Fan Theory Captain Hook Was Actually Trying To Stop Peter Pan From Kidnapping Kids
Looking at Peter Pan from a different perspective.
Peterpansalterego / Wikimedia Commons We all know the story of Peter Pan: boy who never grows up visits children and brings them to Neverland in hopes that they, too, remain childlike, all while protecting them from the evil pirate Captain Hook who is bent on getting revenge on Peter Pan for cutting off his hand.
In this rendition, Peter Pan is painted as a reminder for adults to hold on to some of their childlike qualities as they grow up.
But what if we have the Peter Pan storyline all wrong? What if Captain Hook was the good guy?
A viral TikTok asks, "What if Captain Hook was really the good guy and not Peter Pan?"
The fan theory takes another look at the goings-on in Neverland, suggesting that perhaps Captain Hook was only going after Peter Pan to stop him from kidnapping kids.
The theory claims that there must be more to the story because Captain Hook only goes after Peter Pan — he never actually goes after the kids.
A similar theory was posted on Reddit’s Fan Theories subreddit, claiming that Peter Pan made a deal with fairies to became an immortal child in exchange for killing children.
This theory suggests that Captain Hook found out what Peter was doing and made a deal with a crocodile to become immortal in exchange for his hand so that he could catch Peter and stop him from kidnapping children.
The theory may not actually be all that far off, as fans note that in the original story written by J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan is described as thinning the Lost Boys out as they begin growing up.
Others have taken the theory even deeper, suggesting Captain Hook was once a lost boy who escaped Peter Pan and went back for revenge after he grew up.
There are some faults with this theory, however.
In fact, Captain Hook does harm children.
For example, in the Disney cartoon, Hook kidnaps Tiger Lily, who Peter Pan then rescues. He also captures some of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys and Wendy, threatening them with walking the plank before Peter Pan and Tinker Bell rescue them.
Many Disney stories have rather sinister undertones.
If you take some time to rewatch some of your favorites, you may find some double entendres and dark moments that you never noticed as a kid.
As for who is the real villain in Peter Pan, as you grow up you come to realize that the line between hero and villain really isn’t all that defined.
Micki Spollen is an editor, writer, and traveler. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her travels on her website.