The Darling Débâcle
The Darling Débâcle was the final battle in the ongoing conflict between Peter Pan and the infamous Captain Hook. It took place in the year 310, on the Island of Pirates in Neverland, and was fought upon the decks of The Antagonist—then called the Jolly Roger.
The Conflict
Prelude
Pan and Hook had been fighting each other for nearly two-hundred years at this point. It had been skirmish after skirmish after skirmish between them, with only a few big showdowns sprinkled in between—the Battle With The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up chief among those. And yet, it wasn’t until Pan brought Wendy Darling and her brothers to Neverland that the seemingly endless conflict finally began to barrel towards its inevitable conclusion.
Much of the prelude to the battle is captured in J.M. Barrie’s 1911 novel Peter and Wendy, so we won’t summarize everything here. But the highlights are these:
- Hook tries to blow the Darling children out of the sky
- Hook and Pan clash at Marooner’s Rock, in a fight over the safety of Pan’s friend Tiger Lily
- Tiger Lily’s family joins the fight in thanks for Pan’s help, standing guard alongside the Lost Boys to protect the Darlings
- The Lost Boys and Tiger Lily’s family are killed by the pirates
- The pirates kidnap the Darlings and bring them back to the Jolly Roger
- Peter flies off to end things between himself and Hook once and for all.
Deployment
Together with Sobek and Tinker Bell, Peter Pan approached the fortress of Seadog City from the south—flying low over the Bay of Booty to keep from raising the alarm. Captain Hook, having taken given command to Mister Smee, was abed. Smee and the rest of the crew stood guard over the Darlings, the three of whom had been tied to the forward mast.
Battlefield
The battle took place almost entirely on the decks of the Jolly Roger, only spilling out into the surrounding waters in its very last moments.
Conditions
Pan and his crew attacked as dawn broke. The sky was clear and grew brighter as the battle wore on.
The Engagement
Sobek approached from underwater, emerging near the stern. He kept his mouth closed until he’d found the window to the captain’s quarters, then he opened wide his maw to let loose the sounds of the ticking clock in his belly. Captain Hook, that old codfish, screamed for help. Then his ever faithful crew came rushing below deck to help.
With the Darlings now unguarded, Peter and Tink flew down to free them. But it was only a few moments before the clever Captain Hook, even as afraid as he was, recognized the ruse. Soon enough, the deck was flooded by Hook and his compatriots, and Peter, Tink, and the Darlings found themselves horribly outnumbered.
Sobek leapt out of the water and onto the deck to even the odds and the battle commenced. But while most of the crew focused on subduing Sobek and keeping the Darlings from escaping, Hook set abotu to finish Peter Pan once and for all. He climbed higher and higher into the rigging to try and strike down his mortal enemy, making riskier and riskier moves to continue the pursuit. And it was only once they had reached the top-most sail that Pan opted to stand his ground and fight.
Of course, we all know how things ended. Peter beat Hook handily—youth besting age, agility outmatching brute strength—and Hook fell into the waiting jaws of Sobek below.
Aftermath
Peter Pan gained control of the Jolly Roger for good and all. With some help from Tinker Bell’s fairy dust, he then used the ship to return the Darling children to Reekian London.
Meanwhile, in Neverland—after decades of trying to wrest control of the Sea of Tears from Hook and Company—Queen Frieda Jacobs’ royal navy was able to restore relative order to the province.
Great article, ECC! Short and sweet but really good at the prequel and sequel of the Peter Pan Story.
Thanks so much! I'm not sure if this battle will ever be in the comic, but I'm trying to flesh out all of the important events in the world and when they happened so that I have a better idea what's happening in the world as I script the rest of the series.