Amazon Studios may have spent a small fortune acquiring the rights necessary to make The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Expanse, and The Wheel of Time, but the streamer has found some of its greatest success with the mystery cop series, Bosch, along with its spinoff series, Bosch: Legacy. Bosch is certainly in the “dad core” tradition of a classic television mystery series, but its high production value and strong writing are bolstered by the star-making performance by Titus Welliver as the titular hero. Bosch is certainly the role he will be most closely associated with for the rest of his career, but one of Welliver’s most important roles was as an iconic villain on Lost.

To say that Welliver was facing tremendous expectations when he joined the cast of the final season of Lost would be a significant understatement. Often ranked as one of the greatest drama shows of all-time, Lost had a “water cooler effect” due to the heavy amount of discourse and discussion that each new installment generated. Executive producers, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, were under significant pressure in the final stretch of episodes to wrap up the main characters’ storylines, which made it even more challenging for a new guest star to stand out. However, Titus Welliver’s role as “The Man in Black” offered a critical piece of background that fundamentally changed the show’s history.

Who Does Titus Welliver Play in ‘Lost?'

Ever since its inception, Lost had suggested a supernatural reason for why the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 first crash-landed on the island. It's eventually revealed that a mysterious entity known as “The Man in Black” haunts the island, as he's locked in a battle with its protector, Jacob (Mark Pellegrino). Throughout the show, the spirit of “The Man in Black” inhabits many characters, including John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Christian Shephard (John Terry), Yemi (Adetokumboh M'Cormack), and Alex Rousseau (Tania Raymonde). However, Welliver served as the first physical incarnation of The Man in Black’s original form in a series of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the final season.

Welliver had to turn The Man in Black into a villainous figure despite not representing a known quality. In previous seasons, the character was terrifying because he was able to turn an initially heroic character like Locke into a monster who embraced his worst impulses. Although it was haunting to see likable characters steadily decline, Welliver was able to define the character’s initially noble intentions by detailing the relationship he had with Jacob. Considering that Welliver had to do this in a relatively limited number of episodes, his performance is even more impressive. Lost had many memorable monsters and supernatural forces, but none were more terrifying than a character like The Man in Black, who simply wanted to see the island destroyed.

Although he offered a substantial threat that raised the stakes of the series, Welliver was able to evoke sympathy for a character who was originally depicted as a straightforward villain. It's revealed that both The Man in Black and Jacob were born to a woman, Claudia (Lela Lorn), but were raised by a different woman, (Allison Janney), after becoming stranded on the island. Welliver was able to express the feelings of betrayal that The Man in Black felt upon learning about his actual lineage, and although he ends up committing many villainous deeds, in his heart, he's still a scared child that seeks the approval of his birth mother.

Titus Welliver Saved the Final Season of ‘Lost'

Lost truly went off the rails in its final season, as the series developed a storyline set in the afterlife involving familiar heroes like Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), Sawyer Ford (Josh Holloway), and Kate Austen (Evangeline Lily) that didn’t interact with reality. While this plot got far too confusing even for those who were heavily invested in the show’s universe, the mythology surrounding the relationship between Jacob and The Man in Black offered a compelling examination of a familial rift. The straightforward feud between two brothers whose spirits are locked in battle for generations harkened back to the more simplistic nature of the early Lost seasons.

Lost has always been a show defined by its bold choices, as it chose to introduce new characters, different timelines, and alternate realities anytime the viewers thought that they had a firm grasp on what was actually going on. Welliver helped make the existentialist tone of Lost’s final season more compelling, as he showed that there was a primal sense of chaos that motivated The Man in Black. Even when the show steeped deeply into its overt allusions to Christian mythology, Welliver was able to turn it into a more centered human drama. Ultimately, it became fascinating to see how his character’s actions rippled throughout the history of the series.

‘Lost’ Kicked off a New Era of Titus Welliver’s Career

While the controversial final episode of Lost received divisive responses from fans, Welliver’s acclaimed performance helped initiate a new era in his career. After proving that he could come into an established show and mix well with the ensemble, Welliver was granted a series of regular guest roles on popular programs like Prison Break, Sons of Anarchy, Suits, and The Good Wife. He even got the opportunity to transition into blockbuster films when he was cast in several films directed by Ben Affleck, including Best Picture winner, Argo.

The legacy of Lost is a complex one, as accusations of workplace misconduct and rampant racism in the writers’ room have made it difficult to revisit the series. However, Welliver was able to make the most of his limited role, showing just how exciting the series could be when the audience was engaged with what was going on. His current success on Bosch is an indication that his career has truly come full circle.

Lost is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.