Wondering who the top pirates of the Caribbean characters are? Apparently, characters like Jack Sparrow will always top any list like this, however, from the Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and then Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), there are also other great characters that have made the Pirates of the Caribbean what it is.
Let’s meet them.
Best Pirates of the Caribbean Characters
1. Captain Jack Sparrow
Sparrow should top your list of the best Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Captain Sparrow is the main protagonist portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is among the characters that feature in all the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Sparrow is probably the all-time best actor in pirate movies. From his moves to the way he talks and does everything else, the captain brings in life and humor- well, it’s Johnny Depp.
Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea, Sparrow is among the Nine Pirate Lords who claimed different territories around the world. He is also the captain of the Black Pearl. Inasmuch as he is the youngest of the Lords, he has wit, negotiation strength, and much more to keep him ahead.
2. Hector Barbossa
One of the top fantasy villains, this character is portrayed by Australian actor Geoffrey Rush and he is also one of the top Pirates Of The Caribbean characters . His first appearance was when he captained the Black Pearl in Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) after leading a mutiny against Captain Jack Sparrow as an undead pirate. He dies as a result of an injury from a fight with Captain Jack, after stealing from the Chest of Cortez in Isla de Muerta. He is, however, revived by the sea goddess Calypso, Tia Dalma.
Just like Sparrow, Barbossa is also a trickster who was his first mate when Sparrow acquired the Black Pearl. He is developed as an evil counterpart of Jack Sparrow.
3. Will Turner
Another key character in the POTC films is Will Turner portrayed by Orlando Bloom. He appears in all five films. And he is an only child to pirate “Bootstrap” Bill Turner and a husband to Elizabeth Swann. Even though he did not meet his father throughout his childhood, he grew up to resemble him in looks and deeds.
In At World’s End, he becomes a Psychopomp and so is bound to escort souls lost at sea to the next world. Before he begins his journey, he marries Elizabeth and impregnates her. In Dead Men Tell No Tales, Sparrow recruits Will’s young son, Henry, and Carina Smyth (secret daughter of Barbossa), as well as Barbossa, to help him get the Trident of Poseidon which helped him break all curses of the sea including the one that ties Will Turner to the Flying Dutchman. Although he breaks the curse, he also resurrects Davy Jones who is now after Elizabeth and Sparrow.
4. Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann’s character is portrayed by Keira Knightley, a daughter to Governor Weather by Swann and a wife to Will Turner. She features as the leading lady in the first three films of the series- Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End.
Although she grew up in a different setting entirely, Elizabeth is now also a pirate like her husband. her character is strong-willed, intelligent, and brave. And yes, she also has her dark side.
5. Joshamee Gibbs
This is another character that features in all the five films of POTC and is considered one of the very Pirates Of The Caribbean characters. He is portrayed by Kevin McNelly. He is often superstitious, very cynical, and drinks heavily. Initially, he was a petty officer with the Royal Navy, he joins Captain Jack as the first mate on the Interceptor.
Joshamee Gibbs once served in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy before later becoming a pirate. He is very loyal to sparrow even though he once served Hector Barbossa whom he was not as loyal to as he has remained to Sparrow. What makes him one of the best pirates of the Caribbean characters is how much tales he has to tell and his kindness.
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6. Davy Jones
And then there is the character of Davy Jones which is portrayed by Bill Nighly. He features in the Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End and Dead Men Tell no Tales. He is the immortal captain of the Flying Dutchman. He was charged by his one true love Calypso the Sea goddess to carry souls of the dead at sea to the next world on his ship.
His character which is computer generated has been named among the best computer-generated film characters.
In Dead Man’s Chest, Sparrow promises him his soul if he helps him raise the Black Pearl from the sea and makes him captain for 13 years. Jones did just that but sparrow makes another deal to give him a thousand souls in exchange for his. In At World’s End, he dies before coming back in Dead Men Tell No Tales and is After Sparrow and Elizabeth.
7. James Norrington
One of the interesting Pirates Of The Caribbean Characters, James Norrington is portrayed by Jack Davenport. He features in Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. He served as a lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. He was aboard the HMS Dauntless as it crosses from England to Port Royal carrying Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter Elizabeth Swann.
Originally, this character was not designed to last more than the first film, but he has earned his place again and again. Also, he was designed as an evil character at first to work with Hector Barbossa before the idea was later dropped.
Norrington is killed by Bootstrap after he frees Elizabeth and Empress crew members.
8. Cutler Beckett
This character is portrayed by Tom Hollander. He features in Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. He is very ruthless and he is also the Chairman of the East India Trading Company as well as a representative of King George ll of Great Britain. Within these two films, his mission is to possess Davy Jones’ heart and secondly to eliminate piracy at the seas.
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9. Bootstrap Bill Turner
This character is portrayed by Stellan Skarsgard. He is a crew member of Davy Jones’ Flying Dutchman and a father to Will Turner. His name is mentioned first in Curse of the Black Pearl and he features in Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End.
He may not necessarily be your most favorite of the pirate of the Caribbean Characters, but he is definitely among the best. Davy Jones rescues Bootstrap from the curse that was on him in Dead Man’s Chest and in exchange, he was to work for him on his Flying Dutchman ship for a hundred years. The longer he stayed on the ship, the more his human form is lost like everyone else.
Bootstrap later frees his son that that means he has condemned himself to remain with Jones forever. Even after Jones is later killed, he decided to remain on Dutchman for abandoning Will when he was a child.
We look forward to seeing these characters feature again in subsequent Pirates of the Caribbean films simply because they the best.
