Though a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot is on the horizon, original series star Geoffrey Rush has doubts about whether Captain Barbossa will defy death again and return to the big screen. Making his debut in the first movie as the antagonistic cursed captain of the Black Pearl, Rush’s Barbossa narrowly avoids death and returns as both an ally, and later once again a turncoat enemy. Despite his efficiency in cheating death, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales saw Barbossa give his life to save his daughter, Carina (Kaya Scodelario).

While development on Pirates of the Caribbean‘s reboot may be making headway, Rush addressed why he doesn’t see a place for himself aboard the production to Collider. Rush explained that he stands by his character’s ultimate fate in Dead Men Tell No Tales as part of his long road to redemption and wouldn’t want to undermine its impact, though he wouldn’t rule out Barbossa returning as a ghost that may not have the strongest ties to the land of the living. Check out Rush’s response below:

I wouldn’t let them do that in the last film because I said, ‘I sacrificed my life for my daughter.’ You can’t just suddenly go, ‘We’re gonna bring him back.’

But I did come up with a good idea, which is classically based. Hamlet’s father comes back as a ghost, and I just said, ‘I can come back…’

Would Barbossa’s Return Negate His Original Story?

Barbossa Had No Unfinished Business.

As stated by Rush, Barbossa’s final moments were the last act on a long, messy road for his original role as a betrayer. Betraying Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) began his cursed villain motivation in the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and while he would later help the heroes, there would always be some self-serving element involved that he would be keen to capitalize on, such as retaking the Pearl or avoiding consequences for his piracy. Giving his life to allow Carina, Jack, and the others a chance to live saw him reject his temptation and break that cycle.

A return to the land of the living may not even be in the cards for Barbossa, given the Pirates of the Caribbean series’ past approaches to its immortal villains. Characters including Davy Jones (Bill Night), Blackbeard (Ian McShane), and Salazar (Javier Bardem) were motivated by some form of desire that pushed them into defying death out of bitterness, fear, or vengeance. Barbossa on the other hand acted out of love, knowing his name would live on and that what he values most will endure, leaving no such lingering business to haunt his spirit.

While Rush’s response isn’t an outright refusal to return in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the actor’s statement does make Barbossa’s chances of a return slim at best. With the reboot seemingly set to focus on a new ship and crew, there may not be a strong enough connection to past entries that warrants Barbossa’s involvement. As such, perhaps Rush has hung up Barbossa’s well-maintained hat for the last time in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Every Pirates of the Caribbean movie is available to stream on Disney+.

Source: Collider