When it first premiered in 2003, not many could have predicted the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Based on a theme park ride, the film became a hit and spawned multiple sequels with some of the biggest budgets in recorded history.
Although the reception for the sequels didn't quite live up to the original, these films got bigger in terms of blockbuster scale. Part of what made them different was the introduction of some pivotal characters. That included villains, fellow pirates, and some characters who weren't even totally human. They all left an impact on the franchise as a whole.
Henry Turner
One of the bigger selling points for 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was that iconic characters like Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann would return. The story to bring them back involved their son, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), who was trying to find a way to break his father's curse of the Flying Dutchman.
Henry proved to have the bravery of his parents, going up against tough odds in his quest for the Trident of Poseidon. It made him a likable character and that was cemented by his romantic interest in Carina. Plus, audiences loved seeing someone with a connection to the original films, which some heroes from the fourth movie lacked.
Blackbeard
Similar to Davy Jones from prior installments, Blackbeard (Ian McShane) is a famous name from pirate lore. Bringing him to life on screen would be a tall task but McShane did well in 2011's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He was both the captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge and someone who dabbled in black magic.
Blackbeard searched for the Fountain of Youth to avoid his prophecized death. He proved to be a formidable foe who had a long history with the likes of Captain Barbossa and he had an intriguing but rough relationship with his daughter. It was also pretty shocking to see that he had put the Black Pearl in a bottle.
Angelica
You can't discuss Blackbeard without bringing up his stylish daughter Angelica (Penélope Cruz). Along with her complex relationship with her father, Angelica was also a past lover of Jack Sparrow. That made it so every scene that she was part of during On Stranger Tides was ripe with conflict and highly entertaining.
Her bond with Jack played a major part in her decisions, including in her near-death. Though Jack tricked Blackbeard into sacrificing himself to save her, Angelica still wowed revenge, so Jack marooned her on a deserted island. Defiant to the end, she attempted to trick and shoot him. Though this wasn't a well-received film, a return for the character would likely be welcome.
Cutler Beckett
A lot of the villains in this franchise are actually kind of cool. Though you root against them, you can't help but be engaged when they're on screen. Debuting in 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) doesn't fit that mold. Instead, he's just someone you're meant to totally hate.
Unlike other baddies, Beckett has no special powers. He's just the chairman of the East India Trading Company and a mastermind who uses politics and his cunning genius to outmaneuver everyone. He even gets Davy Jones under his thumb in the third film. His death was brilliantly shot as viewers saw him realize that his perfect plan had failed.
Sao Feng
In terms of importance to the overall plot, Sao Feng (Chow Yun-fat) wasn't all that pivotal. He only appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007 and didn't survive the movie. Yet, he's someone who fans really like because he was simply entertaining to see on screen.
The pirate lord of the South China Sea, he's ruthless and will do what it takes to come out as a winner, which is as true to being a pirate as it gets. Yun-fat's performance brought a charisma to the role that made him stand out. The one major impact Feng had on the plot was naming Elizabeth as his Pirate Lord successor.
Carina Smyth
At the start of Dead Men Tell No Tales, it was difficult to know how important Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) actually was. An orphan without much besides her father's diary, she used it to begin the search for the Trident of Poseidon. She started to have feelings for Henry after he saved her from execution when she was believed to be a witch.
Over the course of the film, Carina showed toughness and bravery by facing things that she was certainly not prepared for. Captain Barbossa ultimately sacrificed himself for her, revealing that he was her father. It gave Carina a touching connection to the franchise's more important characters, though she stood on her own quite well.
Armando Salazar
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl had a great scene when it was revealed that the crew of the Black Pearl was cursed. The fifth installment took that further with Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem), who was the undead captain of the Silent Mary and the film's main antagonist.
His backstory was an intriguing one as he was tricked into the Devil's Triangle by a young Jack Sparrow, killing him. However, the triangle resurrected him and his crew, where they spent decades killing pirates. It earned Salazar the nickname "El Matador del Mar." His rage, thirst for vengeance, and the performance by Bardem all made Salazar a great character.
Tia Dalma
First appearing in Dead Man's Chest, Tia Dalma (Noemi Harris) was another character whose importance grew with seemingly every passing scene. At first, she was just someone with the means to help Jack with his Davy Jones problem but her role expanded in a big way in At World's End.
It was then that more of Tia Dalma's history was revealed and it turned out that she was Calypso, the sea goddess who was in love with Davy Jones. Harris was great in the role and the romantic story with Jones had a huge impact on the second and third movies.
Bootstrap Bill Turner
The most important character introduced in the sequels to have been name-dropped in the first movie was Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård). He was part of the Black Pearl crew but didn't participate in the mutiny of Jack Sparrow and he was also the father of Will Turner.
He debuted in Dead Man's Chest when he gave Davy Jones's message to Jack. From then on, he met his son on the crew of the Flying Dutchman and shared touching scenes together. Even when Will takes over for Jones, Bootstrap chose to remain as part of the crew so he could make up for lost time with his son.
Davy Jones
In terms of visuals, there was no character more impressive than Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) in this franchise. The captain of the Flying Dutchman, he ultimately stopped doing his duty of carrying the souls who died at sea to the next world when Calypso didn't meet him on land after a decade.
He's easily the most intimidating villain thanks to lines like "I am the sea," his vicious Kraken, and how he ran his Locker for those who owed him debts. Though he had to do Beckett's bidding, Jones remained a threat who battled everyone who stepped in his path. His death was heartbreaking as he called out for Calypso and fans hope for a return at some point in the future.