Our Flag Means Death Makes A Big Mistake With Its Blackbeard Flag
Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Our Flag Means Death episode 2, «A Damned Man.»
The HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death may have used the wrong Blackbeard flag by mistake. This is somewhat ironic, as the pirate comedy has a number of intentional historical inaccuracies mixed into the unlikely but true story of the Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet. In this case, however, the anachronism seems to be accidental.
Played by Taika Waititi in Our Flag Means Death, Blackbeard was the most fearsome captain of the Golden Age of Piracy and famed for his showmanship as much as his cruelty. The real Blackbeard did play a role in the career of the real Stede Bonnet, with the two joining forces for a time in late 1717. The partnership was incredibly one-sided by all accounts, and Bonnet was little better than a captive, who largely confined himself to his cabin while Blackbeard took control of his ship, Revenge.
Related: Our Flag Means Death Cast, Character & Cameo Guide
Our Flag Means Death did not introduce the character of Blackbeard until the end of its third episode, but his interest in Stede Bonnet was dramatically established at the end of episode 2, «A Damned Man.» The events of the episode found Bonnet and his crew fighting another group of pirates for the British naval officers they had originally taken captive. The leader of these pirates was not revealed until the episode's end, with a dramatic pan up to a fearsome pirate flag depicting a horned skeleton holding a spear and an hourglass. While this design has become known as the Flag of Blackbeard, it was never flown by the historical Blackbeard.
It's logical to assume that Blackbeard would have a distinctive flag, as most real-world pirate captains were famed for
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