Stede Bonnet (2024)

Captain Stede Bartholomew Bonnet (better known as the Gentleman Pirate) is the main protagonist of Our Flag Means Death, played by Rhys Darby. He is a former aristocrat who abandoned his family and monotonous life to pursue piracy.

Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, the Gentleman Pirate. What do those names conjure for you? [...] Well the last one is the scariest of them all. [...] Yeah, he's a killer. But instead of killing with weapons, he kills with... kindness!

Stede Bonnet, A Gentleman Pirate

Physical appearance[]

Stede has hazel eyes, pale skin, and blonde side-swept hair with sideburns. As a former aristocrat, Stede does his best to maintain a clean and well-groomed appearance. Before he gave up his wealth and title, he often wore a variety of fancy clothing on a day-to-day basis, including dressing gowns for when he slept, and when he attended high-society events, he wore a white powdered wig. Currently, Stede wears much more simple attire due to no longer having access to his wardrobe of fancy clothing.

Personality[]

Stede has a very cheerful and positive personality and tends looks on the bright side of things. He describes himself as a "gentleman pirate" and enjoys reading and dressing up in various fancy clothes. While he is intelligent, he can also be somewhat naive. He is not very adaptable to the dangerous life at sea, but tries his best nonetheless, and is very adventurous and curious, with a passion for traveling, sailing, and exploring wildlife. Despite often feeling insecure of himself due to the bullying and abuse he endured as a child, he does his best to carry himself with confidence and grace. While he is generally kind, generous, patient, and friendly, when he is faced with a difficult situation, he can be prone to selfishness and cowardice, often running away from his problems instead of facing them.

History[]

Early life[]

Stede Bonnet was born in 1688 in Barbados to an aristocratic family. As a young boy, he was bullied by several of his peers, including Nigel Badminton.

One day, as a child, Stede's father took him on a walk, and told him how all of their land would one day be Stede's. However, he stressed to Stede that this was not because he deserved it, but because he got lucky, calling him "a weak-hearted, soft-handed, lily-livered little rich boy", and that this was all he would ever be. Stede's father's words would stay with him into adulthood.

Married life[]

When Stede reached adulthood, his father arranged for him to marry a woman named Mary. Prior to meeting Mary, Stede told his father that he had always thought he'd marry for love, but his father stated that only peasants marry for love. Stede and Mary were married next a lighthouse, where the priest told the uncomfortable pair that they would be unwavering lights for one another that guide for eternity. Eventually, Stede and Mary had two children, a girl and a boy named Alma and Louis respectively, and while Stede would frequently play pirates with them, Mary disliked this, as it gave them nightmares.

While the two managed to tolerate one another for some time, Stede quickly grew tired of his life, and began to fantasize about a life on the sea. Mary, meanwhile, began to grow irritated with Stede's indifference to her and their life. On their most recent anniversary, Mary gifted Stede a painting she had created of the lighthouse they had been married in front of, while Stede gifted her a model of a ship he had begun to build. Stede asked Mary how she would feel about living at sea, and this infuriated her, resulting in her telling Stede that she had no desire to abandon their lives.

Unable to bear the monotony of his life and loveless marriage any longer, Stede eventually left his home to set sail on the Revenge, leaving Mary a letter explaining why he had left.

Life at sea[]

At some point, Stede hired a crew of pirates, namely Oluwande Boodhari, Jim Jimenez, Lucius Spriggs, Black Pete, Frenchie, Nathaniel Buttons, Wee John Feeney, Roach, and the Swede.

Initially, Stede's unorthodox method of captaining disgruntled most of his crew. While Stede's wealth allowed him to pay them a salary, many of the crew resented him for not giving them the thrill of pirate life that they were accustomed to. Eventually, Black Pete and several others began to plan a mutiny. Fearing this potential mutiny, Stede told the crew that they were going to attack a nearby ship, though it turned out to be an English Naval warship that was being captained by Stede's old bully, Nigel Badminton. Nigel, having recognized Stede, soon boarded the ship with three of his soldiers.

While showing Nigel his cabin, the captain laughed at the "ridiculous" features of Stede's ship, and spoke of a rumor that he had heard claiming that Stede had left his family to become a pirate. Nigel's patronizing words triggered Stede's memories of what his father had told him as a child, eventually causing him to knock Nigel out with a paperweight. However, Stede quickly panicked when he realized that Nigel had fallen on his own unsheathed sword, which had pierced him through the eye and killed him instantly. With Jim and Oluwande's help, Stede convinced the rest of the crew that he had intentionally murdered Nigel, impressing them, and kept two of the English soldiers as hostages.

Encounter with Izzy Hands[]

Some time later, Stede accidentally beached the ship on the Mabo Island, where he began to have hallucinations of the deceased Nigel Badminton. When the English hostages escaped due to Roach's negligence, Stede, Black Pete, and Oluwande ventured into the island's forest to find them, where Black Pete and Stede were captured by the indigenous people of the island. Oluwande was able to convince their leader Chief Mabo to release the two men, but a guilty Stede hysterically admitted that he was a murderer, though the chief did not believe him and could see that he was “clearly unwell”.

Eventually, Stede learned that Chief Mabo had sold their English hostages to three unknown men. Having processed his trauma and guilt somewhat after talking with the Tribal Elder, Stede regained his confidence and led Oluwande and Black Pete to retrieve the hostages, who had been sold to Israel "Izzy" Hands, Ivan, and Fang. Stede, Oluwande, and Black Pete successfully ambushed the group, and Stede managed to convince Izzy at knife-point to let them leave with one of the hostages.

Republic of Pirates[]

Eventually, Stede decided to begin using the moniker "the Gentleman Pirate". When Buttons suggested that they take their remaining English hostage to the Republic of Pirates to sell him, Stede quickly agreed, excited to introduce himself to the pirate world. At Spanish Jackie's bar, Stede encountered Izzy Hands once again. Izzy told him that his boss wanted to meet him, not revealing that his boss was actually the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Stede immediately refused the offer, stating that Izzy could tell his boss to "suck eggs in hell", to which Izzy responded that he would do so gladly.

After Stede was kicked out of Spanish Jackie's bar, one of Spanish Jackie's husbands, Geraldo, approached him, stating that he knew someone who would be willing to buy their hostage: the Spanish Navy. Stede agreed to this, taking Lucius, Jim, and Roach with him, but upon boarding the ship, he was immediately stabbed and sentenced to hang, only barely being saved when Blackbeard and his crew stormed the ship.

Recovery and meeting Blackbeard[]

While recovering from his stab wound, an unconscious and feverish Stede experienced recurring nightmares about his wife, children, and Blackbeard. When Stede was eventually woken by Blackbeard, he did not recognize who he was, resulting in Blackbeard introducing himself simply as "Ed". Stede gave the intrigued pirate captain a tour of his cabin, and was shocked when he soon learned that Edward was actually Blackbeard. Both men quickly bonded over their fascination with one another, and upon succeeding in implementing a shared idea of how to trick the Spanish into abandoning their search for the Revenge, they decided to make a deal: if Edward showed Stede how to be a better pirate, Stede would show Edward how to be more of a gentleman.

Attending a high-society party[]

After the Revenge was saved from the Spanish, Edward began to teach Stede how to pillage ships, while Stede taught him about high society. When Frenchie discovered an invitation to a French aristocrat party while pillaging the captured ship, Edward immediately expressed a desire to go, though a cautious Stede warned him that he would likely not enjoy it. Stede, Edward, Oluwande, and Frenchie later traveled to the party ship, where Stede posed as the intended recipient of the invitation, Sir Godfrey Thornrose. While Edward was quickly able to entertain and impress the aristocrats, Stede was not, and left Edward to continue entertaining the aristocrats on his own. Eventually, an enraged and hurt Edward found Stede and Frenchie on the main deck, reporting that the aristocrats had laughed at him for using utensils incorrectly at dinner. When Edward began readying his gun to enact his revenge, Stede ordered him to stand down and assured him that he would handle the situation for him. Through the use of his own passive aggression skills, Stede was able to incite a brawl amongst the aristocrats, eventually leading to the entire boat catching on fire.

When they returned to the Revenge, Stede approached Edward on the main deck, complimenting the red piece of silk that he’d noticed the latter was holding. Edward allowed Stede to place it into his breast pocket for him, and Stede told him that he wore 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.

Learning the art of f*ckery[]

Over the course of the next few weeks, Stede and Edward continued to grow closer and enjoyed spending time both with one another and with Stede’s crew. One evening, Edward told the crew the supposedly true story of how he witnessed “the Kraken” kill his father when he was a boy. The following morning, Stede was very impressed when Edward used illusions to put on a dramatic, seemingly supernatural performance, which he called “the art of f*ckery”, a tactic he often used to frighten his enemies.

Desiring to create a f*ckery of his own to impress Edward, Stede gathered his crew together and asked them to come up with ideas, though he was not satisfied with any of them. After Stede stormed off to his cabin, he was surprised when Izzy Hands entered, telling him he couldn’t give up, as Edward “adored” Stede and it was his job to keep Edward happy. Izzy’s words inspired Stede to continue with the f*ckery, which was performed when the crew of a Dutch vessel boarded the Revenge.

At the end of the f*ckery performance, Edward suddenly panicked and took refuge in Stede's bathroom, and a concerned Stede followed him. Edward revealed to Stede that he was “the Kraken” who had killed his abusive father, and that he had not killed anyone personally since. He also revealed that he had intended to kill Stede that evening and assume his identity, but couldn’t go through with it. When Edward broke down into tears and told Stede that he was not a good person and that this was why he didn’t have any friends, Stede reassured him that he was his friend, and that he was willing to forget Edward’s plan to kill him if Edward was, leading to the two sharing a tender moment.

Later, when Izzy discovered that Edward had decided not to kill Stede, he challenged the Gentleman Pirate to a duel. However, remembering a technique that Edward had taught him, Stede won the duel by rendering Izzy’s sword inoperable, forcing the humiliated man to leave the ship on a dinghy.

Treasure hunt in St. Augustine[]

Some time later, Edward told Stede that he had not intended to stay on the Revenge as long as he had, and that he would likely soon leave for “the next adventure”. Fearful that Edward had grown bored and not wanting him to leave, Stede insisted that Edward and Lucius join him on a treasure hunt in St. Augustine while the rest of the crew searched for oranges to cure the Swede’s scurvy. Stede attempted to engage Edward during the treasure hunt, but was disappointed when the latter behaved irritably the majority of the time. However, when the treasure map was burnt, Edward changed his tune, encouraging Stede to continue with the treasure hunt, which made Stede very happy. Eventually, Stede led Edward and Lucius to Jim’s family’s land, where he dug up a petrified orange. When they later returned to the ship, Stede and Edward shared a drink in Stede’s cabin, where they both happily came to the agreement to become co-captains of the Revenge.

Meeting Calico Jack[]

After Edward’s old friend and former crew mate Calico Jack arrived at the Revenge one evening, Stede quickly grew to dislike the man, as his closeness with Edward made Stede jealous, and he was not fond of the reckless activities Jack and Edward had begun involving themselves and the rest of the crew in. However, Edward was able to convince Stede to give Jack a chance when he told Stede that Jack had saved his life, so as a gesture of good will, Stede declared that he would take the Revenge to Blind Man’s Cove. While on land, Stede was approached alone by Calico Jack, who asked about the nature of Stede’s relationship with Edward and revealed that he and Edward had had romantic/sexual encounters in the past. This conversation both irritated Stede and increased his jealousy. He told Edward that he did not like Jack’s ideas of fun, nor the person Edward was around him, to which a disappointed Edward replied that this was who he was.

When Calico Jack later accidentally killed Karl the seagull by being reckless with his whip, Stede angrily demanded that Jack get off his ship. Jack agreed, but convinced Edward to leave with him by reminding him of how he once saved his life. Edward then told a shocked and saddened Stede that he was “always going to realize” what Edward was before departing with Jack, leaving Stede heartbroken.

The following day, Stede gathered the crew on deck together and announced that they would be having a burial at sea for Karl, and that Blackbeard would no longer be sailing with them. The crew were soon interrupted when the Revenge was hit with several canon balls fired by nearby English Navy ships. Before the panicked crew had the chance to act, Edward announced his return to the Revenge, to Stede’s astonishment and joy. Edward instructed them to surrender, leading to the entire crew being apprehended by Chauncey Badminton.

Act of Grace[]

After the Revenge was taken over by the English, Stede was interrogated by Chauncey about the death of the latter's twin brother Nigel. Initially, Stede denied involvement, but when Chauncey revealed that Blackbeard had already confessed to the crime, not wanting Edward to take the fall for him, Stede confessed that it was indeed he who had murdered Nigel. He and Edward were then put on trial, where Chauncey declared that while Edward would be released to Izzy Hands, Stede would be sentenced to death by firing squad, which Stede accepted. However, before Stede could be killed, Edward declared Act of Grace, and the English agreed to allow Stede to live on the condition that both he and Edward sign a document stating that they will renounce their life of piracy and serve the king.

Following this event, Edward and Stede were sent to the Royal Privateering Academy, where Stede was shocked to learn that Mary had declared him dead. Later, Stede, having noticed that Edward seemed uncharacteristically content with their situation, asked the latter how he was handling things so well. Edward admitted that he simply wanted to do "what makes Ed happy", and when Stede asked what it was that made Edward happy, the latter confessed that Stede did. The two then shared a kiss, after which Stede replied that Edward made him happy as well, and subsequently made a plan to run away together.

That evening, however, Stede was woken up at gunpoint and led into the jungle by a drunk Chauncey Badminton, who was furious that Stede had been allowed to live. He berated Stede, telling him that he “defiles beautiful things”, that he was a monster for abandoning his family and killing Nigel, and that he had even “brought history’s greatest pirate to ruin”. Stede tearfully agreed with everything Chauncey accused him of, and screamed in terror when the drunk man eventually tripped and shot himself in the eye, dying instantly. Traumatized and feeling more guilty than ever for abandoning his family and for ”ruining” Edward, Stede spent the entire rest of the night walking back to his former home, where he greeted a shocked Mary.

Attempt to return to aristocrat life[]

After Stede returned home, he attempted to re-insert himself back into his old life. He quickly learned, however, that Mary and his children had become quite happy in his absence, with Mary having established a successful painting career and having found love with her painting instructor, Doug. While Stede continued to struggle to readjust, he often thought of his crew, and of Edward.

After he had drunkenly caused a scene at Mary’s art exhibition, he awoke one night horrified to see that Mary, who had become fed up with Stede’s intrusion on her new life, was about to murder him with a skewer. After Stede confronted her, the two agreed that they were not happy together, and Stede asked Mary what it felt like to be in love, knowing she was happy with Doug. When Mary’s description of love evoked memories of his time with Edward, Stede finally realized that he was in love with him. He admitted this to Mary, and the two shared a platonic embrace.

Renouncing wealth and returning to life of piracy[]

The following morning after their heartfelt conversation, Stede and Mary both concocted a plan to fake Stede’s death so they could both be with the ones they love. Stede made amends with his children, giving his daughter Alma half of the petrified orange he had found in St. Augustine, and through the art of f*ckery, he successfully managed to convince the people of his town that he had died. Having renounced his money, land, and title, Stede left home for the second time in a simple dinghy to return to life at sea, and to Edward. Eventually, Stede arrived at the location where the Revenge had last been, but found that both Edward and the ship were gone, and that Oluwande, Roach, Wee John, the Swede, Black Pete, and Buttons had been stranded on a small island.

Working for Spanish Jackie[]

After he had rescued his stranded crew, a now-penniless Stede returned to the Republic of Pirates, where he and the crew began to work for Spanish Jackie at her bar in exchange for a place to stay. During this time, Stede often dreamed of reuniting with Edward, and wrote him messages in a bottle detailing what he and the crew were doing and wishing him well.

While Stede and the crew initially managed to save some money behind Jackie’s back, she eventually found out and took the money for herself. Not long after, a man named Richard “Ricky” Banes approached Stede and introduced himself, informing him that he was a minor prince who had been inspired by tales of Stede’s adventures to leave his life of luxury and become a pirate. Ricky told Stede that he knew Spanish Jackie was in possession of a Roman puzzle chest that likely contained something valuable, and suggested that Stede and his crew make a plan to steal it, to which Stede agreed.

The crew eventually managed to steal the chest, which was revealed to be filled with indigo. However, Jackie quickly realized what had happened, and intercepted Stede and his crew as they were about to leave with the chest. Stede and his crew were saved from Jackie’s wrath by Susan, a local soup vendor whose shop Stede and Oluwande frequently visited. Susan offered Jackie double payment for the indigo and to take possession of Stede and his crew, to which Jackie agreed, and it was soon after revealed that Susan was actually Zheng Yi Sao, the Pirate Queen.

Joining Zheng Yi Sao’s crew[]

After they had boarded the Red Flag, Zheng Yi Sao’s ship, the Pirate Queen assigned various jobs to Stede and his crew. While Stede was happy when he discovered that Lucius was also on the ship, he was suspicious when the latter did not want to give details as to what happened to him leading up to him joining Zheng Yi Sao’s crew. An angry Lucius eventually revealed to Stede that he had been pushed off the Revenge by Edward after Stede had left and that he had gone through several traumatic experiences before joining the crew of the Red Flag. Lucius blamed Stede for everything that had happened, to which Stede agreed, and the latter urged Lucius to talk with Black Pete about his experiences instead of keeping things bottled up.

Return to the Revenge and reuniting with Edward[]

At some point, the Red Flag encountered a severely damaged vessel, which was revealed to be the Revenge. As soon as Stede heard the news, he jumped off the Red Flag and swam to the damaged ship, hoping to find Ed. He was shocked and dismayed when he climbed aboard and saw the level of damage that had been done, and eventually found Izzy, Fang, Jim, Frenchie, and Archie in his former living chambers. When they had all returned to the Red Flag, Stede asked where Edward was, and initially, Frenchie claimed that he had retired, while Izzy claimed that they had stranded Edward on a beach after he had gone mad. When Auntie discovered what appeared to be Edward’s corpse in a secret chamber on the Revenge, revealing that the crew had mutinied, Zheng Yi Sao locked them in a cell, intending to execute them per the pirate’s code. However, Stede was able to incapacitate much of Zheng Yi Sao’s crew by drugging them, and broke Izzy, Frenchie, Jim, Fang, and Archie out.

After everyone had returned to the Revenge, Stede finally went to see Edward, where he sat down beside him, broke down into tears, and apologized profusely for leaving him. However, when he saw Edward’s hand start to twitch, Stede quickly realized he was still alive, and begged him to wake up, promising that he would never leave him again. Eventually, Stede’s words broke through to Edward, and the latter regained consciousness.

Meeting Anne Bonny and Mary Read[]

While Stede was overjoyed when Edward regained consciousness, the latter was still very angry with him. The crew of the Revenge immediately voted for Edward to be banished from the ship due to the severity of his past actions, and the man was dropped off on a nearby island. When a confused and saddened Stede took a walk with Buttons on the same island, the Scotsman explained to Stede that Edward was still half-dead after having been “in the gravy basket”.

Eventually, Stede and Buttons arrived at an antiques shop, where Stede met Anne Bonny, the shop’s owner, and bonded with her over their shared appreciation for antiques. Not long after the two had made their introductions, Edward and Mary Read, Anne’s partner, arrived at the shop as well, and Anne and Edward embraced as old friends. Upon finding out that the two men knew each other, Anne and Mary invited them over for dinner, which they both accepted. While waiting for dinner to cook, Anne and Mary chatted with Edward and Stede about first meetings, and during this conversation, Edward spoke negatively of their history together. Later, while helping Anne prepare dinner, Stede opened up to the woman about what he had gone through the past few months, but was taken aback when she suddenly kissed him. When Anne mentioned that Stede had left his wife twice during the dinner, revealing to Edward the reason that Stede had abandoned him, Edward stormed out of the room.

When Stede found Edward hiding under a blanket in the sitting room, he asked him to give him a chance to explain. A hurt Edward replied that he had been a fool to trust Stede and that he had been nothing more than a whim to him. Stede countered this by reminding the man that they were both whim-prone, and that he had panicked after their first kiss due to how fast things were moving. The two eventually reconciled somewhat after Stede told Edward that he loves everything about him, but were interrupted when Anne and Mary entered the room and began making fun of them. Having realized that the two women had been messing with them both the entire time, Stede and Edward denounced the immaturity of Anne and Mary’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 and be happy together.

After they left the burning house, Stede asked Edward if he wanted to come back to the ship. Edward said yes, and the elated Gentleman Pirate quickly ran off to ask the crew for permission to let Edward stay. When Stede returned to bring Edward and Buttons back to the Revenge, Edward excitedly told him that he had seen Buttons turn into a seagull, and the two walked back to the Revenge together.

Training with Izzy and acquiring the "cursed" suit[]

The following day, Stede helped Edward to address the crew to thank them, as they had allowed him to stay on the ship under the condition that he be put under probation. When Stede lamented to Edward about not feeling truly like a captain anymore, Edward encouraged Stede to be more assertive with the crew, which inspired Stede to consult Izzy on how to be a better overall pirate. After some training, Stede led his crew on a raid of a nearby ship, but when they boarded it, they discovered several bloody and maimed corpses and a pentagram drawn onto the floor of the deck in blood. While on board, Stede picked up a fancy red and gold suit, which he immediately began wearing around the Revenge. Although Stede very much enjoyed getting to wear fine clothing again, the crew grew increasingly fearful of the suit, as they believed that anything been taken from the raided ship was likely cursed. Eventually, the crew attempted to destroy the suit, to Stede’s dismay, and he agreed to get rid of it to appease them.

When Stede returned to the Revenge that evening, he met Edward on the main deck, where they discussed the events of each others’ days. The two then shared a kiss, after which a hesitant Edward asked if they could take things slow. Stede agreed, and asked if it was alright if they could just hold hands, to which Edward replied that that was “perfect”.

Encounter with Ned Low[]

Some time later, Stede’s crew decided to throw a party, which was financed by Edward’s stolen treasure after Stede’s encouragement to “turn poison into positivity”. However, the party was interrupted by Ned Low, who wanted to get revenge on Edward for breaking his record of consecutive raids, and began to torture everyone on the crew. When Stede realized that Ned’s crew was not being respected, he began to encourage them to rebel against their captain, which they eventually did. After Stede’s victory, the captured Ned berated Edward for not being the same bloodthirsty pirate he had once known, causing an angry Stede to demand that the man walk the plank. Edward warned Stede that he shouldn’t kill in cold blood, as it was not something that he could come back from, but Stede went through with it anyway, knocking Ned into the ocean.

As this was Stede’s first intentional act of killing, it affected him significantly, and he immediately began to experience flashes of his memories from his childhood. While the rest of the crew continued on with the party, he returned to his quarters, where he sat dazed on the couch until Edward came to check on him. When Edward attempted to offer him words of comfort, Stede interrupted him by pulling him into his room, where the two kissed passionately and became intimate with one another for the first time.

Newfound infamy[]

The following morning, Edward brought Stede breakfast in bed to thank him for saving his life, revealing that he had a vision of Stede as a merperson when he had been on the brink of death. Later that day, Edward took Stede to a food shack at the Republic of Pirates, where Stede told him that he had been writing messages in bottles to him the entire time they had been separated.

Eventually, multiple people began to recognize Stede as the man who had defeated Ned Low, and Stede began to revel in the attention he was getting for his infamy. However, when Stede later confronted Edward for not seeming happy, Edward told Stede that he disliked that they were going so fast with things despite having asked to go slow, and that he believed that the events of the previous night had been a mistake, to Stede’s dismay. He also revealed that he no longer wanted to be a pirate, declaring that he had taken on a job as a fisherman, and the two parted ways.

After this argument, a sullen Stede returned to Spanish Jackie’s bar, and was approached by Izzy, who asked if Edward had left him. Izzy talked to Stede about how complicated of a man Edward is, and told him that while it took him a long time to see it, he could see that Stede and Edward were good for each other, as they balanced each other out. When Stede noticed that Zheng Yi Sao was in the bar talking to some of his crew, he confronted her, accused her of poaching his crew, and challenged her to a duel, which he nearly lost before the entire Republic of Pirates was thrown into chaos by multiple explosions on land and at sea.

Escaping the Republic of Pirates and leaving piracy[]

Following the mass of explosions at the Republic of Pirates, Stede and Zheng Yi Sao escaped into the forest, where they were attacked by British soldiers. When they ran out onto the beach, Stede spotted Edward, back in his leather attire, fighting another group of British soldiers on the other side of the beach. The two called out for one another and ran into each other’s arms, where they shared a tender kiss. Edward apologized and told Stede that he loved him, to which Stede lovingly replied that he knew this already.

The two then assisted Zheng in defeating the remaining British soldiers and returned with the Pirate Queen to Spanish Jackie’s, where they watched all of the British soldiers who had taken over the tavern, aside from Ricky Banes, foam at the mouth and collapse. Jackie revealed she had served all of the soldiers poisoned alcohol, and the group of pirates concocted a plan to disguise themselves as British soldiers and force Ricky, who had organized the British attack, to call off the soldiers.

While the crew was leading Ricky to the British, the prince escaped, shooting Izzy in the abdomen in the process. While they were able to defeat many of the soldiers, when they finally returned to the Revenge, the saddened crew watched as Izzy succumbed to his wounds. Following Izzy’s burial ceremony, Zheng approached Edward and Stede and asked them to join forces with her so they could get revenge on Ricky for killing Izzy and destroying her fleet. However, after attending Black Pete and Lucius’ wedding, the two men decided to stay behind on land to open an inn together, leaving the Revenge to Zheng and the rest of Stede’s former crew.

Relationships[]

Father Bonnet[]

Stede's father was a stern, unfriendly man with whom Stede had a strained, distant relationship. From an early age, Stede's father berated him for his "lily-livered" and gentle personality, and scoffed when Stede later expressed that he had always thought he would marry for love. Stede's memories of his father and his harsh words still affect him today.

Mary Bonnet[]

Stede and Mary Bonnet's marriage was not a happy or fulfilling one, most likely due to it being an arranged marriage. Up until Stede left to pursue a life of piracy, he and Mary tolerated one another, but their differing personalities and aspirations caused them to clash often. When Stede eventually returned to his home months later, he found that Mary had developed a successful career as a painter and found love with her painting instructor, Doug. Eventually, after a failed attempt by Mary to murder Stede, the two had a heartfelt talk about their relationship, during which Mary was able to help Stede realize that he had fallen in love with Edward. Having reconciled, Mary and Stede worked together to formulate a plan to fake Stede's death, which was successful, and Stede left his former wife all of his remaining wealth.

Alma and Louis Bonnet[]

Stede had an overall positive, if slightly distant relationship with his children prior to leaving for the sea. When he did play with them, he often played pirates, and while they enjoyed it, Mary said that it also gave them nightmares. When Stede returned home after his many months at sea, he attempted to entertain Alma and Louis with tales of his adventures, but they were upset that he had left them for so long, with Louis seeming to not even remember him at all. Eventually, after Stede reconciled with Mary, Alma and Louis helped him prepare for his dramatic f*ckery to fake his death, and Stede apologized to them both before splitting his petrified orange, giving Alma half of it to remember him by.

Crew of the Revenge[]

Lucius Spriggs[]

Stede originally assigned Lucius to be his scribe aboard the Revenge, as he was the only crew member that Stede knew could read and write. The majority of the time, Stede would have Lucius follow him around and write down tales of his new pirate life into his sketchbook. However, the two eventually become friends as the months passed, with Lucius comforting Stede after Edward left with Calico Jack, and being the first to vouch for Stede being a real pirate when Chauncey Badminton attempted to refuse to allow the Gentleman Pirate to declare Act of Grace.

Oluwande Boodhari[]

Oluwande and Stede have a generally positive relationship with one another. Oluwande was one of the first people to defend Stede when the crew started to consider mutiny, and was the first person to check in on Stede and attempt to explain to him in a kind manner that not everyone is cut out for the pirate life. When Stede accidentally caused Nigel Badminton to fall on his own sword, Oluwande helped calm him down and instructed him to let the crew think he killed the man on purpose so that he would earn their respect. Later, he vouched for Stede when the latter and Black Pete were captured by a local indigenous tribe, and helped get one of their hostages back from Izzy Hands.

Jim Jimenez[]

Stede originally did not know much about Jim other than that they were supposedly a mute man who was friends with Oluwande. However, he later learned that Jim had been disguising themself as a man to escape from Spanish Jackie's wrath after they killed Alfeo de La Vaca, one of Spanish Jackie's husbands. While Jim originally viewed Stede as "the worst f*ckin' pirate captain in history", as with the rest of the crew, they eventually grew to like and respect Stede, and even let him keep the petrified orange he found on their family's land in St. Augustine.

Black Pete[]

Black Pete was perhaps the crew member who struggled the most to accept Stede's unorthodox method of captaining, and was the first to suggest mutiny early on. While he was initially impressed when he learned Stede had supposedly intentionally killed Nigel Badminton, he claimed he was not surprised when he later found out that the man's death had been an accident. Eventually, Black Pete somewhat came around to Stede, particularly when Blackbeard himself, Edward Teach, began to stay on the Revenge and became friendly with the Gentleman Pirate. However, his loyalty to Stede seems to be somewhat easily wavered, as seen when Edward temporarily left the Revenge with Calico Jack and Black Pete implied that he desired to leave the crew and join Blackbeard.

Frenchie[]

Stede and Frenchie appear to have a generally positive relationship. Stede recruited Frenchie as his backup scribe when Lucius briefly went missing, and he also brought Frenchie along to the high-society French aristocrat party with Edward and Oluwande.

Nathaniel Buttons[]

While Stede is often repelled by Nathaniel Buttons' propensity for violence, the Scot is a member of the crew whom Stede often looks to for advice about piracy. When Calico Jack accidentally recklessly killed Buttons' best friend Karl the Seagull, Stede immediately reacted by ordering that Jack get off of the ship immediately, and before the English attacked, Stede had fully intended to have a burial at sea for the seagull. Buttons, in turn, has been very loyal to his captain even from the beginning, warning Stede immediately when he had first heard the other crew members discussing mutiny as well as giving him advice on how to earn their respect.

The Swede[]

Stede and the Swede appear to have a generally positive relationship. When the Swede got scurvy, Stede sailed the Revenge to St. Augustine so that the crew could find oranges to treat him.

Wee John Feeney[]

Stede and Wee John Feeney appear to have a generally positive relationship, though initially, Wee John was on the Black Pete's side when he wanted to mutiny, as he agreed that Stede was not a good pirate captain.

Roach[]

Stede and Roach appear to have a generally positive relationship, with Stede often asking Roach to create elaborate dishes for him and the crew.

Edward Teach[]

Stede and Edward Teach first met after Edward saved Stede from the Spanish Navy, and the two bonded almost immediately due to their shared fascination with one another. For several months, Edward took up residence on the Revenge, and he and Stede grew closer every day as Edward taught him how to be a bloodthirsty pirate, while Stede taught Edward how to be more of a gentleman.

While Stede often shared tender and romantically charged moments with Edward as the months passed, he did not know at the time that he was falling in love, as he had never experienced the feeling before. After Edward renounced piracy to save Stede's life, the latter was surprised when Edward admitted that the reason he had done so was because Stede made him happy, and when Edward kissed him, he expressed that Edward made him happy too. While Stede had initially agreed to run away with Edward following this conversation, he still harbored some left-over guilt about abandoning his family. This guilt was multiplied tenfold after being threatened at gunpoint by Chauncey Badminton, who also berated him for "ruining" Blackbeard. Believing that Edward was better off without him and that his old life was where he belonged, Stede went home to his family.

Stede finally realized he was in love with Edward during a heartfelt conversation with his wife Mary, who had found love herself in Stede's absence and was able to describe what being in love felt like to him. Confident that he belonged with Edward on the sea and not at home pretending to be someone he was not, Stede faked his death via f*ckery, renounced his wealth, and set out to reunite with the man he loves.

Israel "Izzy" Hands[]

Upon their first meeting, Stede and Izzy Hands did not get along, and even after Stede learned that Izzy was Edward's first mate, the two continued to butt heads frequently. Eventually, Izzy challenged Stede to a dual in an attempt to kill him when Edward wouldn't, and was furious when Stede managed to win and he was forced to leave the ship, eventually selling Stede out to the English.

In season 2, although the show opens with Stede dreaming of killing Izzy himself, their animosity mellows down after Izzy's ill treatment at the hands of Blackbeard's Kraken persona. Their relationship warms as Stede seeks Izzy's advice in pirating and Izzy is even seen hanging around Stede's quarters with him. When Izzy dies after being shot by Ricky Banes, Stede sheds tears at his death and is visibly saddened at his funeral.

Jack "Calico Jack" Rackham[]

Stede disliked like Calico Jack from the moment he met him due to his reckless and dangerous behavior, and quickly grew jealous of how much time he and Edward had begun spending together. Stede's dislike of Jack only increased the longer the man stayed on the Revenge, and when Jack purposefully revealed that he and Edward had had "dalliances" in the past, this only increased Stede's jealousy and dislike. Eventually, Stede kicked Jack off of the Revenge after he recklessly killed Karl the seagull with his whip.

Nigel and Chauncey Badminton[]

Stede met Nigel Badminton as a child and suffered a great deal of bullying from him. When Stede encountered the man again when they were both adults, Nigel's patronizing comments about Stede's ship led Stede to commit his first act of violence by knocking the man out with a paperweight. However, when this caused Nigel to fall on his own sword and die, Stede was deeply affected by this, feeling as though he had intentionally killed the man. Eventually, Stede was able to let go of this guilt for a time until he was captured by Chauncey Badminton, Nigel's twin brother, and ended up confessing to Nigel's "murder". After Stede was spared due to the Act of Grace, an enraged Chauncey attempted to lead Stede into the forest to kill him, and cemented into Stede's mind the fears and guilt he had already been harboring: that Stede was a monster who "defiled beautiful things". This interaction, which ended with Chauncey tripping and shooting himself in the head, traumatized Stede and led to him abandoning Edward to return home out of guilt.

Doug[]

Stede initally was distrustful of Doug and was not happy to find that Mary had found happiness with him. However, after Stede's heartfelt conversation with Mary in which she helped him learn that he was in love with Edward, he was happy that Mary had found love and accepted their relationship.

Spanish Jackie[]

Spanish Jackie and Stede have a strained relationship due to the latter breaking the former's nose jar the first time he entered her bar. While Jackie did later allow Stede and his crew to work at her bar in exchange for a place to stay, she was furious when she found out that Stede and his crew had attempted to steal her chest of indigo, only sparing him when Zheng Yi Sao intervened.

Prince Richard "Ricky" Banes[]

Stede and Ricky first met when the former was working at Spanish Jackie's bar. Stede was initially put off by Ricky due to him recognizing who he was, though he later agreed to talk to the man when he revealed that he was another former aristocrat-turned-pirate who had been inspired by Stede, and even agreed to let him help with stealing Spanish Jackie's Roman puzzle chest. However, when Ricky wanted to take extra time to leave his "calling card" at the scene of the crime, an annoyed Stede ended up leaving the bar without him.

Zheng Yi Sao[]

Stede and Zheng Yi Sao seemed to have been on decent terms even prior to him joining her crew, as he and Oluwande would often visit her soup stand in the Republic of Pirates to chat. Stede appears to have a significant amount of respect for Zheng Yi Sao due to how she handles negotiations with other pirates as well as the healthy way in which she captains her crew. However, it can be assumed that the two are no longer on good terms after Stede's crew stole the Red Flag's wheel and rescued Izzy, Fang, Frenchie, Jim, and Archie from being executed by the Pirate Queen.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read[]

Stede first met Anne Bonny when he stumbled upon her antiques shop, where the two bonded over their shared love for antiques. Anne was immediately attracted to and fascinated by Stede, and even kissed him after he told her in confidence about leaving his wife twice. Stede was very disappointed when Anne revealed this at the dinner table in front of Edward, who was greatly hurt to learn that the reason Stede had left him was to return to his wife. While he did not have very many direct interactions with Anne's partner Mary Read, Stede appeared to be disturbed by their masoch*stic behavior towards one another, and was unhappy with both of them when they revealed that they had been purposefully messing with him and Edward the entire night of the dinner.

Ned Low[]

Stede had an extremely negative opinion of Ned Low due to the latter capturing his crew and torturing them. After Stede managed to successfully encourage Ned's crew to turn against him, he ordered the man to walk the plank, completing his first ever intentional kill, which affected Stede significantly.

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

• There really was a “Gentleman Pirate” named Stede Bonnet, which is who the character is (loosely) based on. He and Blackbeard also would have met in 1717, which is when the first season of the show takes place.
• In the flashback scenes, young Stede is played by Rhys Darby's son, Theo.
• David Jenkins admitted that back when he was starting to write the show and had no idea who would end up playing any of the characters, he considered Steve Coogan and Zach Galifianakis as possible choices for the role of Stede.^[1]

References[]