Ever since we saw Widmore being banished in "Dead is Dead" I got to thinking exactly why he was being banished. Ben did list off leaving the island and having a family with an outsider, but these are things that we already know. I got to thinking that maybe Widmore made a deal with Dharma.
In "The Incident" we learn that Eloise is the real leader at the time. We also know that there can only be one leader (interesting how Richard said both). The incident likely started the fertility issue. It's likely that Eloise knew about the pregnancy problem, maybe it's written somewhere in Daniels book, and thus her leaving the island. Maybe Widmore wanted to abort the baby and Eloise was opposed to it, so it caused the split between them, but in 2007 it seems like they're on the same page.
After Eloise leaves, Widmore likely assumes control because they probably ran the Others like a king and queen. So he held Ben's place (maybe this is why he was prone to dislike him from the start) until Ben was old enough to lead. Widmore probably came to an agreement with Horace to stop attacking them if he had there technology at his disposal, like the submarine, to leave and profit from the island. He also has information about the stations that Keamy had.
During this time Ben integrates Ethan into the Others (maybe he steals him as a baby) and carries a relationship with Annie. Ben gets Annie pregnant and Widmore neglects to tell Ben about the pregnancy issue leading to her death. This sparks there rivalry. Widmore probably didn't have any Others get pregnant and since Ben was double agent for them and Dharma it was probably easy to keep him out of the loop. A few years later Ben steals Alex from Rousseau, and adds on to the conflict as we've seen.
Ben forms a coup within the others, has those loyal to him spy on Widmore and those loyal to him (Matthew Abaddon). They find out about Widmore's deal with Dharma and his off island family and decide to banish him, but along with ending Widmore's reign they kill off the rest of Dharma and take over there facilities, just like the military in 1954. They arrest Widmore before and send him away on the sub . It's likely that they move the island by turning the FDW, but who does that could be anyone's guess.
Want Your Theory Posted?If you have a theory or a theory that you have seen on the net, then please fill out the form below or email me with the theory details and indicate that you want it posted on the site. If you have a link or photo etc please add these as well. I will then add the theory to this page which will allow others to comment on.
Widmore/Ben Rival by ManWithNoName
(Comments: 6)
Post Your Comment (looking for the old comment form?)
N O T E
Spoilers, Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.
If you have a problem, do NOT post it in the comments, email me here.
Subscribe to our 
Follow our 
Sign up to our 
6 Comments:
I like this theory, mostly because i feel a lot of what you have suggested would be a satisfying explanation for the Ben/Widmore conflict. I particularly liked the idea that Widmore would withold the pregnancy issue from Ben, allowing Annie to die..and I think your whole outline of Ben's coup fits really well with what we've seen so far.
I really like this theory. It explains a lot and is based mostly on facts and not imagination :) I like what you mentioned about Elloise being the only leader and that Richard actually has said that there can be "only one reader" .
"It's likely that they move the island by turning the FDW, but who does that could be anyone's guess."
I'd like to wager that if this theory stands correct, a polar bear was used to turn the FDW... and that is why Charlotte found the skeletal remains with the Dharma collar in the desert.
This theory is good but I have a question. I know this is definitely been said before but didn't Widmore tell Locke he knew where the exit was because he too was tricked into using it, yet we saw him leave on the sub?
I think you're right, Ian.
They banished Widmore and then Ben used a polar bear to turn the FDW so that Charles couldn't find the island again. The only thing is how did they get the polar bear behind the orchid station's "time travel chamber"? There must be a cave entrance that we haven't seen.
I thought it was very strange when Widmore told Locke that he moved the island. I always thought that was the case after the season 4 finale. Thought it was pretty subtle when he was being escorted to the submarine. I always thought he left the island earlier then 1992 because Widmore claims he's been looking for it for almost 20 years. He probably knows where the exit is because of the excavation where Charlotte found the polar bear. Which was most likely funded by Widmore. The only reason I can think of is that Widmore was either lying to Locke to make Ben look bad or he's working with Jacob's enemy.