When Pirates of the Caribbean hit cinemas in 2003 it was a smash hit. Johnny Depp’s portrayal of swashbuckler Captain Jack Sparrow became one of the most popular characters on the big screen – but he wasn’t alone. Sparrow spent most of his time on screen bouncing off of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). The latter in particular was hugely inspired by a character from the first Indiana Jones character, Marion (Karen Allen).
In particular, after Elizabeth was captured by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his crew on the Black Pearl, she was forced to wear a dress.
This wedding-like dress was directly inspired by Marion’s own white dress in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Marion was captured during the film by Major Arnold Toht (Ronald Lacey) and had to keep herself alive by doing what she was told – including wearing an overly demure white garment.
This isn’t where the similarities stop, however.
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During Elizabeth’s captivity, she attempted to break free of Barbossa’s grip.
In doing so, she grabbed a butter knife and attacked the undead pirate while fleeing.
This, again, is a direct reference to Marion’s use of a butter knife to threaten her captor during the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The fundamentals of Marion as a character were also more or less lifted for Elizabeth.
What do you think? Do Elizabeth Swann and Marion Ravenwood seem similar? Join the debate in the comments section here
Elizabeth had a main part in the Pirates series throughout its trilogy.
Marion, on the other hand, only appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Marion star Karen has recently teased her return to the big screen, however.
The as-of-yet unnamed Indiana Jones 5 film is due out next year, but Marion is not yet confirmed to be returning.
Karen was recently interviewed about her role in the next film, but she would not give a definitive answer.
When asked, the actor responded: “Ooo you might… I don’t know… you have to… time will tell!”
The Indiana Jones films are available on Amazon Prime Video.
The Pirates of the Caribbean films are available on Disney Plus.