Five years before he became Harry Bosch, Titus Welliver briefly appeared in one of the most groundbreaking and celebrated TV shows of all time,Lost. While Welliver’s appearance in the series involved fewer than a handful of episodes, he still managed to leave his own indelible mark on its story.
The actor arguably playedLost’s best villain, while serving as the answer to a question that fans of the had been asking for five seasons. Titus Welliver’s final episode finally explainedwhat the legendary smoke monster is inLost.
Titus Welliver Appeared In Three Episodes Of Lost
The Man in Black isn’t as substantial a role as some ofWelliver’s other TV characters, this part inLostraised the actor’s profile to a whole new level. After first featuring in its season 5 finale double-episode, Welliver went on to star in three episodes of the series in total.
Season 5, episodes 16 & 17 (102–103)
Season 6, episodes 9 (112)
“Across the Sea”
Season 6, episodes 15 (118)
His initial appearance on a beach alongside his brother, Jacob, leaves us with more questions than answers. But it soon becomes clear that Welliver’s character is central to the plot of the entire series, as it’s revealed that the Man is Black is actually the original form of the primary antagonist inLost, the smoke monster.
Why Titus Welliver’s Character Didn’t Stick Around In Lost
While there arestill unanswered questions aboutLost’s smoke monster, the death of Titus Welliver’s character solves the mysteries of the monster’s real identity and how it was created. When Jacob killed the Man in Black and pushed his body into the heart of the show’s fictional island, the heart emitted a plume of black smoke.
The smoke monster turned out to be the evil essence of the Man in Black, which left his body when Jacob pushed it into the heart of the island. The character needed to be killed off to provide the origin story for the mysterious phenomenon which had been terrorizing those on the island sinceLost’s pilot episode.
Titus Welliver Didn’t Need A Lot Of Screen Time To Make His Mark On Lost
If we compareTitus Welliver’s Man in Black to his title role inBosch, theLostcharacter seems relatively minor and insignificant. But Welliver’s performance in the show, which made his character appear both sinister and sympathetic at the same time, was a masterclass that didn’t require much screentime to perfect.
By the end of his stint inLost, the actor had managed to convince us that this was the person behind so many of the worst things that happened on the island. Welliver didn’t just give the smoke monster its original human form. He actually humanized the monster itself, helping us to understand what motivated its evil actions.
Lost
Cast
Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the passengers must work together to survive the island’s seemingly deadly intentions.
