Black Sails, the acclaimed pirate drama, has left many lingering questions about one of the series’ most important characters: Thomas Hamilton, who only appears briefly but is secretly crucial to the show’s entire story. Black Sails is a prequel to the famous and beloved adventure novel Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1883. Black Sails’ characters include Captain Flint, Long John Silver, and other pirates (both real and fictional) as they battle against England for control of the island of New Providence.

Some of the real-life pirates featured in Black Sails, which has been praised for its accuracy by experts, include Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Charles Vane, and they’re often seen clashing with younger versions of the classic Stevenson characters. Black Sails was one of many genre shows that followed in the wake of Game of Thrones and sought to re-imagine Treasure Island with a more grounded, adult-oriented, and historical presentation. This meant the expected amount of violence, sex, and foul language that comes with a Starz original show, but it also included the exploration of complex characters, such as Thomas Hamilton and his relationship with Captain Flint.

Thomas Hamilton’s Role In Black Sails Explained

His Limited Presence Still Looms Large Over The Show

Thomas Hamilton is one of the more rarely seen characters in Black Sails, but his presence looms large over the show, and his supposed death is what set the events of the series in motion, especially regarding Captain Flint and Miranda Barlow. It’s revealed, mainly through flashbacks, that Thomas Hamilton was the son of an English lord and sought to bring an end to piracy in the Bahamas. However, what makes Thomas fascinating is that his plan for doing this was to pardon the pirates living in the area and open up trade between them and England.

In Black Sails season 2 it’s shown that he joined up with James McGraw, a Lieutenant of the Royal Navy, and went about forming the plan to pardon the pirates. During this time, he developed a romantic relationship with McGraw, and this fact was used by Hamilton’s father Alfred to ruin their plan. After being forced to admit to their homosexual relationship, McGraw was dismissed from the Navy and Hamilton was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he reportedly died by suicide. His death is what caused McGraw to turn to a life of piracy and take on the name Captain Flint.

Is Thomas Hamilton Dead Like Black Sails Season 1 Suggests?

The Shows Leaves It Ambiguous Until The Season 1 Finale

Through much of Black Sails it’s assumed that Thomas Hamilton had died in a psychiatric hospital due to the grief over his grand plans for Nassau falling apart. In the first season, he’s only seen in a portrait belonging to Miranda, his former wife. Up until the final episode he had never made an appearance at all except through flashbacks. This changed, however, when in the series finale it’s revealed that Thomas didn’t die in the hospital, but rather was sent to a hidden estate in Georgia. Flint goes to this estate and is reunited with the man he loves.

How Black Sails’ Thomas Hamilton Compares To The Real-Life Figure

They’re The Same In Name Only

While Black Sails features fictionalized versions of historical figures, like Captain Henry Avery, it may come as a surprise to fans to learn that there is also a real Thomas Hamilton. The real Hamilton, however, is very different to the fictionalized version. The similarities the two share are that they were both lords, and they lived around the same time: the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The real Hamilton didn’t have a father Alfred, never was involved with pirates in the Bahamas, and wasn’t English but rather Scottish. Black Sails’ Hamilton is a fictional creation coincidentally sharing a name with a real-life figure.

Thomas Hamilton possibly took some inspiration from history, but still proved to be an original and interesting character in his own right, despite a relative lack of screen time. His deep relationship with Captain Flint served as a motivating factor for Flint’s character throughout the entire run of the show. While in the final episode it’s left slightly ambiguous whether their renuion was genuine or a story told by John Silver, the possibility alone is able to give Black Sails an emotionally satisfying conclusion, and gives a pair of complex and riveting characters a much deserved happy ending.