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British Crown and Navy

Government

King George II

George II, King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kinggeorgeprofile.jpg

"I will not have some melancholy Spanish Monarch—a Catholic—gain eternal life!"

Prime Minister Pelham: "You are in the presence of George Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Great Britain and Ireland... and of you."

The King of Great Britain during the time of the movies. He only appears in the fourth movie, in which he's looking for the Fountain of Youth. He's shown to be not very competent at his job.

0% Approval Rating: He isn't a very popular ruler since he's been taxing his subjects into being poor and starving, all the while being selfish, indulgent and apathetic to his subjects' well-being.
Adipose Rex: Truth in Television; he was a Hanoverian after all and they tended to be big. He's only seen walking once. The rest of the time, he remains in his chair, and when Jack escapes and bullets start flying, his advisors deem it faster to just lift the chair and carry him away.
Big Bad Ensemble: He and King Ferdinand VI of Spain are the (warring) antagonists of the film.
Fat Bastard: Mostly in a flippant, detached way. He's greedy and indulgent and doesn't particularly care about the well-being of his subjects, making him an unpopular ruler. There's also the whole matter of giving Cutler Beckett control over most of his armada to eliminate piracy.
Fat Idiot: An overweight man who's naive and childish in his dealings with others.
Greater-Scope Villain: A king is naturally a bigger threat to pirates than any naval officer given their greater authority and resources, but he's scarcely involved in the plot so he fits this trope. That being said, he was the one who elected Beckett as his duly appointed representative in the original trilogy to remove the threat of piracy.
Historical Domain Character: Based on a king that really existed.
Horrible Judge of Character:
- He seems to trust Barbossa. This is not a smart thing to do.
- He also fails to understand why removing shackles from Jack Sparrow is a bad idea. Even though upon entering the room, Barbossa immediately warns him that Jack should be put back in chains.
Large Ham: He's very over-the-top in a lazy, fat way.
Manchild: In his only scene, he comes across as a gullible, overgrown child used to getting everything he wants. He even throws a temper tantrum at the idea of the Spanish King getting his hands on the Fountain of Youth, and pounds his fists on the table like an enraged toddler.
Minor Major Character: As the King of Great Britain, one of the most powerful nations at the time of the movies, he's several times mentioned but never puts in an appearance in the original trilogy. He only shows up briefly in the fourth movie, On Stranger Tides, where he's the one who brings on Barbossa as a privateer to find the Fountain of Youth.
Non-Action Big Bad: Technically part of the Big Bad Ensemble in On Stranger Tides, but he never leaves his palace in London and Barbossa acts as a Dragon with an Agenda.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He hates the Spanish due to their Catholic faith. The reason he wants the Fountain of Youth found is because he wants to keep it out of the hands of the King Ferdinand of Spain.
King George II: I will not have some melancholy Spanish Monarch — a Catholic — gain eternal life!
Right for the Wrong Reasons: He and many others around him thought the Spanish were seeking the Fountain of Youth to give their king eternal life. In reality, the Spanish were seeking to destroy the Fountain of Youth, as they believed it an abomination in the eyes of God.
The Rival: King George II considers King Ferdinand of Spain to be one to him. Ferdinand's own opinion on George is never established.
Sissy Villain: He's flamboyantly dressed, melodramatic, and has a Character Tic of pursing his lips.
Slouch of Villainy: In his one scene, he lounges around on his ornate chair, looking bored through most of the conversation.
Underestimating Badassery: He has Jack's chains removed because the jingling Jack makes with them annoys him. When Barbossa tells him that he should have the manacles put back on, King George II scoffs at the idea that Jack could escape him from the center of his palace. Guess what Jack does next?
Unwitting Pawn: He has no idea Barbossa is just using him to further his own agenda of revenge against Blackbeard.
Upper-Class Twit: Even though he's the king, he comes across as a clueless buffoon during his meeting with Jack in the fourth movie.

Governor Weatherby Swann

Played By: Jonathan Pryce

Appears In: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Dead Man's Chest | At World's End

Governor Swann: Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor, but I'm... I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter.
Young Elizabeth: Actually I find it all fascinating.
Governor Swann: Yes. That's what concerns me.

Governor of Port Royal and Elizabeth's bumbling, overprotective father.

Antagonistic Governor: Only technically. He's not really a villain and pretty much everything he does stems from a desire to protect his daughter, it's just that his methods of protecting her put him at odds with Will and Jack. By the time of the second and third movies he's essentially been Forced into Evil by Cutler Beckett.
Anti-Villain: He's basically a decent if rather conservative guy who wants to do his job and protect his daughter, who is perhaps just a bit too eager to hang pirates even when they save her. But he'll do the right thing in the end.
British Stuffiness: Especially in Curse of the Black Pearl where he's a bit pompous and overbearing, but not really a bad person. In the sequels, desperate circumstances make him a more serious and sympathetic character.
Comically Serious: In Curse of the Black Pearl, when he spends the entire final battle fighting a severed hand over his wig. He's treated more seriously in the sequels.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Governor Swann doesn't approve of his daughter's love for Will, whom he doesn't initially hate or even dislike, but whom he believes to be an unsuitable match due to his low background. Even after giving his grudging acceptance to the pairing, he prioritizes Elizabeth's safety over her fiancé's life.
Deal with the Devil: Allies himself with Beckett in Dead Man's Chest to ensure Elizabeth's safety. Though he's really not given much choice in the matter.
Demoted to Extra: A major character in Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest, he's reduced to glowering in the background of a few scenes in At World's End. Largely because his big scene was left on the cutting room floor.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Killed off-screen in At World's End with only a murky throwaway explanation. The closest explanation is in the deleted scenes where he goes into a Despair Event Horizon after being told that Elizabeth was killed, he tried to stab the heart of Davy Jones but was stopped by Norrington. When he leaves, Beckett implies that the Governor should be killed because He Knows Too Much.
Everyone Has Standards: Both Governor Swann and Norrington share a meaningful look when Beckett's assistant present the Governor with more orders of execution to sign. Governor Swann may have wanted to end piracy, but the level of death going on around him is clearly making him uncomfortable.
Face Death with Dignity: More like accepted his death with dignity. When his deceased soul encounters Elizabeth, he refuses to take the rope she offers and speaks to her quite calmly, telling her how proud he is of her and that he'll give her mother her regards. Tia Dalma even says he's at peace.
Forced into Evil: Governor Swann is forced to work for Beckett and use his power for the East India Trading Company's own ends because he's terrified his daughter will be killed if he doesn't.
He Knows Too Much: The cause of his death in a deleted scene, along with a dash of You Have Outlived Your Usefulness. Swann learns about the curse on Davy Jones's heart that will cause whoever kills it to take Jones's place as Captain of the Flying Dutchman. Beckett doesn't want this information getting out, so he tells Mercer that Governor Swann should carry this secret to his grave.
Good Parents: While they have their ups and downs, he and Elizabeth always have a great relationship that is mutually warm and affectionate, and while he doesn't always agree with her decisions, he trusts her enough that he'll help her achieve them. He's controlled by the thought that she's in danger more than by any threat to himself.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: He's nominally a villain in Curse of the Black Pearl, but too goofy to be a threat. In At World's End he's forced into alliance with Beckett, and isn't happy about it (nor does he do anything villainous, aside from rubber stamp Beckett's orders).
Jerkass Has a Point: While he's dismissive of Will's chances in Dead Man's Chest, Governor Swan's point that Beckett has only offered one pardon and that Jack isn't exactly trustworthy is pretty accurate.
Killed Off for Real: He was killed in the third movie, and unlike Jack and Barbossa, was never resurrected. "He be at peace" says Tia Dalma.
Noodle Incident: He and Beckett evidently have a past, but we're never clued into what that entails.
Papa Wolf:
- After having a change of heart about Elizabeth marrying Norrington in Curse of the Black Pearl, he fights off a zombie pirate and its severed hand when he goes into the cabin, even though Elizabeth has snuck aboard a lifeboat and made her way aboard the Black Pearl to get Jack's crew out of the brig.
- A deleted scene from At World's End has Jones telling Swann that Elizabeth seemingly died when the kraken took the Black Pearl. Swann's first reaction is to charge in the room where Davy Jones's heart is kept and try to stab it in revenge. Not even learning of the curse on it is enough to stop him from trying. It takes Beckett confirming that she survived and Norrington's pleas for Swann to finally back down.
Parental Sexuality Squick: Inverted. In Dead Man's Chest, his daughter, Elizabeth, makes a sexually charged comment to Will within earshot of the Governor. He ends up snapping off a piece of a candelabra in shock.
Pet the Dog: Near the end of Curse of the Black Pearl, he tries to talk with Elizabeth while she's locked away, and says while he thinks her decision to marry Norrington is a smart decision, it may also be the wrong decision one, if she only agreed to it to protect Will.
Puppet King: Forced into playing one after Beckett threatens his daughter.
Reasonable Authority Figure:
- He pardoned Will for his involvement with Jack Sparrow in the first movie.
- In the sequels he sets a contrast with Beckett because he's more into law and order while Beckett is into law as a means to profit.
Sacrificial Lion: As if Elizabeth needed more reason to hate Beckett, her dad dies because of him.
Shipper on Deck: In the first film, he's eager for Elizabeth to marry Norrington due to being a fine man of good station, but in the end he accepts her decision to be with Will instead.
So Proud of You: One of the last things his ghost says to Elizabeth in At World's End.
Governor Swann: "I'm so proud of you Elizabeth..."
Ungrateful Bastard:
- Jack Sparrow saves his daughter's life from drowning. When the Governor sees he accomplished this by cutting open her corset so she could breathe, he tells the soldiers to shoot him - though this could be because he misunderstood the situation and thought that Elizabeth was being taken advantage of. Either way, this is before he finds out Jack is a pirate, after which he orders him hanged instead.
- He's initially unwilling to go after the Black Pearl to save Will, despite the fact that Elizabeth would've died had he not gone after her. He does at least seem saddened about leaving Will to his fate, but he's resigned to it until Elizabeth requests Norrington do it as a favor to her before accepting his marriage proposal.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Beckett says this of (but not to) Swann in At World's End after receiving his authority.

East India Trading Co.

In General

Historical Villain Upgrade: The real Company could often take a heavy-handed approach when competing for markets and influence, but they never used supernatural monsters to take over the seas.
MegaCorp: The main example of this trope in-universe of the 18th Century variety. They have a massive fleet, possess an absurd amount of influence throughout the world, and have a monopoly over trade.
N.G.O. Superpower: Despite being a trading company based in India, they are shown to possess absurd amounts of power. This includes: carrying out arrests, overruling the authority of a governor, occupy a colony that is outside their range of jurisdiction, engage in warfare, actively hunting down criminals, carrying out the execution of said criminals, giving out pardons, and promoting officers of the Navy to the rank of Admiral.
Sigil Spam: Their emblem (a cooler fantasy version, different from the one the historical Company used) can be found on their flags, supplies and sometimes even uniforms.

Lord Cutler Beckett

"It's just good business."

Played By: Tom Hollander

Appears In: Dead Man's Chest | At World's End

"Advise your brethren. You can fight, and all of you will die... or you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die."

The Big Bad of the second and third movies and a professional dog kicker. Also obsessed with catching Sparrow because of their old grudges. Dangerously intelligent and determined, he wants to purge the seas of pirates. His primary plan to achieve this is to find the heart of Davy Jones, and scarily, he succeeds in it, thanks to the help of James Norrington. He does some pretty horrible things, like order the hanging of a child.

0% Approval Rating: Nobody in the Caribbean likes him because he's that terrible—killing children, extorting innocents and forcing an undead sea captain to do his bidding.
Ambition Is Evil: Trying to take over the Caribbean to enforce Draconian laws is highly ambitious, and also highly evil.
Angst Coma: Beckett just blanks out when he sees he lost and there's no way to get out of this alive.
Antagonistic Governor: He's more of a Corrupt Corporate Executive but his title is Governor of the East India Trading Company and he's the Big Bad of the original trilogy.
Arch-Enemy: He's a good contender for Jack's worst enemy. He's the one responsible for branded Jack a pirate, forcing him into the life of an outlaw, and sank the Black Pearl, which led to Jack selling his soul to Davy Jones to reclaim it. While Jack doesn't treat him too seriously, Beckett loathes Jack enough to the point where, when he has Jack's compass, which points to what the holder wants most in the world, the compass points directly to Jack, because Beckett just wants Jack dead that badly.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Lord Cutler Beckett, is it now?
Badass Boast: "The fleet is in pursuit and justice will be dispatched by cannonade and cutlass and all manner of remorseless pieces of metal."
Badass in a Nice Suit: Even his paintings and war map figurine have his dashing suit.
Big Bad: He’s one of the main villains of the franchise, but he worked for Davy Jones in the second, and finally took center-stage as the main antagonist in the third.
Big Bad Duumvirate: With Jones in the third film, though technically Jones was Demoted to Dragon, Beckett has no inference in the events, while Jones is much more dangerous and duels every main character in the series.
Big Bad Ensemble: With Davy Jones in the second film before getting his heart and forcing Jones to work for him.
Bullying a Dragon: Even if Davy Jones is forced to do his bidding under threat of death, Beckett takes far too much pleasure in rubbing Jones's situation in his face. He was smart enough to force Jones to kill his kraken so it couldn't be used against him, but not smart enough not to needlessly antagonize his greatest weapon. Naturally, the second Jones has a way to secure his own life, he gruesomely murders Beckett's right-hand man.
Capitalism Is Bad: The personification of this in the franchise. He embodies the heartlessness and unchecked ambition of the East India Trading Company, and he will seek to gain more wealth and power while delighting in ruining or ending as many lives as it takes to get there. Even among the nastiest pirates, Beckett is always more greedy and evil than they ever will be.
Character Catchphrase: "It's just good business", which he utters as his Pre-Mortem Catchphrase.
The Chessmaster: The creators confirm he's one of, if not the, smartest characters in the series. As of the end of Dead Man's Chest, he's holding all the cards.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Beckett makes and breaks deals at the drop of a hat, depending on what's most convenient for him. He made a deal with Sao Feng only to renege on his part of the bargain after Sao Feng delivered his, he bargained Governor Swann into compliance only to have him killed for learning too much, and Beckett's final action is to try to renege on his deal with Jack and kill him, only for the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman to destroy Beckett's ship first.
Cold Ham: Though he speaks in a subdued voice, the content of his words ooze with a brazenly, smug sliminess.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: The vast majority of antagonists in the series are chaotic, overly hammy pirates with supernatural powers. Beckett, however, is an aristocratic business-man who plots instead of fights, wishes to bring about the end of piracy and the supernatural to impose order on the seas, and is characterized by a uniquely slimy, smug and soft-spoken demeanor that just makes his particular brand of evil standout as more low-key and banal in comparison.
Control Freak: Beckett's primary concern is complete control of the seas and removing the elements that stand in the way of the smooth flow of business. Particularly emphasized in a deleted scene where he makes his thoughts on people abundantly clear to Jack.
Beckett: It would be so nice if all of us could be on holiday, year round. But someone must ensure that the world turns properly. People are what they love, Jack. And what they love, is cargo. They love spices, and linens, and silks, and plantains. And as long as it is delivered on time and in sufficient supply, then they are content to be nothing more than figures on a ledger.
- This turns out to be one of final undoing. Even as both the Pearl and the Dutchman under Will's command are unleashing everything they have on the Endeavour, which still easily outguns each ship per side, his crew are still awaiting his order to fire back rather than do it themselves, showing that they're far too afraid to make a move without his explicit word, even when under heavy fire. So when it's clear to them that he's completely non-functional, it's far too late to attempt to fight back, so they all figuratively and try to literally jump ship rather than die for him.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Remorseless and ruthless in expanding the East India Trading Company's prosperity. Blackmail and coercion are all in a day's work for him.
Create Your Own Villain: Both he and Jack did this to each other. Jack's freeing a shipment of slaves cost Beckett something important, while Beckett branding Jack a pirate in response ensured that Jack became his biggest enemy. Lampshaded by Jack in a deleted scene.
Beckett: Your good deed cost me Jack.
Jack: And you have spared me any possibility of ending up as anything other than what I am. And for that... I truly thank you.
Cultured Badass: Unafraid of battle, Beckett remains very well-read and interested in the arts.
Cutscene Boss: Both a video game and non-video game example, as he goes down relatively quickly after the rather difficult battle with Davy Jones is over.
Deadpan Snarker: Retains a impeccably polite tone while dishing out the snark.
Department of Redundancy Department: Has a knack for saying lines that seem to be stating the obvious, but are often rife with double-meanings.
- When lightly sneering to Elizabeth about her father's "outdated" beliefs:
  Beckett No doubt you have discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father believes.
  Elizabeth: Then what is?
  Becket: I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm.
- When mocking Davy Jones' new subjugation right to his face.
  Beckett: The immaterial has become... immaterial.
Did You Actually Believe...?: After the Black Pearl takes down the Flying Dutchman, Beckett assumes Jack is coming at him hoping he'll fulfill his end of the deal to spare him. Cue for "Load the Cannons. Sorry Jack. It was just good business."
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: After he comes into possession of Davy Jones's heart, he starts ordering Jones around with ruthless efficiency. When Jones complains about this, Beckett has this to say:
Beckett: The immaterial has become... immaterial.
Dragon-in-Chief: Somehow Beckett manages to fall on both sides of this trope. Beckett is the Non-Action Big Bad of the original trilogy, and uses the heart of Davy Jones to force the captain to act as his enforcer in the third movie, even though Jones is more powerful than Beckett in every way. By the same token, Beckett is technically serving as the duly elected representative of King George II, who charged him with eliminating piracy. When King George is seen in the fourth movie, he's nowhere near a cunning strategist as Beckett, and comes across as a buffoonish Manchild without the wit or fortitude to wage war against a soggy piece of toast.
Dragon with an Agenda: Beckett serves King George, but only for the sake of advancing his business.
The Dreaded: People fear him more than Davy Jones; he puts innocent children at the gallows, suspends all civil rights just because he can.
Driven to Suicide: Not only has his plan to brutally eradicate piracy and rule the seas failed, but his whole career has gone down in flames, that he stays in the HMS Endeavour that is being torn apart by enemy fire.
Dying Moment of Awesome: The entire HMS Endeavour disintegrating around him into a carnage of flying cannonballs and splinters is not enough to make Beckett lose his cool.
Evil Brit: An upper-class Englishman with an accent to match and the most cold-blooded character in the series.
Evil Counterpart: To Jack. Both are good at playing people against each other for their own gain, but where Jack wants freedom, Beckett wants to kill every last pirate on the ocean.
Evil Gloating: Mostly to Davy Jones, whom he can't go a scene without gloating about how he's in charge. This turns out to be a seriously bad move, as it only serves to increase Jones's absolute hatred for Beckett, and incites him to rebel and start slaughtering Beckett's men literally the first instant he gets the chance.
Evil Is Petty: The entire reason he hates Jack. Jack freed a shipment of slaves Beckett hired him to transport, costing him a fortune. In response Beckett had him branded a pirate. Even after ten years, Beckett hates Jack more than anything else in the world.
Evil Plan: Conducting business and wiping out anything that interferes with it. To this end he wipes out pirates, coerces Davy Jones himself into working for him, and amasses political and military power for himself.
Faux Affably Evil: He acts civil and polite, rarely raises his voice and will happily offer you food and drink while you negotiate. However, beneath it all he is a murderous sociopath who is more than happy to use intimidation and blackmail to get his way, has no qualms about betraying people once they are no longer useful to him and only cares about two things: money and power.
Gentleman Snarker: Particularly in Dead Man's Chest where he faces Elizabeth's pistol with sharp, yet polite, wit.
Going Down with the Ship: When Beckett realizes he's about to die, he undergoes a Villainous BSoD so severe that he completely shuts down mentally and can't even give the order to abandon ship, forcing Lieutenant Groves to do so for him. While his men try to escape, Beckett remains in total shock and stays onboard the HMS Endeavour even as the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman blow it to hell.
Gory Discretion Shot: After the explosion on HMS Endeavour, we see from the water-perspective how his surprisingly still-in-one-piece body falls onto a EITC flag (that is floating in the water), where we can see his silhouette. Fortunately, we never see his body directly, because seeing what kind of explosion it was, it probably wouldn't be a pretty sight.
Graceful Loser: Emphasis on graceful! Aside from a very subdued Oh, Crap! Villainous BSoD moment, he stays completely majestic even as his ship gets blown apart by cannon balls flying all around him.
Greater-Scope Villain: Retroactively for The Curse of the Black Pearl, as he's the one who branded Jack a pirate and sunk the Black Pearl in the first place, causing Jack to sell his soul to Davy Jones to retrieve it from the depths. He transitions to Big Bad in the second and third movies.
Hate Sink: In a series starring pirates as Villain Protagonists and where even initially noble people like Will and Elizabeth become more morally gray over time, Beckett still manages to stick out as one of the most despicable individuals in the franchise. Not only does he lack any of the qualities that make characters like Jack, Barbossa, and Davy Jones fun to watch, Beckett is depicted as a smug, banal aristocrat who's willing to kill thousands for something as mundane as keeping his business profitable.
He Knows Too Much: A deleted scene reveals he had Governor Swann killed because Davy Jones told him about the curse he placed on his heart, forcing anyone who destroys it to take his place as the Dutchman's captain. Not wanting anyone to hesitate if the need arose for Jones to die, Beckett decided it was a secret Swann should carry to his grave.
Hypocrite: For all his talk of hating piracy, he's willing to hire privateers. He is only bothered by pirates if the chance of them attacking his shipping and interfering with his profits exists.
Insistent Terminology: Like Jack, Lord Beckett insists on being called by his title.
It's All About Me: Beckett cares for nothing in the world that's not him or his precious Company.
Karma Houdini Warranty: Finally gets his just desserts in the third movie for all his atrocities committed all those years and getting away with them.
Karmic Death: Turns out enslaving the Dutchman, murdering the pirate empress' father along with double crossing Jack was a really terrible idea, Beckett.
Killed Off for Real: Another one of the characters not to come back.
Lack of Empathy: Beckett shows no empathy for anyone or anything, equating people to figures on a ledger or figurines on a board rather than living, breathing humans with lives that have any significance.
The Man Behind the Man: Retroactively for the comics and novels, where EITC personnel often serve as antagonists.
Mister Big: While it's never emphasized, he is noticeably shorter than every other character. The LEGO adaptation exaggerates this by making him Hobbit-sized.
More Dakka: The Endeavour has three rows of cannons per side, meaning it could handily take out a pair of ships that try to flank it. Not that it does any good against the Pearl and Dutchman, since the latter can't be sunk, and Beckett's Villainous BSoD renders him unable to give the order to take a shot.
Nerves of Steel: For someone who never personally gets his hands dirty or partakes in the action, Beckett can display surprising courage on occasion. Granted this could be overconfidence as the one time he realizes he's lost and is about to die he completely shuts down mentally.
Beckett: I'm listening. [Elizabeth points a gun in his face and Beckett's voice remains as calm as ever] I'm listening intently.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: He's based on Woodes Rogers, a real-life politician tasked with eradicating piracy in the Caribbean and led a campaign that ended in failure. Unlike Beckett, however, Rogers survived to return to England. In many ways, he was the opposite of Rogers. Rogers was an adventurer and folk hero who largely succeeded in eliminating the pirates of Nassau through offering pardons (which divided the pirate faction as was his intent), but loaned out a lot of money to be able to do so and a combination of poor business acumen and a messy divorce resulted him ending up in debtors prison after he couldn't repay his creditors.
Non-Action Big Bad: While Beckett is allegedly a skilled duelist, he seems to consider actually getting his own hands dirty to be beneath him and always works behind the scenes. The only exception is his holding Jack at gunpoint during their meeting it At World's End, though he never gets a chance to fire it.
Non-Answer: He's a master of this, which is arguably the key to his success. Rarely does Beckett explicitly promise anyone anything, allowing his victims to assume he has through skillful deflection and silence. By the time they realize this, it's too late to do anything.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Unlike Barbossa, Beckett is played completely straight and never for laughs. His scenes in Dead Man's Chest are markedly darker than the rest of the film, and he lacks even Davy Jones's sympathetic backstory. When he takes center stage in the third film, it's worked in as part of the transition to the epic format.
Noodle Incident: His first run-in with Captain Jack Sparrow, wherein he branded Jack a pirate and was given an unmentioned mark in return. The films never elaborate on what went down between Jack and Beckett. It has, however, been explained elsewhere. When Jack was working for the East India Trading Company, Beckett ordered him to deliver a cargo of slaves. Jack set them free instead. "People ain't cargo, mate." This unauthorized disposal of Company 'property' gave Beckett grounds to brand Jack as a pirate, forcing him into an outlaw lifestyle. What mark Jack left on Beckett is a blank for the audience to fill in- Beckett's expression when asked about it indicates it's a touchy subject. He also has a history with Governor Swann that's not explored beyond a throwaway line in Dead Man's Chest.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: On the surface, the idea of ridding the seas of piracy would be a noble goal. Unfortunately, despite Beckett's utmost loathing for pirates, he isn't trying to wipe them out to help others out of the goodness of his heart. He's doing it because they are chaotic factors that interrupt the otherwise smooth flow of his business. To further his own agenda, Beckett even resorts to sending hundreds of innocent people—those who've been given no trial and may only be guilty of associating with someone convicted of piracy, including children—to their deaths in mass executions.
Odd Name Out: By the standards that the other characters have normal 17th-18th century names Cutler isn't a name you'd expect to run to. That said, a cutler is a person who crafts or repairs cutting instruments like knives.^note As in "cutlery".
Opportunistic Bastard: For all his pretensions of being The Chessmaster, Beckett mostly accomplishes his goals by relying on other, more-capable people of doing his dirty work for him. Whenever the opportunity arises, Beckett will make a deal with whoever seems most likely to give him what he wants. He bargains with Will, Elizabeth, Norrington, Governor Swann, Sao Feng, and even his nemesis, Jack Sparrow, but there's no guarantee he won't immediately betray them depending on what he considers "good business."
Pet the Dog: When Norrington brings him the heart of Davy Jones, he simply expects to be given a commission as a privateer. Instead, not only does Beckett reinstate him to his former rank and status with all of his rights and privileges (and his sword) returned, he grants him a promotion to Admiral.
Playing Both Sides: In the second movie he blackmails Will Turner into pursuing Jack in order to bring back his compass and sends Mercer to recruit Norrington so that even if one fails the other will succeed. Then in the third movie he plays Jack and Will against one another and would have succeeded in his plan if Will hadn't stabbed the heart of Davy Jones.
Pragmatic Villainy: He takes umbrage with Davy Jones never leaving any survivors when attacking pirate ships on Beckett's orders. Not out of moral outrage, but because interrogating enemies works best when there are enemies still alive that can answer your questions.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves:
- While no traitor to his own causes. He's lied to, exploited, backstabbed, disposed of and all around punked just about everybody unlucky enough to make any kind of arrangement with him. Not to mention, despite all his false gentlemanly bravado, being as pompous as he was a duplicitous Slimeball generally pissing off everyone at sea thinking he'd get away with it.
- Not only was his ship getting blasted to pieces both by the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl, coupled in ending with his bloody, broken carcass getting jettisoned into the sea over his own corrupt industry logo no less a well and truly deserved end for him. He couldn't've asked more for what he got if he swam through ghost shark infested waters, traipsing about with killer mermaids, straight into the maw of the Kraken, all while sticking up the middle finger to Davy Jones (which he did, CONSTANTLY). All At The Same Time.
Rules Lawyer: Navigates the legal system to his own advantage in the second and third films. On the DVD commentary the screenwriters confirm that they explicitly wrote Becket as an Amoral Attorney, even though he's a businessman by trade.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!:
Beckett: No doubt you've discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father believes.
Elizabeth: Then what is?
Beckett: I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Beckett indefinitely suspends a lot of civil rights in the sector just because he can.
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Jack thought so at any rate. Jack was branded a pirate and his ship was sunk because he turned against Beckett by freeing a shipment of slaves. "People ain't cargo, mate."
Smug Snake: A very high-functioning and subtle one. He tries to hide it, but it's clear he's arrogant and regards the pirates as pesky worms (and others as mere pawns).
The Sociopath: Manipulative, superficially charming, utterly ruthless and lacking in a conscience.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: To better differentiate him from other villains.
The Starscream: He arrives in Port Royal to arrest Will and Elizabeth, and then offers them freedom in exchange for letters of marque, amounting to a full pardon. But as Elizabeth discovers, the letters have already been signed by King George, they're just not valid until Beckett signs them. In effect, the arrest warrants amount to nothing since the king has authorized a pardon for them, but Beckett hides this fact to throw his weight around and blackmail the two. He later imprisons Governor Swann and uses the threat of Elizabeth's death to make him into a Puppet King, making Beckett the de facto royal power in the Caribbean, and he uses it to do as he likes without any oversight by the crown.
The Stoic: It's very hard to get any emotional reaction beyond cold-blooded condescension out of him, even if you're sticking a loaded gun in his face and make it plain you'd love an excuse to pull the trigger. Even his Villainous BSoD is understated. Altogether, it actually makes him stand out among the World of Ham.
Tea Is Classy: Lord Cutler Beckett is frequently seen sipping some tea, including while a slew of pirate sympathizers are being hanged, or on the deck of the Endeavour while sailing toward the final battle. Besides the Brits Love Tea stereotype, it also serves to portray him as Wicked Cultured, in contrast with the scruffy pirates he detests.
Unflinching Walk: During his Villainous BSoD, he calmly walks down his ship while cannons fly around him.
Viler New Villain: He initially comes off as a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for Commodore Norrington, but Norrington was a Hero Antagonist in the original film whereas he quickly reveals himself to be a ruthless backstabbing sociopath.
Villainous BSoD: After his plans fall apart, Beckett is initially unable to respond, calmly walking down the stairs to the deck literally one step ahead of the cannonballs, and dies when his ship is sunk.
Wicked Cultured: Drinks tea, enjoys painting, reads books and even collects vintage toy soldiers.
Would Hurt a Child: Everyone associated with pirates no matter their personal actions is promptly executed, in order to make sure that there will be no loose ends and probably also to extort information out of the accused ones. And no exceptions for kids are made, as a cabin boy's death coldly demonstrates.

Ian Mercer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mercer-profile_9238.png

Played By: David Schofield

Appears In: Dead Man's Chest | At World's End

One of Beckett's most loyal henchmen with a definite violent and psychotic streak (Psycho for Hire?) who fills the absence of Norrington when he tags along with the pirates.

Almighty Janitor: Technically he's just a clerk in the East India Trading Company, but as Beckett's assistant, he's one of the most powerful people in the organization, to the point where Beckett entrusts him to command the Flying Dutchman after Admiral Norrington's death.
Asshole Victim: While his death is very unpleasant, he's also a ruthless thug who had it coming.
Battle Butler: He seems to act as Cutler's butler as well as thug.
Co-Dragons: With Davy Jones and Norrington to Beckett in the third film.
Corporate Samurai: He's an assassin and professional thug who's officially a "clerk" working for the Corrupt Corporate Executive in-charge of the East India Trading Company.
Dirty Coward: Sure, he acts all badass when he's got "leverage", but when the crap hits the fan he's the first person to jump ship and leave his men to die. This is part of what leads to his Cruel and Unusual Death at the tentacles of Davy Jones. As soon as his mooks are gone, he's helpless.
The Dragon: He's Beckett's enforcer in Dead Man's Chest. In At World's End he's more like The Brute, with Jones becoming Demoted to Dragon. However, unlike Jones, Mercer is genuinely loyal to Beckett and remains his most trusted subordinate, if not his most powerful, to the point where Beckett charges him with overseeing Jones on the Dutchman after Norrington's death.
Enigmatic Minion: Silent, mysterious, merciless and undyingly loyal to Beckett.
Eye Scream: When he's ultimately killed by Davy Jones, one of his tentacles goes right through his right eye.
Family-Unfriendly Death: Mercer learned the hard way never to piss off Davy Jones when the creature's tentacles are forced up his nose.
Faux Affably Evil: There is no disguising the sheer malice in his voice, even when he's acting polite.
Groin Attack: On the receiving end of one from Barbossa during the attempt to regain control of the Black Pearl in At World's End.
Kick the Dog:
- Killing the Governor's captain friend in the second movie certainly counts, especially considering cheerful way he rubs it in Governor's Swann's face.
- Though it's never outright stated, a deleted scene heavily implies he was the one who killed Governor Swann on Beckett's orders.
Little "No": Lets out a short, panicked one as Davy Jones's tentacles beginning edging their way into his facial orifices.
Oh, Crap!: His reaction to seeing the maelstrom open, followed by another as he realizes Jones intends to sail the Dutchman into it to do battle with the Pearl.
Orifice Invasion: Jones kills him by shoving the tentacles that make up his beard into Mercer's eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
Pinkerton Detective: Despite the fact that the time period obviously disqualifies him from being a literal Pinkerton Detective, Mercer still fits most of the negative stereotypes associated with the trope. He's a spy, enforcer and cutthroat hired to perform legal but unethical work for a powerful company.
Pragmatic Villainy: He has a perfect opportunity to kill either Will or Sao Feng from the shadows but spares them because he overhears them talking about betraying Barbossa and Sparrow, and figures their shifting loyalties could be of use to Beckett instead.
Professional Killer: Occasional murder is just one of the many tasks Beckett entrusts him with.
Psycho for Hire: Brutal, violent, ruthless and on the payroll of Beckett.
The Sociopath: The man shows sociopathic qualities that mark a Serial Killer in that he betrays no emotion when doing some really horrible things.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: Like his master, Mercer rarely raises his voice. Also like his master, it's clear he's getting a kick out of the horrible actions he commits.
Violent Glaswegian: Though like Beckett he's more of a Soft-Spoken Sadist, Mercer is a brutal, pitiless killer with a Scottish accent (actually David Schofield's natural Mancunian accent, but Mercer was described as Scottish in the tie-in novel The Price of Freedom, presumably because the author wasn't well-versed in British Accents).
Would Hit a Girl: Would shoot a girl, anyway, even when she's already down and begging for mercy.

Royal Navy

Admiral James Norrington

See Main Characters.

Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves

Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/195731_123647954385261_4898661_n_2844.jpg

Played By: Greg Ellis

Appears In: The Curse of the Black Pearl | At World's End | On Stranger Tides

One of Norrington's officers in Curse of the Black Pearl, he reappears in At World's End (as an officer on Beckett's ship, the Endeavour) and On Stranger Tides (as Barbossa's first mate). Always cheerful and enthusiastic, in contrast to Norrington's straight-laced personality.

Admiring the Abomination: Considering the way European navies viewed pirates and piracy, his admiration for Jack Sparrow's stunts could definitely count.
Ascended Extra: He gets much more screen time in On Stranger Tides, unfortunately an increased role isn't enough to save him.
Anti-Villain: Even when he's on the wrong side, he never does anything evil.
Character Death: Shot by the Spaniard.
Due to the Dead: While the Fountain of Youth is being destroyed, two British marines take the time to recover his body.
Dying Moment of Awesome. The Spaniard thinks so and says "someone make a note of that man's bravery" after the fact.
Everyone Has Standards:
- He looks noticeably uncomfortable during the mass hangings in At World's End as he reads out the decrees that suspend all legal rights and condemns anyone even remotely associated with piracy to death.
- In On Stranger Tides, Grove insists Barbossa, as his captain, return to their ship to help save their crew from attacking mermaids. He only relents when Barbossa pulls a gun on him.
Facing The Bullets Oneliner: Audaciously claims the Fountain of Youth for King George II in full view of armed Spanish soldiers.
A Father to His Men: It takes having a gun pulled on him by Barbossa to convince Groves to abandon the crew of the Providence despite initially arguing to go back and save them from the attacking mermaids.
Hero Antagonist: In the first movie he's just a navy officer doing his duty in pursuing pirates. He drifts more into Punch-Clock Villain territory in At World's End and On Stranger Tides but even then he's just trying to serve his country faithfully while forced to be subservient to more despicable men.
Mauve Shirt: He's on his third film as of On Stranger Tides. But he's not getting a fourth.
Mook Lieutenant: He's a sort of middleman between Norrington (or Beckett) and the normal Mooks.
Number Two: He acts as this to Barbossa in On Stranger Tides during the latter's time as a privateer.
Punch-Clock Villain: When working for Beckett in At World's End and Barbossa in On Stranger Tides. He's not malicious at all, just doing his job.
Worthy Opponent: He seems to view Jack as one, "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen."

Lieutenant Gillette

Played By: Damian O'Hare

Appears In: The Curse of the Black Pearl | On Stranger Tides

An officer in the Royal Navy who's initially the right-hand man of Commodore Norrington. He later reappears in On Stranger Tides working under Barbossa with Groves.

Agent Scully: His response to Elizabeth warning him about the undead curse on the Black Pearl's crew is less than impressed.
Gillette: Don't worry, Miss. He's already informed of that. A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story.
The Bus Came Back: He was first seen in The Curse of the Black Pearl then missing from the next two movies until his return On Stranger Tides. Unfortunately, after meeting with Blackbeard, he won't be back again.
Character Death: He's killed by Blackbeard and his zombie Yeoman during the fight for the Fountain of Youth.
Deadpan Snarker: In addition to his response to Elizabeth's claim in the first movie that the crew of the Black Pearl is cursed, there's his glib comment to the now one-legged Barbossa.
Barbossa: Ever walk on the beach, look back, and see your footsteps in the sand? It's like that, except the footsteps lie before me.
Gillette: Footstep, actually.
Due to the Dead: While the Fountain of Youth is being destroyed, two British marines take the time to recover his body.
Everyone Has Standards: Like Groves, he disapproves of leaving the crew of the Providence to die at the hands of angry mermaids.
Hat Damage: Pintel's shot misses his head but knocks the hat off his head.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He's first stabbed in the stomach by Blackbeard's zombie Yeoman, then impaled by Blackbeard himself.
Inspector Javert: He shares Norrington's initial opinion on pirates, and is disappointed that Norrington opts to give him a Mercy Lead.
Jerkass: He's initially rude and condescending in The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Number Two: He was Commodore Norrington's right-hand man while stationed at Port Royal.
Skeptic No Longer: At first Gillette scoffed at the thought of cursed, undead pirates. Until he sees them for himself. By the time of On Stranger Tides, Gillette has been assigned to help find the Fountain of Youth.

Murtogg and Mullroy

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Played By: Giles New (Murtogg), Angus Barnett (Mullroy)

Appear In: The Curse of the Black Pearl | At World's End | Dead Men Tell No Tales

An inseparable pair of Royal Marines who crew under Norrington. Their personal incompetence and bizarre personal quirks result in their mostly providing comic relief.

The Bus Came Back:
- They were missing in the second film but return for the third.
- Happens again when they fail to appear in the fourth film but come back for the fifth.
The Comically Serious: Mullroy and Murtogg, who come from the dry humor school of British Comedy.
Cowardly Lion: They're both easily terrified by the weird and horrible circumstances they regularly encounter. They still willingly try to join in the battle in the maelstrom regardless.
Everyone Has Standards: Mullroy's a bit offended about Murtogg's Fantastic Racism towards fish people.
Fantastic Racism: Murtogg isn't exactly keen on fish people (regarding their nature as being "contributory" to their poor behaviour).
Geodesic Cast: They aren't evil, but they're definitely Counterparts of Pintel & Ragetti.
Greek Chorus: Often make commentary on the set of events.
Heel–Face Turn: At the end of the third movie, they become members of the Black Pearl's crew.
It Has Been an Honor: At the end of the first movie, they are about to fight the undead pirates. They turn to each other, shake hands, and then leap into the battle.
Like an Old Married Couple: They have a sort of pointless back-and-forth banter that sounds like this, such as debating whether or not Jack was lying to them.
Mauve Shirt: The pair of them receive little in the way of plot-relevant action or character development, but they keep reappearing and surviving regardless.
Minion with an F in Evil:
- Despite now working for the antagonists' side in At World's End, they're more so incompetent Punch-Clock Villains than anything.
- As members of Barbossa's crew, they don't really ever do anything bad, and are remarkably less malicious than their Evil Counterparts, Pintel and Ragetti.
Plucky Comic Relief: They serve no function to the plot other than being amusing.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: They watch the chaos of the final battle from afar and disappear. Afterward, they appear climbing onto the Black Pearl as pirates and pretend to fit in with the others. Strangely, the only people that take note of the fact they just appeared out of nowhere are Pintel and Ragetti, their counterparts, who decide not to care.
Seinfeldian Conversation: A good way to distract them is to get them on a tangent, which they will get very into discussing with each other while the person they have at gunpoint proceeds to abscond.
The Straight Man: Their seriousness sets up a lot of Jack's jokes.
Those Two Guys: Never seen without one another.
Time-Passage Beard: By their reappearance in Dead Men Tell No Tales, both have grown beards.

Lieutenant John Scarfield

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/potc_scarfield.jpg

"Only the British Empire will hold the power of the sea."

Played By: David Wenham

Appears In: Dead Men Tell No Tales

A Royal Navy officer who wants to see Carina and Henry executed for their alleged crimes, and later tries to claim Poseidon's Trident for the British Empire.

All There in the Manual: The novelization reveals his first name and rank.
Asshole Victim: He's unceremoniously killed by Salazar, and the world was all the better.
Bad Boss: When one of his men loses Carina, Scarfield tells him to find her, otherwise he'll hang in her place.
Big Bad Wannabe: He wants the Trident for the British Empire but is unceremoniously killed by Salazar before he ever sets eyes on it.
Butt-Monkey: Is regularly made The Chew Toy by individuals with greater significance than him to the story. Although given his high-and-mighty worldview with a good bit of Hypocrite moments cementing his character, he's kinda asking for it.
Establishing Character Moment: Mr. Turner floats back to port after being cast out on sea by a vindictive ghost captain as the only survivor of his attack, how does Scarfield respond? Perceive Henry as a traitor due to his dishonorable discharge, sentencing him to hang for it.
Eviler than Thou: On the losing end against Salazar, whose ship more-or-less steps on his, causing Scarfield's immediate death.
Hate Sink: Scarfield is smug, sexist, hypocritical, petty, cruel and a terrible boss. He also lacks any of Captain Salazar's entertaining qualities while being completely superfluous to the plot, and ends up dying an ignoble death by the true Big Bad of the fifth film.
Hypocrite: Tries to execute Carina for witchcraft, even though she's just a scientist, while keeping a literal witch employed to help him whenever he needs it.
Inspector Javert: Wants to see Carina executed for witchcraft and Henry hanged for treason. It is later implied that he doesn't actually care if Carina really is a witch or not (and is in fact willing to work with an actual witch if it serves his goals), and while he was technically correct about Henry being labeled a traitor he still did so on rather flimsy evidence given the circumstances, and is very quick to pass judgement on him.
Kick the Dog: Had quite a few of these, chief among them was judging innocent people harshly and sentencing them both to death. Another was when he attempted to strike both down while Henry was preoccupied with keeping Carina from dying.
Knight Templar: He's as ruthless as Salazar when it comes to hunting down and executing enemies of the Crown.
The Neidermeyer: Kinda comes off as this being a sexist, incompetent quick to jump to conclusions Jerkass who likes to kick people while they're down. Easily supplanted by Big Bad Salazar and Lovable Rogue Jack Sparrow, changing standpoint when looking to sequester power for the Crown, while he hypocritically writes off the only survivor of an impossible attack as a traitor and sentences them to die. Lastly, getting blindsided twice by the series lead cast of characters, yet still carries around this large and in charge gumption he doesn't really deserve.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Seems like he's going to be a Wild Card in the hunt for the Trident and another threat for the heroes to worry about while they are evading Salazar, but ultimately Salazar kills him and his crew without batting an eye or Scarfield really doing anything of note.

Characters / Pirates of the Caribbean: Navy

Government

George II, King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire

Played By: Richard Griffiths

Appears In: On Stranger Tides