Cotton

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how."

- Joshamee Gibbs to Jack Sparrow

Cotton was a pirate who operated in the Caribbean during the Age of Piracy, most notably during the mid-18th century. Prior to joining the crew of the Black Pearl, Cotton had his tongue cut out, due to an encounter with Mungard. He subsequently trained his loyal parrot to speak for him&mdash;though how he, as a mute, achieved such a feat remains unknown.

Loosing his tongue
"Lock up the Code! Strike the wenches! And if any of ye ever speak a word of this...I'll have your tongue." "...Aye, sir. Mum's the word." [squawks] "Mum's the word."

- Mungard, Cotton and Cotton's Parrot

Not much is known of Cotton's early life, but it is known that he would still live in Shipwreck Cove by the mid-1740s with his loyal parrot. One night, he would join a group of pirates as the Auctioneer led an auction on two wenches, Scarlett and Giselle. The bidding would end with the Marquis D'avis winning with seven hundred and two goats. After accidentally shooting at the Pirate Code, a pirate named Mungard ordered the Code locked up and warned the crowd of pirates that if any of them speak a word of what occurred, that he would have their tongues. It was then that Cotton and his parrot assured Mungard that mum's the word.

However, Mungard ended up cutting off Cotton's tongue anyway, though it is unknown if Cotton's tongue was cut before or after Cotton spilled the beans about Mungard. For the next few days, Cotton would subsequently teach his parrot how to talk for him; though how he, as a mute, achieved such a feat is unknown.

Jack Sparrow's crew
"You, sailor!" "Cotton, sir." "Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death? Mr. Cotton! Answer, man."

- Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs



Cotton was at Tortuga the day Jack Sparrow arrived seeking a crew to journey with him to Isla de Muerta, when William Turner set out to rescue Elizabeth Swann from Hector Barbossa and his cursed pirates. Cotton signed up for service aboard Jack's ship, the commandeered Royal Navy vessel HMS Interceptor, accompanied as ever by his parrot.

Cotton served faithfully throughout the adventure that followed, and continued to serve after Jack's crew commandeered the Black Pearl. He accidentally destroyed a merchant vessel carrying St. Piran's Blade, though Jack later retrieved the item and handed it over to Will Turner. Approximately one year later, Cotton was captured on Pelegosto along with the rest of the crew, and helped his comrades escape the cannibalistic natives and return to the Pearl. He was also one of the few to survive the Kraken's attack on the Pearl, during which Captain Sparrow sacrificed himself to save his men.

Davy Jones' Locker
"Cotton. Cotton's parrot, I'm a little iffy, but...at least I'll have someone to talk to."

- Jack Sparrow to Cotton and his parrot

Through his parrot, Cotton voiced his agreement to join the quest to World's End, endeavouring to bring Jack back from Davy Jones' Locker. The crew first infiltrated Sao Feng's bath house, where Cotton took control of the steam controls while the others set bombs. He later fought against East India Trading Company soldiers in the streets of Singapore, sniping at them from inside a barrel. He took the wheel of the Pearl during the battle around Calypso's maelstrom, after fighting Morey with part of the wheel. He continued to serve aboard after Barbossa's second mutiny.

His further fate is unknown.

Personality and traits
Cotton was a older man with a thick white beard. The man seemed to have some affliction to his right eye for he seemed to keep it shut. He was of normal height and lean built that made his an excellent helmsman. Among the clothes he wore, Cotton wore a faded blue bandanna and a dull yellow shirt, possibly to mirror his parrot. He also wore is standard brown vest and pants as well as a neckerchief.

Prior to losing his tongue, Cotton seemed to be a big talker. For example, when the pirate Mungard threatened anyone who spoke about his heinous act of having shot the Code, the pirates present all looked to Cotton for emphasis. As a mute, Cotton became very compliant. It unknown how, but Cotton was able to successfully train his parrot to talk for him. He also seemed to very knowledgeable with a ship's helm.

Behind the scenes

 * Cotton was portrayed in The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End and Wedlocked by David Bailie.
 * The only known time that Cotton speaks was during Wedlocked.
 * From the dialogue in Wedlocked, it is implied that Mungard was the one who cut Cotton's tongue out. Though if the cutting happened before or after Cotton spilled the beans about Mungard, is unknown.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * The Accidental Pirate!
 * Revenge of the Pirates!
 * The Capture of Jack Sparrow!
 * Going Overboard!
 * The Eye of Dispair!
 * 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
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
 * LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game