Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He first appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and later appeared in Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). During the initial development of the film series, Jack Sparrow was conceived as a supporting role, but as the storyline of the series progressed, actor Johnny Depp gained recognition as the breakout performer in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, largely becoming the franchise's central figure.

The character is based on a combination of the Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards, Groucho Marx, and Looney Tunes cartoons, specifically the characters Bugs Bunny and Pepé Le Pew. An early iteration of the character was created by screenwriter Jay Wolpert, with later drafts by Stuart Beattie and writing partners Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, but the final version of Sparrow was created by actor Johnny Depp, who also portrayed him.

In the films, Sparrow is the pirate captain of the Black Pearl, and is later revealed to be one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, serving as the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean. The character is primarily defined as a trickster who can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit, guile, and negotiation rather than force, opting to flee most dangerous situations and fight only when necessary.

Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain the Black Pearl from his mutinous first mate Hector Barbossa. After succeeding, he attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones by finding the Dead Man's Chest, as well as becoming embroiled in a war between the Brethren Court and the East India Trading Company. Later, when searching for the Fountain of Youth, he is abducted and taken aboard Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge.