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It is known from Lost that the MIB ...

... can change his appearance into someone who has deceased, been killed.

In one episode then, Shannon gets a vision or visitation from ...

... Walt, who has left the Island per boat to onshore.

I explained this myself - even after knowing of MiB's power - that Shannon is a mentally unstable person and this could also have been through a little bit of crazyness. A vision or illusion.

But shortly after, Sayid experiences the same thing. Even John Locke gets visited.

This means to me that it's not explained for Shannon's instable mind, because it also affects other people, which are way more stable.

AFAIK Walt hasn't deceased, so in my understanding the Man in Black can't take Walt's appearance.

Did I miss something in the story? Has this been explained?

(I've watched Lost know a couple of times, so spoil me! This has always been a question I couldn't answer myself.)

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    possible duplicate of What is the origin of the visions of Walt, that Shannon experiences?
    – Chanandler Bong
    Jun 10, 2015 at 16:45
  • @Hegemon I don't think this is the answer. Even if Walt is telepathically connected, there would be no reason why he would give Shannon and Co this visions. Plus MiB couldn't even reach him off the island.
    – Trollwut
    Jun 10, 2015 at 20:36
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    There is exposition in Season 6 saying that MiB can only look like dead people. However, all this occurred well before any of those "rules" were in place, and, catch-all of catch-alls, Walt was "Special".
    – Justin Young
    Aug 3, 2015 at 16:19
  • So Out-Of-Universe it's a little scripting error because the story has advanced later in that way. In-Universe you can call the Walt-excuse?
    – Trollwut
    Aug 3, 2015 at 16:31
  • You say "it is known" yet you don't provide any kind of reference to back up that statement which means the entire premise of your question is based solely on a rule that you haven't established as anything other than your own understanding.
    – sanpaco
    Aug 9, 2016 at 21:53

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As I understand it, there was not a "rule" that said that someone had to be dead for MiB to impersonate them. The Lostpedia has a good explanation of it. According to the site, during a podcast with the Lost producers, they said:

The apparitions [of Walt] "may or may not" be Walt and were "monster-related".

That being said, MiB was a manipulator who's goal was to thwart Jacob. It seemed that he preferred to impersonate the dead so as to better manipulate the living.

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    So the most appropriate answer would be we can't be sure what Walt visions really have been?
    – Trollwut
    Jun 10, 2015 at 20:37

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