Mr. Friendly is the name given by the executive producers of the show.
Before the crash
- Unknown
On the island
- Spokesman of The Others, but subordinate to Him.
- Scolded Ethan for not making a list before bringing Claire to the medical hatch. After hearing Ethan's explanation, he replies, "You know what he's going to think." Was clean-shaven at the time.
- Led the party which destroyed the second raft, wounded Sawyer, and kidnapped Walt.
- Overtook Michael, and took him hostage after he set off to find Walt.
- Confronted Jack, Sawyer, and Locke when they went after Michael.
- Warned Jack, Sawyer, and Locke not to cross "The Line"; meaning that they were not to explore the northern part of the island. He said that doing so would change the situation from a "misunderstanding" to "something else."
- He asked Alex to bring out Kate (however, Pickett is the one who actually did).
- Held Kate hostage with what appears to be a WWI or WWII vintage German Luger pistol.
- Said that Walt and the others he took, including Emma and Zack, are still alive. Referred to Walt as "special."
- While talking to Jack, quoted Alvar Hanso: "You know, somebody a whole lot smarter than anybody here once said 'Since the dawn of our species man's been blessed with curiosity.' You know the other one about curiosity, don't you, Jack?"
- When Jack accused him of not having any real strength, instead having to rely on spies like Ethan Rom to infiltrate the survivor's camp and thus learning their names, he replied, "Well that's quite the theory." He then said "Light them up" after which numerous torches were lit, showing Jack's party to be surrounded.
- Ordered Jack, Sawyer, and Locke to surrender their weapons.
- Brought Michael to the Others' camp on the beach.
- What seems to be his sock cap and beard are found by Kate in the Staff, where Claire had been taken by Ethan. This, coupled with the fact that he was clean-shaven when Claire saw him, indicates that the beard and dirty clothes are a disguise.
- Was said by Henry Gale to be "nothing" (in the hierarchy of the Others) compared to the mysterious "him."
Presumably the fake beard used to appear different
In the jungle and in the medical station
Theories
- Responsible for The Others' "Public Relations"
- Sawyer's nickname for him, Zeke
- could be a writer-included reference to the biblical character Ezekiel.
- could be because of his stereotypical hillbilly appearance and demeanour.
- may also be a reference to a Muppets character with wild hair and a shabby beard.
- could be a reference to the Wizard of Oz where Zeke was the person in Kansas who played the Cowardly Lion in Oz, and works for Dorothy's uncle Henry Gale, as would apparently be the case in Lost.
- could be a reference to a character in The Country Bears, after the style of Sawyer's other many nicknames.
- Because we have never learned a true name for Mr. Friendly, it is possible that he is one of the many characters who has been mentioned but never seen:
- There has been wide speculation that he is actually Gerald DeGroot, one of the founders of the Dharma Initiative, even though some say that the writers have debunked that idea. However, a collection of "screen caps" posted in one of The Lost Experience (likely) "in-game" blog has added weight to the theory that he is in fact DeGroot, and the woman on his boat was his wife Karen.
- Additional fan speculation believes that he may be the man whom Sawyer has been searching for, which could explain his need for a disguise because he is hiding his identity specifically from Sawyer.
- Mr. Friendly could potentially be Danielle Rousseau's supposedly deceased husband Robert.
- Danielle's potential mental instability suggests that she may not actually have killed her team, or she may have been led to believe that she did.
- Mr. Friendly wears his disguise when roaming about the island so that, along with 16 years of aging and plenty of dirt, Danielle will be unable to recognize him.
- Alex's kidnapping could be explained by the fact that 'Zeke' is her father. In Maternity Leave, Alex appears to be behaving normally, dressing like a normal 16-year-old girl, and she seems to be able to move about the Staff hatch freely; it doesn't look like she's a captive or an experimental subject.
- Danielle's Anglicized pronunciation of "Robert" suggests that the real Robert, whoever he is, is not French, but rather British or American (or from some other country where English is the native language), further lending credence to this theory.
- It is possible that Sawyer had previously met Zeke, which would explain why he knew his supposed name
- Sawyer was present during the first two encounters with 'Zeke'.
- If Sawyer knows him from before, that'd explain the need for a disguise. It's possible Zeke is hiding his identity specifically from Sawyer.
- If Sawyer used Mr. Friendly's actual name, it'd also explain why the disguise was later discarded and found by Kate in Maternity Leave.
- When he warns the survivors to keep off from certain parts of the island, it is highly possible it is because one of the Dharma stations lies there. Maybe the HQ.
- The link between the Others and the Dharma Initiative is confirmed when we see Zeke working in one of the Dharma Stations.
- The hint about Zeke having something common with Tobias Funke, an "Arrested Development" character, is most likely the fake beard.
- Mr. Friendly is possibly crashed on the island, like Flight 815, Rosseau's science crew or Desmond's racing boat.
- There is a character in Walt's comic called Maj. Gen. Ezekial Gunther. Mr. Friendly may be related to this character in some fashion.
- He is Anthony Cooper
Other appearances
- Mr. Friendly (or someone looking a lot like him) appeared in the audience of Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 12, 2006. J.J. Abrams was guest-directing the show. When Jimmy commented on Mr. Friendly's appearance, Mr. Friendly responded with a sentence that was obviously pre-recorded and played backwards.