Pirates of the Caribbean: Why Davy Jones Killed The Kraken (& How)

The third Pirates of the Caribbean installment At World’s End wrapped up a lot of the series’ lingering mysteries, but why did Davy Jones kill his Kraken? Although the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was adored by both audiences and critics, by the franchise’s third outing the series was growing too convoluted and complicated for fans to follow. At World’s End isn’t the worst film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as it managed to answer some questions left by its predecessors, but the 2007 outing was still overstuffed with too many villains, double-crosses, and subplots to keep track of.

For example, amidst all its lore and mythology building, the film didn’t clearly explain the reasoning behind the death of the second film’s scariest antagonist, the Kraken. The Kraken is found washed up and dead by the former rivals and now-uneasy co-conspirators Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, but how did the legendary leviathan end up there and what compelled its master Davy Jones to kill it?

The reason that the octopus-faced villain Jones killed his pet and greatest weapon in controlling the high seas is that his new handler made him. Cutler Beckett is the original trilogy’s true villain, a representative of the East India Trading company who is hell-bent on ending the era of piracy. Beckett later remarks that he ordered Jones to kill his “pet”, proving he ordered Jones to put the Kraken out of commission for both strategic and symbolic purposes. It’s a significant moment not only for Beckett and Jones but also for the franchise as the Kraken’s death means the end of Jones’ reign and by extension, the world of piracy.

The film deprives the audience of the poignant moment Jones carried out the command, instead cutting to the already-dead body. This sort of overly busy storytelling robs the moment of a lot of emotional impact, a problem that recurs throughout the Pirates sequels. Viewers can’t be certain whether Jones simply commanded the beast to beach itself or actually had to do the dirty work of killing the thing himself, as the Kraken’s fate is left offscreen. Judging by the brief glimpse of its carcass the Kraken died by beaching itself, as the corpse hasn’t been beheaded or finned when the heroes come across it.

The sight of his dead pet marks the end of an era for Pirates of the Caribbean stalwarts Jack and Barbossa who, in their terse exchange beside the body, acknowledge that their way of life is on the way out. It’s an elegiac moment as, while Jones’ decision to off his precious Kraken is an obvious strategic disadvantage, it’s also a metaphorical admission of defeat and concession to the East India Trading Company. Not only can Jones never use the monster against Beckett the way he used it to (temporarily) kill Jack Sparrow, he’s now in the employ of the company and the time of libertine lawlessness is coming to a close.

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Cathal Gunning
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Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies and TV online since 2020. His obsessions include The Simpsons, Stephen King, the Scream series, and the horror genre in general. He has spent more time thinking about Stranger Things than the writers of Stranger Things, and he has never seen a Star War.

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