Although thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise had plenty of intriguing supporting stars, oneDead Man’s Chestcharacter proves that the sequels often wasted these under-utilized figures. Anyone who has seenthe frustratingPirates of the Caribbeansequelscan attest to the franchise’s missteps. The later sequels lightened the tone of the series, losing the horror-centric edge of the original blockbuster, and made Jack Sparrow the star of the franchise. Although Johnny Depp’s antihero was an iconic character in small doses, his ascendancy to main character status drained his charm of its novelty and made him a tiresome, over-exposed leading man.
Dead Man’s Chest Defined Pirates of the Caribbean’s Later Sequel Problems
Dead Man’s Chest may not be the most disliked Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but the sequel set up the traps that later, lesser outings fell into.
However, a glance at the many villains of thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchiseproves that this wasn’t the only major issue that the series had with its characters. ThePirates of the Caribbeanmovies also had a terrible tendency to introduce promising new side characters, only to promptly forget about them immediately after their introduction. After the finale ofDead Man’s Chestintroduced Davy Jones’ Lovecraftian monster the Kraken,At World’s Endabruptly revealed that the gigantic beast had been killed off-screen. Sadly, theKraken’s disappointing Pirates of the Caribbean deathwasn’t evenDead Man’s Chest’s worst mistake.
2006’sDead Man’s Chestnever quite got a handle on its tone, but the sequel featured some truly great standalone moments. One of these is the introduction of Will’s estranged father, Stellan Skarsgard’s Bootstrap Bill. A disfigured, undead member of Davy Jones’ immortal crew, Bootstrap Bill is a former acquaintance of Jack.Bootstrap Bill is introduced as a chilling new villain inDead Man’s Chest, initially getting along well with Jack before he reminds him of his debt to Davy Jones. Bill brands Jack with the Black Spot to warn him that the Kraken is after him, but seems genuinely troubled by this.
Bootstrap Bill mostly only exists as an obstacle to Will and Elizabeth’s happiness.
Thanks to his longstanding respect for Jack, Bill is conflicted about his duty to Jones. The scene leans into Skarsgard’s grizzled screen persona as he admits his role in the mutiny to Jack. Then, thePirates of the Caribbeansequelsproceeded to effectively forget about Bootstrap Bill’s relationship with Jack entirely. When he is occasionally seen throughout the rest ofDead Man’s ChestandAt World’s End, Bootstrap Bill mostly only exists as an obstacle to Will and Elizabeth’s happiness. Even then, he is the least of their problems and feels mostly superfluous in an already overstuffed story.
The Pirates of the Caribbean Sequel Never Gave Bootstrap Bill Anything To Do
Bootstrap Bill’s introduction oozes with atmosphere and has some incredibly potent tension built into its premise. The revelation that Will’s father is Jones’ messenger and the harbinger of Jack’s impending doom is ingenious, but this never goes anywhere in the subsequent movies. Jack dies and returns from the dead soon after, Davy Jones is eventually defeated, and Bootstrap Bill barely even gets a role in the ensuing melee. All in all, the presence of Will’s father barely impacts the plot. Although Skarsgard afforded hisDead Man’s Chestcharacter a memorably creepy screen presence, thePirates of the Caribbeanmovies sadly wasted Bootstrap Bill’s potential.
