We Have Proof that Smokey Predates MIB by John Leavitt

There has been a lot of debate about whether the man in black became the smoke monster or simply released the smoke monster. "Across the Sea" seems to support for both points of view, but we do have evidence that there was a smokey monster before Claudia ever came to the island.

The evidence is the carving from under the temple wall in the room where Ben received his "judgment." The carving shows what looks very much like a smoke monster facing Anubis.



How do we know this predates Claudia? Well, we can guess that Claudia came to the island mid first century CE, based on some of the items the other Romans had, especially the dagger. We'll be generous and push her arrival all the way back to 0 CE.

But the carving shows Anubis. Anubis has a nice long run in Egypt, but during the Ptolemaic period (305 BCE - 30 BCE) he was merged with Hermes to create a new god called Hermanubis. Even if the dregs of Anubis worship lasted almost to the end of the Ptolemaic period, we still have a 30 year gap between when anyone would have carved the picture and when Claudia could have arrived on the island. Realistically, it was probably a several hundred year gap.

So, we have a picture of Smokey carved in stone from well before the Man in Black was even born. Proof.


Possible Problems with this Theory

1. Pre-Ptolemaic Egyptians could have come to the island and their descendants, separated from their homeland, could still have been still worshiping Anubis hundred of years later when Smokey was released. They carved it then.

The problem with this idea is that the Man in Black claims to have explored the entire island and it seems like he would have mentioned yet another group of people living on the island.

2. The picture could show a different smoke monster, which was since slain (or otherwise dispatched). The Man in Black becomes a new Smoke Monster. This actually jibes nicely with the people arguing that "Mother" was also a smoke monster, although I think her dead body disproves that idea.

There is nothing really to refute this except that thus far the smoke monster has proven impervious to harm, so it is hard to imagine how the previous one was killed, imprisoned, etc. without more information from the powers that be.


Additional Possible Evidence for the Theory

Some people have raised the question of how "Mother" could have so utterly destroyed the Roman camp? If there were already a smoke monster she could call on (a la Ben in the barracks calling out Smokey against the mercenaries), that would make it possible without requiring her to be a smoke monster herself.

Also, the Man in Black saw Claudia after her death. Outside of Hurley (and maybe Ben), we don't know of anyone actually seeing dead people on the island without them turning out to be the smoke monster. Flocke is the smoke monster. Christian was the smoke monster. It seems likely that Isabella at the Black Rock was the smoke monster. Some argue that the Man in Black we have seen in episodes other than "Across the Sea" are just the smoke monster looking like him. Unless the Man in Black was special like Hurley (and "Mother" did call him "special" so who knows?), the safe guess would be that Claudia's ghost was actually the smoke monster.