Walt had an eventful journey on Lost, even if much of it wasn’t shown onscreen. Played by Malcolm David Kelley, Walt Lloyd was the subject of one of Lost’s biggest mysteries at the onset of the story. However, Walt ceased being a main character years before the saga reached its conclusion in the Lost series finale.

Throughout Lost season 1, there was a sense that Walt was vital to understanding what was going on with the island. This is something that John Locke seemed to recognize, as he noticed before anyone else on the island that Walt was different in some way. This idea was corroborated by the events of the Lost season 1 finale, which saw the child abducted by the Others. Surprisingly, this marked the end of Walt’s main character status. However, his story and the mystery regarding his importance continued.

Michael & Walt Left The Island & Returned Home In Lost’s Season 2 Finale

The Others Allowed Them To Return To Civilization

During Lost season 2, Walt spent the majority of his time in captivity. His situation didn’t change until the Lost season 2 finale when Michael arranged his freedom. Betraying his fellow Oceanic Flight 815 survivors, Michael traded Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley to the Others and rescued Ben. In return, both were allowed to leave the island for good on a boat.

On one hand, it was worth wondering if the Others would actually be willing to let Walt go, especially since they too knew he was special. But it would appear that the trade was too important to pass up, particularly since Jack’s medical expertise was needed to save Ben’s life in Lost season 3. They kept their words, and no strings were attached. The Others let Walt and Michael leave the island in peace and never forced them to return.

Walt Was Raised By His Grandmother After Learning About Michael’s Murders

Walt Drifted Away From His Father

As a consequence to the lengths Michael went to in order to save Walt, the two characters didn’t get the happy ending that Lost season 1 looked to be setting up. When they came to the island, Michael and Walt had issues in getting along, but Walt finding out that his mother purposely kept Michael out of his life opened his eyes about his father. This could have allowed them to have a healthy father-and-son relationship after leaving the island, but this was ruined by Michael’s decision to kill Ana Lucia and Libby.

As Michael’s return in Lost season 4 revealed, Walt discovered what Michael did to save them, which destroyed their relationship. Michael himself couldn’t accept what he had done, and tried to take his own life. His attempt failed, but injured him so badly that his mother had to take Walt in. His mother, the one person who had any knowledge of their return, decided to raise Walt on her own and chose to keep Michael from seeing him. This prompted Michael to go on a mission of redemption and save the people he had left behind.

Teenage Walt Was Sent To Santa Rosa Hospital Under The Name “Keith Johnson”

Walt’s Life Went Downhill After Michael’s Death

Due to Michael’s death at the end of Lost season 4, Walt never had a chance to repair things with his father, nor did he ever find out what exactly what happened to him. He did, however, learn that other survivors came back from the island. After that, Walt was allowed by his grandmother to speak to Hurley at a mental institution called the Santa Rosa Hospital and learn why so many lies were being told about the crash. Unfortunately, it was just a few years later that Walt became a patient there himself.

Exactly what occurred in the Lost timeline between his talk with Hurley and Lost’s “New Man in Charge” epilogue was left vague, but was revealed that at some point, Walt was committed to Santa Rosa Hospital. Whether or not his grandmother had anything to do with this decision wasn’t specified, though it was confirmed that Walt wasn’t using his real name. To the staff of the hospital, Walt was a troubled teenager named Keith Johnson. It was also during this time that Walt realized that since Michael had yet to return, he must have died.

Why Walt & Locke Had Visions Of Each Other In Lost

Walt Had Mysterious Powers

Though his personal trauma likely contributed greatly to Walt being institutionalized, there’s a strong likelihood that his “special” qualities also played a role in his mental health deteriorating. People tied to the island, including Shannon and Locke, experienced visions of him. Walt, like other people on the show, possessed mysterious abilities, the nature of which was never fully explained. From the looks of things, he may have been able to create psychic projections of himself, which would explain why Shannon saw him in season 2 and Locke saw him in season 3.

Apparently, this power worked both ways, as Walt was on the receiving end of a strange vision in season 4. According to Walt, he dreamed about Locke wearing a suit and becoming a target of other people on the island. What this implies that Walt’s psychic abilities included seeing the future, as these particular dreams connect directly to the Man in Black’s story after he assumes Locke’s form. Walt being attuned to the future makes sense, especially since he somehow knew that bad things would happen if the hatch was opened in season 1.

Walt Returned To The Island With Hurley & Ben In Lost’s Epilogue

Like Jack & Locke, Walt Remained Connected To The Island

Walt’s psychic powers and placement in Santa Rosa led to his next move, which was to return to the island. Sometime after taking on Jacob’s role as the caretaker of the island, Hurley and Ben went to the United States to recruit Walt. During their meeting at Santa Rosa, Hurley and Ben acknowledged Walt’s unique nature and connection to the island, and offered him a job. Presumably because his life off the island had turned out poorly, Walt accepted.

Based on what transpired during their talk and how Hurley planned to run things on the island, it’s possible that Walt had a much better life after this. Ben cryptically mentioned that Walt would be able to help Michael, which suggests that through Hurley’s ability to talk to the dead, they may have been able to help Michael’s spirit move on and give Walt some form of resolution. And though this scenario was never alluded to onscreen, it stands to reason that Walt also reunited with Vincent, since the dog was in the care of Rose and Bernard in Lost season 6.