Neurodivergent (Headcanon) Alley: Edward Teach (Our Flag Means Death)

*Ed-related spoilers.*

I talked about Stede last time, so it’s only natural that I cover Ed today. As I said in Stede’s post, I think both of these two are strongly coded as AuDHD, but while Stede’s autistic traits are more noticeable, Ed’s ADHD traits come through loud and clear.

At the start of the show, Ed feels bored and unchallenged to the point of depression, so much so that he muses on the idea of dying just because it’s something he hasn’t done yet. Obviously, Ed does deal with depression, but his state of mind here is more like an ADHD “bored-out,” burnout due to chronic understimulation. He’s incredibly good at being a pirate, but he’s gotten into a rut and feels trapped in the persona of Blackbeard, which he plays so well.

When Ed hears about Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, he’s intrigued because it’s something new. It’s something different. And when he comes aboard the Revenge, that slides into full-blown fascination. He’s delighted by all of Stede’s knickknacks and eccentricities, and he runs around the ship taking note of everything. Izzy scolds him like an inattentive child, telling him to focus on coming up with a plan to deal with the approaching Spanish naval ships. He doesn’t realize that Ed’s enthusiastic attention to detail has already noticed everything he needs to keep them safe. And when Ed’s plan falls apart, it’s because of a tiny, dumb, distracted mistake—he’s forgotten what day it is.

Unlike Stede, Ed is pretty good at masking, generally socializing and fitting in easily. However, he’s perhaps too good at playing the part people expect of him—not only does it aggravate his stifling boredom to be stuck as Blackbeard, it also puts him in the vulnerable position of not feeling like he can be himself. That’s part of why meeting Stede is such a revelation for him. It shows Ed that it’s possible to drop his mask, not to perform a role all the time.

But while Ed has been a pirate long enough to know the ropes well and follow unwritten rules without difficulty, he has a harder time with social cues in unfamiliar situations. When he first arrives at the aristocratic boat party, he’s a little bewildered by everyone’s behavior, but even though he loosens up pretty quickly and becomes a hit, he doesn’t realize that the aristocrats are actually laughing at him. It hits him as he’s struggling to remember what cutlery to use, and his hurt and humiliation are intense.

Ed is sensory seeking—he loves the feel of a “fine fabric” and the smell of lavender soap. He sometimes speaks in a singsong voice, repeats what other people say, or talks to inanimate objects. He enjoys the creativity of cooking up elaborate “fuckeries” to freak out the people on the ships he’s raiding. He’s constantly moving and almost always talking, even when no one else is around; when he goes fishing with Fang, it takes every scrap of willpower he has to be quiet long enough to catch a fish. When he gets overstimulated, he flips out and often has to retreat to be by himself.

I love that this is how Our Flag Means Death is depicting history’s greatest pirate. I love that this Blackbeard is queer, indigenous, imaginative, and sensitive, I love that he’s so strongly coded as ADHD and autistic, and I love that falling in love with Stede helps him learn to be a little more comfortable with himself.