At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the story of Elizabeth and Will Turner came to somewhat of a satisfying conclusion. With Will being made the new captain of the Flying Dutchman, and Elizabeth left to care for their young son on the land, the couple would only be able to see each other once every 10 years. That didn't leave for much room in terms of family life, which kind of shows considering that their son, young Henry, is the latest companion to the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow. That's right, as the video below shows, the rumors are true: that character we've been gawking at is Will and Elizabeth's son!
If you didn't catch the details for yourself, you wouldn't be faulted, as the video Disney released kind of buries the lead underneath all of the pretty cool behind the scenes footage from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales it's showing off. Yet when actor Brenton Thwaites comes on the screen, his character's name is displayed as "Henry Turner," clear as Captain Sparrow's pirate hat. This revelation marks the metaphorical end of the rumors that have dogged Thwaites' character, as Henry has been theorized to be a Turner for some time now. Confirming this to be true is a hint at how Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is looking to put the franchise back on track, as it ties the latest film directly into the end of the original trilogy.
In addition to knowing that Henry Turner is the fruit of Will and Elizabeth's loins, we have an even better idea of the timeline that the Pirates of the Caribbean series has been operating on. Judging by the post-credit prologue from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End pegging young Henry as 10 years old, and the gap between Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the current film, Henry's age is close to that of Thwaites' very own 27 years of life. So it's been at least 17 years in the Pirates universe since we've last seen any of the Turners on the screen, which should make Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales a very interesting reunion between father and son, as well as father and father's scoundrel of a friend.
It could be agreed that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was, in the most generous of terms, a misstep for the franchise. So Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales certainly looks like it's putting its best, or at least most tantalizing, foot forward to bring die hard fans back for another round of rum soaked adventure. Now if only we could get confirmation of those rumors that Keira Knightley would be returning to the role of Elizabeth, it'd be a complete pirate party.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sets sail for box office glory on May 26th.
