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"You know nothing of Hell."
―Koehler to Jack Sparrow[src]

Koehler was a cursed pirate serving under Hector Barbossa. He was a skinny dark skin man with dreadlocks and a Jamaican accent. Koehler served on Barbossa's crew, and had no qualms about killing when ordered. He was often paired with his compatriot, Twigg.

Biography

Early life

Koehler joined the crew of Captain Jack Sparrow prior to the search for Isla de Muerta, and served under Sparrow until the night of Barbossa's mutiny. Koehler and the rest of the crew stood by Barbossa against Jack, who was then marooned while the crew, now serving Barbossa, continued on to Isla de Muerta. There, they took the treasure of Hernán Cortés and spent it all on life's pleasures. It was only later that the crew realized the treasure was cursed. Koehler found himself unable to die, and unable to feel neither pleasure nor pain. Under moonlight, he and the crew became walking skeletons, and the undead men began their quest to return all eight hundred and eighty two gold coins to Isla de Muerta.

Koehler cave

Koehler at Isla de Muerta.

Attack on Port Royal

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Twigg. Captain Jack Sparrow."
―Koehler[src]

Koehler and Twigg took part in the siege on Port Royal to obtain the final coin, and fought their way inside the Fort Charles prisons. There, they encountered Jack Sparrow, locked up by James Norrington, and made jokes at their former captain's expense. Jack reciprocated the taunts by insisting that the deepest circle of Hell was meant for betrayers and mutineers, angering Koehler. Koehler's response was to grab at Jack's throat through the bars, and in doing so revealing his skeletal appearance through a shaft of moonlight. The pirates left, leaving Jack to mull over this interesting development.

Attack on the HMS Dauntless

"Every decision you've made has led us from bad to worse."
―Koehler to Barbossa[src]

Koehler and Twigg accompanied the crew back to Isla de Muerta after the capture of Elizabeth Swann, and it was they who brought her to the treasure cave. There, however, the crew learned that Elizabeth's blood was not the type needed for the sacrifice, and Koehler briefly entertained the idea of overthrowing Barbossa. However, Koehler was not prepared to fight Barbossa for his position, and instead, the hunt began for Will Turner.

The curse lifted

The Black Pearl ultimately caught up with Turner's ship, the commandeered HMS Interceptor, which Koehler and Twigg rigged to explode after its crew had been captured and held aboard the Pearl.

Koehler, like most of the other pirates from Barbossa's crew, fought against the British Royal Navy onboard the HMS Dauntless when Commodore Norrington's men launched an assault on the island. Koehler battled Norrington himself, shrugging off a pistol shot to the face before engaging the Commodore in single combat. The sword fight that was cut short when Will Turner lifted the curse back on the island. Norrington ran Koehler through at the moment the curse was lifted, and the pirate slumped to the deck, dead.

Behind the scenes

SkeletalKoehlerConcept

Koehler skeleton concept art.

Koehlergame

Koehler in The Legend of Jack Sparrow.

  • Koehler was portrayed by Treva Etienne in The Curse of the Black Pearl, and was voiced by Fred Tatasciore in The Legend of Jack Sparrow.
  • In the first screenplay draft of The Curse of the Black Pearl, before Governor Weatherby Swann goes to barricade himself in Commodore Norrington's office, he found himself face-to-face with Koehler, who was described as a handsome blond man with gold earrings.[2] Also, Koehler's first line of dialogue was delivered in a Dutch accent, implying the possibility that the character was originally intended to be Dutch.
  • A pirate similar in appearance to Koehler is seen in the background of several Disney Adventures comics, set after the character's death. It is unknown if this is an attempt to retcon his death (into merely a wounding), a different character altogether, or a mistake on the artists' part.
  • Koehler's skeleton in concept art is very similar - if not exact - to the Undead Raiders in Pirates of the Caribbean Online.
  • Except of Barbossa, Koehler is the only member of the cursed crew who was shown being killed after the curse was lifted.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. Estimation based on Treva Etienne's age during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and the fact that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides takes place in 1750, approximately twenty years after the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, itself a year and a few months after The Curse of the Black Pearl.
  2. Wordplay: Pirates of the Caribbean first draft screenplay
vdeCursed Crew
Captain: Jack Sparrow
Black Pearl
Hector BarbossaBo'sunClubbaDog EarGrappleHawksmoorJacoby
KatrachoKetchumKoehlerMallotMaximoMonkNipperkinPintelRagetti
ScarusScratchSimbakkaTwiggBootstrap Bill TurnerWeatherby
Captain: Hector Barbossa
Black Pearl
Bo'sunClubbaDog EarGrappleHawksmoorJack the MonkeyJacoby
KatrachoKetchumKoehlerMallotMaximoMonkNipperkinPintelRagetti
ScarusScratchSimbakkaTwiggWeatherby
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