Who is the New Pirate Queen of Our Flag Means Death?

History buffs know Zheng Yi Sao as the pirate queen of China. Now, she’s splashed down in the waters of Our Flag Means Death. The Max series first introduced her as Susan, the soup chef. It later revealed her true identity as one of the most prominent women pirates to sail the open seas.

Creator David Jenkins usually doesn’t care about historical accuracy. This time, though, he wants to make sure the show correctly represents Zheng Yi Sao as a powerful presence in a male-dominated field. It helps that Ruibo Qian delivers great performances — whether flirting with Oluwande Boodhari (Samson Kayo) or running a tight ship.

Zheng Yi Sao in Real Life

Zheng Yi Sao remains one of the most prominent names among pirate queens. Her incredible business acumen behind the scenes helped create the Guangdong Pirate Confederation in 1805. She later took over for her late husband in 1807 where her brilliance finally got to shine for all to see.

Her personal command consisted of 24 ships and 1,433 pirates. Under the Confederation, she helped lead as many as 400 ships with upwards of 60,000 pirates under her leadership. No wonder the queer icons behind Our Flag Means Death just had to add this pirate queen to their roster of impressive characters.

She led her crew into conflict with formidable opponents like the Portuguese Empire, the East India Company, and the Qing Dynasty of China itself. Her peaceful passing in 1844 belies her swashbuckling reputation, but it certainly doesn’t undermine it or her influence on history.

Zheng Yi Sao in OFMD

Susan shocked Our Flag Means Death fans by revealing her true identity as the pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao. But her obvious romantic interest in Oluwande remained the same. Her strong feelings prompted her to save his fellow Revenge crewmembers from their indentured servitude to Spanish Jackie.

Everything got off to a great start. The pirate queen’s all-woman crew had no issue sharing space (and tasty soup) with the new members. Then, she became too reliant on Oluwande’s questionable help, much to the dismay of her trusty advisor, Auntie (Anapela Polataivao).

It all went awry. Before long, the Revenge crew had taken back their ship and defied Zheng Yi Sao in the process. They just wanted to go home. Too bad their boldness did them no favors in the eyes of the pirate queen, and they’ll feel the consequences later on.

The Future of Zheng Yi Sao

Fans have no idea what Our Flag Means Death has in store for Zheng Yi Sao. While she obviously wants her revenge, her path could lead her anywhere. She could become a powerful ally. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time an enemy became a valuable friend. Just look at Izzy Hands!

Then again, she could become their worst enemy. Blackbeard was the last mighty captain burned by their feelings for a member of the Revenge crew, and it sent him over the edge. Even with Jim (Vico Ortiz) and his other friends by his side, Oluwande might’ve opened up the worst can of worms.