10 Real Pirates Of The Caribbean More Bad-Ass Than Jack Sparrow

4. Charles Vane - Cruel And Vicious

Charles Vane is perhaps the man that Blackbeard's cruelty should be attributed to. A primary antagonist in Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and subject of dark portrayal in Black Sails, Charles Vane was a tyrannical captain, opposing English and Spanish crews alike, with a penchant for raw brutality towards his crew and enemies. Having refused the King's pardon, Vane successfully smashed a British navy blockade of Nassau by ramming the fleet with an un-manned vessel loaded with explosives, blowing the blockade apart and evading capture. Though skilful and ambitious in his exploits, Vane's disregard for general pirate decorum resulted in his gradual marginalisation aboard his ship, 'The Ranger'. Disobeying the governing articles, known also as 'the code', Vane cheated his crew out of spoils and rights, providing the justification for his quartermaster, Calico Jack Rackham, to organise a mutiny and dispose of a tyrannical leader. Having been marooned on the Bay of Honduras for some weeks, Vane was eventually rescued by a crew, only for his identity to be revealed by an old colleague, demanding Vane pay for his former crimes by handing him over to the British authorities. Vane was one of a number of pirates to be hanged and gibbeted - dipped in tar and hung in a steel cage - much like his quartermaster Calico Jack would experience, and Captain Kidd before him.