Continuity errors

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Pirates of the Caribbean is a Disney media franchise originating with Walt Disney's theme park ride of the same name, which opened at Disneyland in 1967. In the 2000s, it became a franchise with a number of movies, books, comic books, as well as related video games and other media publications. As such, this large franchise contains many continuity errors, plot holes, and in the case of the films themselves, movie mistakes, all of which cause significant problems for the canon. Some information also appears online, such as the official Disney website. It should also be noted that information coming from the website may be misinterpreted, and information from Disney is not always consistent with the filmmakers' story and world building.

Why was the Santiago carrying treasure?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Jack Sparrow discovers the wreck of the Santiago, an early 16th century Spanish vessel famously captained by Juan Ponce de León. In 1523 de León sailed the Sanitago to the New World to search for the Fountain of Youth, but the ship ended up stranded on an unnamed island, with de León's corpse lying in bed in the captain's cabin. When Jack enters the cabin he finds it full of treasure. Hector Barbossa, who entered the cabin before Jack, declares that "If forty pirates dreamt forty nights of treasure, it would not match the contents of this room." However, there was no reason for de León and his crew to carry treasure on a research expedition, and even if the Spanish attacked and looted some of the native tribes in the Caribbean, the treasure would not contain the European gold and silver coins shown in the cabin.

Eight hundred and eighty-two identical pieces

Eight hundred and eighty-two not so identical pieces.

During the Black Pearl's journey to Isla de Muerta, Hector Barbossa tells Elizabeth Swann the legend of the Treasure of Cortés, and says the treasure was composed of "eight hundred and eighty-two identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortés himself". However, two different designs were shown in the film. One had a skull surrounded by an Aztec calendar on both sides of the coin, while the other had the skull on one side and two geometrical pictographs on the other. In the opening scene when young Elizabeth Swann (played by Lucinda Dryzek) held Will Turner's gold medallion and noticed the Black Pearl in the fog there were pictographs on the back side of the medallion. When Barbossa attempted to lift the curse with Elizabeth's blood and dropped the medallion into the Chest of Cortés, there were skulls on both sides.

When did the First Brethren Court imprison Calypso?

When did this happen?

Although Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End introduced the Brethren Court, specifically the backstory of the First Court, during which the nine Pirate Lords bound the sea goddess Calypso in the human form of Tia Dalma, as well as the Fourth Court, which saw the goddess's release. According to The Pirates' Code Guidelines, a book which was allegedly written by Joshamee Gibbs, the first meeting of the Brethren Court occurred "in the days before the great Hellenic society of Greece was founded". Although the film's junior novelization does not reveal the full story, a revised edition titled "Special Edition" does include the plot and ending in full. Davy Jones reveals that the Brethren's spell stripped Tia Dalma/Calypso of her memory, and Tia said it claimed she spent centuries not knowing what she was because of the Brethren Court. In addition, the Pirate's Code book was described as "set down by the First Court" rather than the Second Court, which was previously established by Barbossa to Sao Feng in Singapore.

However, many things associated with the First Brethren Court indicate that the meeting occured at a much later date. The Nine Pieces of Eight were named after the Spanish dollar which was first minted after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. Mistress Ching's piece of eight is a pair of spectacles, and the first eyeglasses were invented in Italy at the end of the 13th century. Capitaine Chevalle's piece of eight was a Queen of Spades playing card. The first "court cards" (with queens and kings) originated in Italy in the late 14th century. In dialogue presented in the film and the video game, Calypso charged Davy Jones with the duty to ferry the souls of those who died at sea to the afterlife aboard the Flying Dutchman, portrayed as an early 17th century hybrid of a fluyt and galleon, prior to Jones abandoning his duty and showing the First Court how to bind Calypso.

Possible explanation - The only confirmed point so far is that the 'time Greece was founded' is far too early and makes no sense as, for there to be a Court, pirates needed to gather from all over the world, and that wasn't happening then. The more certain point is that the First Court would have occurred sometime within the 17th century, based on the current timeline, and that the First Court is sort of a myth among the pirates and therefore many details of the story are false or exaggerated. In-universally speaking, it is likely that the belief the First Court was founded in ancient Greece originated due to Calypso being featured in Greek mythology, hence why Gibbs wrote this version into his book. The errors made in the Special Edition of the At World's End junior novelization may also be considered in the author's part, as there is no screenplay fully detailing the events of the First and Second Courts, specifically in that it was confirmed through multiple sources, including the book itself, that the Code was set down during the Second Court.

Who was the First Pirate King?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the French Pirate Lord Chevalle explains that there was only one Pirate King of the Brethren Court before the election of Elizabeth Swann. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow the infamous pirate captain Stone-Eyed Sam is called the Pirate King of Isla Esquelética several times, but none of the other materials explain if he is also supposed to be first Pirate King of the Brethren Court.

Constance the cat

Constance Magliore makes her first appearance in the first book of the Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow series. Cursed by the mystic Tia Dalma, the girl was transformed into a cat some time before the events of the series. In the book she is described as a cat with gray fur and yellow eyes. In the cancelled graphic novel Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties Constance appears as a black cat with green eyes.

Left-Foot Louis' Jolly Roger

The infamous pirate Left-Foot Louis and his ship, the Cutlass, appear for the first time in the third book in the Young Jack Sparrow series, The Pirate Chase. The book's cover shows Louis' pirate flag as black with the red skull and crossbones. In the book the skull and crossbones symbol is described as "scarlet instead of white" and "blood-red". In the next book, The Sword of Cortés, the whole flag is described as crimson.

The Wicked Wench

How did Jack Sparrow get the Wicked Wench?

According to The Pirates' Code Guidelines, Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean, The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, the Black Pearl was originally named the Wicked Wench. In The Pirates' Guidelines and The Price of Freedom, both based on a backstory featured in the screenplay and "Just Good Business" deleted scene of At World's End, the Wicked Wench was originally an EITC merchant ship that Cutler Beckett gave the twenty-five year old Jack Sparrow command of. But when Sparrow refused to transport humans as slaves, Beckett had the ship burned and Sparrow branded a pirate. This caused Jack to make a deal with Davy Jones who raised the ship from the bottom of the sea in exchange for Jack's soul after thirteen years of captaincy which eventually leads into the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. However, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales gives the ship a different backstory where the Wench was a pirate ship and Jack became the ship's captain as an eighteen-year-old boy.

Jack Sparrow's sword

Young Jack Sparrow series

In Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm Jack Sparrow's first sword is described as a rapier. In Jack Sparrow: City of Gold the sword is described as a cutlass.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Jack Sparrow uses a hanger or saber in a duel against Davy Jones aboard the Flying Dutchman. As Jack slashes down, Jones uses his crab claw to snap Sparrow's sword, later used to help Will Turner stab the heart of Davy Jones. However, the handle of Jack's sword is seen in the ending scene(s) at Tortuga docks and Jack's dinghy. It is unconfirmed what exactly happens with Jack's weapon after Calypso's maelstrom, but given his further usage of a sword, there are at least two theories: Jack got he kept his old sword and has it reforged or simply acquired a new sword that was similar in design to the old one.

Explanation - Production-wise, the details regarding the fate of Jack Sparrow's sword was not decided. The Tortuga ending scene of At World's End was filmed in April 6, 2005, whereas the Maelstrom battle sequence was shot mid-September to early December 2006. There is currently no in-universe reason behind this error other than fan speculation about Jack having his old sword reforged, or that he simply acquired a new sword that was similar in design to the old one.

When asked about the subject with the aforementioned information, screenwriter Terry Rossio stated his opinion that Jack, being a pirate, and having no particular sentimental attachment to any particular sword, would simply acquire a new sword, rather than go to the trouble of re-forging. One reason being the "difficulty of finding the proper facilities - they might exist, but they wouldn't be easily used by a wanted pirate." The second reason, of which Rossio is partly of the belief, is that his version of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales would introduce a "sword of special significance for Jack." Although the concept of Jack Sparrow's bane never made it to the final cut of the film, it was retained in Rossio's unproduced screenplay.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

During the battle at Whitecap Bay, Jack Sparrow uses his sword to save Angelica from one of the mermaid's seaweed tendrils. Then, as Jack runs across the docks and towards the lighthouse, he loses his sword as a seaweed whip wraps around it and wrenches out of his hand. Jack remained swordless through the aftermath of the battle when Blackbeard congratulated Philip Swift on capturing Syrena. But after Blackbeard gave orders to the Queen Anne's Revenge crew ("Back to the ship. We head for a protected cove. Now."), Jack immediately had his sword in his hand without any indication of how he retrieved it.

Explanation - According to what was written in a screenplay draft of On Stranger Tides: Angelica tosses Jack back his sword. Blackbeard notes the gesture, turns his back and moves on --, which occurred after Blackbeard's aforementioned line. There were at least one clip from a featurette, as well as a promotional image of Angelica holding Jack's sword, both of which prove the scene was filmed.

Jack the Sparrow

When did young Jack become known as Jack Sparrow?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the undead Spanish Royal Navy officer Capitán Armando Salazar recounts the story of his downfall to the imprisoned pirate Hector Barbossa. According to Salazar, a young pirate aboard the Wicked Wench mocked him, provocatively hoisting the black pirate flag, and with that act of defiance earned himself the name "Jack the Sparrow". However, Jack was already known as Jack Sparrow since his teenage adventures in Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, a few years before the flashback scene in Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Possible explanation - Since Salazar wasn't personally aboard the Wicked Wench, he couldn't have known the full details of exactly what happened there or who was aboard what ship, and the story he told Barbossa's is just Salazar's misinterpreted version of a story which he heard from someone else.

When did Jack Sparrow become a pirate captain?

Captain or not?

The flashback scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shows 18-year-old Jack Sparrow taking command of the Wicked Wench and causing the downfall of the Spanish pirate hunter Armando Salazar. After the battle the surviving pirates give him a tribute, accepting him as their leader and captain. However, in his next chronological appearance, in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, 20-year-old Jack is just an ordinary deckhand aboard Captain Teague's ship, the Troubadour.

Possible explanation - Jack Sparrow was only captain of the Wicked Wench temporarily or simply lost his captaincy to join Edward Teague's crew.

Who killed Armando Salazar's father?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Capitán Armando Salazar explains to Hector Barbossa that pirates took the life of his father and father before him, causing him to join the Spanish Navy and eventually become a ruthless pirate hunter. However, the Dead Men Tell No Tales novelization explains that Salazar himself killed his father for taking bribe from pirates and disgracing their family. Jerry Bruckheimer further confirmed that pirates corrupted Salazar's father.

Possible explanation - Salazar did personally kill his father, but blamed his drive to do so on the pirates his father had taken bribes from and they were thus the cause of his father's death.

Is Mistresss Ching blind or not?

Mistress Ching, the Pirate Lord of the Pacific Ocean, was described as being completely blind in early and later drafts of the At World's End screenplay, the official Disney Pirates website c. 2007, the "Inside the Brethren Court" special feature in the At World's End DVD, and the 2011 prequel novel The Price of Freedom. However, in her appearance in the Legends of the Brethren Court series, which takes place in between The Price of Freedom and At World's End, Ching can see just fine.

How did Salazar learn Jack Sparrow's name?

"Do you know this pirate?" That sounds fine and all, but the better question is, how do you even know who this pirate is?

According to Armando Salazar the young Jack Sparrow earned his name with his act of defiance to the cruel Spanish officer. Following the sinking of the Silent Mary Salazar and his crew remained trapped in the Devil's Triangle for several decades, with literally no contact with the outside world. At the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the Monarch sails into the Triangle, the ghostly Spaniards attack the ship, slaughter its crew, and find Henry Turner locked in the brig below deck. When Salazar sees Henry's wanted posters scattered across the floor he instantly recognizes Jack Sparrow's name. However, none of the Dead Men Tell No Tales materials explain how Salazar learned Jack's name in the first place.

Possible explanation - While Salazar was trapped in the Triangle, several ships sailed inside, where the Silent Mary crew killed all but one of the crewmen to tell their tale to the ghosts. The events leading to Salazar's death, imprisonment, and the young pirate responsible may have been some of the tales told.

Incorrect Fourth Brethren Court information

DisneyPirates.Com map

The Pirates' Code Guidelines map

Maps from official Pirates media (top) with fan-made corrections (bottom)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End featured a gathering in which the Pirate Lords of the Fourth Brethren Court meet to make a last plan of action against the onslaughts of Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company armada. The entire international Pirate Brethren were advertised as a rogue's gallery of cutthroats from all the seven seas. This included revealing the Pirate Lords' titles being based on the seas on which they hailed from around the world. As such, in promoting the film, there were at least two maps featuring the pirate flags belonging to all nine Pirate Lords of the Fourth Court. However, there were several errors made in these maps.

On the official Disney Pirates of the Caribbean website, there was a map featuring flags from all nine Pirate Lords, but the placement of Ammand, Chevalle, Villanueva, and Barbossa's flags were misplaced in the wrong seas. In The Pirates' Code Guidelines, the map had all the flags in the right place, but with a few errors of its own. Notable errors include the spelling of "Mistres" Ching, as well as Sao Feng's flag being the black flag with a red skeleton dangling in the center rather than the more notable purple flag with a golden hand holding a sword with Chinese letters next to it.

Explanation(s): There is currently (and will likely be) no explanation as to why flags were misplaced in the wrong seas or why "Mistress" was spelled as "Mistres" other than the possibility of pirates' intelligence being called into question. However, an explanation was provided for Sao Feng's flag being different in both maps: "Pirates were known to change their flags, and use false flags. Rather than presume a mistake, I would go with the explanation that for different reasons at different times, different flags were chosen. Certainly the examples of treachery in At World's End supports the idea of choosing different flags to emphasize different situations and alliances."

Pirate Lordships

Jack Sparrow

According to The Pirates' Code Guidelines, each Pirate Lord names his or her successor to the Brethren Court. The Pirates of the Caribbean Online lore explains that Jack Sparrow inherited the seat in the Court when his father, Captain Teague, left the Court. In Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East, Hector Barbossa mentions that Jack became the Pirate Lord the same way that Liang Dao did, by inheriting the title from his father. However, Jack counters that statement by claiming that the story of his Pirate Lordship is complicated.

Another inconsistency is Jack's territory. All the materials show Jack as the Lord of the Caribbean, but his father, Captain Teague, was the Lord of Madagascar. Jack's predecessor in the Caribbean, Lady Esmeralda, inherited the title from her grandfather, Don Rafael, and her fate following her first and only appearance is unknown.

Captain Teague

According to The Pirates' Code Guidelines, Wild Waters, and The Price of Freedom Captain Teague is the Keeper of the Code and the Pirate Lord of Madagascar. However, the "Inside the Brethren Court" featurette from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD reveals the Pirate Lords' titles were based on the seas on which they hailed. Madagascar is not a body of water but an island. Also, in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Hector Barbossa asks the assembled Pirate Lords of the Fourth Brethren Court to show their Pieces of Eight to confirm their lordship and right to heard. None of the POTC materials explain what Teague's Piece of Eight was supposed to be, or if he even had one.

Hector Barbossa

The "Inside the Brethren Court" featurette from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD implies that Hector Barbossa became the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea after his first mutiny against Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl. However, Barbossa received his Piece of Eight from the previous Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, Boris "Borya" Palachnik, approximately eight years before the mutiny, in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom.

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters, while the crew of the Black Pearl is preparing to sail for Europe to recover the Shadow Gold from Chevalle and the Pirate Lord of the Black Sea, Jack Sparrow admits he has no idea who the current Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea is supposed to be, even though he saw Barbossa in possession of Boris Palachnik's Piece of Eight approximately six years earlier, in The Price of Freedom. In the same scene, when Jack mocks the unnamed Pirate Lord, Barbossa furiously glares at Jack, implying that he already is the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, but he prefers to keep his status a secret for the time being.

Possible explanation - Barbossa started openly identifying himself as a Pirate Lord after his mutiny against Jack Sparrow.

Sao Feng

According to the "Inside the Brethren Court" featurette from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD Sao Feng inherited his Piece of Eight and Pirate Lordship from his father. However, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East, Feng took the Piece of Eight from his older brother Liang Dao who inherited the title from their father.

First meetings

Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones

When did they first meet?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom one of the flashback scenes shows the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court magically summoning Davy Jones aboard Captain Teague's ship, the Troubadour. When Jones appears on the Troubadour's gun deck both he and Jack Sparrow act like they've never seen each other before. Before Jones appears Jack even tells his lady friend Esmeralda that he has never seen Jones before. However, their first meeting occured a few years earlier, at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: City of Gold.

Explanation - Ann C. Crispin, the author of The Price of Freedom, did not know about Jack Sparrow's encounter with Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow. Before she wrote her novel The Walt Disney Company gave her only one book to read, Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean.

Hector Barbossa and Edward Teague

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters when Jack Sparrow brings his crew to Libertalia they encounter Jack's father, Captain Teague, who invites them to his home. Neither Teague nor Hector Barbossa make any sign of recognizing each other, even though they met for the first time approximately six years earlier in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom.

Explanation - Ann C. Crispin, the author of The Price of Freedom, did not know about Barbosssa's encounter with Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court. Before she wrote her novel The Walt Disney Company gave her only one book to read, Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean.

Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, when Gibbs tells Will Turner the story of Hector Barbossa's mutiny on the Black Pearl he explains the mutiny occured before he met Jack Sparrow. However, according to Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Sins of the Father Gibbs was a friend of Jack Sparrow's family for many years, and he knew Jack since he was a little boy.

Hector Barbossa's hair color

Hector Barbossa was described as having "grizzled, graying hair" in The Price of Freedom, which takes place over a decade before the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where Barbossa's hair is brown. The 2008 book Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean, which takes place between the 2011 novel and the 2003 film, described Barbossa as having a "scraggly red beard".

Jack Sparrow's impersonation of Frederick Penwallow

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Jack Sparrow spends five or six years working for the East India Trading Company. During his voyages as captain of the Wicked Wench Jack visits the island of New Avalon in the Bahamas two times. The first time Jack delivers some building materials for the plantation of Cutler Beckett's superior, Lord Reginald Marmaduke Bracegirdle-Penwallow. During that visit he meets Penwallow's overseer, Tobias Montgomery, who shows him the plantation. On the second voyage, Jack intends to free the enslaved Zerzuran prince Shabako from the plantation belonging to St. John Fenwick, which is located right next to Penwallow's plantation. Jack disguises himself as a nobleman and goes to Penwallow's plantation impersonating Penwallow's son, Baron Frederick Penwallow. When Jack encounters Tobias Montgomery again, the overseer doesn't recognize him.

When did Bootstrap Bill Turner serve aboard the Wicked Wench?

Zizzle's toy figure for Bootstrap Bill Turner describes the character as "Former crew member of the Wicked Wench and the Black Pearl" in the back of the box. This description was later reused in an older version of the official Disney Pirates website circa 2010. However, the Wicked Wench appears in the 2011 novel The Price of Freedom and the 2017 film Dead Men Tell No Tales, but no sailor named "William", "Bootstrap" or "Bill Turner" was ever identified aboard the ship.

Where was Will Turner born and raised?

The description of Zizzle's "Final Battle Will Turner" toy figure gives Glasgow, Scotland, as Will Turner's place of origin. However, in Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean, when Billy Turner encounters Jack Sparrow in Tortuga he mentions that his wife and recently born baby boy William are living in North Carolina. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Will tells to Jack Sparrow that his mother raised him in England.

Where is Barbossa?

The short comic The Island of Fortune shows Jack Sparrow and his crew sailing across the Arabian Sea after the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court but before Hector Barbossa's first mutiny on the Black Pearl. However, Barbossa, who is supposed to be Jack's first mate during that time, does not appear in the comic.

Ragetti's right eye

When did Ragetti lose his right eye?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties: Strangers Bearing Gifts - A Tale of the Black Pearl Ragetti loses his right eye when Pintel accidentally stabs him in the eye socket when Barbossa's cursed crew has to fight against an army of souls led by the Greek demigod Palaimon. However, Ragetti was already one-eyed at least five years earlier, during the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom.

Jack Sparrow's hat

Where did Jack's hat come from?

According to the "Inside the Brethren Court" featurette from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD the silver coin in Jack Sparrow's Piece of Eight was one of the first two bits he ever pirated, and he bought his famous hat with the second bit. In addition, it was hinted in the Pirate Belles draft of the Tales of the Code: Wedlocked screenplay that the Auctioneer was the one who sold or traded the hat to Jack. However, the flashback scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shows the young Jack receiving the hat as a tribute from the pirate crew of the Wicked Wench.

Jack Sparrow's waist sash

Who gave Jack his waist sash?

In the 2011 prequel novel Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom Princess Amenirdis of Zerzura gives Jack Sparrow a white and red waist sash, enchanted with spells of protection to keep him safe on his journeys across the Seven Seas. However, the flashback scene in the 2017 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shows the young Jack receiving the sash approximately seven years earlier as a tribute from the pirate crew of the Wicked Wench.

Explanation - these are in fact, two different sashes. The pattern in the flashback scene is two bold red lines, three thin red lines, two bold red lines. The pattern of the older Jack's sash is two thin red lines, bold red line, two thin red lines. Since Jack didn't have any sash when he abandoned the pirate's life in The Price of Freedom, two years after the events shown in the flashback scene, it's possible he lost the tribute sash. Jack also had another sash which he wore even earlier, during his teenage adventures in Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow.

How old was Will Turner when the Dauntless saved him?

How old are you, boy?

According to Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's original screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Irene Trimble's The Curse of the Black Pearl novelization William Turner was twelve years old when the crew of the HMS Dauntless saved him on the open sea following the destruction of the Princess at the hands of Hector Barbossa's cursed crew. However, Trimble's Dead Man's Chest novelization states that Will was ten years old when the Dauntless saved him.

The Union Jack

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the Union Jack displayed in Fort Charles is the historically accurate version of the flag, the combination of flags of England and Scotland. In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides the Royal Navy frigate HMS Providence flies the 19th century version of the Union Jack, with Saint Patrick's Cross, the symbol of Ireland, embedded on it. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the British forces once again use the historically accurate 18th century version of the flag, without Saint Patrick's Cross.

Invisible fort

Where is Fort Charles?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl right after Jack Sparrow's arrest at John Brown's blacksmith shop there's a shot of the Navy dock with the HMS Interceptor and Fort Charles in the background. When Jack and Will Turner arrive at the same place the next morning Fort Charles is missing.

Skeletal pirates in Port Royal

Koehler's arm turned into bones under the moonlight, but what happened with the rest of Barbossa's cursed crew?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, during the attack on Port Royal Koehler and Twigg break into the Fort Charles prison, searching for the armory, but finding Jack Sparrow instead. When Jack tells them to worry about their own fortunes because the deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers, Koehler grabs Jack's neck, putting his arm under the rays of moonlight which magically transforms the arm into its undead skeletal form, revealing that the curse of the Aztec Gold is real. Consequently, at the same time all the cursed pirates in Port Royal and aboard the Black Pearl should have transformed into skeletons, since they were exposed to the same moonlight. However, after the battle none of the soldiers or civilians make any mention of pirates turning into living skeletons.

Do the cursed pirates have senses or not?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl when Hector Barbossa explains the nature of the curse of the Aztec Gold to Elizabeth Swann he says he and his men eventually realized "the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust". He also says he's been "parched of thirst and unable to quench it", and "starvin' to death", without dying. He finishes his statement by saying "I feel nothing. Not the wind on my face, nor the spray of the sea... nor the warmth of a woman's flesh." However, during the attack on Port Royal, when Will Turner hit Jacoby in the back with his axe the pirate yelled in pain before falling down, seemingly dead. When Elizabeth dropped burning coal from a bed warmer on Ragetti, the pirate yelled that the coal was hot. During the battle of Isla de Muerta when Will and Elizabeth stabbed the three pirates with a golden pole, one of them screamed in pain. When Elizabeth took off her red dress and threw it at Barbossa the pirate captain said "Ooh, it's still warm." In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End during the motley crew's voyage to the Farthest Gate, Jack the Monkey shivered from the cold.

Can Elizabeth's necklace repair itself?

When Barbossa attempts to lift the curse of the Aztec Gold in the treasure cave he forcefully takes Elizabeth Swann's gold medallion from around Elizabeth's neck, breaking the gold chain. A few moments later, when Barbossa drops the medallion into the Chest of Cortés, the chain is intact. Later, aboard the HMS Interceptor, Will Turner finds out Elizabeth is in possession of the medallion. Instead of unclasping the chain Elizabeth pulls at it, breaking the chain and giving the medallion to Will. Later, when Barbossa attempts to lift the curse for the second time, the medallion is hanging from around Will's neck, the chain apparently intact again.

Ship details

The Wicked Wench's figurehead

Who put that figurehead on the ship?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom following the sinking of Jack Sparrow's ship, the Wicked Wench, Jack ends up in the realm of the dead where he makes a deal with Davy Jones, the supernatural lord of the sea. Jones resurrects Jack and his ship, leaving them both in Tortuga. In exchange, Jack promises Jones one hundred years of service aboard Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman, after thirteen years of captaincy on the resurrected Wench. In accordance with Jack's instructions Jones heavily arms the Wench, but on his own he also supplies the ship with a beautiful figurehead, a graceful black angel holding a black dove in her left hand, something which the Wench originally didn't have. However, the flashback scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shows the same figurehead on the Wench's bowsprit at least seven years before Jack made a deal with Jones.

The Black Pearl's steering wheel

In the first three movies the Black Pearl's steering wheel faced forward, with the drum at the back, so everyone wanting to steer the ship had to stand either to the left of the wheel or to the right of it. In On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales the wheel was turned around, facing the back, and the helmsman could stand directly behind the wheel.

Possible explanation: the steering wheel position was changed during Captain Barbossa's second captaincy of the Pearl between the events of At World's End and the battle with the Queen Anne's Revenge.

The Black Pearl's longboats

• In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Black Pearl is apparently equipped with three longboats, as the cursed crew uses three boats to reach Port Royal during the sack of the town. During the voyage to Isla de Muerta, at least one longboat is present on the deck of the Pearl. However, a few scenes later,  when the cursed crew arrives at Isla de Muerta, they use five longboats to reach the cave.
  • Possible explanation - the Pearl had three longboats on board and another two were stationed at Isla de Muerta and used in case of need.
• In Dead Man's Chest, the Black Pearl is equipped with three longboats. Two of them are destroyed by the Kraken during its first attack on the Pearl, so the only longboat left is the one Jack uses to try to reach Isla Cruces before returning back to the Pearl. The surviving crew would later use this longboat to escape the ship, leaving the Pearl with no longboats at all. In the following movie, the continuity is maintained as the Black Pearl is ran aground in Davy Jones' Locker with no longboats, but a few moments later, Jack uses a longboat to reach the beach in the Locker. Later on, during the same voyage, no longboat can be seen on the Pearl's deck during the "up is down" scene, but a few moments later the crew uses two longboats to reach Black Sand Beach.
• At the end of the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Elizabeth uses a Black Pearl longboat to reach the island where she would spend the last day with Will. However, during the battle, no longboat is present on board the Black Pearl. This longboat cannot be a longboat from another ship of the armada since, as it is shown in the movie, Elizabeth leaves the Black Pearl right after the Endeavour is destroyed and before the Black Pearl could rejoin the Brethren fleet.
  • Possible explanation - alongside the normal longboats, the Black Pearl was equipped with smaller collapsible lifeboats which could be stored below deck and used in case of need, although this is very unlikely because the collapsible lifeboats were not invented until 1800s.

The Union Jack on the HMS Dauntless

At the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, right after James Norrington says "a short drop and a sudden stop", the Union Jack can be seen flying from the ship's bowsprit. The flag does not appear in any other scene where the bowsprit is shown.

The Dauntless' mizzenmast

Where was that mast behind you five seconds earlier?

When Elizabeth Swann retreats to the Dauntless' quarterdeck to examine Will Turner's gold medallion the mainmast and the foremast can be seen, but the mizzenmast is missing. A few seconds later, right when Elizabeth looks at the medallion, the mizzenmast can be seen behind her.

The Interceptor's flags

When the Interceptor sails into the Tortuga harbour the ship is flying both of its Royal Navy flags, the Blue Ensign and the blue commissioning pennant. The next morning, when Jack Sparrow and Will Turner inspect their crew, the flags are missing. When the Interceptor sails through the storm the flags are back in their places.

Possible explanation - Jack and Will lowered the flags while the Interceptor was anchored because they didn't want the pirates of Tortuga to confuse the ship for a Royal Navy vessel.

The Interceptor's spanker

During the chase on the open sea the Interceptor's spanker sail on the mainmast is sometimes furled and sometimes unfurled.

The Interceptor's multiple foremasts

How many masts does the Interceptor have?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, during the battle between the HMS Interceptor and the Black Pearl, Pintel and Ragetti fire a chain shot at the naval vessel, breaking its foremast and causing it to fall on the Pearl's main deck. However, a few moments later, right after Marty fires from a swivel gun, when Barbossa's pirates swing aboard the Interceptor, the foremast can be seen standing intact, with ANOTHER, broken foremast connecting the Interceptor and the Pearl.

The Black Pearl's stern

During the battle between the HMS Interceptor and the Black Pearl, when Jack Sparrow attempts to swing aboard the Interceptor, the Pearl's quarter gallery and everything below it are missing. The clearly visible metal constructions below the quarter deck show that the Pearl is just a prop.

The Black Pearl's vanishing deck

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the majority of the cursed crew walks on the ocean floor to reach and attack the HMS Dauntless but Mallot and Grapple remain behind to guard the Black Pearl. When Elizabeth Swann boards the Pearl Mallot and Grapple are sitting on the Pearl's gun deck, discussing what should they eat first when the curse of the Aztec gold is lifted. When they notice Elizabeth she runs down onto the deck below the main deck and hides. Mallot and Grapple run up the stairs onto the same deck and then proceed to the main deck. In all other movies the middle deck between the main deck and the gun deck is missing.

The Edinburgh Trader's sails

• When the Edinburgh Trader sails through the night, right before Captain Bellamy complains about port tariffs, almost all of the ship's sails are unfurled, filled with wind. Only the spanker sail on the mizzenmast is furled. Elizabeth Swann then uses her wedding dress to convince the crew the ship is haunted. When Bellamy and two other crewmembers look over the starboard rail the spanker sail is unfurled. When Elizabeth slides down the rope the main topsail (the middle sail on the mainmast) is furled, but it was unfurled just a few moments earlier.
• When the Edinburgh Trader picks up Will Turner on the open sea all of the ship's sails are unfurled. When the Kraken attacks the ship the topgallant sails on all three masts are furled. When the Kraken breaks the mainmast the course (the lowermost sail on a mast) on the foremast is also furled.

The Black Pearl's windows

Shouldn't these windows be broken?

• In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when the Black Pearl attempts to flee from the Flying Dutchman the crew of the Dutchman opens fire and one of the shots destroys the stern windows on the Pearl's quarter gallery. A few seconds later, right after Pintel kisses the port rail and says "Go on, me darling! Show us what you've got!" the windows are INTACT. When the Kraken attacks the ship and one of its tentacles drags Elizabeth Swann into the captain's cabin the windows are once again broken.
• In the first four films the Pearl has nine windows on its quarter gallery, three on the port (left) side, three on the starboard (right) side, and three on the back of the ship. There are also two decorative plates with the windows on the back of the ship, one to the left and one to the right. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the plates are replaced with more windows, making the total number of windows eleven.

The Black Pearl's sails

• In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the Black Pearl's mizzenmast is completely square-rigged. However, in all other films the Pearl's mizzenmast carries one lateen sail and one square topsail.
  • Possible explanation - the lateen sail yardarm was broken at some point during Barbossa's captaincy and the cursed crew never bothered to put a new one in its place.
• In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the Pearl carries one jib (the triangular sail between the foremast and the bowsprit). In all other films the Pearl carries two jibs.
• In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when the Black Pearl escapes from the Flying Dutchman its main staysail (the lowest triangular sail between the foremast and the mainmast) is furled. When Jack Sparrow rows away in a longboat during the Kraken's attack he looks at the ship and the staysail is UNFURLED. Back on the ship, when the crew is attempting to hoist a cargo net full of barrels of rum and gunpowder the staysail is nowhere to be seen.
• During the Pearl's escape from the Dutchman its mainsail on the maimast is unfurled. During the Kraken's attack Lejon takes Elizabeth Swan's musket to shoot at the barrels of gunpowder but one of the Kraken's tentacles grabs him and lifts him in the air, and the mainsail can be seen FURLED. When the Kraken sinks the Pearl the mainsail is once again unfurled.
• When the Kraken sinks the Pearl all of the ship's sails are unfurled. When the Pearl appears in Davy Jones' Locker in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End all the sails are furled.
• In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the staysails on the shrunken Black Pearl are unfurled. When Hector Barbossa stabs Blackbeard's bottle the Black Pearl grows to the size of a model and the staysails are missing. Barbossa then throws the little ship into the sea where it grows back to its normal size. The staysails are seen back in their place but furled. In the same scenes the latin sail on the shrunken Pearl's mizzenmast is unfurled. When the ship is restored the latin sail is furled.

Who repaired the Black Pearl damages?

Little evidences of the Kraken attack. All the cannons are in order, although many of them were destroyed.

During the Kraken attack in Dead Man's Chest, the Black Pearl suffers a lot of damages, although - apparently - not serious to the ship's structure. Many cannons are completely destroyed, many cannon hatches are broken down, many columns in the lower deck are destroyed (probably causing structural damages to the main deck) and the ladder to go below deck is destroyed. In At World's End, when the Pearl is ran aground in Davy Jones' Locker, many of these damages have been completely restored. The Pearl seems to have all the cannons in order and the ladder to go below deck is restored again, although only Jack Sparrow was present with no one else to help him to fix those damages.

Only a few damages are still visible, like the damaged main deck parapet or some tents used to cover the cannon hatches.

The Jolly Roger on Captain Teague's ship

Why is your flag not flying from the mainmast?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End when Elizabeth Swann delivers her speech to the crew of the Black Pearl, convincing them to fight against the EITC armada, all the pirates in the Brethren fleet start raising their flags. During that scene a group of pirates hoist Captain Teague's black flag on the mainmast. After the destruction of the HMS Endeavour, when Teague throws his hat in the air to celebrate the victory, the flag is flying from the stern flagstaff.

Explanation - The scenes actually show two different ships. The ship's wheel held by Teague is of different design than the one on the ship in the first scene.

The Flying Dutchman's mizzenmast's lateen sail

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End during the Battle of Calypso's maelstrom Jack Sparrow swings on a rope around the Flying Dutchman's mizzenmast and lands on the quarterdeck, right in front of the Dead Man's Chest and Davy Jones. When Jack swings around the mizzenmast its lateen sail and the yardarm are missing. Right after Jones yells at Jack from the Capstan Hammer the sail is back in its place.

The Union Jack on the HMS Providence

When the HMS Providence appears for the first time its Union Jack is flying high above deck, hoisted to the end of the gaff (the angled spar which holds the spanker sail). In the next scene, when Joshamee Gibbs examines the navigational charts, the Union Jack can be seen lowered almost all the way to the bottom of the mast. Some time later, when Barbossa delivers his crew an inspiring speech, the Union Jack is flying close to the deck. In the next scene, when the whole ship is shown, the Union Jack is once again flying high above deck.

The Flying Dutchman in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Where was the nameplate in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End?

Several details of the Flying Dutchman in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales are different from the ship's appearances in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

• In Dead Men Tell No Tales the Dutchman's nameplate can be seen beneath the quarter gallery. The nameplate does not appear in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.
• In Dead Men Tell No Tales the Dutchman's forecastle is larger than in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.

An EITC officer and a soldier walk on the Dutchman's starboard gangways.

• In Dead Men Tell No Tales the Dutchman's railing on the main deck is much lower than in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.
• The Dutchman's gangways are clearly visible several times in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. However, when the Dutchman rises to the surface at the beginning of Dead Men Tell No Tales with Henry Turner on the main deck the gangways are missing.
• In At World's End when the Dutchman resurfaces with Will Turner as its new captain the ship returns to its original form, with all the sea life falling off and the ship's ghastly figurehead falling apart. In Dead Men Tell No Tales when the ship rises from the sea with Henry Turner aboard the figurehead is back in its place.

The Jolly Roger on the Ruddy Rose

At the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the Royal Navy warship the Monarch chases the pirate vessel the Ruddy Rose. During the chase, Henry Turner looks at the Rose with a piece of mirror and its black pirate flag is flying from the mainmast. A few moments later when Officer Cole looks at the pirate vessel with his spyglass the flag is flying from the stern flagstaff.

The Jolly Roger on the Black Pearl

Why is the ship flying different flags?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, when Jack Sparrow shows his crew the Black Pearl, magically shrunken and trapped in a bottle, Jack Sparrow's pirate flag, the white skull with two crossed bones and a red sparrow on a black background, can be seen flying from the mainmast. However, when Blackbeard captured the ship between the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, she was under Barbossa's command, not Jack's. When Jack takes the bottle in his hands at the end of On Stranger Tides Barbossa's flag, the white skull with two crossed swords, can be seen right before Jack the Monkey appears.

Bowsprit's top

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the Wicked Wench/Black Pearl has a top (a small platform which holds the sprit topmast) near the end of the bowsprit. The top does not appear in any of the ship's previous appearances in the franchise.

The stern of the Queen Anne's Revenge

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales when the Queen Anne's Revenge sails toward the Silent Mary Barbossa tells his crew to prepare to be boarded. In that scene, on the poop deck right behind the mizzenmast the rest of the stern is missing.

The Black Pearl's crow's nest

During the race to the Black rock island, when Henry Turner stands in the crow's nest and finds the Essex on the horizon, the crow's nest has protective railing. In all other appearances the crow's nest has no railing.

Jack Sparrow's curse of the Aztec gold

Why is Barbossa surprised?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, during the Battle of Isla de Muerta, Jack Sparrow stabs Hector Barbossa with his sword. Being under the curse of the Treasure of Cortés and therefore immortal, Barbossa pulls out the sword from his chest and stabs Jack with it. Seemingly mortally wounded, Jack makes a few steps back, with the moonlight transforming him into a skeleton, showing that he was under the same curse as Barbossa. Shocked, Barbossa looks at Jack as the younger pirate shows him one of the cursed gold coins which he stole from the Aztec stone chest a few minutes earlier. However, Barbossa should NOT be surprised to see Jack cursed because he took four coins from the chest right in front of Barbossa, automatically falling under the curse. Barbossa himself stated earlier that "Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity". In a post credit scene Jack the Monkey, now free from the curse, swims back into the treasure cave and takes one of the coins from the chest, instantly becoming cursed again. The only way to remove the curse was to put all the Aztec gold back into the chest AND offer the blood of all the people who took the gold from the chest as a sacrifice to the Heathen Gods.

Possible explanation - The "ghost story" that Barbossa tells, a tale told to him by Captain Jack Sparrow, was exaggerated. Another explanation, if Barbossa's crew were the first victims of the Aztec Curse, perhaps it took a little longer than a few seconds or minutes as well as a distance from the stone chest to activate the curse, or to actually be cursed. And so it is possible to believe that Jack Sparrow can take one piece of the Aztec gold from the chest without worrying about the curse, as of yet. Whereas Jack the Monkey taking his second piece of Aztec gold in The Curse of the Black Pearl post-credit scene (with his first piece being taken with Barbossa's crew) could be a way of saying one is instantly cursed the second time. Or the more simple explanation, Barbossa's crew were too focused on Jack's deal.

Did Norrington know about Barbossa's treasure?

You come aboard like that and nobody asks where all those shiny trinkets came from?

After the battle of Isla de Muerta, Jack Sparrow covers himself in treasure amassed by Barbossa and his crew during the ten years under the curse of the Aztec Gold. As Jack, Will, and Elizabeth leave the caves, they discover the Black Pearl is gone, commandeered by the motley crew, and Will can only row the boat to the Dauntless. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Joshamee Gibbs reveals that Isla de Muerta was reclaimed by the sea and the treasure with it, which means after Jack's escape from Port Royal the crew sailed back for Isla de Muerta to take Barbossa's treasure. However, if Jack boarded the Dauntless covered in pearls and gold, how is it that James Norrington or Weatherby Swann didn't ask where that treasure came from and maybe even send someone ashore to search for the rest of the treasure?

How did Norrington know who made his ceremonial sword?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl when Will Turner faces James Norrington, ready to face the consequences of helping Jack Sparrow escape, Norrington shows Turner his ceremonial sword, declaring the sword a beautiful weapon and proclaiming that he expects the man who made it (Will) to show the same care and devotion to Elizabeth Swann that he did before she declared her love for Will. However, Norrington should not have known that Will made the sword. When Will gave the sword to Weatherby Swann the governor assumed the sword was made by Will's master, John Brown, and Will did nothing to correct his assumption.

Possible explanation - Norrington logically assumed Will was a much better craftsman than Mister Brown.

The sand beach

Where did that beach come from?

When Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann kiss on top of Fort Charles at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a sand beach can be seen behind Governor Weatherby Swann. When Elizabeth Swann and Jack Sparrow fall into the sea from that location it can be seen that that part of the fort is located on the edge of the cliff, high above the sea, with no sandy beaches anywhere near.

Jack the Monkey on Devil's Anvil

The video game Pirates of the Caribbean Online shows Hector Barbossa residing on an island called Devil's Anvil, giving advice to passing pirates, with Jack the Monkey keeping him company. The game is chronologically set between the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Jack is shown to be undead, suffering from the efects of the Curse of the Aztec Gold after he was recursed in the after credits scene of The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, during that time Jack should be aboard the Black Pearl, because the motley crew found him floating in the water after the sinking of the island and took him aboard. He was reunited with Barbossa approximately one year later, at the end of Dead Man's Chest.

Two governors of Tortuga?

Who is the real governor of Tortuga?

In the short comic book In Jack We Trust!, which is chronologically set after Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, James Norrington and his soldiers, dressed in civilian clothing, chase Jack Sparrow through the streets of Tortuga. They are temporarily stopped by the Governor of Tortuga who threatens to have Norrington and his men arrested as spies. In the video game Pirates of the Caribbean Online, which is also set after Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a completely different character, Andrew Bowdash, is presented as the governor of Tortuga, and looks nothing like the character shown in the comic book.

Pintel and Ragetti aboard the Black Pearl during Norrington's chase

The 2007 storybook Pirates of the Caribbean: A Storm at Sea shows Pintel and Ragetti as crew members aboard the Black Pearl during Commodore Norrington's pursuit of Jack Sparrow between the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, even though those two did not join the ship's crew until the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The spirits of Henry Morgan and Blackbeard

See: Retcon#Henry Morgan and Blackbeard in The Buccaneer's Heart!

Jack Sparrow's compass

See: Retcon#Jack Sparrow's compass

What was Elizabeth's plan?

So you give the Letters to Will, he writes down his name and he's free, but what about you?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Elizabeth Swann forces Cutler Beckett to sign and seal King George's Letters of Marque to ensure a pardon for Will Turner for his involvement in Jack Sparrow's escape from Port Royal a year earlier. However, as stated by Elizabeth's father, Weatherby Swann, Beckett offerred just one pardon. Even if Elizabeth succeeded in delivering the Letters to Will, she would have remained an outlaw in the eyes of the British law.

How did Pintel and Ragetti refloat the Black Pearl?

When Pintel and Ragetti land on Isla de Pelegostos they find the Black Pearl grounded on the beach, abandoned. Ragetti mentions that "Tide’s coming in" and they decide to refloat the ship and take her for their own. The next time the audience sees the ship she is nearly afloat and her bow is pointing toward the open sea. However, the tide that would lift the ship from her original position would have to be at least three or four meters high, which would completely sink the beach and at least part of the forest behind the ship. Despite that, when the Pearl sails away the beach and the forest look the same as they were in the first scene. Also, to turn the ship around she would first have to be completely afloat but when the motley crew reaches the Pearl the ship's bottom is still partly stuck on the beach.

What was the purpose of Tia Dalma's jar of dirt?

"Is the jar of dirt going to help?"
That's a very good question. Too bad it remained unanswered.

When Jack Sparrow visits Tia Dalma and reveals that Davy Jones is chasing him, Tia Dalma explains that Jones cannot step on land except once every ten years. Consequently, Jack should be safe on land, and Dalma gives him a jar of dirt, so Jack could carry land with him. However, Dalma doesn't explain how exactly was the jar of dirt supposed to protect Jack, and when he asks Dalma about the jar's usefulness, she avoids the answer, simply telling him to give it back if he doesn't want it. In the end, Jones' sea monster, the Kraken, drags the Black Pearl and Jack with it to the bottom of the sea, even though Jack had the jar in his possession the whole time.

Why didn't Elizabeth throw her dress overboard?

After escaping from Fort Charles prison and taking the Letters of Marque from Cutler Beckett, Elizabeth Swann sneaks aboard the merchant ship the Edinburgh Trader, finds or steals some men's clothing and disguises herself as a sailor, joining the ship's crew without anyone noticing a new, unknown recruit. However, the next day, after the Trader leaves Port Royal, one of the sailors discovers Elizabeth's wedding dress on the main deck. Although some superstitious crewmembers assume the ship is haunted by a female ghost, Captain Bellamy concludes they actually have a female stowaway onboard. If Elizabeth disguised herself as a man in order to keep her presence aboard a secret, why didn't she also throw the dress overboard?

Souls for Sale at the Tortugan tavern

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Jack Sparrow makes a bargain with Davy Jones, in which Sparrow has three days to find 100 human souls, and so the pirate tried recruiting a crew of 99 souls (with Will Turner as a good faith payment) in a large Tortuga tavern which was never named onscreen. According to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide and The Complete Visual Guide, Jack starts to look for souls at the Faithful Bride tavern. However, the place was only referred to as a "large Tortuga tavern" or a "Cantina" in other sources, the latter being named in the film's junior novelization and a late screenplay draft. The name Twelve Daggers was first revealed in the At World's End video game.

In addition, the Dead Man's Chest press kit said "Captain Jack and Will Turner search for a crew of souls to man the Flying Dutchman." However, this information is incorrect, due to Joshamee Gibbs doing the recruiting while Will Turner was tricked into serving aboard the Dutchman. It is possible that this was due to the script still being worked on during the back-to-back production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.

According to the Visual Guide books, James Norrington and Mercer were also supposed to meet after Elizabeth Swann leaves Norrington alone on the docks where he is approached by Mercer and struck a deal in the shadows on behalf of his master Cutler Beckett. However, no such scene occurred in any of the various media for Dead Man's Chest, with only their meeting occurred with Norrington giving Beckett the heart of Davy Jones.

Why didn't Bootstrap Bill warn Will about the curse over the heart of Davy Jones?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Bootstrap Bill Turner helps Will escape from the Flying Dutchman. As a parting gift, Bill gives his knife to Will, telling him to go on land and stay there. Not wanting to abandon his father, Will takes the knife with the promise that he would find the heart of Davy Jones, kill Jones, and free Bootstrap from his eternal service on the Dutchman. A few months later, Elizabeth Swann and the pirate crew of the Empress end up imprisoned in the brig of the Dutchman where they encounter Bootstrap. The old pirate recognizes Elizabeth, who tells him that Will is coming to save him. Bootstrap dismisses Elizabeth, saying that Will can't save him because he would also lose Elizabeth in the process. The only way for Will to save Bootstrap is to kill Jones and "If Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place", because "The Dutchman must always have a captain." So, if Bootstrap knew about the geis over the heart, why didn't he reveal that when he gave his knife to Will?

Possible explanation - Bootstrap Bill was suffering from dementia and forgot about the curse. After Will Turner's flogging, featured in the Dead Man's Chest junior novelization and in a deleted scene, it is revealed that Bootstrap doesn't remember Captain Barbossa, the man who strapped him to a cannon and threw him into the sea. This action condemned Bootstrap to a life at the bottom of the ocean, first trapped and unable to die under the Aztec curse, and later escaping this fate of eternal suffering by swearing an oath to join Davy Jones' crew aboard the Flying Dutchman. According to director Gore Verbinski, Bill forgetting Barbossa was the effect of the deal with Jones, a symptom that worsens over time as he lapses into total dementia.

Why did the Kraken attack the Black Pearl?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Davy Jones' legendary sea beast, the Kraken, follows "with ravenous hunger" people who bear the Black Spot. When Jones finds out Jack Sparrow was trying to find the Dead Man's Chest the Spot reappears on Jack's left hand. However, when the Black Pearl hits the Kraken on the open sea and Sparrow hears from Will Turner what's going on he leaves the ship in a longboat, slowly rowing back to Isla Cruces. Instead of following Sparrow like it was supposed to, the Kraken attacks the ship.

Possible explanation - The Kraken was confused the same way it was when it attacked the two sailors who were briefly in possession of Jack's hat in the Turkish fishing boat earlier in the film.

Elizabeth looks in wrong direction

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, following the Kraken's first attack on the Black Pearl, Elizabeth Swann notices Jack Sparrow in a longboat, rowing away from the Black Pearl. In that moment she is looking over the STARBOARD (right) rail. Jack's longboat was located between Isla Cruces and the PORT (left) side of the ship.

Norrington the privateer

Near the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest James Norrington steals Cutler Beckett's Letters of Marque and the Heart of Davy Jones from Jack Sparrow, intending to trade the heart to Lord Beckett in exchange for the Letters which would grant him a pardon for his involvement in Sparrow's escape from Port Royal and commission as a privateer in the employ of England. However, even if his plan worked he would have been a privateer without a ship and a crew, and he couldn't have possibly known that Beckett would give him his old job back and promote him to the rank of admiral.

Possible explanation - The only thing that Norrington really wanted was the pardon for his crimes.

How did the Black Pearl end up in the middle of the desert?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest the Kraken sinks the Black Pearl, taking her underwater and Jack Sparrow with it. In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End the Pearl is in Davy Jones' Locker, a realm of the dead ruled by Davy Jones, but stranded in the middle of the desert, dozens of miles away from the sea.

Possible explanation - Simply magic. "Up is down" is one of the riddles of the Sao Feng's navigational charts Jack used to escape Davy Jones' Locker, so regardless of where the Pearl was in the Locker, they were always underwater. The desert only serving as Jack's personal hell and punishment.

How did Cutler Beckett not know the names of the Pirate Lords?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End the EITC director Cutler Beckett attempts to negotiate with Jack Sparrow aboard the HMS Endeavour, asking him to reveal the purpose of the nine pieces of eight, the meeting place of the Pirate Lords, and their names. However, another EITC official, Lord Benedict Huntington, had already learned and recorded the names of eight of nine Pirate Lords approximately thirteen years earlier, during the quest for the Shadow Gold. Most of the Pirate Lords encountered by Huntington were still active during Beckett's war against piracy.

Possible explanation - Huntington's files on the Pirate Lords were lost at some point before the war against piracy or Beckett just didn't have access to them. It's also possible Beckett knew the names, but he wanted to test Jack and see if he would answer truthfully.

The Devil's Throat

Didn't you two sail here before?

In a deleted scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End the Black Pearl sails through the Devil's Throat, a sea tunnel which connects the open sea with the interior of Shipwreck Island, leading into Shipwreck Cove. During the short journey Pintel and Ragetti show they have no idea where they are, even though both of them have sailed through the tunnel approximately eighteen years earlier when Hector Barbossa and a few surviving crewmembers of the Cobra sailed to Shipwreck City aboard the Venganza as Don Rafael's guests.

Possible explanation - Pintel and Ragetti could have been below decks aboard the Venganza, rather than above decks as they were aboard the Black Pearl, and so they could have not paid attention to their surroundings while the ship sailed through the Devil's Throat.

Who summoned the Fourth Brethren Court?

At the beginning of the Fourth Brethren Court in At World's End, Hector Barbossa claims he was the one who issued summons to the assembled Pirate Lords. However, the gathering call, the Hoist the Colours song, was first sang by the imprisoned pirates in Port Royal. Barbossa himself says to Sao Feng in Singapore that "The song has been sung." and as one of the nine Pirate Lords he "must honor the call."

Possible explanation - Barbossa could have arranged the summoning to have happened, given his deal with Tia Dalma/Calypso.

Sri Sumbhajee's voice

During the Fourth Brethren Court in At World's End, the newly elected Pirate King Elizabeth Swann orders the assembled Pirate Lords to prepare their ships for war against the East India Trading Company. The Pirate Lord of the Indian ocean, Sri Sumbhajee, then declares the pirates would go to war, revealing his ladylike voice. Jack Sparrow then looks at him with a surprise on his face. However, Jack already learned about Sumbhajee's unusual voice approximately twelve years earlier, during the quest for the Shadow Gold, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide.

Possible explanation - In between the Legends of the Brethren Court series and At World's End, more than a decade has passed since the last time Jack saw Sumbhajee, and so either he simply forgot or was surprised the Indian Pirate Lord's voice hasn't changed.

Why wasn't Cutler Beckett alarmed when the Flying Dutchman resurfaced?

During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Will Turner stabs the heart of Davy Jones, killing the ghostly captain which leads to the sinking of the Flying Dutchman. The Black Pearl emerges from the maelstrom and the East India Trading Company Armada starts sailing toward it, with the HMS Endeavour preparing to open fire on it. Suddenly, the Flying Dutchman rises from the sea, with Will Turner as its new captain. Lord Cutler Beckett sees that and shortly comments "Ah, she survived.", unaware about the change in command on the ghost ship. However, even if Davy Jones remained alive and in command of the Dutchman as Beckett initially believed, the only thing that kept Jones in line was a group of EITC soldiers with swivel guns threatening to blow up the Dead Man's Chest and the heart with it in the captain's cabin. With the Dutchman spending some time underwater Beckett should have realized all the soldiers aboard were dead and there was nothing he could threaten Jones with anymore.

Young Will Turner or Henry Turner?

See: Retcon#Young Will Turner/Henry Turner

How old is Carina Smyth?

According to the Dead Men Tell No Tales prequel novel The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth Carina Smyth was nineteen years old during the events of the film, which would mean she was conceived and born after the events of At World's End. However, in several interviews, Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa) implied that Carina was born even before the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Possible explanation - in Jeff Nathanson's early screenplay drafts, Carina was thirty-three years old, which would mean she was born before the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Rush was not informed about the change of Carina's age in the final script draft.

The location of the Fountain of Youth

So, where is the Fountain?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Jack Sparrow steals the Mao Kun Map from Hector Barbossa, planning to use it to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. The map shows the route of Juan Ponce de León's 1523 expedition to Florida, with the Fountain's exact location being marked with an X. However, in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the Fountain is located on an unnamed island, not in Florida.

Why was the logbook of the Santiago dry?

At the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides the captain of a Spanish fishing boat and one of his sailors pull from the sea an old castaway off the coast of Spain. The castaway carries the logbook of the Santiago, and later claims he sailed under Juan Ponce de León. According to the novelization, the castaway was lost at sea for nearly two hundred years. It is unknown for how long he was floating in the water, but even if it was for just one day, all the pages in the logbook should have been thoroughly soaked and therefore heavily damaged. If it was for a longer period of time, the sea water should have completely destroyed the paper. However, when the castaway gives the logbook to King Ferdinand, all the pages are dry, seemingly undamaged.

Jack Sparrow's bone trinket

When did you get this, Jack?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, shortly before the battle of Calypso's maelstrom Captain Hector Barbossa burns Jack Sparrow's piece of eight along with the remaining eight pieces of eight as part of the ritual to free Calypso from the human form of Tia Dalma. In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Jack Sparrow wears a new trinket, made of finger bones, with a Chinese luck coin, some beads, and one of his own gold teeth. However, in a flashback scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, young Jack receives the trinket at least three decades earlier as tribute from the crew of the Wicked Wench.

Possible explanation - Jack Sparrow had the bone trinket, but did not use it until after the events of the Fourth Brethren Court, in which Barbossa took his Piece of Eight as part of the incantation to release Calypso.

How did Jack Sparrow not recognize a zombie?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides when Gunner forces Scrum, Jack Sparrow, and other crewmembers to swab the main deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge Jack states Gunner is "a curious one." Scrum explains Gunner and other ship's officers have been zombiefied by Blackbeard because that makes them more compliant. However, Jack should have been able to identify Gunner as a zombie without Scrum's help because he had to deal with zombies before, with Tia Dalma arranging the zombie Alex to join Jack's crew during the quest for the Shadow Gold.

Possible explanation - Blackbeard's zombies were a different type of zombies than Tia Dalma's zombies.

Philip Swift‎ or Philip Le Blanc?

So what's your last name, clergyman?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, "Philip Swift" is the name given to Sam Claflin's character, though the character was never properly introduced by name onscreen, with only Syrena calling Philip by his first name. "Swift" was originally written in Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for On Stranger Tides and Rossio's screenplay for Dead Men Tell No Tales. It was also mentioned by actor Sam Claflin, as well as used in the official character description, and the film's visual guide. But starting in 2012-2013, the official Disney Pirates website had listed the character "Philip Swift" under the name "Philip Le Blanc".

Likely explanation - Due to the fact that the name Philip "Swift" was used most often in behind-the-scenes content by the film's cast and crew, it is very likely that the name Philip "Le Blanc" was a mistake made by whoever set up the Disney website.

Where was Philip Swift captured?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Scrum explains to Jack Sparrow that Philip Swift was captured in a raid, and "The rest on the ship got killed, but not him." However, according to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide Philip was captured during a raid on a remote island.

Possible explanation - Philip was captured aboard a ship which was docked on an island that was raided by Blackbeard.

How did the Providence get ahead of The Spaniard's fleet?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens with an old castaway being rushed to King Ferdinand at Cádiz, holding an old ship's logbook which had details about Ponce de Leon's search for the Fountain of Youth. King Ferdinand asked The Spaniard how soon he could sail. The Spaniard did not hesitate to answer, "With the tide." Some time later, in London, King George tells Jack Sparrow that the Spanish have located the Fountain of Youth. Time-wise, any British spy would need at least ten days to travel from Cádiz to London to bring the news. The same night of Sparrow's escape, Hector Barbossa tells Joshamee Gibbs that his ship, the HMS Providence, "sets sail at first light". After the film establishes that Sparrow is five days underway aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the Providence encounters The Spaniard's three Spanish galleons in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. But the Spanish galleons arrive from behind the Providence, even though they had a head start of at least 10-15 days.

Possible explanation - The Spaniard's fleet was slowed down by a storm or had to make a stop at another mystical island in the Atlantic which was recorded in Ponce de Leon's logbook.

Mermaid names

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the first film to introduce mermaids, most notably Syrena (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), Tamara (Gemma Ward), and Marina (Jorgelina Guadalupe Airaldi). As seen in the film, also covered in the film's visual guide and related promotional material, Bergès-Frisbey's character was given name "Syrena" by Sam Claflin's character Philip. In the screenplay, Ward's character was only identified as "a smiling, luminescent MERMAID", while the name "Tamara—First Mermaid" or simply "Tamara" was used the film's press kit, ending credits, and The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. According to the press kit and ending credits, the other actresses, namely Daphne Joy (Mermaid #2), Sanya Hughes (Mermaid #3), Breanne Beth Berrett (Mermaid #4), Antoinette Nikprelaj (Mermaid #5), and Toni Busker (Mermaid #6), portrayed unnamed mermaids. However, while Jorgelina Airaldi was credited as one of the unnamed mermaids, specifically credited as "Mermaid #7" in the press kit, her character was identified through a scene cut from the film, where Jack Sparrow calls the mermaid "Marina" before being slapped in the face. Airaldi's mermaid character was officially named "Marina" in the description of a promotional image for On Stranger Tides. At the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Disneyland, Daphne Joy named her mermaid character Sadana after being asked what her character's name was in an interview.

Likely explanation - As detailed above, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey's character being given the name "Syrena" plays out exactly as it was intended to be, from script to screen. Gemma Ward's character being given the name "Tamara" may have been due to Ward being a more high-profile actress and model. Jorgelina Airaldi's character being given the name "Marina" most likely happened through the improvisation of Sparrow's actor (Johnny Depp) on set. Daphne Joy's character being named "Sadana" was improvised by Joy herself, who was put on the spot in an interview, and therefore may be notably the least canonical of the mermaid names.

Barbossa finding Blackbeard

By the end of On Stranger Tides, everyone's agenda is revealed: the Spanish to dispose of the Fountain of Youth and Chalices, Blackbeard finding the Fountain to avoid death, and Hector Barbossa wanted revenge against Blackbeard for his attack on the Black Pearl. But how did Barbossa know about Blackbeard? What is known of Barbossa's activities in On Stranger Tides up until meeting Jack Sparrow aboard the Santiago: Barbossa participated in Jack's meeting with King George, sailed the HMS Providence to Whitecap Bay, continued the British's quest for the Fountain where he started collecting poisonous frogs, and then hid aboard the Santiago "lying in wait for Blackbeard." To the casual viewer, there was no way Barbossa could've known about Blackbeard searching for the Fountain. It seemed he only knew when Jack told him "Blackbeard sent me", yet he collected the poisonous frogs and hid aboard the Santiago anyway. Was there a way for Barbossa to have known all of this or was all of that just coincidence and/or fate?

Explanation - In the Palm Tree Grove scene in On Stranger Tides, it's supposed to play as a rather large reveal that Barbossa's true agenda for all his actions had been a desire for revenge against Blackbeard. Jack figures this out and accuses him of it, and Barbossa admits it. What we discover is that Barbossa knows the name of the person who took his leg, and the Pearl, and has had vengeance as a goal since the very night it happened. According to screenwriter Terry Rossio, Barbossa had been pursing Blackbeard ever since, with an obsessive passion. Given this obsession, it's more logical to believe that Barbossa knows at least the basics of Blackbeard's character than not. Barbossa knows the name of Blackbeard's ship, his obsession to find the Fountain; even the importance of Blackbeard's sword. Even though Barbossa's investigation scene(s) are not shown where he gained his information, in between the sinking of the Pearl and the capture of Jack, it should be enough to know that those scenes must have taken place for Barbossa to know what he knows. Also, if Barbossa didn't have the basics on Blackbeard, given his revenge motive, Barbossa wouldn't be a very capable pirate, and that would be out of character. Although it is true, even given all that, yes, Fate was definitely at work throughout.

Blackbeard's ships in bottles

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Joshamee Gibbs reveals he had successfully sneaked aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge and recovered the magically shrunken Black Pearl, in the process also stealing the rest of Blackbeard's collection of Ships in Bottles, saying it would be a shame to leave an entire fleet behind. The shrunken Black Pearl makes its next appearance in the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but the rest of the shrunken ships are never shown nor mentioned again.

Possible explanation - Jack and Gibbs hid the other ships in bottles somewhere, waiting until they figured out the process of releasing the Black Pearl from its bottle. Another explanation, being pirates strapped for money, they could have sold all the remaining ships in bottles.

Size of ships in bottles

As with the other ships in bottles seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the Black Pearl in a bottle was big enough for Jack Sparrow to hold with two hands. Whereas in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the shrunken Black Pearl appeared rather smaller in comparison to its last appearance, and small enough for Jack to put into his coat pocket.

On Stranger Tides: Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa conning each other

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, during the meeting with King George Augustus at St. James's Palace, Hector Barbossa revealed to Jack Sparrow that he lost the Black Pearl as he lost his right leg, saying "she be sunk nonetheless." Later, before describing Blackbeard's attack on the Pearl at Palm Tree Grove, Barbossa changed his original statement of having "lost the Pearl" to "Taken. Not lost." But then that could've just had a meaning of the Pearl being taken from him either way. However, after mortally wounding Blackbeard, the way Barbossa said "For the Pearl" was like saying it for a lost loved one. And so it is reasonable to presume that Barbossa believed the Pearl was sunk in battle. In addition, Jack does not know that Blackbeard has a sword that rules the ship, despite having witnessed the power when Blackbeard foiled Jack's mutiny on the Queen Anne's Revenge. Therefore, in the context of On Stranger Tides by the film's end, Jack doesn't let on to Barbossa that the Pearl is on the Revenge, and Barbossa doesn't let on to Jack about Blackbeard's sword. At the time, they each successful con the other, not knowing they are each being conned. However, by the events of Dead Men Tell No Tales, Barbossa knows about the Black Pearl in a bottle and Jack doesn't seem to care about Blackbeard's sword.

Explanation - According to screenwriter Terry Rossio, Barbossa absolutely did not know about the Black Pearl in a bottle being on Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. If he did, that would be his focus (rather than revenge on Blackbeard), and when he reached the ship, he would be upset the Pearl wasn't there. As far as Blackbeard's sword, while the audience was aware of its power, the present characters were not. One might draw a connection when Blackbeard raised the sword on the word "Hang!" and the ropes went wile, or it might have been a common gesture of command. There may have been a cause and effect gesture when Jack was dropped. Still, Jack was never privy to any information that the sword would work on its own, or for a new owner. Barbossa, on the other hand, clearly was in respect of the sword, and knew its powers were diminished away from the ship, and claimed it for his own, and knew that if you owned the sword you ruled the ship. There is no doubt that Barbossa knew more of the value of the sword than Jack. Rossio was also commenting from the perspective of Dead Men Tell No Tales, there was a pearl inside the sword that gives it its power, which Barbossa is aware of but Jack not, and that's part of the con, Barbossa was never going to let Jack in on that. However, this explanation would pertain only to Rossio's screenplay, which was turned down by Johnny Depp. In the final cut of Dead Men Tell No Tales, the con between Jack and Barbossa appear to be nonexistent. Barbossa knows about the Black Pearl in a bottle, but it is unknown if he learned recently or not.

Jack Sparrow's hat and coat

During the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow wore his hat and coat throughout his adventures in London. Upon losing the hat while swimming in the River Thames and losing his coat after being forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge by Angelica and the Quartermaster, Jack does not wear either hat or coat for the rest of the quest of the Fountain of Youth or the remainder of the film in general. However, by the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Jack wears his entire pirate regalia once again.

Possible explanation - Jack could have hidden the hat in his coat while swimming, or the hat was retrieved by Angelica and the Quartermaster when Jack was forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. And when Joshamee Gibbs successfully sneaked aboard the Revenge to recover the magically shrunken Black Pearl, he could have retrieved Jack's effects as well, but didn't reveal it at the moment Gibbs and Jack meet up again.

Can Angelica actually kill herself?

One pistol, one shot, but what good are those if you're immortal?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Jack Sparrow maroons Angelica on Sola Fide Beach. As per pirate tradition, he gives her one pistol with one shot, so she could kill herself before she starves. However, thanks to Jack, Angelica was tricked into drinking from a silver chalice which contained the water from the Fountain of Youth and a mermaid's tear, which instantly healed her lethal poisoned wound and allowed her to prolong her life by absorbing Blackbeard's life. The only other known person to drink from the Fountain, the Spanish Castaway, spent two hundred years lost at sea, semi-immortal, not dying from hunger and thirst. If Angelica is immortal until she lives all the years taken from Blackbeard, why did Jack leave a pistol with her?

Possible explanation - the Fountain only extends a person's life, making them immune to death by natural causes like starvation and aging, but a violent death caused by a weapon still works. It's also possible Jack doesn't fully know how the immortality given by the Fountain works, or simply left the pistol because of the tradition, not caring if Angelica was immortal or not.

How much time has passed between the events of On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales?

According to the Dead Men Tell No Tales director Joachim Rønning nine or ten years have passed between the events of the fourth and the fifth Pirates film. However, the Dead Men Tell No Tales comic book shows 1751 as the year in which the fifth film's main story is set, while the On Stranger Tides production designer John Myhre revealed the fourth film was set in 1750 which would mean only one year has passed between the events of the two films.

Bootstrap Bill Turner's fate

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Bootstrap Bill Turner decides to continue his service on the Flying Dutchman under his son, Will Turner. Two decades later, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Will's son Henry Turner destroys the Trident of Poseidon, thus breaking the curse of the Flying Dutchman. Now free from the Dutchman Will returns to his wife and son, but Bootstrap Bill makes no appearance, leaving his fate ambiguous. The Dead Men Tell No Tales novelization indirectly implies that Bootstrap Bill wasn't serving on the Dutchman anymore when 12-year-old Henry boarded the ship, but it doesn't explain how and when he left the crew.

How much time has passed between Henry Turner's meeting with Will Turner aboard the Flying Dutchman and the Attack in the Devil's Triangle?

Nine years later, or just seven?

At the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Will Turner tells his son Henry to forget him and returns to his duty of collecting the souls of those who died at sea. However, despite his father's request, young Henry decides to find the infamous pirate Jack Sparrow. In the next scene, nine years later, Henry is a sailor in the British Royal Navy, serving aboard the warship Monarch which is chasing the pirate vessel Ruddy Rose. The film's comic book adaptation also confirms that Henry was searching for Jack for nine years. However, according to the Dead Men Tell No Tales novelization and the official Behind the Scenes magazine only seven years have passed between Henry's last meeting with Will and Henry's service aboard the Monarch.

Will Turner's second "one day ashore"

Given the fact that Henry Turner is 21 years old in Dead Men Tell No Tales, he should have met his father Will one more time after their meeting on board the Flying Dutchman. If Will can return to Henry and Elizabeth for only one day every ten years, he should have returned to Jamaica a second time in 1749 when Henry was about 19 years old, since the first time they met on land was in 1739 when Henry was about 9 years old. There is no mention of the third meeting.

Possible explanation - In earlier script drafts Henry was 19 years old in the main story, which means the film was originally set before the "third encounter" could happen. It's possible the change of dates was overlooked by the film crew. In-universe, it's possible Henry was already serving in the Royal Navy by the time of Will's second "one day ashore", or maybe Will chose not to go ashore to visit his family, since he explicitly ordered Henry to forget about him during their second encounter.

Henry Turner's sleeves

When Henry Turner attempts to change the Monarch's course and prevent the crew from sailing into the Devil's Triangle the Royal Marines arrest him and knock him out. Captain Toms approaches Turner and rips the tops of Turner's jacket's sleeves, marking him as a traitor. In the next scene, when Toms yells "We're going in!" the sleeves are intact.

The Curse of the Devil's Triangle

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales the Spanish Royal Navy galleon Silent Mary hits the reefs in the Devil's Triangle and her entire crew dies in the explosions. However, the Triangle's supernatural powers bring the Spanish back to life as ghosts. At the beginning of the film two more crews die in the Triangle, the pirate crew of the Ruddy Rose and the British crew of the Monarch. Instead of being turned into ghosts like the Spanish, the pirates and the British remain dead.

From which side is the Silent Mary attacking the Monarch?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales when Captain Toms realizes the Silent Mary is sailing toward the Monarch he orders his crew to open fire. Right before that Officer Cole states the unknown ship is positioned to starboard, which means the Mary was sailing to the right side of the Monarch. While the crew fires, another officer also tells them to fire starboard guns. In the next scene the Monarch can be clearly seen firing a full broadside from the starboard side into the approaching ghost ship. However, right before the bowsprit of the Silent Mary emerges from the fog above the main deck of the Monarch, the mainmast of the Monarch can be seen on the left, which means the Mary is approaching from the port (left) side of the Monarch.

One man to tell the tale

"I always leave one man alive to tell the tale." Except when you decide to kill them all, apparently.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales when the crew of the Silent Mary slaughters the crew of the Monarch Salazar decides to spare Henry Turner, explaining that he always leaves one man alive to tell the tale of his atrocities. However, before the Monarch entered the Devil's Triangle another vessel had sailed into the area, the pirate ship the Ruddy Rose. When the crew of the Monarch discovers the remains of the Ruddy Rose there is not a single trace of one pirate who should have been left alive. In the flashback scene when the Silent Mary destroys most of the pirate fleet Salazar orders his soldiers to execute the few surviving pirates in the water, leaving no one alive.

Possible explanation - Salazar does not consider pirates to be men. He said to Barbossa he was killing pirates, not men. Leaving a pirate alive to tell the tale, even one, would be a betrayal of his quest to purify the oceans. He consistently references and treats pirate lives as distinct and lesser to human lives, and has dedicated both his life and afterlife to their extermination. In his eyes they are not men and therefore he has no obligation to leave one alive. However, Salazar did leave a few pirates alive during the destruction of Barbossa's fleet, and that's how Mullroy and Murtogg learned about his return.

How did Scrum end up in Jack Sparrow's crew?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Scrum serves aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, now commanded by Hector Barbossa who mortally wounded Blackbeard at the Fountain of Youth and took his sword, ship, and crew for his own. With the powers of Blackbeard's magical sword at his disposal, Barbossa eventually becomes a rich pirate in command of a whole fleet, with the Revenge filled with riches beyond most men's wildest dreams, and every crewmember dressed like a nobleman. However, at the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Scrum is still poor and he's serving aboard the Dying Gull under Jack Sparrow, with the entire crew on the verge of starvation.

Possible explanation - Scrum is the only member of Blackbeard's former crew who appears in Dead Men Tell No Tales. It's possible all the missing crewmembers served on any of the other ships in Barbossa's fleet, or simply left and found employment elsewhere. It's also possible Barbossa himself replaced the whole crew so he wouldn't have to deal with any hypothetical crewmembers still loyal to Blackbeard and Angelica.

How and why did the pirates put the vault aboard the Dying Gull?

How did an abject that weighs an imperial ton get aboard this ship?

After the bank robbery in Saint Martin Jack Sparrow and his pirates are shown opening the stolen vault aboard their ship, the Dying Gull. However, there is nothing anywehere near the Gull that could have been used to put such a heavy object onboard. There was also no reason for the pirates to put the vault onboard when it could have been easily opened on the beach.

Why didn't Jack Sparrow pay for the rum with gold?

Following the failed bank robbery in Saint Martin the crew of the Dying Gull deserts Jack Sparrow. After failing to rob a coach Jack returns to Saint Martin Town and enters Grimes Pub. When he asks Grimes for a drink the barkeep tells him to show his silver. Seemingly short of money Jack pulls out his magical compass and trades it for a bottle of rum. However, in that moment Jack actually had some money, the Spanish escudo gold coin which he took from the bank's vault after the robbery.

Possible explanation - Jack lost the coin before he entered the tavern or simply forgot he had it.

How long was Armando Salazar trapped in the Devil's Triangle?

According to Geoffrey Rush Armando Salazar and his crew were trapped in the Devil's Triangle for twenty-five years. However, the timeline established in the films and their tie-in materials reveals that Salazar's imprisonment lasted for at least thirty and maybe even more than forty years.

Dead Men Tell No Tales set in different years

A close-up view of the redcoat's ledger reveals a very different date.

According to the comic adaptation of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the events of the film take place in the year 1751. However, a ledger carried by a British soldier just before Jack Sparrow and Carina Smyth's execution is dated July 3rd, 1739. Even if the film prop were to take precedence over the comic book, it would still conflict with the date (1750) chosen by the filmmakers for On Stranger Tides.

Carina Smyth's hanging rope

How long is that rope?

During the hanging scenes in The Curse of the Black Pearl and At World's End the hanging ropes are relatively short, allowing the convicted prisoners to fall approximately one metre through the trap door before the nooses tighten around the prisoners' necks, stopping their fall and breaking the necks, killing the prisoners. In Dead Men Tell No Tales when Scrum accidentally activates the trap door Carina Smyth falls almost all the way to the ground before Henry Turner catches her, and the hanging rope is still hanging loosely.

Gibbs' pistol during the mutiny on the Dying Gull

When the crew of Dying Gull find out they're being chased by the dead, almost all of them pull their pistols to threaten Jack, Henry, and Carina. Joshamee Gibbs is the only one to leave his weapon untouched. In the next scene, when he asks "What are we going to do", he's holding the pistol in his right hand like all others.

Barbossa's crew hangs from nothing

What are they hanging from?

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, when Jack Sparrow, Carina Smyth, and Henry Turner escape to Hangman's Bay, the vengeful ghost Captain Armando Salazar hangs Barbossa and his surviving crewmen upside down on the main deck of the Silent Mary and starts slowly killing them one by one. However, on that part of the ship there was nothing they could be hanged from. The only thing that could be used for something like that were the yards of the ship's masts, but the mast closest to them, the mainmast, was lying on deck, broken.

When did Barbossa reload his blunderbuss?

You know you're holding a single-shot firearm, right, captain?

When Pierre Kelly and his gang capture Jack Sparrow, Carina Smyth, and Henry Turner, they force Jack to marry Kelly's sister Beatrice. The wedding is interrupted by the arrival of Barbossa and his pirate crew, and Barbossa shoots from his blunderbuss into the whale skeleton on the beach, drawing everyone's attention. When Jack asks Barbossa if he has brought him a gift, Barbossa shoots again, wounding Kelly and forcing his gang to leave the scene. However, the blunderbuss is a single-shot firearm, and Barbossa should have reloaded it before the second shot, but both of his hands were occupied, the right holding the blunderbuss and the left holding his crutch.

Where is Cotton's Parrot in Dead Men Tell No Tales?

According to Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cotton's Parrot was described in the two scenes featuring Jack Sparrow looking at the Black Pearl in a bottle. The first scene provided the description, "INSIDE the glass bottle we see a very tiny PARROT circling, flapping tiny wings" but it wasn't until the ending scene that the parrot was confirmed to be Cotton's Parrot. In the screenplay, Cotton's Parrot squawks from the helmsman's wheel. whereas the parrot simply flies around the ship in a bottle in the final version of the film. Cotton's Parrot was present in Terry Rossio's screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. However, despite his apparent appearance in On Stranger Tides, it is unknown what happened to Cotton's Parrot, due to the character not being seen in the final version of Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Possible explanation - several possible theories, all of which Cotton's Parrot vanished off-screen. Jack Sparrow may have simply taken the cork out of the bottle at some point, allowing the parrot to fly out. Or the parrot may have remained below deck or flown away off-screen when the Black Pearl was restored to its original size. Or, alternatively, Cotton's Parrot may have simply died between films, likely of starvation for possible lack of food, a theory backed up by Jack the Monkey being immortal at the time.

Jack's hat, belt and sword

After the mutiny on board the Dying Gull, Jack Sparrow leaves his hat, sword and belt on the Dying Gull, thus he doesn't have them on the longboat and in Hangman's Bay. However, a few hours later, when the Black Pearl is restored and Jack is tied to the foremast, he is wearing his hat and his sword's belt.

How did John Scarfield instantly know the Black Pearl was a pirate ship?

Those pirates are going for the Trident. True, but how do you even know they're pirates?

When Hector Barbossa releases the Black Pearl and restores the ship to her former glory, the pirates sail to find the Trident of Poseidon so they could destroy Armando Salazar and his crew of ghosts and reclaim their rule of the seas. During the journey, Lieutenant John Scarfield's ship, the Essex, encounters the Pearl on the open sea. After seeing the Pearl in the distance, Scarfield says "Those pirates are going for the Trident." However, Scarfield had no way of knowing the Pearl was a pirate ship, because the two ships were too far away from each other and it was too dark for anyone on the Essex to see the Jolly Roger on the Pearl's mainmast. Scarfield himself could barely see the Pearl's stern lanterns in the dark with a spyglass.

How did the crew of the Dying Gull catch up with the Black Pearl?

During the race to the Black rock island the crew of the Dying Gull escapes from the brig of the Essex, steal a longboat, and leave the ship. Soon they see the Black Pearl on the horizon. The Essex reaches the Pearl and prepares to fire a broadside from its port guns, but the Silent Mary comes from the starboard side and destroys the British vessel. The ghost ship then keeps pursuing the Black Pearl. The pirate vessel attempts to sail away but the Mary eventually catches up with it and the ghosts board the Pearl, attacking the pirate crew. During the battle the crew of the Dying Gull also boards the ship and helps Barbossa's men to defend the ship. However, the Pearl and the Mary are some of the fastest ships in the Caribbean. The pirates in the longboat couldn't have possibly rowed fast enough to catch up with them.

Barbossa, the Sword of Triton, and the crutch

In one moment the Sword is in Barbossa's left hand and in the next one in his right hand.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales when Armando Salazar's crew boards the Black Pearl, Barbossa tells his men to fight, holding the Sword of Triton in his right hand and the crutch in his left. In the next scene he is seen fighting with one Spanish ghost on the main deck, holding the Sword of Triton in his left hand and the crutch in his right. A moment later, when the ghost wounds him, he is once again holding the Sword of Triton in his right hand and the crutch is nowhere to be seen.

The Trident of Poseidon

What is the Trident's true backstory?

In the Rob Kidd book series Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, the Trident of Poseidon was a legendary weapon that was owned by the merfolk for hundreds of years. It was eventually stolen by the infamous pirate captain Torrents. Following Torrents' defeat, the young teenager Jack Sparrow gave the Trident to the merman Tonra, making him the King of the merfolk. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the Trident was hidden in a place called Poseidon's Tomb at least since the time of Galileo Galilei, and during the quest for the Trident Jack Sparrow makes no mention of ever seeing the Trident before.

Possible explanation - The obvious explanation is that there are two different interpretations of Poseidon's Trident, with the Jack Sparrow book series were written by Rob Kidd and Dead Men Tell No Tales was made by directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg among other filmmakers. As a more in-universe explanation, the Trident may have had a unique history of originally being hidden in Poseidon's Tomb only to be later stolen by merfolk, eventually returned to Poseidon's Tomb following young Jack Sparrow's teenage adventures. As for Jack denying any knowledge about the Trident, it's possible he didn't remember his past adventures after many years later or he simply lied with the instinct that it is best for the infamous pirate to keep his past unknown. Even most of the stories Jack tells are exaggerated or completely made up.

How did Will Turner survive without a heart?

Why are you not dead?

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Henry Turner breaks the Trident of Poseidon, thus breaking all the curses of the sea. Now free from the curse of the Flying Dutchman, Will Turner returns to his son and wife after twenty years of sailing the Seven Seas as the ferryman of the dead. However, when Henry broke the Trident, Will's heart was locked in the Dead Man's Chest, and since the curse was the only thing that was keeping him alive, he should have died the moment the Trident was broken.

Possible explanation - When the destruction of the Trident lifted the curse of the Devil's Triangle from Armando Salazar and his men, all of them immediately regrew their missing limbs. It's possible the same thing happened to Will.

See also

• Timeline of Pirates of the Caribbean series
• Historical inaccuracies
• Canon
• Retcon
• Fanon