At some point, Widmore has enough power to leave the Island at will. He may even be the 'leader' of the Others.

But he wants something very different from the Island than the Others. He wants the power that would come from exploiting it. He founds Widmore Industries, eventually funding the Dharma Initiative through the Hanso Foundation, in order to tap into the Island, under the guise of 'research'.

The Incident is an Other turning the Wheel, in order to trap Widmore off-Island. It has unexpected effects in the Swan Station.

The Purge, under Jacob-via-Ben's direction, is the Island removing all the remaining Widmore-tainted elements from the Island.