Captain Edward Teach, (better known as Blackbeard) is the deuteragonist and main love interest in Our Flag Means Death. He is the most notorious and feared pirate of the Caribbean seas, but has gotten bored of his power and infamy.
You ever feel trapped? Like you're just treading water, waiting to drown? [...] Blackbeard always wins. That's the thing. He can't fail. It's not even a challenge anymore. People just see the flag, and they freak out, "Blackbeard!" and they basically just give up, they surrender. What's the point? I don't even need to be on the boat. I'm a ghost. There's no chaos, there's no drama, there's no fuckin' life!
Edward Teach, Discomfort in a Married State
Physical appearance[]
Edward has brown eyes, light brown skin, and long salt-and-pepper hair, which is often tied back from his face in a half-ponytail. He also has multiple tattoos on his body, with the most visible ones located on both of his arms. For most of his adult life, Edward sported a long, curly beard, but near the end of season 2 he shaved it off and has kept it shorter since.
Edward usually dresses in black and occasionally purple; his standard outfit - associated with the Blackbeard persona - is a black leather jacket with the right sleeve removed, black leather pants, black leather gloves, and black boots. He also has a holster for his gun and knife, and wore a brace on his left knee during the first season but not the second.
Although his career as a pirate rarely affords him a chance to indulge it, Edward also has a soft spot for fine fabrics and fancier styles of clothing.
Personality[]
Edward is an adventurous, charismatic, and altogether charming individual. He is quick-witted, and possesses a playful, irreverent sense of humor. He has a flair and a propensity for theatrics, as shown by his love of a good "fuckery." He is incredibly intelligent and a skilled strategist, and is just as easily capable of improvising on the fly, though at times he can prove to be easily distracted.
In spite of his tough, devil-may-care exterior, Edward is, in fact, a deeply sensitive and emotional person. As a result of his past traumas, he can be easily hurt, though he makes an conscious effort to hide this facet of his personality from others to varying degrees of success. He has a soft spot for the finer things in life, such as fine fabrics and fancy clothes, and values originality and ingenuity in others due to his many years at sea.
History[]
Early life[]
Edward Teach was born to a poor family. His father was physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive to both Edward and his mother. When Edward was in his early teens, the abuse finally drove him to defend himself and his mother by strangling his father to death with rope. Although he succeeded, the trauma of being forced to do this would haunt him well into middle age, causing him to view himself as a monster incapable of real friendship or love. When describing his father's death later in life, he developed a habit of distancing himself from the trauma by claiming that "the kraken" killed his father.
At one point in his childhood, his mother showed him a piece of red silk from the mansion where she worked as a maid, telling him the wealthy family she worked for had many fine things like this. When Edward asked why they didn't have such things, she responded that they just "weren't those kind of people" and never would be. Edward kept the piece of silk well into adulthood and remembered her words often.
Life as Blackbeard[]
Edward began his life outside the law under Captain Hornigold, where he met Calico Jack for the first time. They would later both say that Captain Hornigold treated them “worse than dogs”. Jack and Edward became close companions and occasional lovers.
Edward eventually became a captain himself, and rose to fame under the nickname Blackbeard. One of his longest-serving crew members was Fang, who sailed with Edward for over twenty years. He also hired Israel "Izzy" Hands, who eventually became Edward's first mate. His crew also included Ivan. Edward's crew was known for brutal raids, a culture of machismo, and harsh discipline; Fang, for instance, had to euthanize his own dog in compliance with the no pet policy.
Meeting Stede Bonnet[]
By 1717, Blackbeard was known as easily the greatest pirate in the Caribbean - and Edward had grown bored with his success. Raids no longer posed any challenge; most targets would immediately surrender upon seeing his flag.
When he caught word of the Gentleman Pirate, Stede Bonnet, Edward was intrigued to hear about someone who was "doing something original" when it came to piracy, so he ordered his right hand man Izzy Hands to follow him and the crew of the Revenge, eventually arriving at the Republic of Pirates. Edward and his crew stormed the Spanish ship that Stede, Jim Jimenez, Lucius Spriggs, and Roach had gotten captured on, and it was during this rescue that Edward at last met the Gentleman Pirate, who was close to death from his injuries.
Edward took up temporary residence on the Revenge while an unconscious Stede recovered from his wounds, often sitting by Stede's bedside while he slept. When Stede finally woke up, he asked the man at his bedside "do you work for Blackbeard?" Edward, who had long felt trapped by the Blackbeard persona, was charmed by this and introduced himself simply as Ed at first, only identifying himself as Blackbeard after he and Stede had gotten to know one another for a bit.
The two quickly bonded over their shared sense of humor, fondness for fine clothing, and frustration with their lives up to that point. Stede gave an intrigued Edward a tour of his cabin and secret auxiliary wardrobe, while Edward confided in Stede about how bored and trapped he had come to feel by his success as a pirate. Despite his own interest in piracy, Stede was immediately sympathetic and asked Edward if he had considered retirement. The two traded clothes, each pretending to be the other, to the confusion of both their crews. When the Spanish Navy threatened to attack, Edward and Stede simultaneously came up with the same plan to disguise the ship as a lighthouse, saving all their lives. Afterward, the two made a pact: Edward would teach Stede about piracy, while Stede would show Edward how to blend in to high society.
Izzy, who disliked Stede, grew increasingly frustrated with Edward wasting time having fun with Stede rather than attending to his tasks as captain, and eventually angrily told Edward he was resigning as first mate. Just as Izzy prepared to leave, though, Edward took him aside and asked him to stay, confiding that he actually was planning to kill Stede and use his corpse to fake Blackbeard's death. Edward would then steal the identity of Stede Bonnet and retire as a wealthy gentleman, leaving the captaincy of his ship to Izzy. Izzy's faith in Edward was restored, and he agreed to stay.
Attending a high-society party[]
Edward and Stede began sharing lessons, with Edward's crew bringing Stede's along on raids, while Stede taught Ed about upper-class etiquette. When Frenchie showed Stede an invitation to a high-society party that he had found on the captured ship, Edward immediately expressed a desire to go. Edward, Stede, Oluwande, and Frenchie then traveled to the party ship, where Edward adopted the persona of "Jeff the Accountant". While Edward was able to entertain and impress the aristocrats at first, they eventually began to subtly mock him for his lack of familiarity with the etiquette of fine dining. Hurt and angry, Edward told Stede what had happened and Stede insisted on handling the situation for him. Stede was able to use intel Frenchie gathered from the servants on the ship to incite a brawl amongst the aristocrats, leading to the entire ship catching fire. Stede's cunning and willingness to defend him greatly impressed Edward.
When they returned to the Revenge that same evening, a pensive Edward stood in the moonlight holding the red silk his mother had given him, recalling the time his she had told him that they simply weren't the kind of people who got to have fine things, and never would be. Stede approached him and apologized for the party going poorly, telling Edward that Stede thought he was very sophisticated, and admiring the red silk. Stede took the silk gently from Edward's hands, folded it into a pocket square, and tucked it into his breast pocket, telling him "you wear fine things well.' After a moment of charged silence, the two parted ways for the night, but not before glancing back at one another one last time.
Attempt to kill Stede Bonnet[]
Over the following two weeks, Edward and Stede continued to grow closer, and Edward became increasingly flirtatious, at one point teaching Stede to safely penetrate him with a sword in the guise of a fencing lesson. Edward began to bond with Stede's crew as well; at one point he told the story of how as a child he witnessed "the kraken" kill his father, saying it was the only time in his life he ever felt fear. The next day Edward explained that his approach to piracy often relied on using performance and illusion to instill fear in his enemies, which he called "the art of fuckery." Stede excitedly began planning a fuckery of his own for their next raid.
Meanwhile, Edward's own crew members discussed the situation. Fang and Ivan noted approvingly that Edward was happier and more emotionally open than ever before, and agreed that the plan to assassinate Stede was obviously no longer happening, since Edward clearly enjoyed Stede's company far too much. Izzy, however, was disturbed by the change in Edward and refused to believe it, insisting that the plan was still on. He began repeatedly urging Edward to go through with it, claiming that Edward had come to view Stede as something like a pet. Deeply conflicted, Edward reluctantly agreed to Izzy's suggestion to kill Stede during his planned fuckery.
Befor Edward was able to go through with it, however, he was surprised by a part of the fuckery he hadn't been told about - a simulated attack by a kraken. Edward ran away and locked himself in Stede's bathroom, having a panic attack and flashing back to the murder of his father. A concerned Stede broke down the bathroom door and sat with Edward, who told Stede about his patricide - something he had never told anyone before - and explained that despite his justified reputation for violence, he had not personally killed anyone with his own hands since. He then confessed that he had planned to kill Stede that night, but was unable to go through with it, and broke down into tears, saying "I'm not a good person, Stede, that's why I don't have any friends." Stede reassured him that he was Edward's friend, and offered a pact to forget that Edward had ever planned to kill him. Comforted, Ed was deeply grateful.
Shortly after they returned to the main deck, Izzy, who had concluded that Edward would never go through with the plan to kill Stede, challenged Stede to a duel. Edward explained that the plan was off, but Izzy held his ground, and Stede accepted the challenge against the advice of both Edward and the crew. Unable to watch Stede die, Edward stood off to one side of the duel looking away - but to the surprise of everyone involved, Stede managed to outwit Izzy despite being thoroughly outclassed as a swordsman, using the trick Edward had taught him to safely allow Izzy to run him through. He tricked Izzy into breaking his sword, causing him to forfeit the due. An enraged and humiliated Izzy left the ship on a dinghy as the agreed-on price of losing - but not before warning Edward "you will rue this day."
Treasure hunt in St. Augustine[]
With no more excuse to explain why he was hanging around the Revenge, Edward told Stede that he would soon return to his own ship. Anxious to impress Ed into staying, Stede convinced Edward and Lucius to join him on a treasure hunt in St. Augustine while the rest of the crew looked for oranges to treat the Swede's scurvy. Edward behaved irritably the majority of the time, embarrassed for the locals to see the fearsome pirate Blackbeard treasure hunting.
However, watching Edward and Stede banter with each other caused Lucius to recognize the mutual attraction developing between them. Lucius pulled Edward aside and admonished him for his behavior, pointing out that Stede had put together the whole outing for Edward because he liked him - and that Edward clearly liked Stede as well. Edward changed his tune and participated in the rest of the treasure hunt with a more encouraging and upbeat attitude. After they returned to the ship, Edward agreed to remain on the Revenge indefinitely as Stede's co-captain.
Reuniting with Calico Jack[]
Some time later, Edward's former crewmate Calico Jack arrived at the Revenge on a dinghy. Edward was excited to see his old friend, and the two reminisced about their time under Captain Hornigold and engaged in their favorite old activities together, including destroying Stede's furniture and playing dangerous and violent games with the rest of the crew. Stede initially expressed reluctance to get to know Jack due to their clashing personalities, but agreed to give him a chance when Edward told him that he owed Jack his life, and that Jack and Stede had some things in common. However, Stede eventually told Edward that he didn't like the games they were playing with Jack, nor the person Edward was around him, which disappointed Edward.
When Calico Jack accidentally killed Karl, Buttons' seagull friend, by being reckless with his whip, Stede demanded that he get off of his ship. However, when Jack prepared to leave, he asked Edward to go with him, reminding him that he had saved his life once. Edward agreed, telling a tearful Stede that he was "always going to realize what he was", and left the ship with Jack. The two spent the night on the nearby shore of Blind Man's Cove, where Lucius later brought Edward a box of his things from the ship, emphasizing that Stede had "really liked him" before heading back to the Revenge.
Later, while the two were leaving the cove on a dinghy, Jack let it slip that he had already known that Edward was on the Revenge before his arrival. When a suspicious Edward asked where he had heard this, Jack revealed that he had led them to Blind Man's Cove intentionally, and that Izzy had been the one to send him to get Edward away from the area before the English arrived to capture Stede. An enraged Edward cursed at Jack, yelling that Stede was his friend, and abandoned the dinghy to return to the Revenge, where he, Stede, and the rest of the crew were apprehended by Chauncey Badminton.
Act of Grace[]
Edward attempted to take responsibility for the murder of Nigel Badminton so that Stede would not be convicted of any crime, but Stede eventually confessed to the murder, and he and Edward were both put on trial. During the trial, Chauncey revealed that Izzy Hands had made a deal to betray the Revenge to the navy; as a condition of their pact, Edward would be released "into the custody of Captain Hands," while Stede was sentenced to death by firing squad. Desperate not to lose Stede, Edward invoked the Act of Grace - a law that allowed convicted pirates to claim a pardon for their crimes on the condition of swearing to renounce piracy and serve the crown for ten years. Pleased with the idea of securing Blackbeard's surrender and promise to serve the king, the naval officers agreed, but only on the condition that Stede and Ed both take the deal. They did.
Edward and Stede were sent together to the Royal Privateering Academy for Wayward Seamen. Ed shaved his beard off in accordance with Academy regulations; Ed was casual and unbothered by the change, but Stede was shocked and disturbed, feeling guilty that Ed had sacrificed his entire previous life for Stede's sake. When Stede asked Edward how he was handling the situation so well, Edward admitted that he had grown so disillusioned with piracy that he was no longer sure he wanted to return to his previous life; instead, he was happy feeling free to do "what makes Ed happy," and eventually confessed that it was Stede who made him happy before kissing him. After the kiss, Stede replied that Edward made him happy as well, and the two made a plan to run away to together.
That evening, Edward went to the docks to meet Stede as they had promised, but Stede never came. After waiting hours for Stede until the sun rose, Edward left on his own and returned to the Revenge.
Becoming the Kraken[]
Heartbroken by Stede's abandonment, Edward spent days in a blanket fort in the captain's cabin, crying and eating the marmalade that reminded him of breakfasts with Stede. After a sympathetic conversation with Lucius, however, he was inspired to reach out to the crew; he left the cabin wearing one of Stede's old dressing gown and sang a song he wrote to express his grief. He seemed to cheer up somewhat in response to the crew's support, and asked them to call him Edward rather than Blackbeard.
Although at first nonplussed by Edward's behavior, the crew were supportive and quickly became excited by Edward's suggestion to hold a talent show and perhaps quit piracy altogether. Izzy, however, was disgusted to see Edward publicly display emotional vulnerability. He confronted Ed in his quarters, saying he wished he'd allowed the navy to kill Ed. Izzy insisted that "this thing you've become is a fate worse than death" and that Izzy served Blackbeard, not "some namby-pamby in a silk gown pining for his boyfriend." When Edward reacted by shoving Izzy into the wall with a hand around his throat, Izzy stroked his face and said approvingly "there he is." He then reiterated that his captain was Blackbeard, not Edward, and that "Edward better watch his fucking step."
The confrontation triggered an emotional breakdown in Edward, and he reacted by embracing the persona of "the Kraken" - a violent and ruthless pirate with no use for softness or love. He discarded his mother's piece of red silk, pushed Lucius overboard, mutilated Izzy's foot to punish his insubordination, and ordered the crew of the Revenge to throw all of Stede's belongings into the ocean. He then had Izzy maroon Oluwande, Black Pete, the Swede, Buttons, Roach, and Wee John on a small island, while keeping Jim and Frenchie on his crew.
Later, alone in Stede's now-empty cabin, Edward broke down sobbing while staring at Mary Bonnet's lighthouse painting, the one possession of Stede's that he had kept.
Reckless behavior and declining mental state[]
No longer willing to express his grief and depression through healthier means, Edward turned to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. With no other goal to distract himself from his heartbreak, he became fixated on breaking Ned Low's record for consecutive raids, insisting on attacking daily with no breaks and throwing loot overboard to make room for more loot the next day. The increasing frequency and violence of the raids took a severe toll on crew morale, but Edward isolated himself from them, uncharacteristically showing no reaction even when Ivan was killed. The only crew member Edward interacted with regularly was Izzy, whom he punished violently for failure or insubordination.
Izzy finally confronted Edward about the atmosphere on the ship and tried to reach out to him, telling him that he and the entire crew were worried for his well-being - but when Izzy suggested they "talk it through," Edward became enraged by the reminder of Stede. He stormed onto the deck and pointed a gun at each crew member in turn, demanding that they confirm Izzy's report that they'd said the atmosphere was "poisoned." When they had all denied it, Edward held the gun to his own chin and began “questioning” himself about the energy on the ship in a manic and unsettling manner. Izzy angrily interrupted him, saying that everyone knew the atmosphere on the ship was "fucked" because of Edward's feelings for Stede Bonnet. On hearing Stede's name, Edward immediately shot Izzy in the left leg and declared Frenchie his new first mate, leaving Izzy to bleed out on deck.
Provoking crew to mutiny[]
Edward ordered Frenchie to kill Izzy, but seemed unsurprised to soon discover that Frenchie, Jim and Archie had conspired to hide Izzy and attempt to treat his infected wound by amputating the leg. Ed ordered the three of them to leave him alone with Izzy. He then handed Izzy a loaded gun and hinted that he wanted Izzy to kill him. Realizing Edward was suicidal but too afraid to do it himself, Izzy laughed and taunted him for his cowardice, refusing to shoot him. Edward said a final goodbye to Izzy and left the room, looking unsurprised to hear a gunshot behind him.
The crew expected Edward to punish them for defying his orders by keeping Izzy alive, but instead he thanked Frenchie for helping him achieve "closure" with Izzy. He then steered the Revenge directly into a storm and intentionally broke the wheel. When the crew confronted him, a maniacal Edward demanded that Archie and Jim, whom he'd witnessed kissing earlier, fight to the death because "all love dies. I'm just hastening the process." If they refused, he threatened to fire a cannon into the ship's mast, which would almost certainly sink the ship and kill them all.
Jim won the fight but refused to kill Archie, saying Edward would have sunk the ship anyway - which he confirmed. As he prepared to fire the cannon at the mast, the crew still hesitated to attack him - but then Izzy emerged from below deck, having survived, and shot Edward. The crew banded together to take Edward down. As Jim raised a cannonball to bash him in the head, Edward smiled and murmured "finally."
The "gravy basket"[]
A delirious Edward awoke on a beach, where a man dragged his body into the forest, treated his wounds, and fed him soup. Edward recognized the man as Benjamin Hornigold, his former captain, whom Edward hated due to the trauma he'd inflicted on Edward and the other young men on the ship in his youth. Hornigold spoke with Edward about the mutiny and about his hopes for the future, and although he at first seemed friendly, he became increasingly sinister and hostile, taunting Edward over traumatic events like the killing of his father and his abandonment by Stede. When Edward tried to kill Hornigold, he realized the man was not real.
"Hornigold" revealed that Edward was currently in what he called "the gravy basket" - a state between life and death - and would need to choose whether to live. Asked to list the pros and cons of each choice, Edward identified a few physical comforts as reasons to live, but when Hornigold asked for cons, he admitted his belief that nobody was waiting for him to return to life.
Hornigold took Edward to the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea and explained that all of this was happening inside Edward's own mind; "Hornigold" himself was just an aspect of Edward's own subconscious, appearing as someone he hated because deep down Edward hated himself. After Edward sadly agreed, admitting that he viewed himself as unlovable, Hornigold tossed a rock tied to a rope around Edward's waist over the cliff, pulling Ed into the water.
Edward screamed and struggled as he sank underwater, but he was unable to untie the rock. Just as he began to accept his fate and allow himself to sink, he saw a bright light in the distance and heard Stede's distant voice calling to him. As he stared into the light, the rope fell away from his waist and he saw the figure of a merman - Stede - swimming toward him. Ed smiled in relief, and as the merman approached, he returned to consciousness in the real world, where he found the real Stede clutching his hand and staring down at him in relieved shock.
Recovery and reuniting with Anne Bonny and Mary Read[]
Despite having regained consciousness, Edward continued to experience some level of delirium and expressed a significant amount of anger towards Stede. When he was banished by the crew of the Revenge for his past behavior, Edward wandered into the forest of a nearby island, where he ran into one of his old friends, Mary Read. Mary brought Edward to her and her partner Anne Bonny’s antiques shop, where Edward and Anne embraced as old friends. When Edward realized that Stede was at the shop as well, he initially attempted to ignore the man until Anne and Mary invited them both to dinner.
While waiting for dinner to cook, Anne and Mary chatted with Stede and Edward about their relationships. During this conversation, Edward continued to distance himself from Stede and spoke negatively about their past relationship. When Stede left the room to help Anne with dinner preparation, Mary and Edward spoke about Stede, and Mary commented that he and Stede were "caught in the same whirlpool" as she and Anne were. Later, at dinner, Anne let slip that Stede had returned to his wife after abandoning Edward. Angry and hurt, Edward smashed a chair into the wall and stormed out of the room.
When Stede came to check on Edward in the sitting room and attempted to explain himself, Edward accused Stede of seeing him as nothing more than a whim. However, Stede reminded him that he had been just as much of a whim to Edward, bringing up the fact that Edward had originally intended to kill him when they’d first met. Stede then explained that he had panicked after Edward had declared Act of Grace due to how fast things were moving. Ed expressed how hurt he had been, saying "I was all in."
Stede began to confess his love for Edward, but Ed interrupted him, insisting "you don't get to say that to me." Undeterred, Stede respected Edward's wish but continued to talk about his feelings for him, saying that "I love everything about you" and that it felt good just to be near Ed, breathing the same air. Ed's anger began to thaw slightly, but they were interrupted by Anne and Mary, who made fun of their earnest display of emotion. Stede and Edward realized at this point that Anne and Mary had been involving the two of them in one of their “games” and denounced the immaturity of the two women's relationship. This sparked an argument between Anne and Mary, which eventually led to Anne deciding to burn everything down, including all of her antiques, so that she and Mary could return to life as pirates, as she knew this was what Mary wanted.
After they left the burning house, Stede asked if Edward would like to stay on the Revenge, to which Edward eagerly agreed. While Stede returned to the Revenge to speak with the crew about this, Edward had a conversation with Buttons about change, during which Edward told him that “people don’t change”. However, Edward was shocked when he turned around to see that Buttons, who had been performing an animal transmogrification ritual, seemed to have actually turned into a seagull. Having realized that people did have the capacity to change, Edward watched the seagull fly into the night in amazement, and when Stede returned to bring him back to the ship, he excitedly told Stede about what he had just witnessed.
Probation[]
The crew agreed to let Edward remain on the ship, but only on the condition of both a formal apology speech - which Edward made - and a probation period, during which Ed would wear sackcloth and a collar with a bell on it to ensure that he could not frighten anyone by sneaking up on them. Encouraging Stede to be a more assertive captain, he asked Stede to give him orders, and Stede suggested that he should try to get along with the crew and make himself useful by repairing parts of the ship that had been damaged in the storm. During this work Edward ran into Lucius, who treated him with extreme hostility and distrust due to still having trauma about Edward pushing him off the ship. Edward suggested that he could make it up to Lucius by allowing him to push him off the ship, which Lucius agreed to readily.
After Edward had been pushed off the ship, he was picked up in a dinghy by Fang, and the two went fishing. During the fishing trip, Edward asked if the two of them were “good”, and Fang replied that he believed they were after he had taken everything out on Edward’s unconscious body during the storm. Ed confided in Fang that he wasn't happy with his apology and felt that he ought to do more to atone and repair his relationship with the crew, but had no idea what to say or do. Fang, however, suggested that Ed should try simply being quiet and sitting with himself, something Edward struggled with.
That evening, Edward met Stede on the main deck and talked about the day they'd each had, with Edward proudly displaying the single fish he'd caught. He then complimented Stede's new shirt, saying "you wear fine things well" in a reminder of the moment they shared after burning the French ship. The two kissed in the moonlight, but when Stede tried to intensify the kiss, Edward pulled back and asked that they take things slow. Stede agreed, and they held hands before turning in for the night.
Encounter with Ned Low[]
Some time later, the crew had accepted the end of Edward's probation; he had returned to wearing his usual leathers and the crew had begun referring to both him and Stede as captains. Still feeling his apologies had been inadequate, Edward continued to be haunted by guilt. Stede encouraged him to "turn poison into positivity" by using his stolen treasure to buy supplies for a party the crew wanted to throw.
The party was interrupted by Ned Low, who was enraged by Edward's breaking his record. He took the entire Revenge crew hostage and prepared to torture them. Edward endured Ned's torture stoically, taunting Ned, but when Ned turned to torturing Stede Ed became panicked. Eventually, Stede was able to defeat Ned by convincing the latter’s crew to turn against him.
When the defeated Ned insulted Edward, Stede demanded he walk the plank. Realizing Stede had never before killed in cold blood and would be traumatized by it, Ed attempted to convince Stede not to go through with it, but Stede, determined to prove himself as a pirate, did so anyway, Ed visited him in his quarters to check on him afterward, but when Ed began to offer words of comfort, Stede pulled him into the room, where the two kissed passionately and made love for the first time.
Disillusionment with pirate life[]
The following morning, Edward wrapped up all of his weapons and leathers and sunk them into the ocean before bringing Stede breakfast in bed, where he spoke with him about his vision of Stede as a merperson when he was close to death, explaining that Stede had saved his life. They ate together at the Republic of Pirates, Edward was touched to learn that Stede had been writing him letters in bottles while they were separated.
As the day went on, Stede began to receive a significant amount of attention, both positive and negative, from the denizens of the Republic of Pirates due word having spread that he had defeated Ned Low. While Edward was supportive of Stede’s newfound infamy at first, he began to feel uneasy about the future of their relationship when Spanish Jackie asked him if Stede knew that Edward wanted to leave piracy. Izzy told Edward that he had seen him throw his leathers overboard and revealed that he had grown since insisting that he would only serve Blackbeard, encouraging Edward to move on from Blackbeard if it would make him happy.
Near the end of the day Stede confronted Edward about his subdued mood. Ed told him that their relationship was moving much too fast after he had asked to take things slow, and that he believed their night together was a mistake. Stede offered to discuss their relationship, but Edward revealed that he had already made arrangements to take a new job as a fisherman and would be leaving. Shocked, Stede questioned the decision and an argument ensued that ended with Ed storming off while Stede tearfully called him a coward.
Escaping the Republic of Pirates and leaving piracy[]
Although he found work alongside a fisherman he called "Pop Pop" along with the man's teenaged son, Edward proved to have a romanticized view of life as a fisherman, combined with no useful relevant skills. "Pop pop" rapidly grew fed up with Edward and beat him; Ed did not fight back and left in a dinghy, returning to the Republic of Pirates.
Ed returned to find the Republic of Pirates reduced to smoking wreckage and immediately thought of Stede, whom he had last seen here. A pair of British soldiers rowed up to tell him they had taken control of these waters, but Edward seemed not to even hear them, staring at the destruction and murmuring Stede's name. When the soldiers finally got his attention, Edward strangled them to death, breaking his personal rule against killing with his own hands for the first time since the murder of his father. He then dove into the ocean to retrieve the leathers he had sunk, re-embracing his Blackbeard persona in hopes of making his way to Stede
Upon reaching land Edward came across two British soldiers who were mocking a letter they had found in a bottle. Killing them and taking the note, he found it was addressed to him by Stede; Stede wrote of longing for Ed during their separation but stated his conviction that their love was too deep not to lead them back to each other. Deeply touched, Ed proceeded down the beach fighting every British soldier in his path, hoping to make his way to Stede. He finally found Stede fighting more soldiers alongside Zheng Yi Sao. Ed and Stede called out for one another and ran into each other’s arms, where they shared a tender kiss. Edward apologized for "being a dick" and told Stede that he loved him, to which Stede lovingly replied that he knew this already.
The two then assisted Zheng Yi Sao in defeating the remaining British soldiers and returned with the Pirate Queen to Spanish Jackie's just as Jackie managed to poison most of the soldiers occupying her bar. Stede concocted a plan to disguise themselves as British soldiers and sneak back to the Revenge, using Ricky as a hostage.
Although the plan worked, Ricky managed to escape and shoot Izzy in the process. Izzy survived long enough to make it back to the Revenge, where he died in Edward's arms - but not before offering Ed a sincere apology for the terrible way he'd treated him over the years, admitting he had known years ago that Edward had grown past Blackbeard but had done all he could to force Ed to cling to the persona instead of allowing him to "just be Ed." Tearful and distraught, Edward replied that he should be the one apologizing, and called Izzy his only family. Izzy responded as he succumbed to his wounds that the crew all loved Ed like family already.
Following Izzy’s burial ceremony, Zheng approached Edward and Stede and asked them to join forces with her to seek revenge on Ricky for killing Izzy and destroying her fleet. Ed and Stede considered her offer but chose to remain behind on land, opening an inn together.
Relationships[]
Mother Teach[]
Edward seemed to have been quite close with his mother, as he kept the red piece of silk she had given him when he was a child into adulthood. It was Edward's mother who taught him that people like she and him were not the kind of people who got to have fine things like aristocrats did. He appeared to have cared for his mother very much, as it was after his father beat her one night that Edward finally decided to retaliate and kill the man.
Father Teach[]
Edward loathed his father, as he was verbally and physically abusive to both Edward and his mother while Edward was growing up. According to Edward, his father was the first and only man that he has ever personally killed, and the day he killed his father was the only time he has ever felt fear.
Captain Hornigold[]
At some point in his youth, Edward joined the crew of the pirate Captain Hornigold. Edward greatly disliked Hornigold, as he and many other crew members were often beaten by the captain and treated as "less than dogs". According to Edward, Hornigold's ship is where he first became an outlaw.
Calico Jack[]
Edward and Calico Jack met as boys while serving on Hornigold's crew. The two shared a fondness for reckless and often violent activities, and occasionally engaged in sexual encounters. Although they clearly enjoyed each other's company a great deal, both admitted that they were not truly friends, in the sense that the culture of piracy precluded real trust in one another; as Jack put it, "we're all in various stages of fucking each other over."
As a result of this expectation, Jack seemed to expect Ed to take his betrayal of Stede to the English navy in stride. He was genuinely shocked when Edward reacted with fury, and Ed abandoned his former crewmate to return to Stede, apparently never seeing him again.
Anne Bonny and Mary Read[]
Edward first met his old friends Anne Bonny and Mary Read at some point in his past when the two women were still pirates. While little is known about their history, Edward seems to know Anne and Mary fairly well, though based on their most recent interactions, it can be assumed that Edward has a closer friendship with Mary than with Anne.
Ned Low[]
Edward and Ned Low had never met in person before Ned's attack on the Revenge, but nevertheless they seem to have had a negative opinion of one another. Edward cited his lack of respect for Ned as the reason he did not have an interest in killing the man after Stede had defeated him.
Israel "Izzy" Hands[]
Edward and Izzy have a complex relationship. Early in the show it was clear that they had worked together long enough for Edward to tolerate a great deal of insubordination and even open verbal hostility from Izzy, but they each seemed easily frustrated with one another, with Izzy disapproving of Edward's playfulness and lack of focus, while Ed had little patience for Izzy's lack of imagination. As the story progressed, it became clear that there was a darker undercurrent to their relationship, with Izzy continually escalating to increasingly extreme measures in his attempts to control Edward's behavior.
This culminated in Izzy verbally abusing Edward at a time when he was exceptionally emotionally vulnerable and Ed retaliating with physical violence. As a result of this they were more distant from one another for much of season two, but began to reconcile near the end of the season. On his deathbed Izzy admitted that he had known years ago that Edward had grown past the Blackbeard persona, and for selfish reasons had nevertheless treated Ed terribly and "fed [his] darkness" for years in order to make Ed conform to Izzy's idea of Blackbeard. Despite their recent estrangement from each other, Edward wept over Izzy's death, telling Izzy he considered him his only family.
Fang[]
Fang is one of the members of Edward's crew that he typically sends with Izzy to complete special tasks for him, indicating that Edward trusts Fang. At some point in the past, Edward ordered Fang to put his dog down, as he did not allow pets on his ship, something that still upsets Fang to this day when he is reminded of it.
Ivan[]
While it seemed that Edward once valued Ivan as a member of his crew, according to Fang, Edward did not seem to show any remorse or grief when Ivan was killed on a raid following Edward's transformation into the ruthless Kraken.
Spanish Jackie[]
While little is known about their relationship, Edward and Spanish Jackie appear to be familiar with one another and on good terms; Edward even trusted Jackie enough to tell her that he wanted to give up piracy.
Stede Bonnet[]
Edward was immediately fascinated with Stede Bonnet from the moment he first heard about "the Gentleman Pirate" in 1717. When the two finally met, they quickly bonded, and Edward ended up taking up residence on the Revenge for several months. During this time, Stede taught him how to be more of a gentleman, while he taught Stede how to be more of a bloodthirsty pirate. Although Edward had initially intended to kill Stede and steal his identity, he quickly abandoned this plan, growing fond of Stede and eventually becoming close friends with him.
Eventually, Edward fell in love with Stede, and it was out of love that he agreed to renounce piracy and serve the king to save Stede's life. After the two had been sent to the Royal Privateer Academy, Edward confessed his feelings, and they shared a tender kiss. When Stede echoed these feelings, an elated Edward suggested the two run away together, to which Stede initially agreed. However, when Stede failed to show up to the docks to meet him before sunrise, Edward was heartbroken.
Stede's abandonment affected Edward significantly, as in his eyes, this mean that he was truly unlovable. While he initially handled his heartbreak in a healthy manner, he later reverted to his inner violent and cruel behavioral patterns as a coping mechanism for his depression, becoming "the Kraken" and purposefully ridding the ship of nearly all of Stede's belongings, as well as much of his crew. However, Edward often spent his alone time sobbing to himself and thinking of Stede, indicating the true depth of his love and heartbreak.
Lucius Spriggs[]
Initially, Edward was dismissive of Lucius Spriggs, Stede Bonnet's scribe, and Lucius feared Edward just as much as the rest of Stede's crew did. However, while on Stede's St. Augustine treasure hunt, Lucius gathered his courage and admonished Edward for being "a dick" the entire time, pointing out how much Stede liked Edward and vice versa. At first, Edward was taken aback by being spoken to like this, but took Lucius' words to heart and lightened up. Later, Lucius was the person to deliver Edward's belongings to him when the latter left the Revenge with Calico Jack, once again scolding him and reminding him that Stede really liked him. When Edward returned to the Revenge following Stede's abandonment of him, Lucius sat with him in his blanket fort and encouraged him to remember that "life begins again", comforting Edward and leading him to open up to the rest of the crew and embrace the softer side of himself.
These interactions with Lucius seemed to have played a significant role in helping Edward recognize and take a chance with his romantic feelings for Stede. Unfortunately, when Edward became the Kraken, one of his first cruel acts was to push the scribe overboard, likely not only out of revenge for Lucius encouraging him with Stede only for him to get his heart broken, but also because Lucius was one of the few people other than Stede that he had allowed himself to be vulnerable around.
Crew of the Revenge[]
When he first boarded the Revenge, Edward introduced himself in a genuinely friendly and casual manner to Stede's crew, who regarded him with fear and awe due to his status as Blackbeard. The longer Edward stayed on the ship, the more comfortable the crew became around him, eventually considering Edward to be just as much of their captain as Stede was. However, after Stede abandoned Edward, the latter returned to the Revenge and eventually became the Kraken, pushing Lucius Spriggs overboard and abandoning Oluwande Boodhari, Black Pete, Nathanial Buttons, The Swede, Wee John Feeney, and Roach to die on a small island. The only original crew members Edward kept on the Revenge during this period were Frenchie and Jim Jimenez.
Archie[]
Edward and Archie appear to have a distant relationship, as she joined his crew after he had already become the Kraken. Edward appeared irritated when he discovered her and Jim sharing a kiss, and later ordered the two to fight to the death in an attempt to push his crew to mutiny.
Appearances[]
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| Season 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Trivia[]
- David Jenkins admitted that while he never imagined Taika Waititi would be interested in playing Blackbeard, he wrote the part in Waititi's voice while drawing heavy inspiration from Lost in Translation.[1]
- David Jenkins admitted that while writing the show, he imagined Blackbeard could be played by Pedro Pascal.[2]
- Blackbeard's costume was inspired by the costume worn by the eponymous character in the Mad Max trilogy.
- David Jenkins revealed that the fans were right in their theories that Blackbeard starts to wear purple as a symbol of him opening up and becoming more vulnerable; Jenkins also admitted that this was supposed to be an in-joke for the actors and the crew and that he was surprised that the fans noticed it.[3]
- Alex Sherman admitted that the Kraken being a manifestation of Edward's dark side comes from him being a fan of The Goonies, which famously had a deleted scene involving the gang fighting a giant octopus.[4]