- "Down on your marrow bones and pray!"
- ―Clanker to Will Turner
Clanker was a crew member serving aboard the Flying Dutchman, under the command of Captain Davy Jones around the time of the search for the Dead Man's Chest.
Biography[]
At some unknown point in his life, Clanker became a member of the Crew of the Flying Dutchman under Captain Davy Jones. When William Turner Jr. appeared aboard the Scuttled ship, the crew fought the young man, Clanker among them. He threatened and attacked Will with a chain shot, but was cut down. Eventually, Crash knocked Will out. Davy Jones boarded the ship, and Turner revealed that Jack Sparrow was nearby aboard the Black Pearl. Clanker and the other crewmen boarded the Pearl, and held back the Motley crew as Jones and Sparrow negotiated.[1]
Later, Clanker and the other crewmen were working around the ship. He watched as Davy Jones had William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner Sr punish his son. Clanker played Liar's Dice against Koleniko and Maccus, and then looked on as William Turner challenged and played against Davy Jones. Clanker was, later, one of the crewmen who turned the Kraken Hammer, and was whipped by Jimmy Legs. He executed a crewman of the Edinburgh Trader after the ship was ripped apart by the Kraken.[1]
Under Maccus, Clanker and the other crewmen traveled to Isla Cruces in Jones' stead as the captain could not step on dry land. The crew discovered the Dead Man's Chest empty, and, hearing the bell tower, put two and two together and headed to the tower. On the way, they found and ambushed Pintel, Ragetti and Elizabeth Swann, dueling them in sword combat. Clanker fought Ragetti, and was stabbed against a tree. The fight was soon taken back to the beach, where Clanker, along with Maccus, Crash, Wheelback, and Greenbeard got run over by the large wheel on top of which Will Turner and James Norrington were fighting. The Motley crew escaped with their lives, much to the dismay of Davy Jones. Later when the Dutchman ambushed the Pearl off Isla Cruces, Clanker manned the cannons and fired on Jack Sparrow's ship. The ship got away, but was soon tracked down and torn apart by the Kraken. Clanker stepped back in fear when he witnessed Jones' rage when he opened the chest and discovered his heart was not there.[1]
He was present as the East India Trading Company crew of the HMS Endeavour under Lord Cutler Beckett boarded the Flying Dutchman. Jones pushed past him to talk to Beckett. The East India Company soon took over the ship. By order of Beckett and Jones, he and the crew attacked Sao Feng's flagship, the Empress, and executed most of the crew. Clanker was shocked to later find Admiral James Norrington dead at the hands of Bootstrap Bill Turner and Davy Jones. He fled to the captain's cabin at Maccus' command.[2]
During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Clanker remained aboard the Dutchman. He and the rest of the crew were present as Davy Jones confronted Jack Sparrow, only for Sparrow to swing onto the main mast to safety. Clanker was conveniently swinging around the ship's mast when Jack Sparrow fell off of the mast. Jack fell onto the rope, stole his gun and pushed him down onto the deck. Later he was reverted back to human form when William Turner was inaugurated as captain of the Dutchman.[2] His further fate remains unknown, through it is likely that he either left the Dutchman or chose to remain in service to Turner.
Appearance and traits[]
Similarly to Bootstrap Bill Turner and various other Dutchman crew members like Koleniko, Broondjongen and Herman, Clanker bears a more human appearance than those of other crewmates indicating they are all probably newer additions to the Dutchman crew in comparison to other members like Palifico whose face was completely encompassed by tube worms and fire coral or Hadras whose entire head had transformed into one big conch shell.[citation needed] Nonetheless Clanker's transformation was still a lulu; his face was covered in barnacles and mussels—his left eye being completely covered—and he had seaweed in place of hair under his algae-covered hat while sea anemones grew from his left shoulder.[3] He had a hole in his forehead, which was lined with a circle of shells, and his tongue, inside an inhumanly-wide mouth, appeared to be an oyster. The mussels on his face were known to respond to Clanker's mood; for instance, they would simulate laughter whenever Clanker was amused.[7] His wicked laugh can be heard echoing around the ship, especially when he sees others suffer.[3]
Equipment and skills[]
Known as a barnacled-browed blackguard,[3] Clanker commonly slammed his way through battle weilding two lengths of chain-shot with devastating effect. When Jack Sparrow was imprisoned in the Flying Dutchman's brig, Clanker took possession of the pirate's flintlock pistol for a time, though Sparrow reclaimed it after escaping.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
- Clanker was portrayed by Andy Beckwith in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.[1][2]
- The name "Clanker" first appeared in the 2006-2007 reference books Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide and The Complete Visual Guide,[3] as well as a poster used by the Industrial Light & Magic visual effects crew.[4] However, the character was given the name "Clacker" in the ending credits,[1][2][5][6] having originally been written in the film's screenplays.[8][9]
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for Dead Man's Chest, Clacker only appeared in the Liar's Dice scene aboard the Flying Dutchman. His onscreen line at the scuttled ship "Down on your marrow bones and pray!" was instead said by Maccus.[8]
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay draft for At World's End, during the battle of Calypso's maelstrom between the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl, the Dutchman crewman who was to be head-butted by Jack Sparrow on one of the Dutchman's lines was specified to just be a "Dutchman Crewman". Instead, Clacker was to confront Pintel and Ragetti on board the Black Pearl only to be sent over the edge, leaving Pintel holding his clinking chain shot.[9]
- Zizzle produced an action figure of Clanker for the first series of its Secrets of the Deep line. NECA produced a Clanker figure in its third series of Dead Man's Chest figures.
- Although Clanker was pushed into the Maelstrom like a few other crewmembers like Hadras, it's implied that he survived as when members became human, Andy Beckwith is seen among them. This implies that he either landed on the Flying Dutchman or that the crewmembers of the Flying Dutchman cannot be killed. Alternatively, it's possible that the creators didn't care and randomly put all the actors who played the Flying Dutchman crew without speculating of whether some died or not. In answering a fan question about Clanker's fate, Beckwith stated that he hopes that Clanker survived.[10]
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game) (First identified as Quartermaster)
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide (First identified as Clanker)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p. 67: "Davy Jones' Crew"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Complete Guide to Davy Jones' Crew: Unmasked
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 POTC2 Presskit
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 POTC3 Presskit
- ↑ Industrial Light & Magic: The Show: Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Head Spin: Clanker
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- ↑ @Acting_Voices Andy Beckwith on Twitter