Hector Barbossa

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Barbossa was once the first mate of Jack Sparrow, before he eventually betrayed him and led a mutiny to take the Black Pearl, becoming Jack's sworn enemy. In The Curse of the Black Pearl, Barbossa's crew finds the treasure of Isla de Muerta—882 identical pieces of Aztec gold—and take every bit, only to discover they were cursed, doomed to become undead skeletons. Barbossa has Bootstrap Bill Turner thrown overboard with a cannon tied to his leg. The crew spend the next years retrieving the Aztec gold, unable to find the last piece sent to Will Turner. When Elizabeth Swann falls into the sea wearing Will's medallion, it alerts the cursed pirates. Barbossa has Port Royal attacked and Elizabeth captured. Will offers his blood in exchange for Elizabeth's safety. As Will breaks the curse, Barbossa is shot once by his old captain, and the bullet takes effect, killing him. He is resurrected by Tia Dalma by the end of Dead Man's Chest. Barbossa was one of the nine Pirate Lords in At World's End (2007). In On Stranger Tides (2011) he served as a privateer under King George III and the Royal Navy while pursuing revenge against Blackbeard. In Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), he is depicted as a wealthy and powerful pirate leader commanding a large fleet. Since At World's End, he and Jack have let go of their grudge and became allies.

In Their Own Story

Barbossa's name is based on Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa. Originally, Geoffrey Rush was second choice for the role behind Robert De Niro, who turned it down as he expected the film to flop. Johnny Depp proposed the character's first name "Hector" on set of the first film, although it is never mentioned in the film, but rather only in the DVD commentary. Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio originally thought it was fan-made when they saw it on the Internet, and decided to use it nonetheless. According to Rush, Barbossa was born to an impoverished Portuguese noblewoman by an unknown father and hailed from Lisbon in Portugal. Longing to escape a life of poverty, he ran away from home aged 13 to pursue life as a sailor. In the novel The Price of Freedom, Barbossa, in his early 40s, is the captain of the pirate schooner Cobra. After plundering a French ivory barque, his ship is attacked and sunk by a crew of rogue pirates. Visiting his old friend Boris Palachnik in prison, Barbossa is unknowingly granted the title of Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. At some point, after Jack Sparrow attains the Black Pearl, Hector Barbossa joins him as his first mate. Ten years before the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Barbossa led a mutiny against Jack Sparrow and marooned him on an uncharted island with nothing but a pistol containing one shot.

Reader's Guide

Barbossa is defined by his intelligence and adaptability. In the fifth film, Rush has referred to Barbossa as a "corporate pirate" who has amassed immense influence and wealth for his fleet. It is revealed in the fifth film that part of the reason Barbossa turned to piracy was the difficult feelings he had to live with after giving up his daughter for adoption. Rush commented on the selfless sacrifice Barbossa makes to save his daughter, referring to it as a nice and final conclusion to the character's journey of redemption. Due to this, Rush stated that he cannot see himself portraying the character in a potential sequel again, with the exception of a short cameo as a ghost "annoying Jack Sparrow with his wisdom." Barbossa's undead monkey "Jack" appeared aboard the Black Pearl before Jack Sparrow gave the monkey to the voodoo mystic Tia Dalma as payment.

Did You Know?

• The character's first name 'Hector' was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, not by Johnny Depp.
• Barbossa's name is based on Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa.
• According to Geoffrey Rush, Barbossa was born to an impoverished Portuguese noblewoman and ran away from home at age 13.
• Rush stated he cannot see himself portraying Barbossa in a sequel again, except as a ghost cameo 'annoying Jack Sparrow with his wisdom.'