Jack Sparrow
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Jack Sparrow |
| Occupation: | pirate |
| Relationships: | Will Turner (friend/ally), Elizabeth Swann (friend/ally), Hector Barbossa (frenemy), Edward Teague (father) |
| Fandom: | Pirates of the Caribbean |
| Other: | Portrayed by Johnny Depp Jack Sparrow by Bohemian Weasel (2008) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the fictional main characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and is portrayed by Johnny Depp. Jack is arguably the most popular character in the PoTC fandom. He appears in most fanworks, either as a main or supporting character, and he is the "little black dress" of the fandom, appearing a wide variety of pairings.
Canon
Sparrow appears in all POTC films. He is a bit of trickster, always trying to outwit his fellow pirates and the British while trying to regain ownership of the ship The Black Pearl.
Fandom
Pairings
Sparrow is perhaps the most popular character in the fandom.[1] He's a bit of a Little Black Dress and appears in a wide range of pairings, mainly slash with some het. After the first film, Jack/Will was highly popular, and probably initially represented the dominant pairing in the fandom. Other popular pairings included Jack/Norrington, which has grown in popularity over the years, Jack/Elizabeth, and the Jack/Will/Elizabeth threesome. Other characters he's occasionally paired with include Anamaria, Hector Barbossa, Cutler Beckett & "Bootstrap" Bill Turner. Works sometimes take literally the idea that he loves the sea first and foremost, leading to a surprising number of works labelled "Jack/Pearl", "Jack/the Sea" or "Jack/Ocean". Pairing Jack with original characters is also pretty common.
There is also gen fanworks that focus on his friendships, usually with Will and/or Elizabeth.
Common Tropes and Storylines in Fanworks
- Pastfic: stories that examine Jack's history are common, and often include supernatural elements. How he came by his hair ornaments & eyeliner gets some attention.
- Canon Divergence AU: stories that diverge from canon are common, where to diverge varies, but two popular points seem to be after the first film or after the third film.
- Action/Adventure: similar to canon, a lot of fanworks will have Jack going on pirate adventures, perhaps to find treasure, etc.
- Crossover: it is not uncommon to find Jack meeting characters from other Age of Sail fandoms. There is also a great deal of crossovers with fantasy fandoms like Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lord of the Rings, and Doctor Who, perhaps because these fandoms were also very popular at the time of the films release. These fanworks may also result in rare crossover pairings like Hermione Granger/Jack Sparrow and Jack Sparrow/Buffy Summers.
- Supporting Character: although Jack is the main focus in a lot of fanworks, he is also a common secondary character in a lot of fic, these can be stories focused on other PoTC characters, original characters, or in crossover stories.
Example Fanworks
Fan Art
- Jack Sparrow by FreedomSparrow3
- Jack Sparrow by gavwoodhouse
- Jack Sparrow by studiocartoon
Fanfiction
- Finding North & Beads by Dee -- character studies
- First Night in Tortuga by Kapunua -- character study
- His Holiness, Captain Sparrow by BethCG -- backstory
- Mermaid Kiss by Zara Hemla -- backstory
- Mysticism by Gileonnen -- character study
- Parrot by Penknife -- fusion with Harry Potter
- A Sea Change by Ladybee -- Jack backstory
Fan Vids
- "I knew you were a good man" by HeavenlyShadow
- Captain Jack Sparrow by Slyfer2812
Meta
- Captain Jack Sparrow - A Legend in His Own Mind by the_stowaway for Idol Reflections (2009)
- I firmly believe that the only movie that had the "real" Jack was the Curse of Black Pearl, Archived version by sparrabeth and missisjoker (2017)
Example Art Gallery
Tales from the Black Pearl zine, cover art by Barbara Fister-Liltz (2003)
Cover art for P doujinshi (2003)
Cover art for Turner Jack doujinshi (2003)
The Cat in the Tricorne Hat zine, cover art by Wanda Lybarger (2004)
Tales from the Black Pearl zine, cover art by Barbara Fister-Liltz (2004)
Sacking of Port Royal zine, art by Wanda Lybarger (2004)
Cover art for Merge doujinshi (2005)
Art from Millennium #3 by Wanda Lybarger (2006)
Matelotage, interior art by Kate Nuernberg (2006)
Tales from the Black Pearl zine, cover art by Barbara Fister-Liltz (2007)
Archives and Communities
- Jack Sparrow tag at Archive of Our Own
- Jack Sparrow works at FFN
Rec Lists
Resources
References
- ^ Archive of Our Own might not be typical of the fandom as a whole, but as of 24 January 2014, 1061 works were tagged Jack Sparrow, compared with 555 Will Turner, 536 James Norrington & 511 Elizabeth Swann.