10 Movie Sequels That Turn Wimps Into Total Badasses

7. Elizabeth Swann - Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates Of The Caribbean Elizabeth Swann
Disney

Elizabeth Swann's transformation from pampered Governor's daughter to pirate captain, master swordsman and fearless warrior was not only necessary, but thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

She had all the money and comforts in the world but that wasn't the life she wanted; she was desperate for adventure and desperate to be free from the restrictions of her social standing, so when she officially became captain of the mighty ship Empress, she'd finally got what she wanted. It was a satisfying conclusion to her arc.

She did display an inkling of piracy in the first film (with her unrefined combat skills and reluctance to conform to society's impression of her on display in the third act) but she felt like an embittered teenager for most of it, and it wasn't until the sequels - with the key turning point being At World's End - that she truly became a pirate.

In this second sequel, one of the very first things she does is participate in a sword fight in Sao Feng's hideout, before becoming captain of his ship, being named Pirate King at Shipwreck Cove, and rallying a host of other scruffy, battle-hardened pirates for the final showdown.

Oh, and she also gets married aboard a ship while stabbing enemy pirates in the face. Now that's a way to shave money off your wedding bill.

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!