William Turner

"My name is Will Turner, my father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins."

- William Turner

William Turner Jr. was the only son of Bootstrap Bill Turner. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Will was raised by his mother, and had no contact with his father, whom he believed was a merchant sailor.

Early life
"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child. Savvy?"

- Jack Sparrow to Joshamee Gibbs

William Turner lived with his mother in England until her death while Will was still in his childhood. At the age of twelve, Will set off on a quest to track down his father, and traveled to the Caribbean. However, his ship was attacked by the Black Pearl under the command of Captain Hector Barbossa, and was set aflame. Will was the only survivor, and was ultimately spotted and rescued by a young Elizabeth Swann aboard the HMS Dauntless.

Lieutenant James Norrington left Elizabeth to watch over the unconscious boy as his men set about searching the wreckage for further survivors. Alone with Will, Elizabeth was surprised to find a pirate medallion around his neck, and took it from him to protect Will from Norrington, who would undoubtedly consider the boy a pirate and deal out his brand of justice. Elizabeth kept the medallion in her possession for the next eight years.

Will, meanwhile, was taken to Port Royal, where he became apprenticed to John Brown, a local blacksmith. Will became proficient at his trade, and it could be said that he carried out many of the duties neglected by his oft-drunken master. He also began forging a number of swords, and practiced with them for hours at a time. He had developed a hatred towards pirates, and wanted to be able to best one in single combat should the opportunity arise.

During this time, Will's friendship with Elizabeth developed further, but grew into something more romantic as they grew older. Despite Will's feelings towards the girl, he remained reluctant to reveal his true feelings towards her, likely due to the social divide between them.

Pirates
"You need to find yourself a girl, mate. Or, perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you've already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?" "I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it!"

- Jack Sparrow and William Turner

Eight years after the incident on the crossing from England, Governor Weatherby Swann requested of Mr. Brown a sword for Captain Norrington, due to be promoted to Commodore. Will forged the sword himself, and delivered it to the Governor's estate. There, he met Elizabeth, but his polite and reserved manner, still present after all these years of friendship, irritated her, and they parted on less than good terms.

Will returned to the blacksmith's following the ceremony, where he was confronted by Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate currently being hunted by the Royal Navy. Will's noble nature caused him to engage Sparrow in a duel, during which he displayed his skill with a sword. Will's training gave him an advantage over Jack, though the pirate ended the duel by pulling his pistol on his opponent. Even now, Will refused to back down, though Jack was reluctant to shoot the boy&mdash;and thus waste the single shot contained within his gun. His moment of indecision gave Mr. Brown enough time to rise and knock Jack unconscious&mdash;and reap congratulations for "his" efforts from Commodore Norrington.

Jack was imprisoned, and Will continued working at the shop. However, when the Black Pearl launched a surprise attack on the port, he joined the fighting, defeating a number of marauding pirates. However, he was overcome in the battle, and left unconscious. When he awoke, the attack was over, and he soon learned that Elizabeth had been kidnapped by the pirates. Will demanded that Commodore Norrington hunt down the attackers, but with no leads as to the ship's whereabouts, Norrington could do nothing.

Will, however, was not satisfied. He was fiercely loyal to those he cared about, and would not leave Elizabeth in danger. Though it pained him to do so, he made a bargain with Jack Sparrow, freeing him from prison in exchange for information on the Black Pearl. After declaring that he would do anything to save Elizabeth&mdash;even die for her&mdash;Will accompanied Jack as he commandeered the HMS Interceptor, the only ship that had a chance of catching the Black Pearl. With this, Will committed his first act of piracy, a fact that did not sit well with him. He became further conflicted when Jack revealed that his father, whom Jack had known, had been a pirate, and it was a pirate's blood that ran in Will's veins.



Finding the treasure
"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga&hellip;and you're completely obsessed with treasure."

- Jack Sparrow to Will Turner





Marriage interrupted
For aiding Jack Sparrow's escape, Will and Elizabeth were arrested just prior to their wedding ceremony by Lord Cutler Beckett, a man made wealthy and powerful by profits from the East India Trading Company. Beckett offered them clemency if Will brought him Sparrow's compass. Beckett offered Will a letter of marque with which to recruit Jack as a privateer.

With Elizabeth in jail, Will frantically searched for the Black Pearl. He found the crew held captive on Pelegosto Island, where Jack was set to be eaten by the cannibalistic Pelegostos. They escaped with Will's help, and Jack agreed to give Will the compass if he helped him find the key to the Dead Man's Chest.

A touch of destiny
Will, Jack, and the crew traveled upriver, through the Cypress Forest, to meet with Tia Dalma. She took a particular interest in Will, whose name she had somehow divined, stating that he had a touch of destiny about him. Tia informed Jack that the key would unlock the Dead Man's Chest, containing the heart of Davy Jones. The crew set out to find Jones, though Will soon found himself stranded on a wrecked vessel that Jack deviously claimed was Jones' ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. When the real Dutchman suddenly surfaced from the ocean, Jack attempted to barter Will from Davy Jones to repay his debt, though Jones refused, claiming that one soul was not equal to another. Instead, he press-ganged Will into service.

Aboard the Dutchman, Will had a shock encounter with his father, Bootstrap Bill Turner, who had become an indentured sailor on the Dutchman. Will challenged Davy Jones to a game of liar's dice, betting his soul against the key to the Dead Man's Chest. Bootstrap joined in and purposely lost to free Will from an eternity of servitude, at the cost of his own freedom. That night, Will stole the key from Jones himself, and escaped aboard a longboat, though not before vowing to one day free his father. A passing ship, the Edinburgh Trader, rescued him, but Jones summoned the Kraken to destroy it. Will survived and stowed back aboard the Dutchman, now headed for Isla Cruces where the chest containing Jones' heart was buried.

Fight for his father
Arriving at Isla Cruces, Will was reunited with Elizabeth, along with Sparrow and James Norrington, already in possession of the chest. Will made to stab the heart&mdash;thus killing Davy Jones and setting free his father&mdash;though found himself at the point of Jack's sword, and summarily caught in a three-way duel between himself, Sparrow and Norrington, all intent on claiming the heart. Jack managed to unlock the chest and take the heart, though Norrington later stole both it and the letters of marque. Will himself was knocked unconscious by Jack to stop him from stealing the heart for himself, and was rushed aboard the Black Pearl to escape Jones' crewmen.

The Black Pearl set sail and managed to outrun the Flying Dutchman&mdash;a point that did not escape Will's attention&mdash;though it was unable to escape the Kraken. Drawing on his previous experience fighting the monster, Will led the crew in temporarily fending the beast off, giving them time to abandon ship. Realizing the Kraken was only after Sparrow, Elizabeth distracted him with a passionate kiss while chaining him to the mast, effectively killing him. Will witnessed the kiss, and believed Elizabeth was in love with Sparrow. From the longboat, the crew watched on as the Kraken draged the Pearl and Sparrow into the sea.

Will, Elizabeth, and the crew sought refuge at Tia Dalma's shack. As they mourned their fallen captain, Will was particularly despondent, although not only over Elizabeth and Jack. Tia understood his despair: with the Black Pearl, Will could have defeated Davy Jones and freed his father. When Gibbs proposed a toast to Jack, Will glumly raised his mug. Will then attempted to discover just how far Elizabeth would go to save Jack, were there a chance to do so. Tia Dalma proved an answer to this apparently hypothetical question, asking if Will, and the crew, would he be willing to travel to World's End to bring back Jack and the Black Pearl. All agreed, including Will. With that, the recently-resurrected Hector Barbossa revealed himself, and the quest began.

At World's End
Turner journeyed to Singapore with the rest of Barbossa's crew, and attempted to steal Sao Feng's navigational charts to avoid a direct confrontation with the Pirate Lord. He was caught in the attempt, though at some point struck a deal with Feng unbeknownst to Turner's companions. Both Barbossa and Elizabeth denied they knew Will when he was revealed in Feng's bath house, though Elizabeth inadvertantly betrayed him by reacting with horror when Feng made to stab him. Feng's men poised to fight Barbossa's crew when Will pointed out that Steng, believed to be Barbossa's spy, did not belong to either group. at that moment, East India Trading Company soldiers led by Mercer broke into the bath house, forcing Feng, Will and the others to flee. During the fight, Will made good his deal with Sao Feng, obtaining the use of the Hai Peng.

Will sailed with Barbossa and the crew through the frozen ocean, though throughout the trip communicated little with Elizabeth. The Hai Peng went over the waterfall at World's End, with Will attempting to guide its descent. Within Davy Jones' Locker, Will crewed the Black Pearl as everyone made their escape. Later, during a squabble between Jack and Barbossa, Sao Feng took possession of the Black Pearl and named Will captain, as per their deal.

Jack retained command of the Pearl, though refused to trust Will. Turner, however, attempted to help Jack honor his bargain with Lord Cutler Beckett, leaving a trail of bodies tied to barrels, leading Beckett to Shipwreck Island. Jack, however, did not intend to help Beckett, and sent Will overboard, giving him his compass to navigate with. Will made it onboard the Endeavour, and struck his own deal with Beckett.

Immortality
"Will you marry me?" "I don't think now is the best time!"

- William Turner and Elizabeth Swann

Before their climatic battle, Will, Lord Cutler Beckett, and Davy Jones struck parley with Barbossa, Jack, and Elizabeth. At the parley, Will was exchanged for Jack, and was able to repair his relationship with Elizabeth. Will fought alongside her on the Black Pearl, and asked her to marry him in the middle of the maelstrom. Elizabeth asked Barbossa to recite the vows, and they were wed while fighting off soldiers and cursed pirates, hand-in-hand.

Will later boarded the Flying Dutchman, where he was attacked by his maddened father. During the meleé, Will was stabbed in the chest by Davy Jones (who was wielding a sword Will himself had forged), and his life faded as his wife held him. Upon seeing this, Bootstrap snapped out of Jones' hold on him. He attacked Jones but was quickly thrown aside. However, Jack ensured Will stabbed Jones' heart, not only defeating him but giving Will eternal life by making him the new captain of the Dutchman. Will's father cut out his son's heart and placed it in the Dead Man's Chest, before the Dutchman was consumed by the maelstrom.

One day
"Keep a weather eye on the horizon."

- William Turner to Elizabeth Swann

The ship returned, with Will at its helm, to join the Black Pearl in devastating the Endeavour with cannonfire. Victory came at a high price for Will, however. As captain of the Dutchman, he could only set foot on land every ten years. Will had one day with Elizabeth&mdash;their honeymoon, during which their marriage was consummated&mdash;before leaving to carry out his duty and ferry souls into the afterlife. Prior to leaving, Will gave Elizabeth his heart, stating that it had always been hers. Will departed, disappearing in the green flash at sunset.

He returned ten years later to be with his wife and their nine-year-old child, named after both his father and grandfather. It was believed that if Elizabeth remained faithful for ten years, the curse of the Dutchman would be broken, heralded by the green flash signalling the return of a soul from the dead.

Behind the scenes

 * Will Turner is portrayed by Orlando Bloom.
 * The character is voiced by Crispin Freeman in Kingdom Hearts II and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.
 * The character is believed to have been based upon Guybrush Threepwood from the Monkey Island games, with whom he shares many similarities. As the archetypal hero of the series, Will also shares traits with other fictional characters, notably Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars saga.
 * Will's name, as with Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann, is linked to birds; in this case, he is named after the ornithologist William Turner.
 * On the DVD commentary of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the scriptwriters reveal Will is said to be the best swordsman of all the main characters.
 * The original plan for the Pirates of the Carribean film was to have Will as the lead role.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Kingdom Hearts II