Zoe Saldana's character, Anamaria, never returned to the Pirates franchise after Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and a dark theory could explain why. Since playing Anamaria, Saldana has risen to stardom, but she was a lesser-known name at the time. It was her first major Hollywood project, and she has since reflected that it was not the experiences she had been hoping for (via Entertainment Weekly). Because of this, Saldana's face pleasantly surprised fans returning to the film years later since she is far more recognizable today. However, it does beg the question—why was Anamaria never seen again?

Of course, Saldana's career likely had something to do with this, but when it comes to the plot, it seems strange that Anamaria wouldn't have ever appeared in Jack Sparrow's story again. The two were revealed to have had quite the history together, and as one of the few female pirates, it seemed that she would have at least been mentioned. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, but some hints within Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest could provide an in-plot explanation for Anamaria's disappearance.

Pirates Of The Caribbean Theory: Anamaria Was Killed By The Cannibals

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Will Turner tracked down Jack Sparrow and his crew on an island inhabited by a community of cannibals. Jack had been named their chief (and sacrifice) while his crew was thrown in hanging cages made of bones. Naturally, Will got himself thrown into these cages as well, and when he asked Mr. Gibbs what had happened to the rest of the crew, the first mate guessed that it was their bones that made up the cages they were held in since they were only made after they all had been taken prisoner.

At the time, this only added to the comedy of Will's situation and led to an iconic sequence of swinging cages and falls to the death. However, it becomes a little darker when ing that Anamaria had been a part of the crew. Since she wasn't in the cages, it could be assumed that she was one of the unlucky bunch that got killed immediately—just so her bones could be harvested to keep her crewmates imprisoned.

Anamaria Might Have Returned To Smuggling With A New Ship After POTC

Of course, it's possible that Saldana's Anamaria was no longer a part of Jack Sparrow's crew when they found themselves on the cannibal's island. She wasn't seen when Jack acquired the drawing of Davy Jones' key or when he ordered the crew to find land to avoid the Kraken. Therefore, it could be that the captain and Anamaria had gone their separate ways between Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest.

This is ed by Anamaria's brief backstory in the first Pirates film, which revealed that Jack had once stolen the boat she used for her smuggling business. She had been so determined to stick with Jack's ragtag crew throughout their adventures at the Isla de Muerta because she planned to collect on his debt and claim Jack's most recent ship when all was said and done. The boat she had her eyes on was destroyed, and she said nothing more about it when she seemed to Jack's crew for good. However, since she was nowhere to be seen in Dead Man's Chest, the wiley Jack Sparrow might have eventually made good on his promise.

Why Zoe Saldana Didn’t Return To Pirates Of The Caribbean

Though it's unclear what happened to Anamaria as far as canon, Saldana has been open about why she never returned to the character or the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. She has said in several interviews that she found the culture on set to be hugely uncomfortable, and as one of the less central cast, she found that she was treated significantly worse than some of the A-listers. So, Pirates of the Caribbean hadn't been right for her—and even considered stepping away from Hollywood altogether.

Thankfully, Saldana gave things another go, and she has gone on to give stellar performances in the Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises. Since these are both owned by Disney, just like Pirates of the Caribbean, it seems that the actor has since had better experiences with the studio. Perhaps this means that Anamaria could make a surprise appearance in future Pirates installments—so long as she wasn't killed and turned into a cage by cannibals.

Source: Entertainment Weekly