Joshamee Gibbs

"Take what you can!" "Give nothin' back!"

- Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs

Joshamee Gibbs served as a warrant officer with the Royal Navy, but spent much of his adult life as a pirate, often under the command of Captain Jack Sparrow, most notably as his First Mate.

Early life


"It's bad luck to be singin' about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words."

- Joshamee Gibbs to James Norrington

Gibbs was an old pirate friend of Jack Sparrow, but at some point joined the Royal Navy. He was stationed aboard the HMS Dauntless during its voyage from England to the Caribbean, carrying Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, to Port Royal. Along the way, they encountered a wrecked vessel, and Gibbs voiced the opinion that it was the result of a pirate attack. Elizabeth became acquainted enough with Gibbs to recognise him on sight many years later.

Gibbs remained with the Navy for a time, though at some point over the next eight years, he deserted his post to turn pirate once more. James Norrington would later equate his life story with Gibbs' own, though unlike Gibbs, Norrington was disgraced and resigned his commission after failing to catch a group of pirates&mdash;Gibbs himself among them. Jack forgave Gibbs for his stint in the Navy, and by this point, Gibbs knew Jack well enough to be able to relate much of the man's life story. He also became aware of the curse that afflicted those who removed Aztec gold from Isla de Muerta, and was aware of Sparrow's attempts to retake command of the Black Pearl following a mutiny orchestrated by Hector Barbossa.

Isla de Muerta
"That was for the smell."

- William Turner upon drenching Joshamee Gibbs with a bucket of water

When Jack and Joshamee next met, Gibbs was down on his luck, sleeping in a pigsty outside the Faithful Bride in Tortuga. Jack recruited him, and Gibbs helped round up a crew after learning of Jack's plan to recapture the Black Pearl. The crew, with Gibbs as First Mate, manned the commandeered navy vessel HMS Interceptor, and set out for Isla de Muerta.

At the island, Jack fell behind in his attempt to aid William Turner in rescuing Elizabeth Swann, and Gibbs was forced to keep to the Code and depart without his captain. However, Barbossa caught up with and destroyed the Interceptor, holding Gibbs and the crew captive aboard the Pearl. While docked at Isla de Muerta during Barbossa's second attempt to lift his curse, Elizabeth freed the crew, who took control of the Pearl and immediately departed&mdash;Jack having previously promised them a ship of their own.

Gibbs and Sparrow
Despite Gibbs' apparent treachery, he had not given up on his former captain. Jack survived the battle at Isla de Muerta, but was sentenced to hang at Port Royal. Will Turner staged a rescue at the gallows, and the Black Pearl revealed itself as Jack leapt from the battlements of Fort Charles, happy to rejoin his crew. The Pearl set sail, apparently with Gibbs serving once again as Jack's First Mate.

The pirate crew had numerous exploits over the next year, though their most dangerous came when Davy Jones unleashed the Kraken to settle a debt owed by Jack. Jack ordered Gibbs and the crew to set out for land to avoid the beast, and ended up on Pelegosto, where they were captured by the cannibalistic natives. Gibbs and his companions were held in bone cages while Jack was set to be roasted and eaten by the cannibals. With Will Turner's help, Gibbs and the crew managed to escape, and Jack rendezvoused with them at the Pearl.

Loss of a captain
"And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all, right till the end, but I guess that honest streak finally won out. To Jack Sparrow!"

- Joshamee Gibbs

Gibbs later joined the quest to find the Dead Man's Chest, and fought in the fierce battle against the Kraken after Jack fled Isla Cruces after failing to obtain the chest. Gibbs gave the order to abandon ship when the Pearl took damage, though Jack was tricked into remaining onboard by Elizabeth. Gibbs lamented the loss of both ship and captain, though set out for Pelegosto nevertheless.

There, at Tia Dalma's shack, he raised a toast to his fallen captain, and was the first to answer Tia Dalma when she asked if any of the crew would be willing to bring Jack back from death. Gibbs and the crew met the resurrected Hector Barbossa, and made an uneasy alliance with him to sail to World's End, and from there into Davy Jones' Locker to rescue Jack.

Gibbs led the infiltration of Sao Feng's bath house in Singapore while Barbossa and Elizabeth confronted the Pirate Lord himself. Gibbs fought in the subsequent battle against Mercer's marines, and manned the Hai Peng as it set off for the Furthest Gate. During the voyage, Gibbs relayed his experience of the green flash to Will Turner, stating that he had seen his fair share of the phenomenon. He and the rest of the crew survived the fall from World's End into Davy Jones' Locker, where he was finally reunited with his old friend.

Jack, believing his friends to be another of the hallucinations experienced in the Locker, initially berated Gibbs for not keeping order aboard the Black Pearl, though ultimately relented and allowed Gibbs to join his crew aboard the Pearl as it set sail on the endless waters of the Locker. Gibbs was particuarly unhappy to find all the rum gone during the voyage, and joined his captain in rocking the ship to escape the Locker. Back in the real world, Gibbs was involved in a tense stand-off with Jack, Barbossa, Will and Elizabeth, and covered Barbossa with his pistol while the former captain threatened Jack.

The Brethren Court
"The wind’s on our side, boys! That’s all we need!"

- Joshamee Gibbs to the Black Pearl crew

The stand-off was diffused, and the crew stopped off at a nearby island to gather fresh water. Gibbs remained aboard the Pearl, and apparently fought against Sao Feng's men as they stormed the ship as part of a deal made with Lord Cutler Beckett. Gibbs received a wound to his forehead during the struggle, and later joined in the attack against the HMS Endeavour when Feng agreed to a truce with Barbossa.

The crew set sail for Shipwreck Island, with which Gibbs was somewhat familiar, warning the crew of the dangerous passage into Shipwreck Cove. He was present during the fourth meeting of the Brethren Court, and was aware of the origins of the Pirate Lords' pieces of eight. He later crewed the Black Pearl alongside his companions during the battle around Calypso's maelstrom, which he ultimately survived, remaining aboard the ship throughout.

New horizons
"Tell me ladies, what do you know of sea turtles&hellip;?"

- Joshamee Gibbs to Scarlett and Giselle

With the battle won, and Lord Beckett killed, the pirates were free to continue their freedom-loving ways. Gibbs returned to Tortuga with Jack, who intended to take Scarlett and Giselle for a ride on his ship. Gibbs took a nap at the docks, and thus failed to stop Barbossa from commandeering the Black Pearl for a second time. Jack berated Gibbs, but appeared content to sail without his precious ship, for now. He and Gibbs exchanged their customary farewell, and Jack set sail to find the Fountain of Youth. Gibbs headed into Tortuga with Scarlett and Giselle.

Legacy
At some point in his life, presumably after his adventures with Jack Sparrow and his crew, Gibbs authored a book called "The Pirates' Code Guidelines: A Booke for Those Who Desire to Keep to the Code and Live a Pirate's Life". This tome included letters addressed to Gibbs from Jack, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, as well as Gibbs' own notes and drawings. The book was found many years later, perfectly preserved in the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.

Personality and traits
"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir."

- Joshamee Gibbs

Joshamee Gibbs was a superstitious man, fearful of pirates during his time with the Royal Navy, then later of more supernatural entities. He was particularly superstitious of the Black Spot, and performed a short ritual at the time when he saw it. He was also highly knowledgeable of pirate lore, and kept to the Pirate code of the Brethren. He also believed that having a woman aboard a ship was bad luck, though this warning often went unheeded.

Gibbs was immediately recognizable from his portly build, his ruddy complexion, and his distinctive "muttonchops" facial hair.

Behind the scenes

 * Joshamee Gibbs was portrayed by Kevin McNally in the film series and voiced by Steven Jay Blum in video game adaptations.
 * The character's surname may have been taken from that of Charles Gibbs, a 19-century American pirate.
 * Gibbs is referred to as Jack's quartermaster in the first screenplay draft of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
 * In the At World's End video game Gibbs remains onboard the Black Pearl with Barbossa during the second mutiny against Jack.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * The Accidental Pirate!
 * Revenge of the Pirates!
 * The Capture of Jack Sparrow!
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End