Edward Thatch is the historical figure portrayed as Blackbeard in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
Edward Thatch was an English pirate active in the early eighteenth century. He became famous for the nickname Blackbeard and for his imposing appearance, which contemporary accounts helped turn into legend. In Black Flag, he is depicted as a major pirate captain and an acquaintance of Edward Kenway.
The game uses real people and events from the Golden Age of Piracy but places them inside a fictional Assassin–Templar narrative. Thatch's portrayal is therefore a dramatized version rather than a complete biography. His presence helps connect the game's fictional protagonist to recognizable Caribbean piracy.
Blackbeard's historical career was relatively brief. He operated around the Caribbean and the eastern coast of North America before being killed in 1718 during a battle near Ocracoke Island. The name “Edward” can cause confusion with Edward Kenway, but they are separate characters: Thatch is the historical pirate, while Kenway is the game's fictional protagonist.