Based on that info, I'd say Michael is the best candidate. He is someone that Kate would despise. Hanging himself is very likely based on the things he had (and possibly has yet) to do for Walt.

If he had some sort of alliance with Ben, then Ben giving him a new identity would be very likely, explaining the different name and non-existent turnout at the funeral.

I've (and several others) have been saying Michael for awhile now, especially since:

It would be most appropriate, according to the information in the newspaper clipping, for it to be Michael. However, don't you think that would be a bit too easy for people to put together? Wouldn't this ultimately take away from what the producers are counting on as a reveal? What about all the talk of it being Ben in the box when the clipping said it was an African American male? How does that work? Nobody gave any of the people that believed it to be Ben a bunch of grief, but I mention that it could be Sayid and it is in no way possible. How do we know if Sayid does or doesn't have kids by the time this man dies? If it is Michael then something obviously must happen to Walt to prevent him from at least paying respect to his father. You must at least expect the unexpected when watching this show although some of the reveals have been seen from a mile away. It seems too easy for it to just be Michael.

Exactly. Committing suicide is precisely the type of thing that Michael would do if something did happen to Walt. All the pieces fit.

Walt is back on the island, having replaced either Ben or Jacob leading whatever is going on there.

No evidence of that. All we know is that he APPEARED on the island. Could have been the black smoke. Could have been Walt projecting himself. Also could have been Walt. But there's nothing proving any of the above to say definitively.

Speaking of which, why does his name keep appearing in the opening credits? I'm like "Oooh! Harold Perrineau! Can't wait!" and then the episode ends and he never shows up.

Because that's what guild rules and/or his contract stipulate. They talked about this in the last Podcast.

The clipping says nothing about an African American male? Here is what was legible:

Sayid is certainly a possibility, but wouldn't his face be easily identified as a member of the Oceanic Six? The alias wouldn't hold up all the way from investigation to the newspaper article. Ben and Michael have the highest probablilty so far due to being unknown to the public, regarding the crash, and possibly being off the island at the time.

Why couldn't the coffin be for the guy that hired the new team and visited Hurley in the hospital?

Jumbotron the first time with my legal first name, Abacus the second time with my nickname.

I think it is John Locke in that casket....and he is the reason not everyone makes it home.

Thats possible, and would be highly ironic fate that the guy who wants to stay on the island gets off of it while those who want to leave are stuck on it.

If it is John in the coffin, I'm guessing Ben cut his legs off to put him back in a wheelchair. And, the reason for the small coffin.

Why would Jack give a shit enough to do a double take when he read the obituary in the paper and then go to the funeral home?

Seems like a huge stretch to me.

That's the beauty! We have no idea who this guy is, who he works for or how he may or may not become crucially linked with the Oceanic 6. One thing he seems to have going for him is that he is against Ben - something (at least right now) that Kate and Jack would be in line with.

I'm finally caught up. Watched all four episodes tonight and just finished this thread. The Aaron debate was good for a laugh. They did a poor job at both of the big reveals this episode. Aaron wasn't a surprise at all, neither was Sawyer working with Kate. Locke was quite ignorant on that one.

As for the coffin debate, I'm definitely on the Michael bandwagon. All the pieces just seem to fit. From the neighborhood to no one showing up (he did betray Kate, Jack, Hurley and Sawyer), then he also killed Anna Lucia and Libby. I think he would have taken a new name when he got back in case Jack, Kate & Co. came looking if they got off the island. You have to remember that his last two deeds he enacted before he set sail were murder and betrayal. Either something happens to Walt to provoke the suicide or he suffers from the same nagging guilt that the O6 are dealing with. He's been off the island longer so it could have finally got to him.

I'm not so sure about Michael working for Ben. Ben gave him specific compass headings to follow in the boat. Very similar to the helicopter, which leads me to believe he actually made it out, no strings attached. I guess Ben could have reached out off island to Michael, but it seems pretty far fetched to me.

I'm assuming the bearded Jack flash-forward is the furthest in the timeline and probably the last one before heading back to the island. So everything else happens prior to that.

I suppose anything is possible. I just think it is a huge reach and there really would be no payoff with that outcome at all.

I agree right now that there is little investment in that character. However, I don't think it's too far fetched to see the writers take that path. A lot of others on here seem to think it is somebody we have yet to meet.

Did anybody else mention yet that, so far, all of the captured at the end of season one are part of the Oceanic 6? I wonder how significant that is.

Why does everyone (well a lot of people here) think it's Michael based on the neighborhood?

I'm thinking Ben

After his girl dumped him didn't they show him slumming it while she was living pretty nice with that other dude and Walt in the first season?

Sayid is the wildcard though. He wasn't captured and is one of the O6. Sawyer was and he is unaccounted for thus far.

I don't think Michael/Walt are included in the O6 because that would be 7.

Jack
Kate
Aaron
Sayid
Hurley

The big question is whether or not Ben is acting as a survivor or not.

A lot of people don't think Aaron is part of the 6. I personally think he is. Ben would probably be the only one who could get away with being a survivor (who wasn't), with the resources he clearly has.

I'm thinking Jin and/or Sun (depending on whether Aaron counts or not) as the last of the 6.

I'm not going to get into some esoteric debate, but Aaron is NOT one of the Oceanic Six. He wasn't born yet when the plane crashed.

Plus

I think the 2 remaining Oceanic 06 survivors are Jin and Sun. The coffin guy could be Jacob. Who knows what happens with that character before they leave the island. We saw a glimpse of Jack's dad in the cabin...

I was wondering about Jin and Sun myself. I wonder if one of them stays on the island and the other leaves. I'm still not sure who's baby it is - Jin or that other guy. Also she's now indicating that she wants to go back to Korea instead of America.