The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is one that has managed to withstand the test of time thanks to its consistent theatrical releases as well as its enduring presence in pop culture. Between its five films (and a sixth reportedly on the way), a veritable treasure trove of toys and collectibles, and even a Saturday Night Live parody, the series is a ship that refuses to be sunk. Each installment is filled with swashbuckling action, stunning CGI, and immersive world-building, but an even bigger reason for the franchise's staying power is its many memorable and well-drawn characters.
Characters like Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) give the series' characters depth and intrigue while their conflicting desires amp up the plot stakes. After all, Davy Jones is a strong villain because of his rich emotional backstory that allows us to both condemn and empathize with him. But as fully realized as these characters are, the series' most compelling and three-dimensional is Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). The once-cursed captain of the Back Pearl has a full and complete arc that spans all five films, not to mention that he's one of the franchise's legacy characters who is afforded the time and space to grow and develop rather than being a one-note mustache-twirling villain simply present to thwart Jack.
In The Curse of the Back Pearl, Barbossa is painted as an antagonist who's only looking out for himself and his desires. He has the single-minded goal to amass treasure, plunder villages, and kill innocents, all in the name of breaking the ancient Aztec curse that has rendered him and his crew members immortal for years. He's completely self-absorbed in his pursuit, caring not who he has to step on or hurt along the way, as evidenced by his abducting of Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) or shooting Pintel (Lee Arenberg) to test if the curse still plagues them. Barbossa starts the series as a villain who is emotionally cold and relentless but continues to be given new layers in subsequent installments.
After being brought back to life in the twisty closing moments of Dead Man's Chest, At World's End sees Barbossa transcending his role as a villain to someone who is multi-layered and much more in tune with the changing world around him than we're first to lead to believe. He's acutely aware that the era of piracy is drawing to a close as "the blank edges of the map [are being] filled in," and that he and his fellow pirates can either fight or submit to the new lawful world being ushered in by the East India Trading Company. It's a worldview and level of higher thinking that we haven't seen Barbossa (or his fellow pirates) display before, and it grants us the ability to see that he is more than a brutal villain. Yes, he's still looking out for his best interests, but he's also allowed to grow into a character who is much more political and strategic while both lamenting and accepting the seismic changes to the world he has always known.
It's a concept that continues in On Stranger Tides where Barbossa relinquishes piracy to be a privateer for the king. Contrasting to other pirate characters in the series like Pintel, Ragetti, and Gibbs, Barbossa is very much aware that it's time to willingly adapt before the decision is made for him. But in true Barbossa fashion, his motivations are also based on his own interests, and he's not above selling his allegiance to the highest bidder. By double-crossing the king's men to locate the fabled Fountain of Youth for himself, Barbossa presents himself as a complex character who continues to grow in terms of his intelligence and sharp sense of manipulation. He eschews the notion that characters' motivations and desires cannot change and manages to evolve rather than becoming a stagnant rehash of the villainy we've seen in prior installments.
His arc is clear and incredibly compelling especially when he's given further depth by choosing to amputate his own leg to save himself from Blackbeard's (Ian McShane) wrath. Barbossa's fierce desire to live, especially after the lengths he went to in order to become mortal in Curse of the Black Pearl, adds another layer to his arc and solidifies his status as someone who is determined to do whatever it takes to survive — even if it means harming himself. Not only are his efforts rewarded through his managing to kill Blackbeard and command his ship, but Barbossa's return to piracy and cutting all ties with the king reinvigorates him, and his zest for treasure and adventure that brings his arc full circle.
But his most emotional developments come in the most recent film in the franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales. Here, we're given insight into Barbossa's backstory and family when it's revealed that he has a long-lost daughter, Carina (Kaya Scodelario). His latest divulgence evokes a deep sense of pathos — his regrets of piracy, lamenting the years of never knowing his daughter, and the desire to right the wrongs of his past. It's an emotional piece of Barbossa that we haven't seen before, especially since it shows him to have a softer, more introspective side. He truly cares for Carina, and although he knows he can't go back in time to be the father she'd always needed and deserved, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make up for it — even choosing to sacrifice his own life to protect his daughter's. His readiness to relinquish his main pursuits across the series — mortality and treasure hunting — to place others' safety above his own shows his drastic growth as his arc draws to a surprisingly emotional conclusion.
Over the course of all five Pirates films, Barbossa remains a multi-faceted character whose layers continue to deepen. From his origins as a selfish, brutal pillager and manipulator to someone with complicated emotions, Barbossa manages to evade stereotypical villain tropes to become the most compelling and developed character in the franchise. And for his character to feel fresh after five films, that's something to treasure.