Pirates of the Caribbean fans are just learning the 'dark' backstory to Captain Jack Sparrow

There's a 'dark' backstory to Captain Jack Sparrow that fans are only just realizing.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movie series first hit our screens with The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, after which it sparked a cult following of fans and five further movies with a star-studded cast - including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.

However, despite it being more than eight years since the last movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, came out, viewers have only just pieced together that Captain Jack Sparrow, famously played by Depp, has a secret backstory that explains why he's seen as the 'bad guy' by other characters, which was never explicitly explained.

According to Corner of Film, a deleted scene actually reveals why the Captain has been tarnished as the 'worst pirate' throughout the plot.

In the story, Sparrow is constantly referred to as the 'worst' of all the pirates, though he appears pretty good at some key pirating jobs and skills, like sailing, navigating and drinking rum.

It has finally been revealed (Walt Disney)

Take, for instance, the very first time we see or hear of him - Commodore Norrington refers to him as 'the worst pirate [he’s] ever seen'.

However, the outlet argues that the nickname might not be the insult it appears to be.

The most obvious piece of the puzzle is revealed in Sparrow's conversation with Cutler Beckett.

As the pirate was once a privateer for the East India Trading Company, he was given the task of transporting a ship called the Wicked Wench of so-called 'cargo.'

However, after learning the ship was actually lugging 100 slaves, Sparrow set the slaves free - and then made off with the vessel.

In the deleted clip, Sparrow told him: "People aren't cargo, mate."

Beckett's career suffered as a consequence of his actions.

In revenge, Beckett ordered to have Jack's beloved ship burnt and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

In the deleted scene, he made the following comment after seeing the vessel set sail again: "The last I saw of that ship she was on fire, a blackened hulk sinking beneath the waves."

He's often called a 'bad' pirate in the movies (Walt Disney)

Well, Sparrow did everything he could to resurrect the boat, going so far as to strike a deal with the near-immortal god of passing to the afterlife, Davy Jones, who agreed to bring the ship back to 'life' on the shady, and ironic, condition of 100 souls in exchange.

Since the vessel was damaged by the blaze and had been forced to sport a blackened hull, Sparrow rebranded it the Black Pearl, and he had little choice other than to use it for piracy.

Still, given the fact that Sparrow had selflessly freed dozens of slaves, the moniker as a 'bad' pirate suggests it's not so much of an insult.

Instead, fans imagine he was seen as such since he fell short of what is expected of a typical pirate - i.e., plundering, stealing and doing whatever is necessary for personal gain.

The revelation comes amid rumors that a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie could be on the cards.

Last summer, the producer teased he was hoping it would make a comeback, and that most of the beloved cast would hopefully reprise their roles, including Knightley and Bloom.