Who Was Robbie Kay's Pirates Of The Caribbean Character & What Happened To Him?

Some will argue that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is not the worst Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but it does rapidly introduce characters who disappear from the franchise after the one-off adventure's end. The initial Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy has defined parameters. After the conclusion of the trilogy's main storyline and the departure of Orlando Bloom's Will Turner and Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann, Disney was challenged with coming up with a fresh new story, preferably with sequel potential, with Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush's Hector Barbossa still on board.

Penélope Cruz as Angelica was wasted; she could have carried a new era of Pirates of the Caribbean alongside Captain Jack, but the disappointing reception of On Stranger Tides led to another soft reboot and most of the characters from the fourth installment being dropped. This includes the replacement young lovers pair of Sam Claflin's missionary Philip Swift and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey's sympathetic mermaid Syrena. Surprisingly, Stephen Graham's stumbling pirate Scrum does come back; the other character who appears to have been part of an effort to build a new gallery of crew members was not so lucky.

Robbie Kay Was The "Cabin Boy" On Blackbeard's Ship In Pirates Of The Caribbean 4

Kay's Pirates Of The Caribbean Character Is Treated As Both Very Important & Not At All

The first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies include an ensemble of consistent minor characters who form Jack and/or Barbossa's crew. Most of these actors did not return for On Stranger Tides, inspiring efforts to build a new crew cast for future movies. In addition to Scrum, Robbie Kay plays the character only credited as "Cabin Boy," based on the historical precedent of maritime crews occasionally picking up boys who did general work on board the ship.

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Interestingly, On Stranger Tides seems like it wants Kay's character to be important. He is highlighted at certain points on screen and generally stands out from the rest of the crew because of his age, making it weird that he doesn't even have a name; past minor characters who serve as crew members are typically stock figures with some kind of gimmick, and are all named. Kay is last seen, again with some focus, standing beside Barbossa as a member of his new crew.

Robbie Kay's Character Joined Barbossa's Crew & Was Never Seen Again

Kay & Pirates Of The Caribbean Went In Different Directions After On Stranger Tides

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Kay was a teenager at the time of filming On Stranger Tides and totally unknown in the industry. He subsequently got more recognition for his significant roles in Once Upon a Time and Heroes Reborn. No specific reason for him not returning in Dead Men Tell No Tales has been given; it can be presumed Kay simply moved on with his career and Pirates of the Caribbean moved on from his character. As Kay's Pirates character joined Barbossa's crew, he could have died at sea or left the crew at some point.

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Barbossa has also expanded his operation in the fifth movie, so Kay's character could be on another ship, maybe as an officer if his being an early member of the new crew gives him any credibility. Ironically, Kay's presence would have made this movie more interesting because of how he could have interacted with Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario, breaking the Pirates of the Caribbean trend where the only two "youthful" characters are the young lovers. Robbie Kay seems like another wasted opportunity for Pirates of the Caribbean, after playing a strangely contradictory role.