Played by Henry Ian Cusick, we\u2019re introduced to Desmond in season 2, and from then on he becomes a pivotal figure in the show. But his arc isn\u2019t without questions, as it is the story most heavily concerned with flashes-forward, backwards and sideways.<\/span><\/p>\n So we\u2019ve put together this nifty explainer, laying out Desmond\u2019s crucial past, how he wound up on the Island, his purpose while he\u2019s there, and how his journey ends.<\/span><\/p>\n Spoilers ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n We get quite a few explorations of Desmond\u2019s past prior to shipwrecking on the Island, and all of them serve to flesh out his backstory. Originally, Desmond had a religious experience that led him to call off his wedding to his fiancee, Ruth, and joined a monastery as a novice monk (his repeated usage of the word \u201cbrother\u201d comes from his time here). Ruth however, didn\u2019t buy his claims of a religious experience, claiming he joined out of fear of commitment. This scalding leads to Desmond turning to drink, and being politely asked to leave the order, but as he does, he meets Penelope Widmore \u2013 a figure of importance in both his story, but also the wider story in <\/span>Lost<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond and Penelope fell deeply in love, but with one major stumbling block: Penelope\u2019s father, Charles Widmore \u2013 a man who valued Desmond\u2019s worth as less than a glass of MacCutcheon whiskey. Desmond eventually broke things off with Penelope, feeling that he wasn\u2019t good enough for her, before joining up with the Royal Scots Regiment.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s here that things start getting a bit timey-wimey, covered in the iconic episode The Constantm \u2013 which sees Desmond\u2019s consciousness bounce back and forth between 1996 and 2004. In a meeting with Daniel Faraday, Desmond explains that he is crossing time, only to be told that unless he finds a \u201cconstant\u201d \u2013 something meaningful to him across both time periods \u2013 he will likely die. Desmond decides that Penny will be his constant.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond meets with Charles Widmore to try and contact Penelope, which Charles allows, confident that his daughter will reject Desmond. Desmond meets Penelope, explaining that he won\u2019t call here for eight years, as that\u2019s the period of time his consciousness bounces forward to. She agrees, and Desmond returns to the Royal Scots, before being dishonourably discharged for reasons unknown, serving time in a military prison.<\/span><\/p>\n After his release from prison, Desmond encounters a waiting Charles Widmore who attempts to bribe Desmond from ever contacting Penelope again. Desmond however, declines, and enters into the world sailing race that Widmore himself sponsors so as to prove his worth to both Charles and his daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond travels to America, where he encounters two future survivors of the plane crash \u2013 Libby, and more memorably, Jack. He also has an encounter with Penelope, who tells him \u201cwith enough money and determination you can find anyone\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n While sailing the Pacific as part of the race, Desmond\u2019s boat is hit by a storm \u2013 knocking him unconscious before he washed up on the shore of the Island.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond is dragged to \u201csafety\u201d by a man named Kelvin Inman, taking him to the Swan \u2013 what we commonly refer to as the Hatch \u2013 telling him there is a sickness on the island (in reality, it is the Man in Black infecting people), and Desmond may have been exposed. Over time, Desmond learns the Numbers sequence and the routine of pushing the button, despite the lack of answers to any of his questions about why they do this.<\/span><\/p>\n During his time with Kelvin, the latter would go out to \u201canalyse the environment\u201d, never allowing Desmond to take up that particular task. Eventually, Desmond discovers Kelvin\u2019s biohazard suit has been ripped, but he continues to go out \u2013 leading Desmond to wonder if the sickness is just a lie constructed to keep in the Swan. Desmond departs the Swan to follow Kelvin one day, discovering his partner fixing up his sailboat, seemingly plotting to depart the island and leave Desmond behind.<\/span><\/p> In a confrontation, Desmond accidentally kills Kelvin by dashing his head against a rock. Hurrying back to the Swan, Desmond found the countdown timer at zero and a system failure imminent due to not inputting the numbers in time. During his time away from the Swan however, an energy built up only to be released when he averted the system failure, which led to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond spends the next 40 days in isolation inputting the numbers, before eventually contemplating suicide. Before he can end his life though, he finds a letter from Penelope in his treasured Dickens\u2019 novel, stating that she loves him and she will wait for him. He starts destroying the Swan, before hearing a banging on the Hatch above that turns out to be John Locke in a beautiful moment that rekindles the hope of both men within the story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Introduced in the Season 2 premiere, Man of Science, Man of Faith, Desmond plays a limited role in the season, leaving the Hatch in the first episode to sail off the Island, before returning in the two-part finale. It\u2019s in the finale that Desmond uses the Swan\u2019s fail-safe key with the computer destroyed, having realised his own role in the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. The discharge from the fail-safe leads to the implosion of the Swan, and Desmond\u2019s consciousness being sent back to his 1996-self.<\/span><\/p>\n Desmond re-lives his experiences from the past, with flashes of the future coming back to him, while also seeing the numbers everywhere. Events play out slightly differently than the past though, but Desmond learns in a conversation with Ms Hawking that he can\u2019t escape his fate, and that the universe will always \u201ccourse-correct\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat was Desmond doing before the Island?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Henry](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/07\/Desmond-Lost-2-abe4955.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Henry")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How did Desmond wind up on the Island?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Henry](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-1458658305-6e6daaa.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Henry")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>What has he been doing since his arrival?<\/b><\/h2>\n
What is his role in the overall story?<\/b><\/h2>\n