When it premiered in 2022, workplace rom-comOur Flag Means Deathhas become a huge hit for HBO streaming service Max, as well as a critical darling.Loosely based on a true story, the series is set during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 1700s and follows “Gentleman Pirate” Stede Bonnet as he abandons his aristocratic lifestyle to become a pirate, where he crosses paths with the notorious Blackbeardand the two fall in love. The show has runfor two seasons so far, and although a third isn’t guaranteed, the show’s success makes it likely, andit would be the final season.
One has to possess a certain amount of bravery to live life as a pirate, or at least should.While some of the charactersinOur Flag Means Deatharen’t afraid to jump in and take risks, others, particularly some of those aboard Stede’s ship, theRevenge, are very much the opposite and show a great deal of bravery, whether that means being true to whoe they are and finding their own happiness or being formidable fighters
Our Flag Means Death
10Oluwande
Played by Samson Kayo
Oluwande is part of Stede’s crew on theRevenge. After the crew mutinies against Izzy, Oluwande is chosen to be the new captain, but when Blackbeard later takes control, he leaves Oluwande stranded on an island. Oluwande was the only member of the crew aware of Jim’s identity initially, leading the two to develop a close friendshipthat turned romantic in Season 1, only for them to pursue other relationships in Season 2—with hints that those relationships could turn polyamorous.
Oluwande is one of the smarter crew members aboard theRevenge. While that doesn’t necessarily make him brave, plenty of his actions require a certain amount of bravery, such as acting as captain and even standing by the clearly incompetent Stede and trying to keep him out of trouble. That doesn’t necessarily apply to romance, though—Oluwande initially struggles to admit his feelings for Jim, despite being unable to truly hide them.
9Wee John Feeney
Played by Kristian Nairn
Wee John Feeney is a crew member aboard theRevenge, and not much is known about his life before joining Stede and the crew. He’s a pyromaniac—he even goes so far as to suggest lighting Stede on fire when the crew is ready to mutiny in the first episode. When Blackbeard takes over the Revenge in the aftermath of seemingly being abandoned by Stede, John is among the crew left behind on an island.
Wee John Feeney isn’t a typical pirate in some ways, including the fact that he sleeps with a doll and enjoys sewing, and that his overall demeanor is calm and sweet. He also doesn’t do much, either, but is eager to participate in mutinies, particularly against Izzy—John quickly makes him angry with a comment and later carries the anchor tied to Izzy’s feet when the crew decides to drown him.
8Lucius Spriggs
Played by Nathan Foad
Lucius works as a scribe on theRevenge, tasked with keeping a record of all of the crew’s adventures, as he’s the only one—other than Stede—who can read and write. He’s presumed dead after Ed pushes him off the ship at the end of Season 1 but is revealed to be alive in Season 2.He and Pete begin a relationshipand marry at the end of Season 2.
Lucius sometimes shows himself to be bold, often willing to say what’s on his mind and stand up for others, but his bravery isn’t just in his words—it comes through in his actions, too, despite not being as interested in violence as some of his fellow crews. He breaks into Spanish Jackie’s tavern and takes Jim’s knife, and he chops off his own finger after it’s bitten by Buttons accidentally.
Played by Joel Fry
Frenchie briefly worked as a servant before joining Stede and the crew of theRevenge. He’s a musician and often puts the crew’s adventures to song. At the end of Season 1, when Blackbeard takes over the ship, Frenchie is one of the only crew members Blackbeard keeps on the ship. At the end of Season 2, after Ed and Stede choose to be together and leave their pirate lives behind, Frenchie takes over as captain of the Revenge.
Frenchie is extremely superstitious, holding a number of bizarre beliefs, but he’s also more intelligent than he seems and is clever in other ways. He displays a willingness to jump into a variety of situations, such as posing as someone else and pulling off a con at an upper-class party—and that takes some bravery. So does serving as captain of a pirate ship, undoubtedly no easy task, which also proves his standing among the crew.
6Mary Bonnet
Played by Claudia O’Doherty
Mary is Stede’s wife, wedded to him through an arranged marriage. After Stede leaves her, she follows her interest in art and falls in love with her painting instructor, Doug, played by Tim Heidecker. He returns to her out of guilt only to find that not only has she moved on, but she’s happier, and the two work together to fake his death so she can claim his fortune and continue life as his widow.
Mary is a strong, independent woman, especially in the aftermath of Stede abandoning her and their children to captain theRevenge—she enjoys her life, particularly her freedom, with him gone. She thrives and even helps other widows discover what their lives can be like with their husbands gone. Her willingness to build and preserve a life that makes her happy, rather than one that’s expected of her or that she’s been forced into, makes her brave, and an honest conversation about love with Stede is what drives him back to Ed.
5Jim Jimenez
Played by Vico Ortiz
Jim is nonbinary. As a child, their entire family was murdered by Siete Gallos, a group of mercenaries, and they have vowed to kill every member as revenge. They came aboard theRevengeas a woman disguised as a man and pretending to be mute, on the run from Spanish Jackie after murdering her favorite husband, and only Oluwande knew the truth about their identity. They were ultimately accepted and welcomed as a member of the crew and began a relationship with Oluwande.
Jim’s revenge quest requires quite a bit of bravery—at one point, they leave theRevengeto seek out the remaining members of Siete Gallos—especially considering who they’re up against. That also means they’re no stranger to dangerous and violent situations, and they’re also a great fighter with lots of training. Still, they’re avoiding Spanish Jackie and her wrath early in the series, then choose to abandon their revenge plan after speaking with her.
4Nathaniel Buttons
Played by Ewen Bremner
Little is known of Buttons’ background, but he is an experienced sailor working as Stede’s first mate on theRevengeand helps him as he learns about the life of a pirate. Buttons also works as a lookout. One of his skills is, apparently, being able to communicate with seagulls, and he even has one as a friend, Karl. He takes this one step further in Season 2 by preparing for and performing an “avian transmogrification” spell, which seemingly turns him into a seagull.
Buttons is just one of a number of quirky, eccentric pirates on the Revenge—he has many strange beliefs and habits, but he can also be surprisingly insightful, especially when it comes to Ed and Stede’s relationship. Like some of his fellow crew, he’s eager to jump to violence. He’s also loyal to Stede, which is brave enough in itself, given Stede’s clear incompetence and naivety, and warns him of a budding mutiny against him, showing a willingness to part from the rest of the crew.
3Black Pete
Matthew Maher
Black Pete is among Stede’s crew on theRevenge, and he’s one of the few who actually has some experience being on a ship. He gets romantically involved with Lucius, only for them to be forcibly separated in the wake of Ed and Stede’s split. Eventually, the crew of the Revenge is reunited, and Pete helps Lucius move on from his trauma. The two ultimately get married in the Season 2 finale.
Black Pete is often eager to jump into action—but he’s also known for exaggerating or outright lying when he tells a story so he comes off looking better. He clearly wants to present himself and be seen a certain way, although his claims don’t align with his actions. He also greatly admires Ed. But above all, he’s a caring partner to Lucius and a bit of a softie overall.
2Stede Bonnet
Played by Rhys Darby
Stede Bonnet is the captain of theRevenge, who abandoned his wife and children, as well as his aristocratic lifestyle, to become a pirate. During his adventures, he meets notorious pirate Blackbeard, and the two fall in love and decide to pursue a relationship. But as Season 2 begins, Stede and Ed are split up, largely due to a misunderstanding, and both are heartbroken and dealing with it in different ways.
Stede’s choice to live his life of luxury behind and become a pirate despite having no experience is very brave—or very cowardly, depending on how you look at it. But when things get really tense, and especially when faced with the possibility of injury or death, Stede is reduced to tears, and he typically runs away from his problems, neither of which are a very tough look for a pirate.
1Edward “Blackbeard” Teach
Played by Taika Waititi
Despite being the most feared pirate in the Caribbean, at the start ofOur Flag Means Death, Blackbeard—whose real name is Edward, or Ed for short—is ready to move on. After Izzy tells Ed about Stede, Ed becomes fascinated by Stede and decides to seek him out. After meeting, Stede and Ed fall in love, but after Stede seemingly leaves him at the end of Season 1, Ed takes on a persona he calls the Kraken and becomes even more brutal than before.
With his reputation for cruelty as a notorious pirate, Blackbeard is pretty fearless, and of all the pirates onOur Flag Means Death, he’s certainly the toughest and most experienced. He’s also intelligent. But in Season 2 in particular, it isn’t his intelligence or reputation that motivates him—it’s pure heartbreak, as he becomes more violent as a way of coping with the loss of Stede, even towards his own crew.
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