Hector Barbossa

Template:Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Hector Barbossa is a fictional character and pirate in the popular Disney film trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the primary antagonist and pirate captain of the Black Pearl after committing mutiny against the ship's former captain, Jack Sparrow, in the trilogy's first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Having met his demise in the climax of the film, his character is revealed to have been resurrected at the end of Dead Man's Chest, becoming a supporting protagonist in the At World's End. In the third film, it is revealed that Barbossa is also one of the nine pirate lords as pirate lord of the Caspian Sea territory. He is also appearing in On Stranger Tides, where he and Captain Jack Sparrow are expected to search for The Fountain of Youth.

Barbossa is portrayed by Australian actor Geoffrey Rush in all the films.

Development

Barbossa's first name, "Hector," was revealed in a director's commentary on the Curse of the Black Pearl DVD, but was not revealed by any of the characters until the last film of the series. (When they rescue Jack Sparrow, and Barbossa greets him, Sparrow says: "Ah, Hector! It's been too long! Hasn't it?") It was revealed that costar Johnny Depp played a decisive part in providing the name. His last name is both a pun on the surname of Portuguese origin "Barbosa" and is based on Hayreddin Barbarossa, the Ottoman privateer who is also known as Oruç Reis and Redbeard; the word is a combination of the Italian words barba (beard) and rossa (red).

Films

The Curse of the Black Pearl

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Barbossa is captain of the pirate ship the Black Pearl, and is the main antagonist and villain of the movie, although he was originally the ship's first mate under Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp). Barbossa persuaded Jack to reveal the bearings to Isla de Muerta where the Chest of Cortez, containing 882 pieces of Aztec gold, was hidden. After Sparrow divulged the location, Barbossa and the crew mutinied and marooned Sparrow on a tiny island, with only a single-shot pistol with which to commit suicide. Jack escaped after three days, swearing to use the pistol's single shot to kill Barbossa, and spent the next 10 years seeking revenge.

Barbossa and the crew found the Aztec treasure and ran afoul of a curse placed upon the gold by the Aztec gods, which rendered them undead. To lift the curse, the crew had to return all 882 coins to the chest and offer their blood. They also need the blood of their former shipmate, William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, the lone holdout against the mutiny. Infuriated Bootstrap, believing the crew deserved to remain cursed for betraying Jack, he sent one coin to his son, Will (Orlando Bloom). In response and retaliation, Barbossa tied Bootstrap to a cannon and threw him overboard the Pearl. For years, Barbossa searched for the last coin that was now in possession of Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann (Jonathan Pryce). Barbossa sets sail for Port Royal after detecting a "signal" when the coin touches the sea. Unknown to him, Jack Sparrow is also in Port Royal.

File:Barbossa Skeleton.jpg

Barbossa's cursed-skeleton form.

Barbossa sees that his crew brought a captive woman after she invoked Parley, who claims to be 'Elizabeth Turner'. Believing Elizabeth is Bootstrap's daughter (and thus, the means to breaking their curse), Barbossa makes off with her and the medallion. He reveals their cursed state en route to Isla de Muerta and when Elizabeth is invited to dine with Barbossa, and Elizabeth tries to run from Barbossa but is locked in the dining room for the rest of the night. Upon arriving at Isla de Muerta, Barbossa performs a ritual offering Elizabeth's blood, but the ritual fails. Elizabeth gets knocked out after admitting she is not named Turner but Will and Sparrow rescue Elizabeth, and they escape with the medallion. An unconscious Jack Sparrow is left behind and taken prisoner aboard the Pearl. Barbossa pursues the Interceptor. Catching them, Barbossa learns Will's true identity and tricks Will into believing that he'll 'release' Jack, the crew, and Elizabeth. He 'frees' Jack and Elizabeth by marooning them on the same island Jack was on ten years ago and imprisons Will and the crew. Before the final battle Barbossa is about to kill Will by spilling all his blood until, Sparrow makes another unexpected return and strikes a bargain with Barbossa with the intent of betraying him.

While the pirates battle the Royal Navy, Jack duels Barbossa after having secretly swiped a cursed coin while bargaining with him. Barbossa during the duel manages to stab Jack but Jack after faking death steps into the moonlight which reveals him under the curse much to Barbossa's surprise. The duel continues until it looks like Jack and Will are ready to turn the tables. Barbossa grins in triumph at Jack, and pulls a gun, threatening to shoot Elizabeth. Jack then shoots Barbossa with the pistol he received when he was marooned after throwing his coin with some of his blood on it to Will. Barbossa sneers at Jack for wasting his only shot but Will says Jack didn't waste it and returns the last coin to the chest with his blood on it breaking the curse. As blood gushes from the now-mortal Barbossa's wound, he shakes his head sadly realizing he has been decieved, and says "I feel... cold...". It is the first physical sensation he has experienced since the curse was broken. He dies with an eerily content expression on his face, his eyes crossed, and a Green Apple falling from his hands.

After the main credits, Barbossa's pet monkey can be seen stealing a gold coin from the Chest, thus restarting the curse.

Dead Man's Chest

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Barbossa is resurrected during this movie, although he does not appear until the final scene. Having met his demise in the previous installment, Barbossa is resurrected by Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), in order to save Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker after Sparrow meets his demise against the Kraken, ending Dead Man's Chest as a cliff-hanger.

During the scene at Tia Dalma's hut, someone's lower half can be partially seen lying on a bed in a back room which may be Barbossa. Jack the Monkey perches on a boot-clad leg, alluding to Barbossa being resurrected. Jack Sparrow holding Barbossa's feathered hat is a subtle clue that the captain will return. In the movie after Tia Dalma says they'll need a captain who knows the waters of world's end, Barbossa enters and says "So tell me. What's become of my ship?" and bites into a Green Apple and laughs. Although for this short role Rush was not credited.

At World's End

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Barbossa joins forces with Will, Elizabeth and the Black Pearl crew to rescue Jack from Davy Jones' Locker.

To reach World's End, the gateway to the Locker, Barbossa needs the navigational charts belonging to Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), the Pirate Lord of South China Sea. During a meeting with Feng, Barbossa and Elizabeth admit that they are planning to retrieve Jack Sparrow, Feng's enemy. Feng is furious over an earlier attempt by Will to steal the charts, but after the East India Trading Company attacks his bathhouse, he is persuaded to loan them the charts and a ship, although only after making a secret deal with Will.

Barbossa and the crew sail to World's End, eventually arriving in Davy Jones' Locker. There they find Sparrow and the Black Pearl. Sparrow initially believes they are hallucinations, and he is unhappy over being rescued by those who have either attempted or succeeded in killing him. Sparrow finally agrees to go with them, although he and Barbossa continually dispute who is captain. While searching for an escape route, Sparrow and Barbossa form a tenuous alliance when Jack is told that Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) now possesses the heart of Davy Jones and is purging piracy. But when Jack learns that whoever stabs Davy Jones' heart will become immortal, he plots his own course.

Returning to the living world, the crew sight land and stop to restock supplies. Distrusting one another, both captains go ashore with a landing party, leaving Will temporarily in command, still unaware he has a deal with Sao Feng. While ashore, they find the dead Kraken, killed by Davy Jones under Lord Beckett's order. Barbossa tells Sparrow that as two of the nine pirate lords, they must attend the Brethren Court convening at Shipwreck Cove, although Jack refuses, intent on seeking immortality. A surprisingly eloquent Barbossa urges Sparrow to look beyond his own self interests and consider the greater good, telling him piracy is being exterminated and there is little nobility or purpose in being the only pirate left in the Caribbean; he will be doomed to the same fate as the Kraken—the last of its kind.

Sao Feng arrives in his warship, the Empress, claiming the Pearl and betraying Will. Hector Barbossa negotiates a new deal with Feng and implies that Calypso, goddess of the sea, is aboard the ship, trapped in human form. Believing Elizabeth is Calypso, Feng demands she be traded to him for the Pearl. Elizabeth, furious over Will's deception, agrees to go with Feng to protect the crew. Will is thrown into the brig by Sparrow as Barbossa and Sparrow head to Shipwreck Cove after escaping Lord Beckett, who arrived at the island.

At the Brethren Court, Barbossa proposes releasing Calypso from her human form to help them fight Beckett. He argues that the first court imprisoned the goddess only because it served their own needs, but in doing so, they provided an opportunity for forces like Beckett to threaten them. He further states that mastering the ocean did not come from bargaining with supernatural beings, but by man's strength alone. Although this argument was met with some serious acknowledgement, the other lords are opposed, fearing the sea goddess' power and retaliation. Elizabeth Swann, who has succeeded Sao Feng as the Empress' captain and the Pirate Lord of Singapore, arrives at the court. A fight breaks out as the lords argue over going to war and releasing Calypso. According to the Pirata Codex, only a Pirate King can declare war, and the lords move to elect one. It had been a sort of tradition in the Court that each Lord voted only for himself, resulting in no king haven been elected for centuries; however this time Sparrow breaks the stalemate by casting his vote for Elizabeth, who orders them to fight Beckett.

As the pirates prepare for battle, the horizon fills with Lord Beckett's massive armada. Barbossa, who tricked the other pirate lords into yielding their "Pieces of Eight" rank insignias, frees Calypso (Tia Dalma) in a ritual. He pleads for her intervention, but Calypso refuses to aid those who kept her imprisoned; her fury creates a giant maelstrom, which also neutralizes the Black Pearl's speed and the Flying Dutchman's, Davy Jones' ship, firepower, thus permitting a fair fight between the two sides.

Barbossa takes the Black Pearl into battle against the Flying Dutchman. Amidst the battle, he weds Elizabeth and Will. After Elizabeth leaves to reunite with Will for their "one day" and Beckett's defeat, Barbossa again commandeers the Pearl, stranding Jack and Gibbs in Tortuga. Barbossa gives Jack the Monkey a peanut, implying the curse is over for the monkey, and the crew protest leaving Jack Sparrow behind (again), saying they want Barbossa to share the bearings to the Fountain of Youth, mirroring the original mutiny that made Barbossa the Pearl's captain. Barbossa agrees and unrolls the chart, only to discover that Jack has cut out its middle. Agitated, Barbossa doesn't seem entirely surprised to find that Jack may have escaped Tortuga.

A Running gag in the movie is when Jack and Barbossa argue over who is captain of the Black Pearl when Jack is rescued. At one point Jack and Barbossa are giving orders at the same time as each other and they keep snarling at each other "What are you doing?" and at another point in the movie, when the crew are out of the Locker Jack suggests Barbossa to lead the shore party while he (Jack) stays with his (Jack's) ship and Barbossa scoffs "I am not leaving my ship in your command" and they are forced to let Will act as the captain.

On Stranger Tides

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Barbossa, along with Jack Sparrow, embarks on a journey to find the Fountain of Youth although they both find that Blackbeard an evil pirate of the Caribbean, is after it too to live forever.

Background

In the "Becoming Barbossa" featurette on the "Lost Disc", Rush shared his personal take on Barbossa's history; his family was poor, and he ran away from home when he was 13. He went to the sea, seeing how well the captains and officers lived, decided to become a captain himself. At first, he wanted to be an honest seaman, but soon recognized that piracy was easier and more lucrative.

In At World's End, Hector Barbossa is revealed to be one of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court. He is the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, although as that body of water is endorheic, he pirated elsewhere, eventually settling in the Caribbean and joining Jack Sparrow's crew.

Hector Barbossa is fond of apples, which appear throughout the first film. He offers one to the captive Elizabeth and later tells her that once the curse is lifted, he wants to eat a whole bushel full. There are also apples in his cabin, and when Jack is locked in the brig Barbossa grabs the Apple Jack was eating and throws it in the water in anger, and when he dies, one rolls from his hand, that he apparently brought to eat when the curse was lifted. His cameo appearance in Dead Man's Chest shows him biting into his favorite fruit. In At World's End, he is only shown eating one apple when aboard the Black Pearl.

According to the audio commentary from the first Pirates of the Caribbean DVD featuring the scriptwriters, Hector Barbossa is skilled with a sword, considered one of the finest swordsmen in the Caribbean. According to the commentary, Barbossa's skills are equal to James Norrington (Jack Davenport) and exceeded only by Will Turner. His prowess with a blade is evident in his duel with Jack Sparrow, and in the maelstrom battle against the East India Trading Company. In the first film, the Black Pearl crew were hesitant to attack Hector Barbossa, even all at once. The only person known to have survived a one-on-one duel is Jack Sparrow, in the treasure caves of Isla de Muerta (Although this could also be explained by Jack temporarily being changed into an undead being, the fact that Jack managed to land a potenitally killing blow against Barbossa first- Barbossa only being saved by his own undead status- should not be overlooked). Geoffrey Rush comments that Hector Barbossa supposedly used a sword from a very young age, possibly as early as 13.

He uses the same flag as the notorious pirate Jack "Calico Jack" Rackham.

Hector Barbossa's Jolly Roger, which was originally the flag of pirate Calico Jack.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, Hector Barbossa is described as being attentive to his appearance, as his elaborate clothing shows. He wears a large ring bearing a lion's head symbol and has blue ostrich plumes in his hat (which appears to be important to him, as in the first movie Jack Sparrow interests him in a bargain by saying, "and I'll buy you a hat...a really big one.") His coat buttons are made from recast Incan silver. Also, his pistol once belonged to a Spanish pirate, won in a duel. His position as Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea is revealed in the updated Complete Visual Guide.

His name is revealed to be Hector when he and the crew are trapped in Davy Jones's Locker. He greets Jack when he (Jack) comes with the Black Pearl and Jack says "Ah Hector! It's been too long hasn't it?"

Other appearances

• Hector Barbossa is one of only four Disney villains ever nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, the others being Davy Jones, Scar from The Lion King, and Jadis the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
• Hector Barbossa (along with another Black Pearl crewman) is pictured on the cover of WAS IST WAS band 71 Piraten.
• Hector Barbossa appears as a villain in the Pirates of the Caribbean setting, Port Royal, of Kingdom Hearts II. In the game, his role is copied and pasted from the film, with the exceptions of the presence of Sora, Donald and Goofy, his alliance with Pete and Maleficent, and his control over the Heartless. Due to the filming of the two sequels back-to-back, which resulted in Geoffrey Rush being unavailable, Hector Barbossa was voiced by Brian George in the English version. In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Haruhiko Jō.
• Barbossa was made into several action figures by NECA. He appeared in the first wave of Curse of the Black Pearl figures in his human form; that same figure would be re-released as part of the fourth wave of Dead Man's Chest toys. Barbossa's cursed form was released as a box set, which also featured Jack Sparrow as a zombie, and the chest of cursed Aztec gold. Lastly, he was also released in the At World's End figure line. However, he did not come with Jack the Monkey, who was released in a figure set along with Marty.
• Barbossa was made as a plush toy for the M&M Dead Man's Chest

External links

• Hector Barbossa at the Pirates of the Caribbean wiki