John Rolfe

Character
Name:	John Rolfe
Occupation:	Diplomat
Relationships:	Pocahontas (future wife); Chief Powhatan (future father-in-law); Nonoma Winanuske (future mother-in-law, deceased); Meeko (animal friend); Flit (animal friend); Percy (animal friend); Mrs. Jenkins (housekeeper); Ratcliffe (enemy)
Fandom:	Pocahontas
Other:	voiced by Billy Zane Facial Study by ncfwhitetigress (2011)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

John Rolfe is the hero of Disney's Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, a direct-to-video sequel of Pocahontas. His character is loosely based on a real figure from early American history.

Canon

John Rolfe is a posh English diplomat sent to Virginia to bring Chief Powhatan to meet King James in London for peace negotiations. Chief Powhatan ultimately refuses and John Rolfe is forced to take Pocahontas in his place. They sail back to London together, but run into trouble when King James learns that Chief Powhatan did not come in person but sent a lesser ambassador in his place. Together, Pocahontas and John Rolfe fight to change King James's attitude and bring down the armada that threatens the Powhatan people, falling in love in the process. In the end, John Rolfe returned to Virginia with Pocahontas, presumably to marry her.

Fandom

A popular pairing for John Rolfe is Pocahontas/John Rolfe. For many years, most people believed that this pairing had no support. However, the fanbase has turned out to be much larger than previously realized because many Team Rolfe members were in the closet about their OTP. This might be due to a sense of shame over the large amount of character bashing that John Rolfe receives from fans who prefer Pocahontas with John Smith. Below are some examples of John Rolfe character bashing (some humorous, others not so much):

• The Story of John Smith by disneyhunks.
• Pocahontas 3
• Saving Love

Other John Smith fans do not bash John Rolfe, but they either prefer not to acknowledge the existence of the sequel or use fanfiction as an outlet to rewrite the ending that they did not like. This is largely regarded as a healthy way of expressing one's feelings in a fandom, even by those who are on the opposing side:

• Pocahontas's Decision by Ashley Brown.
• A Man Holding On to a Woman Letting Go by SunRise19.

However there are also those who demonize John Rolfe, writing him horribly out of character to make him look like an abuser toward Pocahontas or a would-be murderer of John Smith.

Some Team Rolfe members have been vocal in supporting John Rolfe against the criticism (e.g. In Defense of John Rolfe), whereas others feel ashamed that they do not share a popular opinion. The latter category can often be found scouring the internet for hours on end in hope of finding some rare Pocahontas/John Rolfe fan goodies to satisfy their OTP fix, and often deny their fannish ways when confronted in person. Or at least, this used to be the case before some more vocal Team Rolfe members began fighting back against John Rolfe bashing, bringing the community more out in the open.

Example Fanworks

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Fics

• Operation: The Tower by Kamahontas.
• Romance in London: Pocahontas and John Rolfe by Inspired Flower.
• The Adventures of Pocahontas and John Rolfe by ncfwhitetigress.

Art

• John Rolfe by AladdinsFan.
• John Rolfe's Hobby by cathyOMG.
• John Rolfe by BreKaiba.
• John Rolfe and Smith by Serge-Stiles.
• John Rolfe: Meeko and Anna Revised by ncfwhitetigress.
• John Rolfe's New Outfit by ncfwhitetigress.

External Links

• John Rolfe fanworks at AO3
• John Rolfe character works at FanFiction.net

Resources

• John Rolfe at Disney Wiki

References

<references>