Captain Hook
- "Captain Hook" is also a nickname for former baseball manager Sparky Anderson.
Captain James Hook is the villain of J. M. Barrie's play and novel Peter Pan. Hook is a pirate captain and Peter Pan's nemesis. It is said that he was Blackbeard's bosun (Later claimed to be a myth in "Peter Pan In Scarlet"), and that he was the only man Barbecue (Long John Silver) ever feared. He wears an iron hook in place of his left hand which was cut off by Peter Pan and eaten by a crocodile. The crocodile liked the taste so much, it follows Hook around constantly, hoping for more. Luckily for Hook, it also swallowed a clock, so Hook can tell from the ticking, when the Crocodile is near. Hook hates Peter obsessively and lives for the day he can make Peter and all his Lost Boys walk the plank.
Peter Pan and Wendy
Template:Spoiler In Barrie's play and novel, Hook captures Wendy, the girl who loves Peter and who Peter views as his surrogate mother, and challenges the boy to a final duel. When Hook is beaten Peter Pan kicks him overboard to the open jaws of the waiting crocodile below. Just before dying, however, he takes a final jab at Peter by taunting him about his "bad form". Peter, with the callousness of youth, quickly forgets Hook and finds a new nemesis, but as Hook made a stronger impression on the public, most sequels brought him back one way or another. Lest anyone think Hook's name too convenient, Barrie notes that "Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date set the country in a blaze." [1] Barrie also suggests through several clues that the Captain was an Old Etonian — this was confirmed in Barrie’s short story “Jas Hook at Eton.” In the stageplay "Peter Pan," Hook’s final words are "Floreat Etona".
Personality
Hook has a somewhat double-sided nature: although he is a ruthless pirate captain, at times he seems almost compassionate. He is hurt by the fact the children despise him, even though he has caused their hate himself. Barrie says Hook is often melancholy; the only time he is thrilled is when he is "plunging" his hook into you. Barrie also says Hook is a wonderful storyteller - he loves flowers and sweet music. He is also a musician, playing the flute in the stageplay and the harpsichord in the novel. He apparently smokes, as he devised a special cigar-holder. There are many suggestions that Barrie based the character of Hook off of himself, and they share the same first name.
Appearance
In Peter Pan and Wendy, Hook is described as "cadaverous" and "blackavised", with blue eyes and long dark curls which look like "black candles" at a distance; in the film Hook, Captain Hook's hair is simply a wig. He has a hook in place of his right hand (this is often switched to his left hand in film adaptations). Captain Hook is often portrayed wearing a large feathered hat, a red or blue coat, and knee breeches.
The symbolism of Peter Pan's fight with Captain Hook (traditionally played by the same actor as Wendy's father in the play), combined with Hook's fear of time in the form of the ticking crocodile, possibly hints at Jungian subtext.
It is hypothesized that Captain Hook was modeled after the famous English captain Christopher Newport. Both were dark-haired captains of dubious pasts, and both were missing their right hands which were replaced by metal hooks. Newport commanded the ships that landed the settlers at Jamestown in Virginia. He also seems to have a distinctive similarity to Bartholomew Roberts, especially regarding his choice of clothes and his impeccable manners, although Barrie specifically associates his dress and hairstyle with that of King Charles II of England.
Another hypothesis claims that Captain James Hook could represent Captain James Cook, the British captain who discovered both Australia and New Zealand. The Lost Boys symbolize the Māori, who inhabit New Zealand, or the Aborigines, who inhabit Australia. Smee is Captain Hook's boatswain, best 'mate' and right-hand man, so to speak, Contrary to popular belief, however, Smee was NOT First Mate, Starkey was.
Peter Pan In Scarlet
In the "Official" Sequel to JM Barrie's classic, Creative writing has given Peter a 'new' nemesis, while bringing back the old favorite.
Ravello, a Circus Man in a constantly ragged woolen coat, is revealed to be none other than Jas. Hook, who escaped the crocodile, when the muscle contractions meant to crush and digest him, broke the vial of poison he kept with him at all times. The Poison killed the croc, and Hook used his hook to claw out, but he was a changed man. the Scarred Visage that emerged from the crocodile's belly was not the noble Pirate who went forthwith from the deck of the Jolly Roger, he was changed, into Ravello, the travelling man, the Ravelling Man. Only upon receiving Wendy's kiss, and five weeks' worth of sleep, did the real Jas. Hook once again reveal himself.
One of Ravello's trophies is an Eton trophy dated 1894. If Hook was 18 - the last year of an Etonan - in that year, then he was born in 1876, a full one-hundred and one years before his appearance at The Pirates' Conference [see below], and even further after the times of Blackbeard and Long John Silver, but this could be an extension of the magic of Neverland.
Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth
According to the novel Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth, Captain Hook was born the illegimate son of a nobleman, "Lord B", and an unnamed woman Hook has never met. Denounced by Lord B, James Matthew is brought up by a Shakespearean actress he calls Aunt Emily. When he is fifteen he unwillingly attends Eton College as an Oppidan scholar. James strives to reach the top of his class at Eton. He is an avid reader of the Shakespeare and Shelley, and his motto is "Knowledge is Power". He describes many things as first rate - "Topping Swank", and he punctuates his sentences with "The End." He is very interested in the French Revolution. In the novel James has only a few friends - Roger Peter Davies, whom he nicknames "Jolly Roger" and later names his ship after; and his pet Electra, a fatally poisonous spider with a hook-shaped marking on her abdomen. However, James Matthew has many enemies, particularly Arthur Darling, a seventeen-year-old Colleger, whom he rivals in studies, fencing, sports, and the attentions of the visiting Ottoman Sultana Ananova Ariadne. Although James successfully wooes Ananova, their mutual affection sets off a chain of political outrage that affects the noble position of Lord B. Lord B selfishly arranges for James to leave Eton on his trading ship, the Sea Witch. But the deeply hurt James doesn't leave without defeating Arthur in a final fencing duel, terrifying him with a homemade guillotine. He also burns his own school records so there would be no traces of his well-liked "notorious" behavior. James leaves Eton with Jolly Roger. Once on the trading ship, he meets the boatswain Bartholomew Quigley Smeethington, generally called Smee. Smee and all the other sailors live in terror of their ruthless captain, who, in a cruel twist, also happens to be a Christian priest. James, as always, is able to empathize with the underdogs. When James discovers in horror that his father is a slave trader, he frees the slaves on the ship and overthrows the ship's captain, murdering him with a metal hook.
Throughout Capt. Hook, author J.V. Hart relates events in James Matthew B's life to events in James Matthew Barrie's life and the lives of the Llewellyn-Davies children; including naming James' arch-enemy after the Llewellyn-Davies' father. But the author mainly expands upon details in Barrie's original play and novel, while changing a few key points - he ascribes James' strange coloring and yellow blood to a blood disorder; James' long dark hair is natural, rather than the usual suggested wig; James is christened Hook after murdering the Sea Witch's captain, rather than as a reference to his iron arm (in the original novel, Hook was known as Hook before he lost his hand, so this is accurate); and he also seems to know about Neverland when he is young, repeatedly dreaming of it and even etching the word into his forearm with a scalpel.
Peter and the Starcatchers
In the novel Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Captain Hook is at his nastiest - he is described as greasy and filthy, with terrible breath, beady black eyes, and a pock-marked face. He eats raw meat in his room, often leaving the food on his bed. This grotesque image of Hook contrasts strongly with J.M. Barrie's Etonian gentleman. In Peter and the Starcatchers, which takes place before the captain meets Peter Pan, Hook is called Black Stache, and his ship is called the Sea Devil - he obtains the Jolly Roger after using a corset-shaped sail to attack a British ship named the Wasp. In this prequel, although Peter cuts off Hook's hand, he supposedly does it by accident, and he does not throw Hook's hand to the crocodile; the animal simply gobbles it up in passing. Black Stache is renamed Captain Hook in the second installment, Peter and the Shadow Thieves. In both novels, Hook is the lesser villain; second to the seaman Slank in Peter and the Starcatchers, and second to Lord Ombra in Peter and the Shadow Thieves.
Disney
The version of Captain Hook who appeared in the Disney animated film adaptation of Peter Pan was a cowardly fool, prone to crying out for help as well as being called a codfish and having his clothes repeatedly ruined (always starting with his hat), and had the hook in place of his left hand instead of his right (supposedly, the animators wanted Hook to be able to do things that are usually simpler to do with the right hand). Though he has his evil moments, Hook is overall a comically inept villain compared to other Disney villains such as Jafar or Maleficent. He apparently loves loopholes — after he promises Tinker Bell that he will not lay a finger (or a hook) on Peter, he then lays a bomb in Peter's hideout, since he didn't say he wouldn't do that. In the film, Hook was voiced by and modelled after Hans Conried, who provided the same talents for Mr. Darling.
The crocodile, though not referred to by name in the film, was named Tick-Tock the Croc in early press material.
Occasionally, Hook appeared in the Scrooge McDuck universe of comic books as the nemesis of Moby Duck, a whaler cousin of Donald Duck.
Hook subsequently appeared in a number of other Disney productions, such as the 2002 film Return to Never Land. There, Hook had finally managed to get rid of Tick-Tock somehow, but he was replaced by a just-as-hungry octopus, who, in fact, actually (and quite ironically) mistakes Hook for a codfish. Hook also appeared frequently on House of Mouse, and was one of the main villains of Mickey's House of Villains. In modern animation, Hook is voiced by Corey Burton.
He stars in the Disney Interactive computer game, Disney's Villains' Revenge. He stole the happy ending of Peter Pan and altered the story. Peter was reduced to an elderly man and lost his fighting touch. The player went against Hook in a duel and won, defeating Hook. Captain Hook fought the player again in the final battle, but saw his ship destroyed. He retreats to Skull Rock where he fires cannonballs. Unfortunately, one is deflected and sends him flying into the sky.
Captain Hook also appears in his Disney form as one of the villains in the Action/RPG game Kingdom Hearts. Teamed up with Maleficent, he appears the strongest of the Disney Villains, other than her and Hades. True to his nature, however, he is the least threatening of the villains, prone to crying in terror and living in perpetual fear of Tick-Tock. He used his pirate ship to get himself between worlds. He takes Riku along with him, where Kairi is being held. However, he does not like Riku's bossiness and regrets taking him along. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in Neverland, Riku throws them in the hold where they meet and escape with Peter Pan, who is searching for his friend Wendy. Captain Hook believed that Wendy was a "Princess of Heart" and that is why he captured her. However, Riku reports to him from Maleficent that Wendy is not a Princess of heart at all, irritating Hook. After defeating the Heartless summoned by Hook below deck, Sora fights a copy of himself summoned by Riku in Hook's office. After confronting Hook on the deck, Sora and co. realize that Riku escaped to Hollow Bastion with Kairi. Hook then flees to his office. Using a voice imitation of Smee, Hook's right hand man, Peter Pan tricks Hook into thinking everything is all clear. Hook returns to the deck and is thrown into a fight with Sora and others. He proves a powerful swordsman and bomb expert, but no match for the Keyblade. Hook is thrown overboard and is chased into the horizon by his arch nemesis the Crocodile.
Captain Hook did not die on screen in Kingdom Hearts, which led to speculation that he would return in Kingdom Hearts II (same with Hades, Oogie Boogie, and Jafar). Unfortunately, Hook does not (in fact, Neverland is not in KH2, but Peter Pan is featured as a summon). Captain Hook, Clayton and the Queen of Hearts are the only major Disney villains not to return in KH2 from the first installment. His Japanese voice actor was Chikao Ohtsuka.
Captain Hook was released in the Disney Store exclusive toyline Disney Heroes, a slightly stylized version of the classic animation model, replacing the small hook with a metal forearm and larger, more angular hook. This new hook has been commented by some online review sites to resemble the mechanical forearm the character Ash builds in Army of Darkness.
Something worth noting, although Peter Pan is themed around a hatred of mother-figures, in nearly every Disney film and sequel there is a mention of Hook's "mommy" . In Disney's Return to Neverland the Captain holds a portrait of his two-hooked mother, and Mama Hook is an on-screen character in the up-coming Peter Pan III. In Disney-published Peter and the Starcatchers, Hook is said to have marooned his mother.
Other Appearances
Peter Pan - The Animated Series (no boken)
In 1989, the Japanese Nippon Animation produced 41 episodes of Peter Pan - the Animated Series, this was aired on the World Masterpiece Theater and several other countries. Peter Pan and the Pirates of Fox was based on this production. Hooks personality was far closer to the original character from Barries novel. Rather than the clownish and cowardly Hook portrayed in the Disney version, Hook was an aggressive strategist, feared by his crew and everyone else, except Peter. Besides his first objective, which is to destroy Peter Pan, he also is eager to become Neverlands first king. He was voice by Chikao Ôtsuka in the Japanese version.
Peter Pan and the Pirates
In 1990, Fox produced the short-lived Peter Pan and the Pirates. Appearance wise, Hook was more early 18th Century rather than the classic Charles II Restoration period. He also had white hair, rather than black, which Hook is often said or shown to have had. Hook's personality however was again far closer to Barrie's original character. Fox's Hook was much more complex again. He terrified his crew, was brutal towards his enemies, had no fear, showed great intelligence and was passionate about plays by William Shakespeare. He was voiced by Tim Curry who won an Emmy Award for this part.
Hook
In the film Hook, Captain James Hook is played by Dustin Hoffman. He is somewhat depressed since Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) is no longer around, worried that he has nothing left: Hook has since killed the crocodile and made it into the foundation for a clock tower. He is also tired of killing Lost Boys. He has grown suicidal, attempting to shoot himself in one scene, after which he comments "Death is the only adventure I have left." Hook kidnaps Peter Banning's children to lure his archenemy back. He then negotiates with Tinkerbell to let the out-of-shape Peter have three days to rekindle his spirit. Peter does so and returns to give Hook the final battle he desires.
Other
Captain Hook appears briefly in the animated film Shrek 2, where he plays the piano in a tavern, representing the musician Tom Waits who wrote and performed the song in question, Little Drop Of Poison. the Hook character also appeared in the Karaoke Far-Far-Away Idol, singing "Hooked on a Feeling". He can also be seen in Shrek SuperSlam.
Captain Hook also appears briefly in the comic League of Extraordinary Gentlemen at a "pirate conference" that featured other notable characters such as Long John Silver, Doctor Syn and Captain Pugwash.
One poem in Shel Silverstein's poetry book, Where the Sidewalk Ends, is about the pirate but there are no references at all to Peter Pan; it's more of a humorous description of the disadvantages of having a hook.
Captain Hook made an appearance as Jerry Arr-On's boss, Mr. Hook, in Nate Speed's webcomic series The Little Wolf and the Bad Little Girl.
In the pirate themed RTS Tropico 2, Captain Hook is listed as one of the historical figures the player can choose from. The game even refers to Hook's fear of crocodiles and questions whether Hook really lost his hand in combat or cut it off intentionally.