Desmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick.

In 2007, a two-week-long tournament-style competition for Lost's best character, with over 6,000 voters, hosted by The Washington Post voted Desmond the winner.

Henry Ian Cusick was not named a regular cast member in the press release for season six,[6] but he is one and was credited as such in the episodes.

[10] Gary Susman from Entertainment Weekly described Desmond's storyline as "the most emotionally satisfying character arc of season 4", feeling he deserved another Emmy nomination.

The creators managed to build momentum with smart narrative, by using the romance card to develop such a complicated topic as time traveling.

[14] Verne Gay of Newsday called it an emotional release, "I actually cried when Penny and Desmond finally... connected" and "there wasn't one, single, solitary false note".

"[17] Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post said Penny and Desmond had "the best love story on the show and dare I say on television today".

[19] Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy wrote that "a refreshing shift in Lost's tone enabled loyal viewers to have their hearts warmed by the long distance smoochfest between Desmond and his beloved Penny".