Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Ending Explained

The film's climax reveals that Jack Sparrow intentionally stole a piece of the Aztec gold to become immortal himself, allowing him to survive Barbossa's killing blow. This allows for the poetic justice where Jack shoots Barbossa at the exact moment Will drops the final coin (smeared with his blood) into the chest. Barbossa's curse is lifted just in time for him to feel the pain of the bullet and the final sensation of his own death. The ending also subverts expectations by having Elizabeth choose the 'pirate' Will Turner over the 'proper' Commodore Norrington, effectively rejecting her father's world for a life of freedom.

Critics have often discussed the film as a political allegory. One reading suggests it represents the struggle between the Leviathan (the British Empire's state power) and the Social Contract of the pirates, where Jack represents a form of radical individualism. Another interpretation focuses on the sexual symbolism of the corset and the sword, viewing the film as Elizabeth's coming-of-age journey through the reclamation of her own physical and metaphorical agency.