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- “Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Twigg. Captain Jack Sparrow.”
- ―Koehler
Koelher is a major antagonist in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He is a a cursed pirate serving under Hector Barbossa aboard the Black Pearl.
Background
Koehler joined the team of Captain Jack Sparrow to seek Isla de Muerta and served under Sparrow until the night of Barbossa's mutiny. Koehler and the rest of the crew were standing by Barbossa against Jack, who was then boarded while the crew, now serving Barbossa, continued on to the Isla de Muerta. There they took the treasure of Cortes and spent it all on the joys of life. Only then did the crew realize that the treasure was cursed. Koehler was unable to die and could not feel either pleasure or pain. Under the moonlight, he and the crew became skeletons, and the undead people began a quest to recover all eight hundred and eighty-two gold coins in Isla de Muerta.
Development
In the first scenario of the Curse of the Black Pearl, Koehler was planned as a pirate of Dutch origin. He was portrayed as a thin, handsome blond man with golden earrings in his ears. In addition, his role was much less than in the original scenario[1].
Later, however, Koehler was redone, inspired by the appearance of Calypso from the first drafts of the script, already directly to the Dead Man's Chest and his role was expanded.
Personality
Greedy and selfish, Koehler joined the team of Jack Sparrow because of the desire to enrich himself on Isla de Muert and live a beautiful life. He did not stop at anything to get what he wants and did not disdain either the methods or instructions of the Pirate Codex that he had to follow. So Koehler was very disappointed in Jack and without hesitation supported the rebellion against him, and later began to show contempt for him when he and Twigg made his way to Fort Charles and saw Jack in the cell, he spat directly in front of his camera.
After Jack's overthrow, Koehler was loyal to Hector Barbossa, but when he, like the whole team fell on the Aztec curse, he became very unhappy with his actions and considered him the culprit of all ills. And when the curse dont lifted with the help of Elizabeth, he quite openly expressed his displeasure to him, inciting others to oppose him. At the same time, he was, to some degree, cynical, since when it came to fighting with Barbossa, he did not challenge him and fight him in a duel, expecting someone else to do it.
Because of the tortures he suffered from the curse, Koehler was angry and quick-tempered, and any hint of anguish and curse aroused in him anger, for when Jack was sitting in the cell at Fort Charles said that he, like the rest of the team, was waiting for the betrayal of hell, he angrily grabbed his neck. He was also quite bloodthirsty when the deception of Elizabeth opened and he said that you need to kill her and shed her blood.
Physical appearance
Koehler
Pictured by Treva Etienne, Koehler looks exactly the same: has swarthy skin, black hair, brown eyes and black lips. An exception characteristic of Koehler himself is an evil look and a black beard, similar to the beard of Jack Sparrow.
His clothes consist of a blue worn jacket and a white shirt underneath him. In addition, he has brown worn pants on his feet, which are lined with a black belt, for which his two pistols and his sword are stuck.
Power and abilities
As a pirate, Koehler owned a sword and a pistol. He demonstrated quite good skills in melee combat and for a long time was able to fight in a duel with such an experienced man as James Norrington.
Like the whole Cursed crew, Koehler for a long time was immortal and invincible for weapons such as a sword and a pistol, but he lost his immortality, as Will Turner lifted the curse. What, ironically, happened at the time when he fought against Norrington, which led to his death.
Appearances
The Curse of the Black Pearl
Koehler first appeared during the attack on Port Royal to get the final coin. He, along with Twigg, made his way to the prisons of Fort Charles. There they encountered the locked-up Jack Sparrow, and joked at the expense of their former captain. Jack responded to the bullying by saying that the deepest circle of Hell was intended for traitors and rebels. Koehler's reaction was to grab Jack's throat through the grate and, thus, to reveal his skeletal appearance through a hole of moonlight. The pirates left, leaving Jack to reflect on this.
Later Koehler helped prepare a dining table for Elizabeth and Captain Barbosa. He and the rest of the crew were carrying exotic food in the captain's cabin. After that he, along with Twig and the other crew members, worked on the ship in the moonlight, which caused their skeletal form. Koehler and Twigg escorted the crew back to Isla de Muerta after the capture of Elizabeth Swann, and they brought her to the treasure cave. When the crew found out that Elizabeth's blood was not suitable for lifting the curse, Koehler began accusing the Barboss of all the misfortunes that happened and, for a short time, supported the idea of overthrowing Barbossa. However, Kohler did not fight with Barbossa for his position, and instead, the hunt began on Elizabeth and Will Turner.
When the Black Pearl eventually overtook the ship on which Elizabeth and Turner were sailing, HMS Interceptor, Koehler, along with Twigg, arranged to explode after his crew was captured and held on board "Pearls". When Jack and Elizabeth were sent to follow the board, Jack told Koehler that he always liked him, but Koehler simply grunted back at him. Then he and the team laughed when they were thrown into the sea.
When the second blood ritual began, this time with William Turner as a victim, Koehler was shocked when Jack Sparrow appeared and made a deal with Barbossa; he will become the captain of the Black Pearl, while Barbossa will become the Commodore of the fleet that they will build together.
Later, Koehler, like most other pirates from the Barbossa team, attacked the HMS Dauntless and fought against the British Royal Navy. However, when the people of the Commodore Norrington reached the ship, Koehler encountered in battle with Norrington himself. But when Will Turner lifted the curse, Norrington, at that moment, pierced Koehler and the pirate fell onto the deck, dead.
Video games
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Like in the movie, here Koehler acts as a pirate with the team of Barbossa. But his role is different: after Mallo was defeated by Jack Sparrow and Will, he steals Will's damned medallion. Jack and Will must defeat Koehler, return the stolen medallion and get the key to the cell.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
Koehler appears in this game as part of the damned team of Hector Barbossa aboard the Black Pearl. He is a playable hero who buys for 10,000 cost.
Disney Parks
Fantasmic!
Koehler appears here as one of the minor cursed pirates who perform tricks along with Hector Barbossa, Elizabeth Swann and Jack Sparrow on the Sailing Ship Columbia, which has been transformed into the Black Pearl.
Trivia
- Koelher was born in 1690s.[2]
- 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.
Gallery
Screenshots
Miscellaneous
References
- ↑ Wordplay: Pirates of the Caribbean first draft screenplay
- ↑ 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.
External links
