- "Oh, you've got a knife! That's very good."
"Better." [starts drinking rum from the peg leg]
"...I want one of those." - ―Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa
This peg leg was Hector Barbossa's replacement for the limb that was lost during Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl. Given to him during his time as a privateer, Barbossa's first peg leg was a removable wooden leg which contained a hidden rum supply. With the leg, Barbossa also carried a crutch, to help him keep balance while walking. Although the crutch was broken during the battle at the Fountain of Youth, Barbossa would continue wearing the peg leg as he returned to piracy as captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge. A year later Barbossa obtained another peg leg, this one made of gold and encrusted with jewels.
History
Quest for the Fountain of Youth
- "I lost the Pearl as I lost my leg!"
- ―Hector Barbossa as he revealed his peg leg to Jack Sparrow
By the end of Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl, Hector Barbossa lost not only his ship but also his leg. Through mysterious circumstances, Barbossa became a privateer in King George II's court, where he acquired this wooden leg. Barbossa soon met again with Jack Sparrow during Jack's meeting with the King at St. James's Palace. It was here that Jack inquired Barbossa about the fate of the Pearl. In response, Barbossa showed off his peg leg, simply saying that he lost the Pearl as he lost his leg.[2]
Barbossa revealing the hidden rum supply.
After Jack Sparrow's escape, Barbossa would wear the wooden leg throughout the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Barbossa wore the peg leg from a voyage aboard his ship, the HMS Providence, to an expedition through an island, where he soon reunited with Jack Sparrow. It wasn't until both Barbossa and Jack were captured and tied up at Palm Tree Grove that Hector revealed there was more to his wooden leg than met the eye—as it contained a hidden supply of rum. As Barbossa took a gulp, Jack reacts to this by saying he wanted one for himself. Barbossa then handed the wooden leg over to Jack, who toasts it to revenge. Unfazed by this revelation, Jack had saw through Barbossa's phony new image of being a privateer, with revenge being his true agenda, though Jack was keen to sharing the rum.[3]
During the battle for the Fountain of Youth, after Barbossa fatally wounded Blackbeard, he proclaimed his ship, crewmen and sword as payment for his missing limb. Barbossa would continue to wear the peg leg through his captaincy of the Queen Anne's Revenge, as they sail for Tortuga.[2]
The Richest pirate
Barbossa's golden peg leg.
- "You look marvelous. Got quite the spring in your step. Has your leg grown back?"
- ―Jack Sparrow to Hector Barbossa
A year after he took possession of the Revenge, Barbossa became one of the richest pirates on the Seven Seas, being the owner of an entire pirate fleet. The Queen Anne's Revenge was redecorated with gold and the many treasures he acquired, and Barbossa, who wanted everyone to see how powerful and rich he was, did the same with his peg leg, now full of gold and jewels.[4]
Behind the scenes
- Throughout filming On Stranger Tides, a peg leg prop would only be used for a few scenes, particularly the rum drinking scene. For the rest of the scenes, as Geoffrey Rush (Hector Barbossa) had both of his legs, a blue screen sock had to be used for the peg leg's performance capture.[5][6]
- Originally, as written in the On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, Hector's wooden leg would have contained a "handy cup" to go with the hidden supply of rum..[3] As described in a screenplay draft, Barbossa would removed a cup built into the leg, and tips the leg, pouring out rum into the cup; Jack would drink from the cup, while Barbossa drinks from his wooden leg.
- In Terry Rossio's original script for Dead Men Tell No Tales, Hector Barbossa's lost leg would have been restored by the magic of The Sea Widow, thus rendering Barbossa's peg leg useless.[7]
Appearances
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (First appearance)
- The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
Source
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
Notes and references
- ↑ Because Barbossa was first seen with this peg leg in On Stranger Tides, which takes place in 1750, it can be assumed that the peg leg had to be made prior to 1750.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p64-65: "Reunion at Palm Tree Grove"
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- ↑ Tim Ryan's Reel Hawaii >> Blog Archive >> "P4" WINDING DOWN SET CONSTRUCTION THIS WEEK
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean 4 set images reveal Barbossa's new clothes, dead mermaids | Filmonic
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES Screenplay by Terry Rossio