Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He first appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and later appeared in Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). During the initial development of the film series, Jack Sparrow was conceived as a supporting role, but as the storyline of the series progressed, actor Johnny Depp gained recognition as the breakout performer in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, largely becoming the franchise's central figure.

The character is based on a combination of the Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards, Groucho Marx, and Looney Tunes cartoons, specifically the characters Bugs Bunny and Pepé Le Pew. An early iteration of the character was created by screenwriter Jay Wolpert, with later drafts by Stuart Beattie and writing partners Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, but the final version of Sparrow was created by actor Johnny Depp, who also portrayed him.

In the films, Sparrow is the pirate captain of the Black Pearl, and is later revealed to be one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, serving as the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean. The character is primarily defined as a trickster who can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit, guile, and negotiation rather than force, opting to flee most dangerous situations and fight only when necessary.

Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain the Black Pearl from his mutinous first mate Hector Barbossa. After succeeding, he attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones by finding the Dead Man's Chest, as well as becoming embroiled in a war between the Brethren Court and the East India Trading Company. Later, when searching for the Fountain of Youth, he is abducted and taken aboard Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. Sparrow is subsequently forced to lead Blackbeard to the Fountain while the shrunken Black Pearl is trapped in a bottle. In a later adventure, when the ghost Spanish Captain Armando Salazar pursues him, he searches for the Trident of Poseidon while also seeking to restore the Pearl to its original form.

Captain Jack Sparrow headlined much of the franchise, including the Disney theme parks and entertainment. In 2006, he was added to a revised story of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride to better tie the location into an emerging, overarching Pirates mythology. The character also headlined The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Jack Sparrow is also the subject of spin-off novels, including the Jack Sparrow children's book series, which chronicles his childhood years, and The Price of Freedom, the adult novel by Ann C. Crispin. Depp's performance in Curse of the Black Pearl earned him an Oscar nomination, and the character has gone on to become one of the most iconic in film history.

Stuart Beattie, who drafted early versions of the film's script, said he created the character Jack Sparrow with Hugh Jackman in mind to play the part. However, since Jackman was not well-known outside of his native Australia, the more-famous Johnny Depp was cast instead. Depp found the script quirky; rather than seeking treasure, the crew of the Black Pearl were trying to return it; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place. Initially Sparrow was, according to Bruckheimer, "a young Burt Lancaster, just the cocky pirate." Jim Carrey was considered for the part, but the production schedule for Pirates of the Caribbean conflicted with Bruce Almighty. Other actors considered for the role include Michael Keaton and Christopher Walken. Eventually, Depp was cast, as Bruckheimer felt he could give the character the edge.

When writing the screenplay for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio envisioned Captain Jack Sparrow as a supporting character in the vein of Bugs Bunny and Groucho Marx. Director Gore Verbinski admitted, "The first film was a movie, and then Jack was put into it almost. He doesn't have the obligations of the plot in the same ways that the other characters have. He meanders his way through, and he kind of affects everybody else." Sparrow represents an ethical pirate, with Captain Barbossa as his corrupt foil, though both characters viewed as both light and dark tricksters. His true motives usually remain masked, and whether he is honorable or evil depends on the audience's perspective. This acts as part of Will Turner's arc, in which Sparrow tells him a pirate can be a good man, like his father. During the initial development of the film series, the character Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) was conceived as the protagonist of the trilogy. As the storylines progressed, however, Johnny Depp gained recognition as the series's breakout performer in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, largely becoming the franchise's central figure.

Following the success of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the challenge to creating a sequel was, according to Verbinski, "You don't want just the Jack Sparrow movie. It's like having a garlic milkshake. He's the spice and you need a lot of straight men ... Let's not give them too much Jack. It's like too much dessert or too much of a good thing." Although Dead Man's Chest was written to propel the trilogy's plot, Sparrow's state-of-mind as he is pursued by Davy Jones becomes increasingly edgy, and the writers concocted the cannibal sequence to show that he was in danger whether on land or at sea. Sparrow is perplexed over his attraction to Elizabeth Swann, and attempts to justify it throughout the film.