Hector Barbossa

"For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died. I feel nothing. Not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea, nor the warmth of a woman's flesh. You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one!"

- Hector Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann

Captain Hector Barbossa was the pirate Captain of the Black Pearl after Jack Sparrow.

Mutiny
"[&hellip;]a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out."

- Mullroy

Barbossa's history prior to serving aboard the Black Pearl remains shrouded in mystery, though his name indicates possible Portuguese or Spanish origin.

It was known that Barbossa was recruited by Captain Jack Sparrow in Tortuga, along with other members of his future crew, when Sparrow embarked on his quest to find the treasure of Isla de Muerta. Barbossa joined the Black Pearl as Sparrow's First Mate, but had designs on command himself. Three days after setting out from Tortuga, Barbossa demanded to know the location of the island, to ensure everything on the venture was of equal measure. The island could only be found by those who already knew where it was, so as soon as Barbossa learned its location, he had no further use for Jack Sparrow. The wily First Mate led a mutiny that night to usurp Sparrow and place himself in command of the Pearl. Captain Barbossa marooned Sparrow on an island with nothing but a pistol with a single shot, and set sail for Isla de Muerta with his crew.

This quest led to unforseen complications for the crew of the Pearl, for Barbossa and his men became cursed after taking a chest of 882 Aztec coins once belonging to Cortés. They became undead, still living but unable to feel or ever truly die. Only Jack was spared from the effect of the curse. Following the incident on Isla de Muerta, Bill Turner spoke out against Barbossa's mutiny against Jack, and was in turn betrayed by Barbossa, and sent to the bottom of the ocean&mdash;though due to Barbossa's uncovering of Cortés's treasure, Turner remained alive on the seabed, and was eventually press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew.

The Curse
"We are cursed men, Miss Turner"

- Hector Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann

Meanwhile, Barbossa's crew attempted to reclaim the treasure they had squandered, in an attempt to reverse the effects of the curse, needing all 882 coins returned and the curse repaid in blood. Over the course of the next eight years, the crew returned all but one of the coins to the island, and they soon learned of the whereabouts of the final piece. Barbossa led an assault on Port Royal, during which the coin was recovered, and the crew captured a girl going by the name Elizabeth Turner. This was advantageous to Barbossa, since he required the blood of a Turner to fully repay their blood debt.

The Pearl set sail for Isla de Muerta, and Barbossa staged a ritual that he hoped would reverse the curse. However, it transpired Elizabeth was not a Turner after all, and thus her blood had no effect on the cursed pirates. At that point, the girl was rescued, and during the confusion, Barbossa's crew encountered Jack Sparrow, having previously escaped from the island on which he had been marooned. Sparrow cut a deal with Barbossa, stating he knew whose blood the pirate needed, and the pursuit and capture of Jack's crew ensued. Barbossa's men captured Will Turner, the son of "Bootstrap Bill", intending to return with him to Isla de Muerta. First, however, Barbossa made Jack walk the plank, once more marooning him on the island&mdash;though this time with Elizabeth as company.

Duel with Sparrow
"I feel&hellip;cold."

- Hector Barbossa upon his death



Barbossa's crew made for Isla de Muerta, though the Pearl sailed slower than usual due to damage sustained during the fight. By the time Barbossa began the ritual once more, this time with Will as the sacrifice, Jack had managed to escape the island with the help of the Royal Navy, and had arrived on Isla de Muerta. The stage was set for the final confrontation, where Barbossa set his men against the soldiers of the Royal Navy, while he himself remained in the treasure cave with Will, Jack and Elizabeth. Here, Jack revealed his true loyalty, and engaged Barbossa in a duel, in which Barbossa appeared to gain the upper hand. Ultimately, Barbossa gave up, knowing Jack could not kill him. Sparrow tried anyway, but Barbossa merely sighed in disappointment and stabbed Jack in the gut.

What Barbossa had not foreseen was the level of Jack's cunning. Prior to the fight, he had taken one of the Aztec coins from the chest, thus bringing the effects of the curse upon himself. The two immortals engaged once more in combat, which Barbossa commented would likely continue for all eternity. However, this was not to be the case, as the tables suddenly turned on Barbossa. Smearing it with his blood, Jack threw his stolen coin back into the chest moments before Will dropped his own blood-stained coin in&mdash;thereby lifting the curse from Jack, Barbossa and his crew. Jack shot Barbossa with the same pistol his former first mate had allowed him to keep eight years before. Barbossa, now mortal, realized what had happened, before toppling over, dead.

Rebirth
"So tell me, what's become of my ship?"

- Hector Barbossa



Barbossa's body remained in the cave at Isla de Muerta, until the entire island and its treasure were claimed by the sea. Barbossa arrived in Davy Jones' Locker, but was ultimately spared an eternity in the afterlife, possibly with the help of Tia Dalma. He was present at the voodoo lady's house when Jack Sparrow and his crew arrived there seeking information about the Dead Man's Chest, though he did not reveal himself at that point. It was only after Jack's own death, when his crew returned to Dalma's house, did the voodoo lady introduce Barbossa as their new Captain. She proposed the crew set out to save Sparrow from whatever fate held for him in Purgatory, even if it meant sailing to the end of the world&mdash;and beyond. For his part, Barbossa wanted to retrieve his ship, and seemed content to join Will, Elizabeth and the crew on their next adventure.

Personality and Traits
"You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters!"

- Hector Barbossa to Jack Sparrow

Barbossa's personality is cold and gruff, and he is an able yet unforgiving leader&mdash;as evidenced when he shoots Pintel in the heart in order to see if the curse has been lifted or not. He keeps a monkey named Jack as his pet.

Barbossa has a penchant for apples, and he comments that after the curse is lifted, he would eat a whole bushel of apples. This seemed to be one of Barbossa's simple pleasures in life, that, due to his inability to feel or taste due to the curse, turned into a constant craving. He was holding an apple upon his death, and was eating one when he revealed himself to the late Jack Sparrow's crew in Tia Dalma's house.

Appearance
Barbossa wore fine clothing befitting a man of his stature and status, and he carried many valuable items about his person. He was rarely seen without his hat, decorated with blue ostrich feathers as a show of vanity, and his coat was fitted with buttons made from melted down Inca silver stolen from Spanish ships. He also wore a ring plundered from a Venetian ship, which bore the image of a lion's head, signifying Barbossa's status as leader of his pirates. He wore his greying hair long and loose, and had a straggly beard running down to the base of his neck.

With the curse upon him, Barbossa's face became weathered and gaunt over time, with yellowed eyes giving him a particularly sinister appearance. Under the light of the moon, Barbossa transformed into a living skeleton, and his clothing turned to rags as his flesh rotted away.

Barbossa carried a sword and a flintlock pistol. This elegantly engraved weapon was won in a duel against a Spanish pirate.

Behind the scenes

 * Barbossa was portrayed by Geoffrey Rush in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and voiced by Brian George in Kingdom Hearts II and The Legend of Jack Sparrow.
 * The DVD commentary of The Curse of the Black Pearl reveals Barbossa's first name. His last name is derived from "Barbarossa", another name for the legendary pirate Aruj, or "Redbeard".
 * Similarities have been drawn between Barbossa and LeChuck, a character from the Monkey Island video game series, also inspired from the Pirates of the Caribbean theme ride.
 * Barbossa appears on a couch in Tia Dalma's house when Jack and the crew first arrive there in Dead Man's Chest, though only his boots are seen in shot.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)
 * Kingdom Hearts II