John Locke’s father, Anthony Cooper, was brought to the island by the Others, likely as part of Ben Linus’s manipulation of Locke. In the show, Cooper later says he was in a road accident and woke up bound and gagged, which strongly suggests he was abducted rather than arriving there on his own.

What the show implies

  • Cooper did not get there by normal travel.
  • The most accepted explanation is that the Others kidnapped him off-island and transported him to the island.
  • Ben then used Cooper as leverage to test Locke and push him toward the Others.

Why fans say that

The series never gives a super-detailed, on-screen logistics explanation, so fans often fill the gap with the kidnapping theory. One common interpretation is that Ben had Cooper snatched after arranging the crash scene, which matches Cooper’s own account of the “last thing” he remembers.

In plain English

He probably got there because the Others took him there , not because he found the island himself.

If you want, I can also explain why Sawyer kills him instead of Locke.