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"Set topsails and clear up this mess."
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"The captain goes down with the ship."
―Palifico on Jack Sparrow[src]

Palifico[6] was a crew member aboard the Flying Dutchman, serving under Captain Davy Jones as his bodyguard.

Biography[]

Palifico

Palifico.

At some unknown point in his life, Palifico became a member of the crew of the Flying Dutchman under Captain Davy Jones. Palifico's general appearance was a sight to behold because as he was more reef than man, was even able to make presumably newer crewman like Bootstrap Bill Turner, Koleniko and Clanker look tame by comparison. Palifico, alongside other far more heavily transformed and monstrous looking crewman like Maccus, Crash, Angler and Ogilvey were considered to be the most hardened, veteran members and fighters of Jones's crew due to having some of the most extreme mutations and inhuman appearances out of all of the Dutchman crewmembers. Palifico went through an especially startling transformation, gradually taking on the appearance of multiple flora and fauna of the sea. He had a fire coral crest atop his head, and a coral-and-bone structure forming a tough exoskeleton on his body and in place of eyes, nose, and mouth, Palifico had a cluster of tentacles and two tube worms sprouting from his eye sockets.

When William Turner Jr. appeared aboard the scuttled ship, it was Palifico alongside Greenbeard, Koleniko and Jimmy Legs who were the first to arrive to apprehend the surviving crewmembers of the ship, though they were quickly followed by the rest of the Dutchman's crew. The crew rounded up the last of the men onboard and fought Turner, Palifico among them. Eventually, Crash knocked Turner out with his pulley. Davy Jones and Maccus boarded the ship, and Turner revealed that Jack Sparrow was nearby aboard the Black Pearl. Palifico and the other crewmen boarded the Pearl, and held back the Motley crew as Jones and Sparrow negotiated; during this time he held Cotton hostage.

Palifico Liar's Dice

Palifico watching Will Turner and Davy Jones' Liar's Dice game

Later, as he and the other crewmen worked around the ship, he held back Will Turner Jr as Davy Jones had William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner Sr punish his son. He watched as Maccus, Koleniko, and Clanker played Liar's Dice, and then looked on as William Turner challenged and played against Davy Jones. Palifico was, later, one of the crewmen who turned the Kraken Hammer, and was whipped by Jimmy Legs. He executed the Cook of the Edinburgh Trader after the ship was ripped apart by the Kraken.

Under Maccus, Palifico and the other crewmen traveled to Isla Cruces in Jones' stead as the captain could not step on dry land. The crew discovered the Dead Man's Chest empty, and, hearing the bell tower, put two and two together and headed to the tower. On the way, they found and ambushed Pintel, Ragetti and Elizabeth Swann, dueling them in sword combat. Palifico was cut down on numerous occasions by the trio. The Motley crew escaped with their lives, much to the dismay of Davy Jones. Later when the Dutchman ambushed the Pearl off Isla Cruces, Palifico manned the cannons and fired on Jack Sparrow's ship. The ship got away, but was soon tracked down and teared apart by the Kraken. Palifico remarked that the captain had gone down with his ship. He witnessed Jones' rage when he opened the chest and discovered his heart was not there. 

He was present as the East India Trading Company crew of the HMS Endeavour under Lord Cutler Beckett boarded the Flying Dutchman. Jones pushed past him to talk to Beckett. The East India Company soon took over the ship. By order of Beckett and Jones, he and the crew attacked Sao Feng's flagship, the Empress, and executed most of the crew. Palifico was shocked to later find Admiral James Norrington dead at the hands of Bootstrap Bill Turner and Davy Jones. He fled to the captain's cabin at Maccus' command.[3]

During the Battle of Calypso's maelstrom, he stood atop the crow's nest of the Dutchman. Like the other crewmen, Palifico reverted back to his human form when Will Turner became captain of the Flying Dutchman during the battle of Calypso's maelstrom.[4]

Personality and traits[]

Amusingly though even Palifico did not look as haggard as more ancient members of the Dutchman like Ratlin or Wyvern who had both actually begun to fuse to the Dutchman itself. He wielded twin, barnacle-encrusted blades in combat; a rapier and a cutlass that gradually fused to his hands. It's possible that due to his veteran status on the ship, he was Davy Jones's personal body guard. He was known to enjoy eating live fish, though despite his appearance, retained his human values: in particular, he felt it appropriate that Captain Jack Sparrow went down with his ship, the Black Pearl, during the Kraken's attack off of Isla Cruces.[citation needed]

He was an angry and hopeless individual during his decades of servitude under Jones, though the experience provided him with extensive nautical abilities.[7]

Behind the scenes[]

Dutchman Crew as humans BTS

Winston Ellis as Palifico (right).

  • Palifico was portrayed by Winston Ellis in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.[1][3] He was voiced by Steven Jay Blum in the At World's End video game. In the PS3 version, he appears multiple times as a mini-boss among Davy Jones' Henchmen. In order to defeat Palifico, the player must kill smaller enemies first, then perform a special move to kill the miniboss. He only makes two appearances as a miniboss in this version.[5]
  • Palifico's name is spelled "Palafico" in certain sources and the credits of Dead Man's Chest.[8]
  • Palifico was produced as an action figure (as "Flying Dutchman Cursed Pirate") by Zizzle in the first wave of Pirates of the Caribbean "Heroes and Villains" line.
  • In a collector's edition Dead Man's Chest chess set, Palifico is the bishop for the black side.
  • In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, he is known as Kelpbrain and Thrall Captain, where he can be found on Isla Tormenta.
  • In Perudo (Liar's Dice), any player who loses their fourth die is declared "palafico".

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Palifico.

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

vdeCrew of the Flying Dutchman
Captain: Davy Jones
Flying Dutchman
AnglerBroondjongenClankerCrashFauntleroyFinneganGreenbeard
HadrasHermanIgmarJellyJimmy LegsKolenikoMaccusManrayMoreyOgilveyOld Haddy
PalificoPenrodPiperQuittanceRatlinTwo Head
UrchinWheelbackWyvern

Captain: Davy Jones
Flying Dutchman
AnglerBroondjongenClankerCrashFauntleroyFinneganGreenbeard
HadrasHermanIgmarJellyJimmy LegsKolenikoMaccusManrayMoreyOgilveyOld Haddy
PalificoPenrodPiperQuittanceRatlinBootstrap Bill TurnerTwo Head
UrchinWheelbackWyvern


Captain: Davy Jones
Flying Dutchman
AnglerBroondjongenClankerCrashFauntleroyFinneganGreenbeard
HadrasHelmsmanHermanIgmarJellyJimmy LegsKolenikoMaccusManrayMoreyOgilveyOld Haddy
PalificoPenrodPiperQuittanceRatlinSailorBootstrap Bill TurnerWill Turner
Two HeadUrchinWheelbackWyvern


Captain: Davy Jones (controlled by Lord Cutler Beckett)
Flying Dutchman
Admiral James NorringtonAnglerBroondjongenClankerCrashFauntleroyFinneganGreenbeardHadrasHelmsmanHermanIgmarJellyJimmy LegsKolenikoMaccusManray
Ian MercerMoreyMullroyMurtoggOgilveyOld HaddyPalificoPenrodPiperQuittanceRatlinSailorBootstrap Bill TurnerTwo HeadUrchinWheelbackWyvern


Captain: Will Turner
Flying Dutchman
AnglerBroondjongenClankerCrashFauntleroyFinneganGreenbeardHadrasHelmsmanHermanIgmarJellyJimmy LegsKolenikoMaccusManrayMoreyOgilveyOld HaddyPalificoPenrodPiperQuittanceRatlinSailorBootstrap Bill TurnerTwo HeadUrchinWheelbackWyvern
[edit]
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