The unnamed fictional character most frequently referred to as The Man in Black is the main antagonist on the American ABC television series Lost. He appeared primarily as a cloud of black smoke until the final episode of season five where he appeared as a middle-aged man dressed in black. In season six, he primarily appeared in the physical form of John Locke. He exhibited the ability to "scan" the minds and memories of others, allowing him to confront characters such as Mr. Eko and Ben Linus, with "judgement", and to assume the forms and memories of the deceased, starting with the original Man in Black himself, his brother Jacob, or Christian Shephard, Yemi, Alex Rousseau, and Locke. According to Jacob, who explains this to Richard Alpert, it is the incarnation of evil, and its primary goal—to escape from the island—would be the "end of everything good".
Titus Welliver portrays the real form of The Man in Black
Lost is an American science fiction adventure drama television series created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof that aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, over six seasons and 121 episodes. It contains elements of supernatural fiction, and follows the survivors of a commercial jet airliner flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, after the plane crashes on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences which provide additional insight into the involved characters.
Damon Lindelof (left) co-created the series and served as an executive producer and showrunner alongside Carlton Cuse (right).
Jack Bender directed the most episodes of the series and also served as an executive producer.
Michael Emerson and Damon Lindelof at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards for Lost
For his portrayal of Ben Linus, Michael Emerson received many awards and nominations, including winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2009.