Badass sea captains are rare commodities these days. We’ve got lots of ninjas, starship pilots and superheroes, but what happened to all of those angry old sailors and treacherous pirates?
That’s why we’re so excited about Tom Hanks’s new flick Captain Phillips. Not only is it based on a true story, but it features two epically badass captains in Hanks’ Captain Phillips and his Somali counterpart Muse as the two face off against each other.
In honor of Captain Phillips, we’d like to present our list of top 10 badass sea captains — ever.
Top 10 Badass Sea Captains
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10. Sam Quint - Jaws
There are only two things you need to know about Quint:
1. Scratching the chalkboard.
2. Epic death.
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9. Captain Ahab – Moby Dick
An insane captain that searches for a mythical white whale his entire life until it eventually leads to his demise… I mean, that’s the definition of badass, right?
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8. Edward Kenway - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
This game isn’t even out yet and we’re putting him on this list. Why? Because the only thing that’s more badass than a pirate, is a pirate assassin.
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7. Odysseus - The Odyssey
This guy has to deal with sirens, a Cyclops and a demigod that wants to sleep with him, all while navigating his ship and trying to keep his crew from going insane. Oh yeah, and this is all after helping the Greeks defeat one of the toughest armies in the world.
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6. Tristan Jones
Jones established “the altitude record for sailing” by making his way across the Dead Sea (the lowest open water on Earth) and sailing/trucking his way to Lake Titicaca (the highest open water on Earth).
While this record is pretty badass, Jones’s feats have often been called into question because… well, he lies a lot.
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5. Davos Seaworth - Game of Thrones
This guy earned a reputation by smuggling food through a blockade during Robert’s Rebellion. And when he was knighted, you know what he chose as his sigil? The onion. Because, you know, the whole knighthood thing is a joke.
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4. Captain Nemo – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Okay, so his ship, the Nautilus, is less of a “boat” and more of a 19th-century, green-powered, steampunk super-submarine. But are you really going to hold that against him? Because we’re not.
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3. Long John Silver - Treasure Island
Before a fast food restaurant stole his name, Silver was well known as a fearsome, treacherous pirate. Don’t believe me? Look up these three words:
The. Black. Spot.
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2. Victor Sullivan – The Uncharted Series
Sully is a grumpy old man with a love of cigars and a closet full of terrible Hawaiian shirts. Add in the fact that he gets to chase Nathan Drake around the globe, uncovering mythical treasures and locales, and you can’t deny his badassness.
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1. Edward Teach, a.k.a....
You might know him better as Blackbeard. Teach is most famous for leading an alliance of pirates who blockaded Charleston, South Carolina. He ransomed the whole damn city.
