Gibbs Pirates of the Caribbean: Who Is Joshamee Gibbs?

Joshamee Gibbs is a recurring supporting character in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, played by Kevin McNally in every one of the five main films. He first appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), directed by Gore Verbinski, and returns in Dead Man's Chest (2006) and At World's End (2007), both also directed by Verbinski. He then appears in On Stranger Tides (2011), directed by Rob Marshall, and in Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning.

Searches often use "Mr. Gibbs" or "Master Gibbs", but the credits use two forms only: Joshamee Gibbs in films one, four and five, and Gibbs in films two and three. If you are mapping the whole ensemble, the Pirates of the Caribbean characters page sets him beside the leads.

The whole saga grew out of a Disneyland attraction that debuted in 1967, and the first film premiered at Disneyland on June 28, 2003, before opening in US theaters on July 9, 2003. Gibbs sits in the second tier of that ensemble. His billing runs 15th in the first film, 9th in Dead Man's Chest, 10th in At World's End, 5th in On Stranger Tides and 7th in Dead Men Tell No Tales. Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is billed first in all five, so Gibbs is a character who keeps coming back rather than one who leads.

Why is Gibbs a pirate? No studio synopsis of the five films says how or why Gibbs turned to piracy, so any origin story would be guesswork. What the films do show is where he ends up: in the company of Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl.

Gibbs's most important screen relationship is with Jack Sparrow, the character he keeps returning alongside in all five films. The clearest proof is On Stranger Tides, where Gibbs handles Jack's compass and uses it to find the Revenge and the bottled Black Pearl while Jack is busy leaving Angelica behind.

He is credited alongside the rest of the Pearl's circle. The first film's cast list includes Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and Barbossa, played by Geoffrey Rush, is billed just ahead of him in both the first and fourth films. In On Stranger Tides he also appears opposite Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane. In Dead Men Tell No Tales he is in the cast alongside Captain Salazar, played by Javier Bardem.

For the full web of who stands beside whom, the Pirates of the Caribbean cast page lists everyone by film.

In my opinion, Gibbs's best moment is the On Stranger Tides compass scene, because it is the one point where the story hands him a job that moves the plot. After Jack strands Angelica, Gibbs uses Jack's compass to find the Queen Anne's Revenge and recover the Black Pearl from its bottle, which leaves Jack free to set off and free the Pearl. It is a small, practical beat rather than a showpiece, and I think that suits the character.

It could be argued that the compass is the saga's most reliable prop, and Gibbs handling it fits a pattern. In Dead Man's Chest Beckett sends Will to fetch it, and in Dead Men Tell No Tales Jack trades it for a drink, which breaks the hold on the Devil's Triangle and frees Salazar. Gibbs's use of it in the fourth film sits between those two, so it reads as a quiet piece of continuity.

Second best, perhaps, is simply his reliability in the credits: five films, three directing teams, and Kevin McNally back each time, with billing as high as fifth in the fourth film. That being said, if you want a character who drives scenes, Barbossa or Jack Sparrow will give you more. Gibbs is the one who is simply there, and this ensemble is steadier for it.