Edward Teague

"What? You've seen it all, done it all. You survived. That’s the trick, isn’t it? To survive?" "It’s not just about living forever, Jackie. The trick is living with yourself forever."

- Jack Sparrow and Teague

Edward Teague was an infamous pirate captain in the Caribbean and father of Jack Sparrow. A legendary pirate in his own right, Teague occasionally re-appeared in the life of his son Jack, who followed in his buccaneering footsteps. Teague was an outlaw, but with an aristocratic bearing; a fearsome figure, but with unmistakable touches of sweetness and vulnerability.

At some point in his career, Captain Teague became part of the Brethren Court, obtaining the title of Pirate Lord of Madagascar, and later Keeper of the Code. His candor, rigorous personal integrity, and uncompromising commitment to the Pirate Code had earned him the fear and respect not only of the other Pirate Lords, but of his son Jack as well. Although he appeared as a "stay at home" pirate, Teague would still be active in his later years. Teague would take part in the Brethren's stand against Cutler Beckett's Armada in the War Against Piracy, where they would choose the next Pirate King; and followed Jack in his search for the fabled Fountain of Youth, where he would warn his son of the perilous voyage.

Early life
"Did he call you Jackie?" "Crew, meet Captain Teague." "Lord of Madagascar. That's me."

- Hector Barbossa, Jack Sparrow, and Teague

Teague's past remains mainly shrouded in mystery, though it was believed that he was born in British India. At some point in his life, Teague engaged in piracy, where he became an outlaw, but with an aristocratic bearing; a fearsome figure, but with unmistakable touches of sweetness and vulnerability; a feral pirate who can also break hearts with a lovely ballad from his guitar. A legendary pirate in his own right, Teague eventually commanded the awe and fearful respect of all Pirate Lords in the Brethren Court, and was once a very feared pirate in the world; said to have done many things. In the Age of Piracy, Teague was Pirate Lord of Madagascar and Keeper of the Code.

At some point in the early 18th century, Teague and an unknown female had a son, Jack Sparrow. Throughout his son's childhood, Teague was always there when his boy needed him most, such as knocking out the pirate Rusty Knickers when he threatened to cut off Jack's hand or saving Jack from being sold into slavery by Captain Lucille Graven. In later years, Teague occasionally re-appeared in his son's life, who would follow in his buccaneering footsteps.

The search for Jack
"Nice job, Jackie!" "Oh, shut up."

- Teague and Jack Sparrow

After Jack escaped from Shipwreck Cove, Teague went to search for him on his old ship, the Misty Lady. During the search, he even visited the notorious voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, though he didn't find Jack in her shack. However, he was able to find him a few months later in a boat called the Barnacle in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, accompanied by another youngster, the English nobleman Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III. Jack and Fitzwilliam were brought onboard the Lady, but the ship was suddenly attacked by the British Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral Lawrence Norrington.

The pirates were all captured and brought onboard Lawrence Norrington's ship. Thanks to Teague's old friend Joshamee Gibbs, pirates managed to escape from the brig, and a huge battle ensued on deck. During the battle, Teague used his magical ring to force Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III to help them. In the midst of a battle, Norrington's son James was knocked into the sea and rescued by Teague. After a massive cannon fight between the Lady and Norrington's vessel, Teague's crew managed to batter Norrington's ship, rendering it defenseless. With Norrington's crew defeated, Teague and Jack made their way back to the Misty Lady, and Teague sailed his son to an extremely beautiful island near Poseidon's Peak so he could procure himself a new boat.

The pirate meeting
"I've concluded that we must take action regarding these rogue pirates. If these blackguards continue to plunder and menace merchant shipping, it won't be long before England, France, Spain and probably Portugal will dispatch their navies to hunt down all pirate ships they find."

- Edward Teague to assembled pirates at Great Chamber



Teague returned to Shipwreck Cove, where he was soon rejoined by his son Jack. In the late 1720s, the mysterious rogue pirates begun to violate the Code of the Pirate Brethren by slaughtering the crews of the merchant ships they captured. Teague's responsibility as the Keeper of the Code was to investigate the case. Six months later, a meeting of the Pirate Lords was held in Great Chamber. Among the gathered pirates were Don Rafael, Dona Esmeralda, Boris Palachnik, Mistress Ching, Eduardo Villanueva, and Jack Sparrow. The pirate captains at the meeting expressed their dismay over the rogue attacks on peaceful merchant ships, for the fear of war on piracy being declared by the colonial powers of Europe. Another pirate captain at the meeting, Hector Barbossa, witnessed that his pirate ship, the Cobra was destroyed by the rogues, which gave the Brethren another reason to destroy the rogues.

The Court of Inquiry
"We will summon Davy Jones. But to do so, we must reconvene aboard Troubadour. He cannot set foot on dry land, save for once every ten years."

- Edward Teague to pirates assembled at Great Chamber At that time, Jack begun to date Esmeralda, the granddaughter of Don Rafael, the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea, but Teague warned Jack to stay away from her. But Jack's friendship with Esmeralda continued, and they discovered the ship that destroyed the Cobra docked in Shipwreck Cove. It was the Koldunya, the sloop of Boris "Borya" Palachnik, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.

After Teague and Don Rafael heard the news, Teague called for an official court of inquiry. In the Great Chamber, all the witnesses told their stories, but there was not enough evidences against Borya, and Teague decided to summon Davy Jones, the Lord of the sea. Jones knew everything that happened in his watery kingdoms, and the Brethren Court spoke a magic call that brought Jones onboard the Troubadour, Teague's ship. When asked about Borya's guilt, Jones recognized him as the leader of the rogue pirates, saying that he and his men sent many souls to the sea bottom without mercy.

Escape of the rogues
"Boris Palachnik. This Court of Inquiry finds that you and your crew have broken the Code of the Brethren. The Code is the law. The penalty for all of you is death."

- Edward Teague to Boris Palachnik Borya and his whole crew were quickly imprisoned in the dungeons of Shipwreck City and sentenced to death by Teague. For unknown reasons, Borya gave his jailers the names of all rogue captains under his command. Thanks to those informations, the French pirate captain Christophe-Julien de Rapièr and his crew were captured while they were trying to flee from the island. They were also sentenced to death. Christophe's friend Jack Sparrow believed him to be innocent.

Teague began to make plans on taking a fleet to find and destroy the rest of the rogues on their meeting place. But a night before Borya's hanging, Jack Sparrow broke into the dungeons and freed Christophe and his crew. But Christophe's guilt was proved a moment later, when he freed Borya and his crew too. The rogues stormed the armory, and the huge battle begun at the docks. One of the rogues aimed his musket at Teague, but Jack knocked the barrel of the musket aside, causing the rogue pirate to miss his target. In the chaos of the battle, the rogues managed to escape to their ships, taking Jack with them.

Years without his son
"I don't believe that Teague would order you hunted down so he could execute you. I've told you this before. As you English say, sangre is thicker than agua."

- Esmeralda to Jack Sparrow

Jack's escape with the rogues made him an outlaw in the eyes of the Brethren for the next five years. Though Jack managed to escape from Christophe's ship, he didn't return to Shipwreck Cove, for fear that Teague would want to hang him. Five years later, Jack was a captain of the EITC merchant vessel Wicked Wench. During his adventures, he killed Borya, and was reunited with Esmeralda who told him that he can redeem himself in Teague's eyes by dispatching the rogues he freed. A few months later, Jack killed Christophe, and after he returned to piracy, he sailed his ship to Shipwreck Island.

Libertalia
"Jackie, now this is quite a surprise. Come to visit your old man at last, have you?"

- Teague to Jack Sparrow

After Jack's redemption, Teague abandoned his position of Pirate Lord, giving his seat to his son, who became the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. Soon, Teague relocated with his whole family (except Jack) to Libertalia. One day, Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, arrived to Libertalia, and Teague took Jack and his friends to his mansion. During the dinner, they were attacked by pirates led by Gentleman Jocard, who thought that they were hosting King Samuel, Jocard's former owner who sold him into slavery. Jocard's and Jack's crews combined their forces, and they stormed Samuel's fort, obtaining the vial of Shadow Gold. They returned to Libertalia, and departed for Europe. Before Jack departed, Teague then gave him some advises on the choices he'll make in his life.

The tears of Kali
Some time after Jack's departure, Teague returned to Shipwreck Cove, where he reclaimed his position as the Keeper of the Code. However, the Pirata Codex book was stolen by the Indian Akshay, and Teague had to follow him and retake the book before Askhay could sell it to the East India Trading Company. Teague sailed for the Indian Ocean, and followed Askhay to his hideout, the island of Velha Goa, but he was captured by Askhay's warriors, who threw Teague into the dark, nearly bottomless pit full of skeletons of previous captives.

Some time later, Teague's son Jack Sparrow was also thrown into the pit, because he tried to steal the precious tears of the Indian goddess Kali from Askhay. Jack managed to find the secret passage and they both returned to Akshay's palace where they attacked and overpowered three guards and stole their weapons.

Tague started searching for the Pirata Codex book, but Jack went to the harbor to escape from the island. Though Teague managed to find and take the book, he was quickly surrounded by Akshay and his warriors. However, Jack changed his mind and returnd to help Teague. Teague then fired his pistol at one candle, knocking it on the floor and starting a fire in the palace, which Jack and Teague used to escape together. Some time later, on the coast of Madagascar, Teague secretly stole the tears of Kali from Jack, boarded Jack's boat and sailed away, leaving Jack stranded and proclaiming himself as the greatest pirate in the world. Following this adventure, Teague returned with the Pirata Codex book to Shipwreck Island.

Finding a protégé
"I don't believe it. He shot the Code." "He shot the Code." "Captain Teague'll have his head."

- Marquis D'avis, Nigel, and Slurry Gibson about Mungard

Near the mid-1740s, a pirate named Mungard resided in Shipwreck City as Teague's stooge. Having taken the Pirate's Code almost as seriously as Teague did, Mungard made himself a self-appointed guardian of the Code. However, Teague would be kept in the dark of Mungard's heinous act of having shot the Code during an auction led by the Auctioneer. Teague would soon continue enforcing the Code's laws by himself.

Imprisoned
"Ahh... Yes, I remember now; the scary looking bloke with the dreadlocks and a guitar. Unfortunate you missed him... He was escorted away by some Navy lads. Quite the scene... Luckily he paid me in advance for my services. I can only imagine what'll become of him. They left on a huge ship. Don't know the name, but it was a Frigate or Galleon."

- Bronze John to a pirate

Some time after the battle of the Isla de Muerta, Teague hired the pirate Bronze John to transport him to Driftwood Island, a place where he burried a stash of rum some time earlier. Unfortunately for Teague, the members of the British Royal Navy were on the island at the same time, and Teague was capured after a short fight. Teague was taken aboard the Navy ship, which sailed for the closest British colony to hand him over to the authorities. Fortunately for Teague, one pirate captain attacked and sunk the Navy ship, thus saving him from an appointment with the gallows.

Turkish Prison
"You would sleep through your own hanging, Jack." "I just assumed they'd wake me." "There's only one hour until daylight, Jack. One hour to escape the hangman's noose." "Escape? My favorite two syllable word. You have a plan?" "Always. Just follow my lead, eh?"

- Edward Teague and Jack Sparrow

Almost a year later, through unknown circumstances, Teague would again reunite with his son during Jack's search for the Dead Man's Chest, in which Jack entered the Turkish Prison to procure a piece of cloth with a drawing of the key to the Dead Man's Chest. While in the prison's dungeons, Teague inspired Jack to escape the prison before his captors could hang him. Knowing that his son was safe, for the time being, Teague returned to Shipwreck Cove where he would continue his duties as Keeper of the Code.

War Against Piracy
"As per the Code, an act of war, and this be exactly that, can only be declared by the Pirate King." "You made that up." "Did I now? I call on Cap'n Teague, Keeper of the Code."

- Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow during the Fourth Brethren Court



During the meeting of the Fourth Brethren Court, presided over by Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow, Captain Teague was called upon by Barbossa to cite from the Pirata Codex after Jack was able to persuaded the Pirate Lords to an act of war, much to Jack's dismay. Teague entered the meeting while standing in a doorway, gunsling smoke rising from his pistol after having shot Sri Sumbhajee's aide Askay for demeaning the Code's importance, saying: "Code is the law." Teague intimidated those in the chamber with fear, particularly his son Jack. After the carriers brought the Pirata Codex to the Court, Teague whistled for the Prison Dog, who had the keys to unlock the padlocked book. After he citing a section from the Code, the Pirate Lords decided to vote for the new Pirate King. While the Lords were voting, Teague sat down and played "Only Found Out Yesterday" on his guitar. The Pirate Lords then began to argue after Elizabeth Swann was voted as the new King, but stopped after Jack questioned them about not keeping to the Code, in which Teague broke one of his guitar strings and gave the Lords a fierce glare.

After the meeting, Teague offered Jack advice concerning the latter's search for immortality as well as reuniting Jack with his mother&mdash;whose shrunken head Teague carried around with him. Giving the head to his son, Jack would later hang the head on his own belt. The Brethren then exited the chamber anxiously, but were confronted by soldiers of the East India Trading Company, led by Black Coats who had infiltrated the city. Teague was trapped on the South Docks, and he was able to defeat his enemies with the assistance of his son.

The next day, Teague climbed aboard his ship, the Troubadour, where he and his crew joined with the other ships in the Brethren's fleet. Teague's crew would witness the battle around Calypso's maelstrom, which saw the deaths of Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett. Upon seeing the other ships of the EITC Armada retreating, Teague's crew celebrated with the other pirates. Instead of cheering and dancing, which many others did, Teague merely took his hat and tossed it into the air and smiled over the Brethren's victory.

Meeting in London
"I heard where you're headed. The Fountain." "Have you been there?" "Does this face looks like it's been to the Fountain of Youth?" "...Depends on the light."

- Teague and Jack Sparrow



Several years later, Teague would cross paths with Jack Sparrow once again; this time in London, after his son escaped from King George's palace. After Jack was confronted by a soldier of the King's Royal Guard, Teague shot the soldier in the back, saving Jack once again. Teague and Jack continued their brief reunion inside the Captain's Daughter tavern. While talking in the tavern, they discussed about Jack's new trinket which had one of Jack's own teeth on it. Teague then went to the matter at hand: Jack's search for the Fountain of Youth. He gave Jack information about the Profane Ritual, as well as one of the items needed for it, two silver Chalices from Ponce de León's ship. As Jack became interested in finding the items, Teague advised his son against the search until he knew every detail.

Having pointed Jack to the group who were recruiting a crew, Teague gave Jack a word of advice, warning him that the Fountain would "test" him. Teague and Jack then drank their drinks before Jack glanced towards the group. When Jack looked back, Teague had already gone. His further fate is unknown.

"And one last thing, Jackie. The Fountain tests you. Mark my words."

- Teague to Jack Sparrow

Personality and traits
"Errr... Teague can have quite the temper."

- Gil Derga

Edward Teague was a legendary pirate in his own right. Known for his rough personality, Teague was a feared and revered pirate who, as the esteemed Keeper of the Pirate's Code, respected the Code enough to kill people who show any disrespect of it, even if it was a brief mention of hanging the Code. More than once, the pirates could see Teague shoot Code-breakers in the head with no more emotion than he'd show when cracking a louse, or crushing a roach. To Teague, the Code was not only the law, it was everything. His candor, rigorous personal integrity, and uncompromising commitment to the Code had earned him the fear and respect not only of the other Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, but of his son Jack as well. Teague was an outlaw, but with an aristocratic bearing; a fearsome figure, but with unmistakable touches of sweetness and vulnerability; a feral pirate who can also break hearts with a lovely ballad from his guitar.

Teague was noted for having a fearsome temper but, despite his reputation, shared some sense of morality as was given to his son Jack Sparrow. This can be seen when Teague saved the life of a young James Norrington, despite the fact that Norrington was the son of his enemy from the British Royal Navy, Lawrence Norrington. "Hello, Jackie." "Hello, Dad."

- Teague and Jack Sparrow

Even Jack Sparrow feared Teague, but mostly respected him, though this might be because he's his father. After dedicating his life to piracy, Jack would follow in his father's buccaneering footsteps, from his appearance to keeping to the Code. There were many occasions where Teague reappeared in his son's life, and saving him. Like when he and Jack were captured by Lawrence Norrington and taken prisoner aboard his ship ; another time was in London, in which Jack was about to be shot by a Royal Guard until Teague shot the guard. Both had a good father-son relationship, where Teague would give advice to Jack for his ambitions. Teague also called his son "Jackie" quite often.

At some point in his life, Teague took up the guitar and became quite good at playing it, mainly playing it within the Pirate Hall. Though he was a captain of a ship, Teague was a withdrawn and rather, "stay at home" kind of pirate having done most of his adventuring in his younger days. However he did join the Brethren Court's fleet which faced Cutler Beckett's armada although he wasn't involved in the battle itself. Teague was shown to be quite reserved and dignified; when the rest of his crew were jumping and cheering about their victory over Beckett's fleet, Teague merely smiled and tossed his hat in the air.

Teague wore clothes that complemented his role as a pirate captain. As part of his ensemble, he wore a long crimson frock coat embroidered with a faded white floral design and a decorated dark brown waistcoat to match. A sash was tied around Teague's waist constantly. The undershirt that Teague wore was decorated with much more frill than those of most pirates. His dark hair was stylized in long dreadlocks adorned with beads and small crosses, and was held back by a dark green bandanna. Teague also wore a large bicorne adorned with pheasant feathers to symbolize his role as captain. On his hands were three rings, one of which he owns is in the form of a metal skull.

Like almost all Pirate Lords, Teague had a unique pirate flag. His flag was black with the white skeleton holding a spear pointed to a white heart.

Equipment and skills
Like most pirate captains, Teague possessed a cutlass which he uses with great skill. During the attack on the Misty Lady, he had a duel with Admiral Lawrence Norrington, and though his opponent was a skillful fighter, Teague easily won. His other favorite weapon was a flintlock pistol, which he sometimes used to shoot those who violated the Code, or anyone who tried to kill his son Jack Sparrow.

One unique item which Teague possessed was a magical ring, which gave the wielder the ability to submit the persons present to the wielder's will. That ring was stolen from him by Jack Sparrow when he escaped from Shipwreck Island.

Behind the scenes

 * Captain Teague was portrayed by Keith Richards in At World's End and On Stranger Tides.
 * Jack Angel provided the voice of Captain Edward Teague in the At World's End video game.
 * Teague was described by Keith Richards in the commentary about his character as being a "stay at home" pirate where Jack was a "working man" pirate, and also being like an aristocrat.
 * Johnny Depp based the character of Jack Sparrow partly on the appearance and manner of Keith Richards, who was approached to play Jack's father in Dead Man's Chest, but was unavailable at the time.
 * This character was rumored to be named as Grant or Teague Sparrow during the back-to-back productions of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, though neither were never considered. Pirates writer Terry Rossio later confirmed that "Captain Teague" was the character's name in the script ; this would follow in the On Stranger Tides script.
 * There was some controversy towards Teague's first name, as he was only referred to as "Captain Teague" in the POTC films. In the At World's End video game, while playing as him fighting enemies, Teague can be heard saying: "That's what you get for challenging Captain Edward Teague". The name was designated in the novel The Price of Freedom, though any first name has yet to be mentioned in the films.
 * It is possible that the name "Edward Teague" was based off "Edward Teach" aka Blackbeard. Teague's clothing and facial hair are similar to written accounts of Blackbeard's appearance.
 * Though the original scripts for At World's End and On Stranger Tides did not address it, Johnny Depp maintained that Teague was Jack Sparrow's father in an interview with Total Film. The familial connection was official once Jack called Teague "Dad" in On Stranger Tides.
 * At least one of the three rings Captain Teague wears (the skull ring) is of Richards' personal effects, which he owns as a member of the Rolling Stones.
 * In the At World's End video game Teague advised Jack to find Tia Dalma in Port Royal and with her help assemble the Brethren Court. In the game he is clean-shaved, while he has a beard in the films.
 * It is possible that the appearance of this character is based on the original captain of the pirate ship, the Wicked Wench, on the POTC ride.

Appearances

 * Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés
 * Jack Sparrow: Silver
 * Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
 * Jack Sparrow: Sins of the Father
 * The Price of Freedom
 * Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
 * Tears of the Goddess
 * Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
 * Pirates of the Caribbean Online
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Notes and references
Edward Teague