After sacrificing Jack Sparrow to the Kraken at the end of Dead Man’s Chest, why does Pirates of the Caribbean’s Elizabeth return to save him in the follow-up film At World’s End? The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is filled with memorable blockbuster antiheroes and antiheroines - but none of them are more interesting and engaging than lady-turned-pirate lord Elizabeth Swan and the iconic scoundrel Captain Jack Sparrow.

Jack Sparrow's many crimes barely scratch the surface of who so many pirates - and people, in general - hate him. The character is often callous and shamelessly happy to double-cross his allies to get out of a tight spot. Throughout the series, he’s a veritable cad to friends and foe alike. This makes it inevitable, and really rather fitting, when Elizabeth Swan uses a well-timed kiss to trick him into sacrificing himself to save his crew.

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A lot of questions surrounding the characters of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise are left for viewers to work out on their own, like how Jack got his X scar. But the clues to why Elizabeth saves Jack after sacrificing him are actually all there for canny viewers to uncover. It’s because she doesn’t want to be seen as a pirate and believes that saving Jack will undo her decision to sacrifice him. She thinks the sneaky trick makes her no different from the captain himself so it’s understandable that Elizabeth doesn’t want to be responsible for his death. She fears it makes her less honorable, and no better than him. Elizabeth’s willingness to save Jack from Davy Jones’ Locker is less about her potentially loving him and more about wanting to regain her good name.

Will Turner may believe, thanks to a badly timed glance, that she’s loves Jack, but Elizabeth is actually just trying to justify herself. And she’ll try almost anything to do so. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise used a lot of nautical legends, which is where the movie got the idea for Jack to end up in Davy Jones’ Locker. A purgatory for undead sailors lost at sea, it’s where he spends the first portion of At World’s End and the same place that Elizabeth eventually opts to free him from with the help of Calypso.

Elizabeth’s decision to team up with Calypso in order to save Jack is further evidence that she has become a true pirate, despite what she thinks of herself. Although Elizabeth only goes along with the plan to take the death off her conscience, Calypso is nonetheless a risky ally to take on. Even without the use of her full powers, she’s still the reason Davy Jones looks like an octopus. So not a woman (or goddess in human form, technically) to be messed with. But Elizabeth is still willing to enlist her help in retrieving Jack. Throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean series, she tries to avoid getting her hands dirty both ethically and literally, which makes it all the more impressive when she embraces her pirate side and takes on the role of Pirate Lord in At World’s End.

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