 When creating the character, the producers envisioned Mr. Eko as "the one character who comes to terms with living on the island, and not being consumed with trying to get off". Being introduced as a "tailie", a person on the tail section of the plane, Eko is a mysterious and complex character. MSNBC said the character is "always fighting a battle, an internal struggle as to whether the life he led was worthy of pride or shame". Portrayer Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje explained Mr. Eko's dedication to pushing the button in the hatch with seeing the hatch as the answer to the mystery of life. Described as a "natural leader", Mr. Eko is a "strong, silent type, a man of few words". Jon Bonné of MSNBC said, he is "a dude you don't mess with". When Akinnuoye-Agbaje was at a bank in Hawaii, a fan said his character was a criminal pretending to be a priest, to which Akinnuoye-Agbaje replied: "No, actually, I 'm a priest pretending to be a criminal".
