Jack Sparrow

Jack Sparrow, portrayed by Johnny Depp, is a main protagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He was an infamous Pirate Captain in the Caribbean, most notably in command of the ship the Black Pearl.

The son of Captain Edward Teague, Jack was born onboard a ship caught in the middle of a typhoon. It is unknown whether "Sparrow" is his original surname or a name that Jack gave himself. At some point in his career Jack obtained the title of Pirate Lord, his domain being the Caribbean Sea.

Over the course of time Jack became the stuff of legend and many tales were told of his exploits, most of these tales however were fabrications concocted by Sparrow to bolster his reputation. Despite his many deceptions, Jack did embark on a great number of adventures, many involving the supernatural. His ultimate ambition is to achieve immortality and the freedom to sail the seven seas as a pirate for eternity. He is so focused on this goal that he often betrays his allies (most notably Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann) in hopes of reaching it.

Jack is more often than not seen with his compass, his trusty hat and his pistol. The Black Pearl had been Jack's ship for many years. Under Jack's captaincy, Cutler Beckett hired the ship to transport cargo from Africa. Jack learned the "cargo" was slaves and so he set them free. Furious, Beckett found Jack, and burned and sank his ship. Some time later, Jack made a pact with Davy Jones to raise the ship and captain her for 13 years. Jack named his blackened ship the Black Pearl.

He also appears in the fifth book in The Kingdom Keepers saga, Shell Game. Here he almost kills Finn Whitman in a supposed pretend fight that takes a dark turn. He is revealed to work with the Overtakers.

Early Life
Jack Sparrow and a young, motley crew in many adventures aboard a tiny fishing ship called The Barnacle. The adventures included a search for the legendary Sword of Cortés, and a trip to New Orleans that turned the city into bronze. Along the way, they battled pirates, ancient curses, witchcraft, sirens, and the power of the sea. According to the official Disney website and the game based on the film series, Jack Sparrow, the son of Captain Teague was born in British Colonial India and was once employed by the East India Trading Company. Jack helmed the Wicked Wench, an EITC merchant vessel, performing odd jobs for Cutler Beckett. When Jack refused to transport slaves and instead freed them in Africa, Beckett sanctioned the torching (and sinking) of the Wicked Wench, and literally branded Jack Sparrow a pirate. Jack came to embrace his outlaw status, becoming a successful pirate with no desire to return to life under the command of others. Later, Jack petitioned Davy Jones to raise his ship from the ocean floor. He rechristened her the Black Pearl.

The Curse of the Black Pearl
About a decade prior to the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow was searching for the legendary Chest of Cortez containing cursed Aztec gold. When Sparrow shared the bearings to the chest's location, his first mate Hector Barbossa and the crew mutinied and marooned him on an island with only a pistol containing a single shot (allowing the option of suicide over starvation). After three days, Sparrow bartered passage off the island with rum runners. Seeking revenge, Sparrow kept the pistol to kill his former first mate.

Ten years later, Sparrow arrives in Port Royal to acquire a ship, but he is arrested for piracy after saving Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter, from drowning. That night, the Black Pearl attacks Port Royal, seeking the last Aztec medallion that will break the curse that has rendered them into immortal skeletons. Elizabeth, who possesses the coin, is kidnapped. The next morning, Will Turner, a blacksmith apprentice whom Sparrow fought in an escape attempt, seeks Sparrow's help to rescue Elizabeth, whom he secretly loves. Sparrow agrees only when he realizes Will is the crucial element needed to break the curse and that he can use him to bargain back the Black Pearl. Will frees Sparrow from jail, and the two commandeer the HMS Interceptor.

After recruiting a crew in Tortuga with help from his old friend, Gibbs, they head to Isla de Muerta, where Sparrow knows the pirates will go to break the curse. Once there, Sparrow and Will infiltrate the cave where a ritual is underway with Elizabeth, whose blood Barbossa believes will break the curse. Mistrusting Sparrow, Will knocks him unconscious. He rescues Elizabeth, and the two escape to the Interceptor, but the Black Pearl pursues them. After a fierce battle, the Interceptor is sunk, and the crew is captured. After learning Will can break the curse, Barbossa maroons Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann. To Sparrow's horror, Elizabeth burns an abandoned rum stockpile as a signal fire that is spotted by Commodore James Norrington. Sparrow provides the bearings to Isla de Muerta after Elizabeth persuades Norrington (by accepting his previous marriage proposal) to attack the island and rescue Will.

At the island, Sparrow saunters into the cave and interrupts Will's sacrifice. He informs the stunned Barbossa that Norrington is waiting outside to ambush them and proposes they form an alliance. When Barbossa agrees and sends the crew to fight the navy, Sparrow attacks him. Barbossa impales Sparrow with his sword, believing he is mortally wounded; but, when he stumbles backwards into the moonlight, Sparrow is revealed to be an immortal skeleton—having snuck a coin from the chest to curse himself. Sparrow and Turner lift the curse just after Sparrow fatally shoots Barbossa with the shot he has carried for ten years. No longer immortal, Barbossa falls to the ground dead and the remaining now-mortal pirates surrender. Sparrow is arrested and returned to Port Royal for hanging, but with help from Will and Elizabeth, the execution is interrupted, and he escapes by accidentally falling off the rampart and into the bay where the Black Pearl is waiting. Sparrow is captain once again. Will and Elizabeth declare their love for another, and Norrington graciously concedes Elizabeth's hand to Will.

Dead Man's Chest
Thirteen years prior to Dead Man's Chest, Captain Sparrow obtained the Black Pearl from Davy Jones by bargaining his soul in exchange for 100 years service aboard the infamous ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. Now the debt is due. One night, Sparrow's former shipmate, "Bootstrap Bill" Turner appears and marks him with the Black Spot, a sign the Kraken is hunting him. Meanwhile, Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company arrests Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann for aiding in Sparrow's escape. With Elizabeth in jail, Beckett offers clemency if Will agrees to search for Sparrow and his compass. He has Letter of marque with which he wants to recruit Sparrow as a privateer. Otherwise, Will, Elizabeth, and former Commodore James Norrington will be executed. Will finds Sparrow and the crew held captive by cannibals on Pelegosto. They escape, barely making it to the Black Pearl.

Rowing upriver, they visit Tia Dalma, a voodoo priestess with whom Sparrow hints he was once close. Sparrow shows her a drawing of a key; he does not know what it unlocks or where to find it, and his magical compass has failed him. Tia Dalma says it will not work because Sparrow does not know what he truly wants or, "he is loath to claim it as his own". She tells them the legend of Davy Jones and the Dead Man's Chest. When Jones lost his true love, his pain was so deep that he carved out his heart and buried it in the chest. The key is kept with him. Back at sea, the Pearl encounters Davy Jones who has come to claim his debt. Sparrow tricks Will into telling Davy Jones that he was sent to settle Sparrow's debt, but Davy Jones tells Sparrow that one soul is not equal to another, and demands a total of 100 souls in exchange for Sparrow's soul. Sparrow's attempt to haggle a better price fails, and Davy Jones insists on keeping Will Turner as a "good faith" payment toward the debt, and removes Sparrow's black spot, giving him three days to find him 99 more souls.

In Tortuga, Sparrow and Gibbs recruit unsuspecting sailors. A fallen James Norrington applies and then attempts to shoot Sparrow, whom he blames for his ruin. Elizabeth, who escaped jail, arrives and rescues Norrington from the ensuing brawl. Confronting Sparrow, Elizabeth demands to know what happened to Will. Sparrow regrets to report he was press-ganged into Davy Jones' crew, although Norrington doubts Sparrow's claim that he was uninvolved. Sparrow reveals the compass's secret, telling Elizabeth that if she finds the Dead Man's Chest, she can save Will. The compass works at last. After setting sail for Isla Cruces, Elizabeth discloses it was Cutler Beckett who sent Will and shows Sparrow and Gibbs the Letters of Marque she took from him. Norrington overhears the conversation and sets his own plan in motion. The captain then expresses an amorous interest in Elizabeth, who coyly rebuffs his attempts to woo her. When he attempts to kiss her, the Black Spot suddenly reappears on his palm, and he hastily retreats. The Kraken is on the hunt again.

On Isla Cruces, Sparrow, Elizabeth and Norrington find the chest. Will arrives with the key (having escaped from the Flying Dutchman). Each man claims the heart. Turner hopes to free his father from Davy Jones' servitude, Sparrow wants to escape his blood debt, and Norrington schemes to reclaim his career. Sparrow extricates himself from their three-way sword fight and gets the heart. However, Norrington steals it and the Letters of Marque and escapes while Jones' crew retrieves the chest, unaware it's empty. Back at sea, the Dutchman chases the Pearl, but the Pearl outruns her. Jones summons the The Kraken. In a moment of cowardice, Sparrow deserts the Pearl as the crew valiantly fights the monster. However, Sparrow's underlying loyalty and honor compel him to go back and save his shipmates. Knowing the Kraken will return, he gives the order to abandon ship.

Realizing the Kraken is only after Jack, Elizabeth distracts him with a passionate kiss and cuffs him to the mast. She claims she isn't sorry for her actions, to which Sparrow merely retorts "Pirate." She tells the others that Sparrow chose to stay behind, unaware that Will witnessed the kiss. Sparrow frees himself and bravely battles the ferocious beast, lunging into its toothy maw as the Pearl is dragged underwater. Davy Jones declares their debt settled but is enraged when he discovers the Dead Man's Chest is empty. Meanwhile, Norrington delivers the heart and the Letters of Marque to Lord Beckett, hoping to reclaim his career. Beckett now controls the world's oceans.

The saddened crew make their way to Tia Dalma's. As she consoles them, she asks if they would be willing to sail to World's End to bring back Sparrow and the Pearl, to which all agree. She says they will need a captain who knows those waters. Just then, the resurrected Captain Barbossa descends the stairs, asking what has become of his ship.

At World's End
Lord Cutler Beckett continues his purge against piracy, hanging pirates, beggars, thieves, and even children without trial. Davy Jones is commanded to attack all pirate ships. In response, the pirate lords comprising the Brethren Court are summoned to convene at Shipwreck Island; however, the late Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, died without a successor, and therefore must be present. Captain Hector Barbossa leads Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Tia Dalma and the Black Pearl crew to Davy Jones' Locker to fetch Jack.

Meanwhile, Jack was taken by the Kraken to Davy Jones' Locker, where he was forced to endure the worst punishment he could ever take; his beloved Pearl was stuck on a seemingly-endless desert, while Jack himself was tormented by a series of hallucinations that personified the various aspects of his personality as members of his crew. Divided in this manner, Jack had no hope of moving his ship, as though his crew did follow orders, the flaws of his "crew" made the Pearl unable to make any sort of progression with no wind to move the ship. When Tia Dalma neared the island where Jack was stranded, she enchanted the rocks on the island to teleport to the Black Pearl, and the rocks cracked open, revealing an army of rock-crabs. The rock-crabs used their combined strength to move the Black Pearl. Jack was off the ship at the moment, but was able to catch up to the Pearl and boarded it in time to sail it out to sea.

By this point, his former crew, led by Barbossa and aided by Tai Huang and the crew of the Hai Peng, arrived in the Locker, ostensibly to free Jack. Sparrow initially believed them to be mere hallucinations, but was swayed when he saw Elizabeth, perhaps recalling the foul memory of his death, or maybe just recalling her kiss. Jack remained unfazed by their appearance, and even greeted his former nemesis, Barbossa, with cheer, knowing full well that their only means of escape, the Pearl, was in Jack's possession. However, he was forced to concede that Barbossa, holding the navigational charts bestowed upon the crew by Sao Feng, would be useful in the escape, as in the Locker, his compass didn't seem to work. Almost immediately, a rivalry formed between Jack and Barbossa with both claiming to be the rightful captain of the Black Pearl.

While seeking an escape route, the crew sees souls adrift under the water. Tia Dalma explains that Davy Jones was appointed by his lover, the sea goddess Calypso, to ferry those who died at sea onto the next world. In return, Jones could step upon land for one day every ten years to be with her. But when Calypso failed to meet him, the scorned captain abandoned his duty and transformed into a monster. Elizabeth then sees her father, Weatherby Swann's soul pass by in a dinghy, murdered by Beckett after discovering that whoever slays Davy Jones by destroying his heart replaces him as the Flying Dutchman's immortal captain. Unable to retrieve him, a distraught Elizabeth vows to avenge her father's death.

The charts reveal that a green flash on the horizon signifies a soul returning to earth. When Jack deciphers a clue on it, he realizes the ship must be capsized to escape the Locker. They overturn the ship at sunset and upturn back to the living world at sunrise amid an emerald light. Upon their return, they discover the Kraken is dead; Beckett ordered Davy Jones to kill it to prevent him from using it against him. Shortly after, Sao Feng arrives and attacks the Pearl. He has betrayed Will and made another deal with Beckett, but Beckett double-crosses Feng. In retaliation, Feng gives the Pearl back to Barbossa in exchange for Elizabeth, who he believes is Calypso. Angry over Will's deception and to keep the crew safe, Elizabeth agrees. Jack is taken prisoner aboard the Endeavour and forms an accord with Beckett to lead his fleet to Shipwreck Island, but he escapes back to the Pearl. Will is thrown into the brig, but later escapes and starts leaving a trail of floating corpses for Beckett to follow. Jack catches him and proposes that he will stab the heart, making himself immortal while freeing Will's father, "Bootstrap Bill", without condemning Will to taking Jones' place. Will agrees. Jack then gives him his magical compass and pushes him over board, intending to lead Beckett to Shipwreck Island. Will is rescued by Beckett's ship. There he learns that it was Davy Jones who masterminded Calypso's imprisonment with the first Brethren Court.

When the Brethren Court disagree over Barbossa's proposal to free Calypso, he tricks them into yielding their Pirate Lord insignias. Meanwhile, Captain Elizabeth Swann arrives on the Empress. Disagreeing over what action to take against Beckett, the Court moves to elect a "Pirate King", although the lords always vote for themselves. Jack breaks the long-standing stalemate by voting for Elizabeth. As he anticipated, she declares war. During parley with Beckett and Jones, Jack is traded for Will and is sent to the Dutchman's brig.



Just before the battle, Barbossa conducts a ritual using the insignias to release Calypso (Tia Dalma). Her fury upon learning Jones’ betrayal unleashes a violent maelstrom as Beckett's massive fleet appears on the horizon. As the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman clash head on, Jack escapes the brig and goes into a fight with Davy Jones on the Dutchman. Back at the Pearl Will again proposes to Elizabeth, and amid the fighting, Will and Elizabeth are married by Barbossa. When Davy Jones mortally wounds Will, Bootstrap Bill attacks him. Jack, who has captured the heart for his own immortality, instead helps Will to stab it, killing Jones. As Will dies, the crew carves out his heart and places it into the Dead Man’s Chest. Jack and Elizabeth escape as the Dutchman is pulled into the whirlpool, but it quickly resurfaces with Will at the helm as its new captain. Uniting forces, the Dutchman and the Pearl destroy the Endeavour, killing Beckett and forcing the armada to retreat.

With the battle won, Jack bade farewell to Elizabeth, and sailed the Black Pearl to Tortuga, where he was found in the company of Scarlett and Giselle, persuading them with an offer to ride aboard his ship. However, upon returning to the harbor, Jack found the Pearl gone: Barbossa had mutinied once again, and taken Jack's ship, leaving him and Gibbs ashore. This didn't seem to faze Jack, however, who resorted to using a dingy left to him. He had anticipated Barbossa's treachery, and had cut out the middle of Sao Feng's navigational charts for himself. He was singing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)", while running up his pirate flag. After locating a bottle of rum, Jack used his compass to find the supposed location of the Fountain of Youth. Jack sailed off in his dingy, while sipping the rum, as he headed for Florida, where the charts say the Fountain of Youth is located.

On Stranger Tides
Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with Angelica, a woman from his past, and he's not sure if it's love--or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica.

Disney Parks
Jack makes occasional live appearances in Disneyland where he is know for being a rival of Captain Hook. He currently makes meet and greet appearances at most of the park's Adventureland.

Pirates of the Caribbean
Jack has been added to the classic ride where the storyline shows a band of evil pirates who are after Jack to find his hidden treasure trove.

World of Color
Jack has a small cameo during the opening Pirates of the Caribbean based scene following the his famous theme song He's a Pirate. He briefly had an extended as promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Kingdom Hearts II
Majority of information taken from Kingdom Hearts Wiki-Jack Sparrow.

Following the plot of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow was arrested for piracy on Port Royal while attempting to steal a ship to go after the Black Pearl. But after Barbossa took Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner reminds Jack of the debt for freeing him, so the two, together with Sora and gang, hijack the HMS Interceptor to go after the Black Pearl.

While Sora and gang had to stand guard, though they worried the two couldn't fight the Heartless, Jack and Will infiltrate the cave on Isla de Muerta, where a ritual is underway with Elizabeth, whose blood Barbossa believes will break the curse. Mistrusting Jack, Will knocks him unconscious. He rescues Elizabeth, and the two escape to the Interceptor, with Jack captured and tied to the mast on the Black Pearl. After a fierce battle between Sora's gang and the Undead Pirates, the Interceptor crew is captured. After learning Will can break the curse, Barbossa left some Heartless and kegs of lit gunpowder to leave Sora and gang to their fate. But the heroes managed to overcome the odds and returned to the island and rescued Will.

Jack more than matches the ruthless captain blow for blow. While Jack is momentarily distracted, Barbossa impales him with his sword, believing he is mortally wounded. However, when he stumbles backwards into the moonlight, Jack is revealed to be under the curse, having snuck a coin from the chest to curse himself while Sora and gang dealed with Barbossa's cursed crewmen. Jack and Will lift the curse just after Jack fatally shoots Barbossa with the shot he has carried for ten years. No longer immortal, Barbossa falls onto the ground, dead. Though Will offered his hand to Jack, he took a step back in fear Will might hit him again. Jack's compass was then used to open up new routes with Sora's Keyblade. On Sora's return trip to Port Royal they discover that there are still cursed pirates in Port Royal. Jack and his crew journey to Isla de Muerta aboard the Interceptor, saving Will from a certain death, and on the way come across a member of Organization XIII, Luxord, who has stolen the chest with the cursed medallions and summons a giant Heartless to fight them. Upon defeat, Luxord calls for parley by throwing out four pieces of treasure to Gambler Nobodies and destroying the Interceptor with the Black Pearl's armament.

After landing in the Ship Graveyard, the crew discovers that the curse has come back to Jack. The group hunts down the four stolen medallions, and eventually find them.

Back at Port Royal, Luxord is there waiting for them to return the treasure. After it is returned, he summons the Heartless from before who is now under the curse. When they return the medallions, the curse on the Heartless lifts, but Jack's skeleton form remains. Goofy immediately realizes that Jack has been put under the Heartless' spell rather than the gold's curse.

After the Heartless is killed, the curse is lifted for good. The chest is then dumped into the sea to ensure that the curse does not ever resurface. As a reward for his trouble, Jack asks for Sora's Keyblade. Knowing the Keyblade would return to him, Sora agrees to it. When it vanishes back to Sora's hand though, Jack is not surprised. Jack vows to one day get a bloodthirsty crew together and steal the Keyblade. The story ends with Sora, Will and Elizabeth commenting on Jack being the best pirate in the Spanish Main, no, the whole ocean. The end credits show Will and Elizabeth on the Black Pearl. As Jack sails, the moon comes out and he checks his hand, still remaining human.

Disney Universe
A costume of Jack is featured in the video game and the main costume of World 4, Pirates.

Trivia

 * Johnny Depp was originally asked to provide Jack's voice in Kingdom Hearts II along with the rest of the cast, but the shooting schedule for Dead Man's Chest and At World's End prevented it.