John Silver (Treasure Planet)

"You got to making some greatness in you, but you've got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls. And when the time comes, you'll get the chance to really test the cut of your sails and show what you're made of. Well, I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day."

- John Silver John Silver is the main antagonist later anti-hero/true deuteragonist of Disney's 2002 feature film Treasure Planet. He was voiced by Brian Murray.

Personality
John Silver is the film's main antagonist (although it becomes apparent when it is revealed that Scroop is more true to this title than Silver), and something of an Anti-Villain (the villain's version of an Anti-Hero).

An Anti-Hero's flaws are more prominent than their heroic qualities, while an Anti-Villain's good points are more prominent than their villainous qualities.

Silver is rather greedy and cunning, having spent most of his life searching for the treasure of Captain Flint, but he has a caring side, too, and understands that friendship can be more important than treasure.

He dislikes unnecessary acts of violence and cruelty, originally intending to mutiny only after the treasure was in hand and thus, avoiding bloodshed as much as possible, and is generally honest and honorable in his piratical dealings.

Nonetheless, he maintains a constant air of harsh brutality and deceptiveness around his crewmates, understandably necessary to maintain his position as their leader.

Appearance
Based on Long John Silver from the original novel, he is a cyborg: part machine, part organic. His alien form resembles a cross between some sort of bear and man (and robot), identified as the alien species Ursid, though they never mention this in the movie itself.

He has a cyborg arm, leg, ear and eye from some unknown incident, though he mentions when asked by Jim that "You give up a few things, chasing a dream.", so presumably they were lost in his search for Treasure Planet.

His cyborg arm serves many purposes, such as cooking implements, a sword, a pistol and welding tool, and his cyborg eye has zoom functions and improves his aim, while his mechanical leg appears to contain an addition that he can put on his arm's mechanics to create a low-grade plasma cannon.

Treasure Planet
Initially, Captain Amelia assigns him as the ship's cook and gives him the task of looking after Jim Hawkins. At first, they don't get along.

Then, Jim suspects Silver of being the cyborg who torched his mother's inn, and Silver doesn't enjoy having to look after Jim, concerned that he may get wind of the plans.

He decides to give Jim so much work that he won't notice any plotting. However, as the journey passes and Silver gets to know how strong-willed and determined Jim is, they form a father-son relationship.

When Jim's confidence is dashed after Mr. Arrow, the first mate, falls into a black hole, Silver realises that it must have been Scroop who did it and tries to comfort Jim, convincing him not to give up.

However, soon after, Silver had to tell his mutinous crew that he saw Jim as nothing more than a "nose-wiping little whelp" to keep them in line and Jim hears this just as they arrive on Treasure Planet itself.

When Jim escaped with the map, he could not bring himself to shoot him. He later apologized and offered Jim a deal on the treasure. His deal appearing genuine, but grew angry when Jim turned him down and threatened to blast him to kingdom come, although he was also shown to not wish to do this.

Later, Silver captured Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler and took the map, and Jim along with it. When Silver finally got the treasure, Treasure Planet began to self-destruct, and Jim almost fell to his death.

Silver had to choose between some of the treasure or saving Jim. He chose Jim which effectively saved his life as between them, they built a solar-surfer and Jim managed to save the entire remaining crew from destruction.

Silver then attempted to escape the consequences of prison for his actions, but Jim caught him. They exchanged a heart-warming goodbye and Silver also gave Jim his pet shape-shifter, Morph, to have Jim remember Silver by.

Just before Silver left, he gave Jim the few gems he had managed to salvage from Treasure Planet, enough for Jim to rebuild the Benbow Inn.

At the very end of the film, Jim looks up to the clouds and remembers John Silver, and the star/cyborg eye twinkles.

Quotes

 * "Old family recipe. In fact, THAT was part of the old family."
 * "You won't so much as eat, sleep or scratch your BUM without my say-so."
 * "You give up a few things... chasing a dream."
 * "You got to making some greatness in you, but you've got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls. And when the time comes, you'll get the chance to really test the cut of your sails and show what you're made of. Well, I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day."
 * "Change of plan, Lads! WE MOVE NOW!"
 * "You're just like me, Jimbo: you hates to lose."
 * "Blast me for a fool!"
 * "Look at you, glowing like a solar fire. You're something special, Jim. You're going to rattle the stars, you are."

Similar Heroes

 * Pete (Disney universe)
 * Anger (Inside Out)
 * Macduff (Shakespeare's Macbeth)
 * Fat Albert (Fat Albert and the Cosby kids)
 * Satan (South Park series)
 * The Grinch (How the Grinch stole Christmas)
 * Copper (Disney's The Fox and the Hound)
 * Discord  (My little pony: Friendship is Magic)
 * King Triton (The Little Mermaid)
 * Metalbeard (The Lego Movie)

Trivia

 * Silver and Denahi from Brother Bear are currently the only main antagonists from the Disney animated feature canon to reform. Although since Scroop is the true main antagonist and Scroop did not reform, this is no longer true for Silver.
 * The alien species name "Ursid" is very clever, as it is derived from the Latin word for bear "Ursus", but it is also the name of a meteor shower.
 * Unlike the original Treasure Island (Disney's first live-action film ever) film and the Muppet version, this version of Silver is the only incarnation of the character that is not the main antagonist of any adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel at all. Instead, the main antagonist of this version of the story is now Scroop
 * Silver shares similarities with Fat Albert.
 * Silver is very similar to Satan from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: Both were at first thought to be the main antagonists, until they were revealed to have soft spots for the main characters, (Satan: the four boys, Silver: Jim Hawkins) while their lieutenants, Scroop and Saddam, turn out to be the true main antagonists in the long run.
 * Silver is also similar to The Grinch:
 * Both save the human protagonists from falling (Jim to Silver, Cindy to The Grinch).
 * Both turn to good at the end.
 * Both started off as antagonists of the story and later good.
 * Both have pets (Morph to Silver, Max to The Grinch).
 * Both become friends with the human protagonists (Jim to Silver, Cindy to The Grinch).
 * Both got a happy ending (Silver gives Jim a gift: Morph, The Grinch got a kiss (in the cheek) from Cindy, got the girl of his dream and bring the presents back).
 * Similar to Copper, they are deuteragonists who have been against to main protagonists (Jim Hawkins, and Tod), so they are not really evil characters.