Hurley, and urges him to jump off a cliff. Note the similarity between this and Jack nearly following the image of his father off a cliff. In the 3-21-08 podcast, Damon says Dave is not a manifestation of the monster.
"Further Instructions"		Boone appeared to Locke and told him what he needed to do to set things right again. In the 3-21-08 podcast, Damon says Boone is not a manifestation of the monster.
"The Man Behind the Curtain"		Emily, Ben's mother, appears to him twice on the Island. Notice that she does not get through the sonic fence. The dark, powdery substance Locke finds around Jacob's home might be the Monster, or might be related to the "smoke" of the Monster. Emily does get through the Sonic Fence. The first time she appears to Ben is briefly at his bedroom window; a location within the confines of the fence. Richard Alpert asked Ben if his mother had died on the island, which would have explained that the monster had absorbed her appearance and personality, but since her body was never on the island, there would have been no way for the monster to manifest itself. If the monster can reach into dreams, no actual appearance on the island is necessary. In the 3-21-08 podcast, Damon says Emily is not a manifestation of the monster.

Sounds

• The sounds produced by it aren't related to its functioning but just sound effects created by it to create fear and panic.
• The mechanical sounds made by the Monster in "Pilot, Part 1" and subsequent episodes are the sound effects of Oceanic Flight 815 crashing. The sounds can be heard immediately after a flashback in which the plane crashes and falls apart, giving a perfect opportunity for the viewer to rehear the crash sound effects.
• The "chattering" sound heard when the Monster is moving through the forest is identical to the sound made by Locke's printing calculator at the Box company
  • The sound is heard in a less uniform fashion when the camera pans through the Monster during Eko's first encounter with it. The sounds are accompanied by flashes of light in which images that may relate to Eko or his past can be seen. This suggests that the "chattering" is not made purely for the sake of making noise.
• The mechanical chain noise heard while Locke is being dragged through the jungle by his left foot ("Exodus, Part 2") is the same heard during Locke's vision in "Further Instructions" (when he's trying to reach the top of the escalator).
• The next line in the script after Rose says she is from the Bronx is "sounds like monkeys". This may refer to sounds heard at the Bronx Zoo, like Howler Monkeys.
• We can hear a faint whisper saying something right before the Monster kills Eko in the episode "The Cost of Living"
• When the "arm" of the Monster is flailing around Eko in the episode "The Cost of Living", the viewer can clearly hear a mechanical sound. The sound is similar to that of gears turning, and is audible the entire time the "arm" is operational.
• An interesting note is that the swishy/ticking sound of the monster can first be heard in the movie Mortal Kombat during the Johnny Cage/Scorpion standoff in the woods.

Flashing images

• The images are a means of examining a person's conscience in order to pass judgment on this person. It scans for images in the observer's subconscious, and then displays them to the individual to test his or her emotional and physical reactions. This may be why the Monster, when revealed to Eko and John Locke, did not harm its test subject. The Monster may have seen them both as being non-threatening because of their responses to certain stimuli.
• In the scene where Eko is drinking from the stream and the Monster creeps up behind, the Monster briefly manifests itself as Eko's face.
• In "The 23rd Psalm" when the Monster is "scanning" Eko, we see from its perspective, and it shows many images including the 3 men Eko killed and Yemi. These images are used later by the Monster to produce their actual likenesses and present them to Eko. The Monster later poses as the 3 men, and later as Yemi asking Eko to repent. When Eko will not confess, "Yemi" says "You speak to me as if I am your brother" and then turns into the Monster and kills Eko - Yemi may have forgiven Eko without any repentance, but the Monster works for the Island, and the Island is very unforgiving.
• The "scanning" process of the Monster (as seen in "Left Behind"), shown as several flashes of white light, can be linked to Locke's original viewing of it as "a white light".

Function

In Lost: The Answers executive producers and writers of the show Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse bring up the subject of the monster. As they do, they solely answer questions dealing with the monster's function and abilities. Lindelof: "Does the monster have some sort of ability to judge you? Locke passed it the first time he saw it, but then, later on, the monster grabbed him and tried to pull him into a hole. And then, what does it do with that judgment? (That) is a very interesting question as we move forward on the show." Lindelof then lets the question go unanswered as to what the flashes are that you can see inside the monster (but ambiguously gives the hint that when it experiences Juliet's presence "it's almost as if it is taking pictures of her"). Lindelof: "We do know that when the monster looks at you, it seems to be able to process certain memories that you may have had." Narrator: "And some memories can become quite real." Cuse: "We have learned that the island is capable of these apparitions. Jack can see his dead father. Walt, who was off in some other place, mysteriously appears for Shannon and Sayid. Kate sees a horse that was part of her past. All these characters are seeking redemption for misdeeds of their past." After Cuse has given a summary of Jin's and Sun's situation Lindelof further emphasizes the theme of redemption (which is also an element the monster with its capability to judge appears to be intimately connected with). Lindelof: "These are all people who need to redeem themselves. They made huge mistakes in their past and now that they're on this island they get the opportunity to put all those mistakes behind them."

Hallucinogenic properties

• Electromagnetic energy whose visual appearance is completely hallucinogenic. Manipulated electromagnetism tickles the receptors in the brain such that people all share the visual and tactile hallucination together when more than one person is around. Black smoke is a Jungian symbol we all have in our brains somewhere, so that's a common appearance it takes on. It can also tickle "deepest secrets and fears" parts of the brain which is why people see so many personal images.

Psychic projection

• A machine designed to let a person materialize anything he or she wants at a mere thought. Though the people that created the machine considered themselves civilized, their subconscious minds were unleashed by its almost limitless power. As a cataclysmic consequence, they were wiped out as their subconscious minds acted out their darkest urges, fueled by the machine's power.
  • This notion is essentially identical to the advanced technology instrumental to the plot of the famous 1950's sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet.
    • Forbidden Planet was also inspired by the Shakespeare play The Tempest, which is also the name of a DHARMA station.

Origin

Man-made creation

Intentional DHARMA creation

• The monster was created by the DHARMA Initiative, as proven by...
  • The fact that indications on the blast door map specified "Cerberus System".
  • The fact that former Initiative member Ben Linus seemingly controls or summons the Monster via a DHARMA-built house
• An entity intentionally created by DHARMA Initiative. It filled any of the following roles:
  • A perfect judicial system for a Utopian community, but has subsequently got out of control.
  • A guardian for the DHARMA workers as they were increasingly attacked by the Others/Hostiles.
  • A watcher over the stations. However an incident occurred that made it go wild.
    • "Cerberus" is the name of a DHARMA security station, meant to ensure the safety of the DHARMA initiative from the hostiles. The Monster was a creation of the station whose job was to analyze people it found, determine if they were a threat, and execute them if they were. However, an incident occured in which the DHARMA initiative lost control of the monster which began to act of its own accord, and the sonic fence was built to protect the initiative from the rogue Monster.
      • The Sonic Fence was created at the same time as the monster as a preemptive measure against the Monster going rogue as well as protection from the hostiles.
• The entity was created by DHARMA Initiative unintentionally. It is to be viewed as any of the following:
  • A result of a bioengineering experiment conducted by the zoology department.
  • The Monster is a Rabbit created in the Orchid. It was created as a weapon (or whatever the Orchid does) but got out of control. It could also be a mixture of multiple rabbits, explaining why it splits in three, and why Marvin didn't want two rabbits to come near each other. Lost seems to reference Alice in Wonderland (Through the looking glass) and the Cerebus vents are when the Rabbit goes down the Rabbit hole.
  • An accidental result of the incident.
  • Could possibly be a ghost of all the dead DHARMA Initiative members, given the specific job of judging people by an even higher existence, Jacob for instance. It attacks the survivors because it sees anyone that's not in DHARMA Initiative clothing as a threat, because of the Purge.
• It is the real Experiment of the Dharma Initiative - designed to improve people one by one in an attempt to change the basic factors of the Valenzetti Equation to change the course of the human race for the better. And yet, it has now broken free of those who tried to control it, The Others, and it roams the Island, forcing its change of character on anyone it meets in its territory.
• It is actually a robot (or machine etc) created by DHARMA to protect the workers from The Hostiles, that is cloaked to look like a cloud of black smoke, explaining the mechanical sounds that can be heard. Also, that as it leaves, loud, thudding footsteps can be heard.

See also: DHARMA Initiative/Theories

Pre-DHARMA creation

• Created by the inhabitants who also constructed the statue; the Monster would then be part of the Island's earlier history (and therefore possibly hostile to the "Others").
• The noises (clanking gears, grinding gears and steam whistles) and visual attributes (black smoke, chains) of the Monster are reminiscent not of modern technology but that of the late industrial age (think Jules Verne.) The Monster pre-dates Dharma and is instead a Utopian experiment of the late Victorian era, perhaps constructed by Magnus Hanso.
• The monster is a creation of the other inhabitants of the island as stated in Access: Granted that got altered by the electromagnetism of the island along with the islands other inhabitants for whom Jacob is the leader being held hostage by Ben. The monster became overly aggressive and offensive and will kill anyone who could bring harm to the other inhabitants. The other inhabitants are responsible for the whispers, the monster and the four toed statue and the pillar Anthony Cooper was tied to, amongst most other things.
• Also may explain the ancient stone door that was hidden in Ben's Cabin showing that the Monster is actually very ancient.

Natural phenomenon

Emerged naturally on the Island

• An emanation of the island itself that takes over the memories of the ones it kill, thereby forming a collective consciousness comprised by the consciousness of each of its victims.
• A manifestation or embodiment of the original inhabitants of the island, a higher form of collective existence. May have been created as a result of the Purge.
• A natural phenomenon responsible for fatalities of the pregnant women on the Island.
• The "spirit" or consciousness of the island, or a supernatural force that carries out the desires of that consciousness. The monster manifests itself physically as Richard Alpert, or can manifest itself in the minds of the inhabitants of the island: Yemi to Eko, Ben's mother to Ben Linus, or Dave to Hugo.

God-like being

Demiurge

• Gnosticism holds the Demiurge as a false god. It can bring the dead back to life by touching them with its intrinsic heavenly light.
  • The light shed is beautiful to look at bringing a feeling of euphoria. But for the ones woken to life again the experience is comparable to enslavement. They have only been brought to life again for the Demiurge's purposes (mostly to teach or give a message to the living). In their brief reanimation they belong to the Demiurge and can never speak on their own behalf.
  • When a living individual looks into the light it momentarily takes away the free will of the viewer.
    • The redemption experienced by various protagonists in Lost is the triumph of the free will to defy predictable patterns of behavior. Free will is expressed when characters forgive (Claire), seek forgiveness (Charlie), let go of grudges (Jack) or atone for past transgressions (Sawyer and Kate). The Demiurge is seduced by the free will of the living and to see how strong their integrity is it tempts the characters to reject the idea of self-sacrifice. If they fall for the temptation and refuse to make up for their mistakes (which was the case with Eko), the Demiurge kills the wrong-doer. The Demiurge does this in order to act out its own will based on its higher intellectual and emotional judgment. It will not act aggressively if a person goes against what nature and nurture would predict him or her to do. When the characters listen to the inner conscience and act unselfishly, the Demiurge leaves them be.
    • Letting the god-like being rule supreme would mean an end to diseases, war and sorrow, but it would also mean that mankind has no more responsibility because we would have no more free will. This means that if DHARMA or any other group harnesses the power of the Demiurge they would save the world from all ills but would at the same time enslave mankind to a life robbed of individual desire and responsibility. The people of the world would for the first time live in peace and free of diseases and hardships but the sacrifice would mean that they give up their decisional capacity to the Demiurge and its creeds. That makes the Demiurge evil masquerading as good.

Khonsu

• The monster is the unknowable hidden force of nature that ancient civilizations perceived to be a god (this is all beautifully described by Jeff Jensen from EW in this article [2]). The Egyptians called this particular force Khonsu and since it made itself seen at night it became a lunar god to them. This god functioned as a bloodthirsty avenging angel for pharaohs and protector to night travelers. There's a correlation between how the monster has manifested itself and Khonsu's role as a lunar guardian deity. Khonsu's divine role is to be both a destructive but just avenger - a Karmic police punishing the guilty so the hostiles won't have to live in pain or fear (hats off to John Lennon's Instant Karma and Radiohead's Karma Police) - a redemptive force. Khonsu was also known to increase male virility (see: Jin's increased sperm count on the Island) and aid in healing (see: Locke, Rose, Patchy). He also was a deity of childbirth (see: Island fertility issues). Khonsu's father was the sun god Amun, whose name means hidden. From this word, we get cornu ammonis, which refers to a region of the brain that governs two faculties of extreme importance to Lost: long-term memory and spatial reasoning. In other words: time and space.
  • The Egyptian hieroglyphics in the Hatch translated into underworld. When Ben opens the ancient gate he seems to be looking down onto a staircase leading to the underworld.
  • The Egyptian hieroglyphics on the door in Ben's secret room says to summon protection. This could be a reference to the Monster — i.e. the Island's security system.

Alien origin

• The Monster may be from another planet that was sent to the island for a purpose, or it could have been created somehow by a non-human race from another planet. The Hostiles could be these non-human entities.
  • The Statue is either a depiction of this extinct Alien race or of the Monster.

Purpose

Security system

The Monster is some type of security system:

• The Monster guards the "ultimate secret" of the Island, which is obtained by complete redemption. It kills every character that is close to achieve a full redemption.
• Guards important stations for the DHARMA Initiative
• Keeps test subjects in the various hatches from running into one another and communicating the nature of the experiments.
• Keeps the Island under quarantine.
• Naturally defends the Island. The DHARMA projects may restrict the Island's natural expression and so the Monster may want to destroy them. It may have wanted the Losties to stop pushing the button, so it could continue its natural existence and function.
• As part of defending the island, the Monster attacked The Pilot because he was the captain of Flight 815 and hence responsible for the crash. The crash of the plane onto the island damaged vegetation and started fires and the Monster regarded that as an attack upon the island.
  • It attacked the Pilot because it, or whoever may be controlling it, wanted to send a message to the Losties. It was trying intimidate them into staying near the beach, away from the DHARMA stations.
• The Others have harnessed a psionic collective intelligence and have a way of determining who and what can reside on the Island by using the Monster as a watchdog. The main person controlling the watchdog is Jacob. He is the master on this island, and he brings the Monster to life.

See also: The Others/Theories

Judgment

• Unilaterally judges people based on how they judge themselves.
  • On Lost: The Answers the producers mention judgment in association with The Monster.
• Judges people as good or bad, and only the "Good" people can pass it. That's why the "Others" are collecting "Good" people, so they can send them to do some task in the area the Monster is protecting.
  • This is somewhat supported by the fact that Locke sees it as a bright light; he calls it beautiful. Later, Ben (while masquerading as Henry Gale) tells Locke that it was his mission to to kidnap Locke, and that he is one of the "good ones". Eko was probably not one of the "good ones", and the Monster killed him.
• Specifically judges people who have killed other people. This would explain the Others’ reluctance to kill and their references to not killing people as well as their reluctance to associate with the losties until they discover who is a killer and who is not. In this form it would have been created as a way to rid the world of murder.
  • Whenever the monster appears, someone has recently died or been killed. The Pilot could be seen as partly responsible for the passengers who died. When it attacked Locke in Exodus, Arzt had recently exploded. Eko had killed 2 Others. Juliet had recently killed Pickett. The monster didn't show up until after Alex was killed by Keamy.
• Judges people and decides whether they are a threat. When Locke encounters the security system the first time, it decides he is non-threatening. In "Exodus, Part 2", however, he has "lost his way" and it judges him as a threat. In "The 23rd Psalm", it decides Eko is ok.
• Forces people to confront their past. Once they confront this past, the Monster removes them. The pilot accepts that there is little hope of rescue due to his course correction; Eko, after being shown his past and Yemi, states defiantly that he is not repentant. In both cases, death comes soon after.
  • Causes flashbacks as a way to view and judge the Islanders.
• The monster killed Seth, the pilot, because he didn't belong on the island, which was why he was killed on the second day. Frank Lapidus was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815. Everyone else on the island was supposed to be on that flight, thus the monster lets them live.
• The Monster was originally an extremely intelligent machine made by DHARMA to help change the factors of the Valenzetti equation (The Numbers) and so save mankind. It set up its own mission to bring together the perfect group of people to help do this. Everybody on the island is somehow brought there by The Monster in order to complete this goal.
• The Judge, Jury and Executioner is a very plausible theory. In Eko's first encounter the Monster was showing him the crimes of his past and seeing his reaction to those crimes. The second time it came in the form of Yemi to ask him if he was sorry for the crimes he had committed, but as Eko's answer was that he had "committed no sin", the Monster had no choice but to kill him. Hence he was given a chance by the Monster to admit he had done wrong in his life, but instead didn't.
• On the Island, it is the ultimate reality of Karma, protecting its inhabitants from evil by identifying the ones with guilty conscience, judging them and punishing them.
• The Monster is a "judge" who punishes those who "break the rules." Seth Norris broke the rules by bringing new people to the island. Eko broke the rules by refusing to repent for his sins. Keamy and the mercenaries broke the rules in an unknown fashion that will later be explained.
• Judges people, and kills them when they do not repent. Eko refused to repent for being a drug lord, Nikki refused to repent for seducing, killing, and robbing Zuckerman, and we will discover at a later date that Seth Norris also did something bad he refused to repent for, possibly working for Widmore.

See also: Good and bad people

Fate

• The Monster is an embodiment of fate much like the Dahaka ensuring that the universe course corrects, similar to Ms. Hawking acting as a temporal officer for Desmond's timeline.
  • If this is true, The Monster may have influenced Desmond's flashes so that Charlie died at the correct time.
  • Also, if Charlie had died when strung up by Ethan, then Eko would not have been saved from The Swan's implosion by him, thus providing a further necessary course correction in which Eko and Charlie had to die.
• It's possible that in "The Shape of Things to Come" Ben is so angered by the death of his daughter that he goes back in time to kill the rest of the mercenaries. Once dead in the past, the monster instantly comes rushing out to "course correct" by killing them on the island in the present.
  • How would Ben know who all the mercenaries were, when he only saw and spoke to Keamy
    • He had knowledge of Keamy far beyond the depth of their conversation. I think it would be safe to assume he has lots of info about all of the strike team.
  • This is a neat theory, but if Ben traveled back in time and killed them, why were they on the island at all? And why didn't The Monster kill them sooner, or later, than when Ben emerged from the secret room? Why choose that exact point in time to 'course correct'?

Composition

Technological

The following theories are based on technology. The Monster is:

• The monster most probably is technological/mechanical/electrical in nature, as electric sparks/bolts can be clearly seen inside the black smoke in Shape of things to come
• A successful attempt at making Nikola Tesla's proposed "mind reading device" a reality. Here is a quote from Tesla himself: "The theory I have formulated is that the images were the result of a reflex action from the brain on the retina under great excitation. They certainly were not hallucinations such as are produced in diseased and anguished minds, for in other respects I was normal and composed. To give an idea of my distress, suppose that I had witnessed a funeral or some such nerve-wracking spectacle. Then, inevitably, in the stillness of night, a vivid picture of the scene would thrust itself before my eyes and persist despite all my efforts to banish it. If my explanation is correct, it should be possible to project on a screen the image of any object one conceives and make it visible. Such an advance would revolutionize all human relations. I am convinced that this wonder can and will be accomplished in time to come. I may add that I have devoted much thought to the solution of the problem."
• A cloud of iron atoms suspended in a magnetic field. By changing the magnetic orientations of the atoms, they could act as a data storage system of enormous capacity. Canadian scientist Michael Persinger has shown that magnetic fields can cause hallucinations. The strong magnetic field needed to produce the Monster may result in the images seen by various characters.
• A cloud of metallic or magnetic particles that are moved by a machine traveling through tunnels underground. The underground machine, which must be moved on tracks, focuses the electromagnetic properties of the Island to keep the Monster elevated. This explains why it was tugging Locke down into a hole. This also explains why it was unseen for so long after it had dynamite thrown at it; the Others had to repair the system. It also explains why Rousseau knew that if they were positioned in a certain place, it wouldn't attack them because they were out of the path of the tunnel. It also explains why it could not go over the sonic barrier and why trees are pulled out - because their roots stand in way of underground machine.
  • The smoke cannot fly freely, as indicated in one of the Official Podcasts where it is questioned whether the Monster is able to completely detach itself from the ground. This statement, phrased as a question, was made by Carlton Cuse in response to a viewer question about why the Monster can't simply fly over the Sonic Fence. It would thus appear that the mechanical apparatus used to transport the Monster underground cannot be detached completely from the cloud of smoke at any time.
  • The blast door map references a network of underground EEP (or Emergency Escape Protocol) conduits. The locations of these conduits may define the effective range of the monster. Additionally, the mechanical noises associated with the Monster may simply be the physical workings of the electromagnet (perhaps on rails, as mentioned above) as it repositions and manipulates the magnetic field.
• Merely a machine that makes mechanical sounds when it appears. The hallucinations in its surrounding are produced by the simultaneous emission of specific chemical substances.
• The Monster is emitted from the CV (Cerberus Vents) noted on the blast door map. Requires tunnels to travel through such as one it was trying to travel through in Exodus Part 2. (Hinted at during 4/16/07 podcast)
• The Monster (as in the gaseous cloud version) is small lava rocks (or lava dust) that are under the influence of the Island's magnetic field.
• The Monster is UNICE (Universal Network of Intelligent Conscious Entities)Michael Arth speculates about the emergence of a hive-like distributed being that would be self-conscious, integrated into a future version of the Internet, and also able to exhibit any individualized form, or speak any language.
• The Monster is CAM-brain an artificial intelligence currently being worked on by Hugo de Garis (recognize the name??)
• The white powder Locke finds near Jacob's cabin might be the "waste" left off after the monster passed. Notice how Yemi's suit in Eko's hallucinations is sometimes covered by white dust and sometimes clean/covered by dark dust.
• The Monster may not actually be made of black smoke, instead maybe the black smoke acts as a cloud around the real monster.
  • The "black smoke" can separate into different columns, and create different shapes. Unless the thing it is hiding is a fluid, the smoke can't be hiding anything.
  • It is possible that the columns of smoke can operate independently in small factions as seen in Exodus Part 2, but when in a large quantity, as in Left Behind and The Cost of Living, the monster actually does cover something and is limited to the ground.

Metaphysical

• The people on this island have special powers; the smoke/security system is a type of projection or physical manifestation created by someone else in order to invoke their will on others.
• The monster is the antipole to Jacob, i.e. the traditional god / devil theme reflected in many religions and mythologies. Although, similar to the religious themes, good may not mean perfect and their positions relative to good and evil may depend on circumstances. So, rather than good and evil, the Jacob/monster theme (or theory) may refer to two opposing forces which battle for the power over the island and its inhabitants.
• The monster is a mass of volcanic soot/ash/smoke inhabited by spirits dwelling beneath the island. Its purpose is to protect the Temple which serves as an entrance to the underworld and is situated on or near the crater of the Island's volcano.

More than one Monster

Representation of duality

There are two monstrous entities, representing the duality of man:

• Two monsters, a good monster (white), and a bad monster (black). Locke tells Eko that the thing he saw was 'bright light' distinctly different to the Monster Eko saw.
  • If the theory that there is a good monster and a bad monster proves to be true, the good monster could be helping the losties to obtain redemption. This is helped by the fact that the 'monster' reacts differently to even the same characters, especially Locke.
  • This fits Lost's themes "Bad and Good" and "White and Black".
  • Christian Shephard would be an apparition of the white monster, since he helped Jack find the caves.
  • Dave would be an apparition of the black monster, since he wanted Hurley to kill himself. The same could be true for Yemi (the Monster taking the form of Eko's brother after scanning Ekos mind), who appears to turn into the monster that executes Eko. (Another possibility is that Yemi is the white monster taking a human form. Yemi was trying to convince Eko to confess and repent, to be good and do the right thing. But after Eko chose not to, Yemi had to walk away and let the black monster kill him.)
• The amount of dust on Yemi's suit changes throughout The Cost of Living sometimes making it look white, and others black. Yemi could represent one of the aspects when one is needed. It is interesting to note that when White Suit Yemi appears, he is the more judgmental one, while the Black Suit Yemi is more guiding.

Cerberus creature with separate heads

• Implies multiple heads of the same monster. Like Cerberus (three heads). A judge, jury, executioner type scenario.
• Hints supporting the theory:
  • Many characters refer to the monster as the security system, but, as we know, DHARMA protected itself with many security systems (the fail safe for example). Hence, there could be more than one security system and thereby more than one aspect of the monster. That would explain some characters conflicting reactions to the security system. When Locke had his first run in, he said "I looked into the eye of this island, and what I saw was beautiful." During his second confrontation, coming back from the Black Rock, he runs toward it in anticipation but then suddenly turns fearful.

Other theories

• Senses fear within an individual and is more likely to attack and chase after people who are afraid of it. It doesn't seem to attack those who stand their ground because they are not afraid of it.
• The monster is itself from time to time frightened. At first it wants to make an impression so it scares the losties by killing the pilot and tearing up trees near the losties camp ("Pilot, Part 1"). Then as it aims to repeat this but it is itself scared by what it sees inside the haunted memories of some of the survivors, especially Locke and Eko.
  • In support of this theory, while Jack, Locke, Kate and Hurley return from the Black Rock with dynamite, the monster attacks and pulls Locke into a hole. It is repelled by Kate when she throw a stick of dynamite at it. It is possible the explosion frightening the monster causing it to retreat.
• It's capable of entering people's dreams.
• It tracks people by their movements. In "Exodus, Part 1", Locke told Hurley to stay immobile. In "The 23rd Psalm", Mr. Eko stares motionless at the Monster.
• Can sense living things. This is why it can be avoided by hiding in trees; the life force of the tree masks that of the people hiding inside it.
• The spectral analysis of the sound made by the sonic barrier, one of the frequency bands corresponds to 972 Hz, which is the average resonant frequency of the human skull. The barrier could be a means of not allowing the Monster to "get into the mind" or "skull" of it's target.
• The Monster ensures that the people on the island are intended to be there. Since Lapidus was 'supposed' to be the pilot of 815, killing Seth supports this. It can be argued that the Monster killed Eko because Eko, as a priest, was essentially in a spot intended for Yemi on 815. This could be similar to "course correction" as relates to Hawking/Desmond/et all.
• Locke got Walt who is the box to create the monster to make people believe in the island and sort out the people who believe in the island and who do not.
• Michael Emerson's theory: "I think it all has something to do with metallic dust. I think the smoke monster is connected to that ring of powder that surrounds Jacob's cabin. They've established that there are super magnetic forces are at work on the Island, so what better medium for those forces to work through than through fine filings of metal?"[3]
  • More Likley it is Iron Sand, as Iron dust would rust and be a brown color, this is black, so could be a natural carbon alloy like iron sand, which is still magnetic.
• The Smoke Monster is a creation of the future... no current technologies black-listed or otherwise can match it.

Discredited theories

• The Monster is not a nanobot cloud similar to the one featured in Michael Crichton's novel Prey. This theory has been dismissed by Damon Lindelof [4] [5], and in the July 31, 2006 official podcast.
  • Lindelof's comments do not, however, preclude the possibility of an organic nanite swarm, or a supernatural variant thereof.

Lindelof explained that the mysterious cloud of black smoke is not a cloud of nanobots. "Of course," he added, "that depends on how you define 'nanobot'."

Possible cultural references

• Based on Humbaba, the guardian monster of the Cedar forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The story of the killing of Humbada and the subsequent curse placed on Enkidu for his immoral act ties in with Lost's (and the Others') theme of judgment. Also, it is Enkidu's death that spurs Gilgamesh to pursue his quest for eternal life, which mirrors some of the research of the Hanso Foundation. This could go with the crossword puzzle Locke fills the word "Gilgamesh" with.
  • Also a figure in Sumerian myth, the Monster bears some resemblance to Tiamat, a living primordial ocean from which the universe is differentiated in creation stories. Tiamat is the feminine saltwater counterpart to Apsu, a comparable primordial freshwater sea.
• A reference Iron Man #5 (September, 1968 Marvel Comics):
  • History: (Iron Man I#5 (fb) ) - "Cerberus", was created in an alternate future on Earth. In that reality, around the time of the modern era, that world's Tony Stark designed "Cerberus", as a huge, sophisticated master computer for use in coordinating the USA's defense planning. It was so successful that the government had Stark expand its abilities and responsibilities, enabling it to function in any area. It continued to expand over time, eventually functioning on an international level, constantly being enlarged to fantastic proportions. "Cerberus" gradually gained sentience and a personality of its own, even acquiring the ability to expand itself as necessary. It continued to expand, engulfing the entire world, and eventually it ceased serving mankind and demanded that mankind serve it instead.
• Related to the alien chemical weapon named the "Black Smoke" in sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds.
• The Monster displays similar dynamics to the 'hands' and the 'Creatures' in the game Black & White (computer game). In this video game, two opposing deities battle for control over the inhabitants of a small island. Each deity is either 'good' (white) or 'evil' (black), and gains influence over the Islanders either through benevolent actions, or intimidation.
• The tentacles may remind of a mythical creature : the Kraken, a gigantic squid, featured in many sea legends, along with sea serpents, and in the famous Jules Verne's story : 20 000 leagues under the sea.
• The monster physically represents the description of a demon- in the Christian understanding; a fallen angel- in "The Demonologist" by Gerald Brittle. "The Demonologist" is a non-fiction book chronicling the works of Ed and Lorraine Warren who are investigators of the paranormal and haunted houses including the infamous Ammityville House. Through their many encounters, the Warrens describe demons as a blacker than black mass, while ghosts appear as a dim light. Any study of real haunting cases would come across the Warrens and would likely encounter the book of their experiences. Further more demons are said to manifest in disguise to trick people (ie with Eko). This "black mass" was also represented in the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose".
• The monster may be a reference to Evariste Galois's work, which involved finding symmetry in mathematical equations which lead to producing a mysterious object that lives in 196,884 dimensions and may be connected to the fabric of the universe which is known as the Monster.
• The snake-like form of the Monster evokes the image of the snake from the Garden of Eden, which might tie in to Adam and Eve. If the island is Eden, then that might explain more about various recurring themes, especially duality, as in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

See also

• Mural/Theories#Man's arm blends with the figure