Penélope Cruz joined the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for the fourth installment, but she was notably absent from the follow-up film. The actor played Angélica in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tidesdaughter of Blackbeard and an old flame of Captain Jack Sparrow. She was an intriguing, sympathetic, and somewhat tragic character who fit in perfectly with the morally ambiguous pirates in the franchise in general. It really seemed like Cruz Pirates of the Caribbean character was being established as a franchise regular. However, she only appeared in this film.
The last Angelica was seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tidesshe was mourning the death of Blackbeard, whom Jack tricked her into killing. Cruz’s character clearly wasn’t happy about this, but his life was ultimately more worth saving than that of his villainous father – especially since he refused to sacrifice himself for his daughter. It would have been interesting to see what happened to Angélica after that. Cruz and Johnny Depp had great chemistryand Angélica was a fun and exciting character. Unfortunately, Cruz never returned to Pirates of the Caribbean-but why?
Pirates of the Caribbean 5 moved in a new direction after Stranger Tides
None of the new cast members returned for the next film
The first three Pirates of the Caribbean films told a very cohesive story, with Dead Man’s Chest and At the end of the world especially strongly linked to each other. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides it was something of a fresh start, with minimal character returns and a new adventure for Depp’s Jack Sparrow. Since the character from the previous Pirates films transferred into sequels, it made sense that the same would happen to Angélica de Cruz. However, Disney again took a new direction with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Talesand none of the new cast of On strange tides it returned.
It’s unclear if there was any attempt to bring Cruz back or if Disney simply went in a new direction and never looked back.
It’s unclear if there was any attempt to bring Cruz back or if Disney simply went in a new direction and never looked back. The fact that Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem, served as the main villain of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales implies that there was no feud and that his role came to an end with no real need for return. It is also possible that, given the lower performance of the On strange tides, Disney felt that bringing back more familiar characters and leaving others like Angelica would be a better financial bet.. Still, there are signs that this was not always the plan.
Stranger Tides post-credits scene shows Penélope Cruz’s Angélica was supposed to return
The door was left open for Cruz’s Pirates of the Caribbean character
Angélica de Cruz was included in the post-credits scene of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tidesso the door was definitely left open for her character to return. She is seen depressed on a beach when the Jack Sparrow Voodoo doll washes up on the shore, and Cruz gives an evil little smile before the screen cuts to black. It is possible that Disney was entertaining the idea of Angélica returning as a new Pirates of the Caribbean villainbut the idea must have been discarded. Ultimately, Cruz didn’t need to return, so she didn’t. Still, it might be nice to see this character again someday.