The original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy featured many memorable villains, but which (if any) of them is most likely to show up in the upcoming sixth installment of the series? Since its inception, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been an unlikely cinematic success story. When The Ring helmer Gore Verbinski directed The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, hopes were not astronomical for the summer release.
Renny Harlin’s flop Cutthroat Island left investors convinced that viewers were no longer interested in swashbuckling action, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise seemed destined to fail as a result. However, to the surprise of many critics, The Curse of the Black Pearl soon proved to be an outsized success with both reviewers and viewers alike. The secret weapon of the series was Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, but a slew of compelling antagonists ensured that the antihero of the franchise had interesting enemies to play off against, too.
The owners of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise recently split the fandom of the series with the announcement that Margot Robbie would star in a spinoff that builds on the existing movies, while Depp’s Sparrow is unlikely to be seen again onscreen. Many fans felt that the franchise could not work without the actor’s involvement, with a petition to reinstate Depp’s Sparrow as the star of the series soon gaining traction. However, others were enthused by the news after the lackluster critical reception of the fourth and fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movies. One thing that few fans have mentioned, though, is that the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy introduced a diverse range of intriguing villains who could also provide a bridge between the earlier movies and this new spinoff, some of whom have not been seen onscreen since the first three films in the series. So, which of these antagonists is likely to crop up again, and how can the franchise facilitate their return in terms of story?
Barbossa
The most obvious Pirates of the Caribbean villain who could return after being introduced in the original trilogy is Barbossa, who has barely been a villain since the first film and could provide the connective tissue between the original and the Margot Robbie-starring spinoff continuity. Admittedly, this would not be without its challenges as Barbossa did die as of the end of the fifth film, 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales. However, he is still the original trilogy villain most likely to make a comeback in the spinoff for two reasons. For one thing, he is the most heroic of the trilogy’s villains (he even married Elizabeth and Will in the third movie) and for another, he is the only villain in the series who has been canonically revived before (by Tia Dalma at the close of Dead Man’s Chest). The introduction of Barbossa’s unlikely daughter Carina created a hard-to-ignore plot hole in Dead Men Tell No Tales, so any return would need to address this lingering issue. Otherwise, the character would be an ideal figure to bring together the original trilogy and spinoff movies.
Davy Jones
Last seen menacing a cameo-ing Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom in the closing moments of the fifth film, Davy Jones is confirmed to be alive (and annoyed) in the canon of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. As a fan-favorite villain, this means he may make an appearance in the sixth movie, and as one of the more powerful antagonists of the original trilogy, Jones could provide the necessary gravitas to ground the hi-jinks of the fast-paced series. However, the fact that his return would mean bringing back Elizabeth and Will as well (as he was last seen vowing vengeance on the happily married pair) makes it a bit less likely than Captain Barbossa’s comeback, since this could derail the story of Robbie’s new series heroine. That said, viewers truly loved Jones as a villain, meaning it is not outside the realms of possibility that the franchise will risk splitting the spinoff’s story solely to allow for his return.
Calypso
Calypso, or Tia Dalma, hasn’t been mentioned since the original trilogy, but she also has the unique advantage of not being killed off and ergo having every reason to appear again. Not only that but, as Davy Jones’ lost love, Tia Dalma is a tragic figure who had a more poignant backstory than many of the monsters encountered throughout the series. As such, her return would offer a more nuanced villain for the sequel’s story. The plots of the fourth and fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movies struggled due to their villains being utterly irredeemable, cartoonishly evil figures like Captain Salazar, whereas the far more powerful Calypso combined a very human broken heart with a very inhuman set of supernatural powers to make for an ideal villain in the original trilogy. As a literal god, she is one of the most powerful villains in the series, but has also never been the primary villain of an outing and never seemed too concerned with killing off humans. If anything, Tia Dalma’s Davy Jones backstory is her most unfinished plot thread, meaning it is unlikely that viewers will see the character again unless it is alongside her octopus-faced former paramour.
Cutler Beckett
The villain least likely to return after his unambiguous fate at the close of the original trilogy, Cutler Beckett was a great human antagonist, but a very much mortal one. A representative of the East India Company, Beckett was a ruthless bureaucrat whose rise to power spelled the end of piracy until the moment that his convoluted plan quite literally blew up in his face at the end of At World’s End. As a franchise, the Pirates of the Caribbean series could do with Cutler Beckett’s return since the calculating villain had a colder, more believably mean edge than many campier later antagonists. However, it is unlikely that the most mortal of the franchise’s villains will rise from the grave, although his status as a particularly ruthless negotiator means Beckett just might be able to crop up again. After all, if anyone can broker a deal with the devil/Davy Jones/any other supernatural entity that can grant immortality, it would be the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy’s heartless Cutler Beckett.