Pintel

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Pintel

Biographical information
Gender	Male
Ethnic group	English
Eye color	Gray
Hair color	Gray (balding)
Statistics
Weapon(s) owned	Sword pistol
Ship(s) captained or crewed	Black Pearl Hai Peng
Affiliation	Royal Navy (formerly) Cursed crew Jack Sparrow's crew
Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Curse of the Black Pearl
Latest appearance	At World's End
Portrayer	Lee Arenberg Greg Ellis (voice)
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"…The belligerent homunculus…"

―Jack Sparrow to Cutler Beckett^[src]

Pintel was a member of Captain Hector Barbossa's pirate crew serving as a cannoneer aboard the Black Pearl. Pintel was rarely seen without his partner in crime, Ragetti. Together they served on the Black Pearl for many years, even after their captain's death. Soon after joining a mutiny against Captain Jack Sparrow, the crew of the Pearl became cursed. They spent the next ten years trying to lift the curse. During a battle with the Royal Navy, the curse was lifted, and Barbossa was killed. Pintel and Ragetti were arrested and brought to Port Royal.

Pintel and Ragetti later escaped Royal Navy custody, and joined Jack Sparrow on the Pearl. They helped Sparrow find the Dead Man's Chest, and after he was killed by the Kraken, set out with the remnant of Sparrow’s crew, and a resurrected Barbossa, to rescue Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

"Never sat right with "Bootstrap" what we did to Jack Sparrow, the mutiny and all, said it wasn't right with the code."
"Tell him what Barbossa did."
"I'm telling the story!"

―Pintel and Ragetti to William Turner, concerning the "death" of "Bootstrap Bill".^[src]

Pintel and Ragetti were both press-ganged into service by the Royal Navy, but they did not take well to this life. After a year of beatings, bad food and boredom, both jumped ship and set themselves up as pirates in the Caribbean.^[1]

Both he and Ragetti were at Tortuga the night Captain Jack Sparrow arrived there with the Black Pearl, looking for a crew to sail to Isla de Muerta and claim the lost treasure of Hernán Cortés. Pintel and Ragetti both joined Sparrow's crew, along with other pirates, including Hector Barbossa, who became the First Mate on the Pearl.^[2]

Three days into the voyage, Pintel joined in a mutiny staged by Barbossa that left Jack marooned on Rumrunner's Isle, while the crew of the Black Pearl completed its journey. At Isla de Muerta, the treasure was found, and soon frittered away. It was only after having lost all 882 gold coins that the pirates came to believe the legend of the treasure's terrible curse: as punishment for their transgression, they had become undead, becoming skeletal-like beings in moonlight, but always unable to feel or taste anything. Only by returning all 882 pieces into the stone chest on Isla de Muerta, and giving the chest blood for every coin a pirate took, would the curse be lifted. Pintel was forced to remain with the crew until such a time as the curse was lifted.^[2]

[edit] A cursed pirate

"The gold, calls to us…"

―Pintel to Elizabeth Swann^[src]

For the next ten years, the crew of the Black Pearl raided settlements across the Seven Seas, tracking down all the pieces of treasure taken from the chest, with an odd ability to sense when a coin was near. If a coin hit water, a beacon would be sent out, and the pirates would be drawn to the spot. In the tenth year, Pintel and Ragetti joined the raid on Port Royal that would secure them the final piece.^[2]

Pintel in the Governor's mansion.

The Black Pearl slipped quietly into the bay and opened fire on the city's fortress, Fort Charles. Pintel and Ragetti went ashore in one of the Pearl's boats and lead the attack on the Governor's mansion. The pirates swarmed into the house, and Ragetti spotted Elizabeth Swann, the girl who possessed the coin. Pintel and Ragetti raced up the staircase and broke down the girl's bedroom door and tried to grab her, but she simply hit Pintel in the head with a bed warmer, and released the hot coals on Ragetti's head. The pursuit continued back down the stairs and into the dining room. Ragetti wanted to head out the open window, but Pintel knew she was still inside the room. They found her in a closet and were about to harm her when she invoked the right of parley, demanding to be taken before their Captain. Though Ragetti was not happy with this, Pintel knew this would greatly help their mission, and did as requested.^[2]

[edit] Lifting the curse

"Ten years of hoarding swag–"
"–and now we finally get to spend it all!"

―Pintel and Ragetti^[src]

Onboard the Black Pearl, Elizabeth told the crew that she was Elizabeth Turner, leading the crew to believe she was the daughter of "Bootstrap Bill", and thus her blood would help lift the curse. During the voyage back to Isla de Muerta, Pintel and Ragetti were ordered to present Elizabeth with a dress and Barbossa's request for her to dine with him. When given the choice between a clothed dinner with Barbossa, and a dinner nude amongst the crew, she quickly accepted Barbossa's proposal, much to Pintel and Ragetti's disappointment. While Elizabeth was getting dressed, the pirates spied on her through a small hole in the wall, but Elizabeth noticed and poked out Ragetti's wooden eye.^[2]

At Isla de Muerta, it was revealed that Elizabeth was not of the Turner bloodline, and Bo'sun blamed the mistake on Pintel and his partner. They defended themselves, and set out with the rest of the crew to track down the escaping Elizabeth. On the way, Ragetti spotted Jack Sparrow, believed to be dead. Sparrow informed Barbossa's crew he knew whose blood they really needed, and the pirates set off in pursuit of the HMS Interceptor. The Pearl swiftly caught up with the Interceptor, which clubhauled to deliver a full broadside attack on the Pearl. Pintel and Ragetti manned a cannon during the battle, firing a chain shot that brought down the Interceptor's main mast.^[2]

The battle was soon over, the medallion recaptured by Jack the monkey, and the surviving members of the Interceptor's crew were taken prisoner, including William Turner, whom Pintel and Ragetti escorted to the treasure cave at the island. Before the sacrifice could be completed, however, Jack Sparrow arrived once again, much to the amazement and disbelief of the crew. He told them that the Dauntless was waiting offshore to ambush the pirates. Pintel and Ragetti were chosen to distract the marines while the rest of the crew infiltrated the ship; they were forced to row in a boat wearing dresses, and holding umbrellas, to shield themselves from the moonlight. Although Ragetti took to the clever ruse, Pintel felt like a fool wearing a dress. Ragetti tried to ease Pintel’s nerves by complimenting him on how “nice” he looked, but this only annoyed Pintel even more. He angrily lunged at Ragetti, effectively knocking away both of their parasols, and revealing their true identities to the Royal Marines. By then, however, the cursed pirates had already sprung their assault, which Pintel and Ragetti soon joined.^[2]

[edit] Free of the curse

"…Parlay?"

―Pintel, surrounded by Royal marines.^[src]

Pintel, free of the curse.

Pintel and Ragetti rowed over to the Dauntless and climbed through a port hole. When the soldiers in the boats realized their ship was under attack, they rowed back toward the ship. Pintel and Ragetti manned one of the Dauntless' cannons and began to fire at the boats. Once the soldiers made it to the ship however, things began to go badly for the pirates. With the combined efforts of Will Turner and Jack Sparrow, the curse was lifted at the most inopportune moment. The Pearl was commandeered by the crew of the Interceptor, Barbossa was killed by Sparrow, and the pirates onboard the Dauntless became flesh again. Pintel and Ragetti were surrounded by Norrington's soldiers and placed under arrest along with the rest of the crew of the Pearl.^[2]

Pintel and Ragetti were taken back to Port Royal and tried for their crimes. They were able to escape, however, after Pintel coerced the Prison Dog into helping them. They acquired a longboat and set out to find the Black Pearl once more.^[3]

Pintel was astonished to find how religious Ragetti had become during his imprisonment. Pintel tried to convince Ragetti to return to piracy, but Ragetti remained steadfast, but eventually relented overtime.^[3]

[edit] Return to the Pearl

"It's not stealin', it's salvagin'."

―Pintel to Ragetti, regarding to his attempt to "salvage" the Black Pearl.^[src]

Pintel and Ragetti ultimately happened upon the Black Pearl around a year after their arrest, lying moored on the coast of Pelegosto. They set about readying the ship for launch, hoping to commandeer it themselves. However, its current crew soon returned after escaping from a tribe of Pelegostos warriors, and set sail with the would-be thieves.^[3] Captain Sparrow did not appear to mind their presence aboard, and accepted them as members of the crew—though privately considered them, later along with James Norrington, as his most expendable crewmen. However, this may just be Sparrow's anger toward Pintel and Ragetti for the mutiny.^[4]

Pintel in Tia Dalma's shack.

They accompanied Sparrow to a meeting with Tia Dalma. During this meeting, Pintel was made uneasy by all the talk of supernatural entities, such as Davy Jones and the Kraken. Pintel also expressed his opinion that mathematical sums were something that vexed all men, perhaps hinting that Pintel was not good at math.^[3]

Pintel and Ragetti journeyed with Sparrow to a uninhabited shoal, where they were confronted by Davy Jones and the crew of the Flying Dutchman. Sparrow was able to make a deal with Jones to deliver one hundred souls to him. The crew was saved, but their peril was far from over. The Pearl sailed to Tortuga, where Pintel and Ragetti gathered supplies for the ship, while their old captain gathered fresh crewman to deliver to Jones. Elizabeth Swann joined the crew, and was rather surprised to see her two antagonists aboard the Pearl again.^[3]

[edit] Search for the Dead Man's Chest

"He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest! Could he?"

―Pintel to Ragetti and Tia Dalma, regarding Davy Jones and his chest.^[src]

Ragetti and Pintel with the Dead Man's Chest.

From Tortuga, the crew set out to find the Dead Man's Chest, finally locating it on Isla Cruces. Sparrow told them to mind the boat when they came ashore, while Pintel complained about how Sparrow was treating him like a common servant. Upon seeing the sinking image of the Flying Dutchman, Pintel and Ragetti abandoned the boat and ran in fear to rejoin their comrades. They came up on a three-way duel between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and James Norrington over the chest of Davy Jones. Pintel was able to convince Ragetti to steal the chest in order to “remove temptation from their paths”. They then ran off into the jungle, followed closely by Elizabeth, who eventually caught up to and confronted them. They were forced to fight a common enemy when Davy Jones' crewmen attacked, and the three improvised a surprising degree of teamwork with only two swords between them (Elizabeth's sword had been taken by Will earlier).^[3]

Pintel and Elizabeth made it back to the Black Pearl, which was soon targeted by the Kraken. Pintel joined the battle, although he largely remained out of the way, even hiding in Sparrow’s cabin at one point. Both he and Ragetti fled the ship while the Kraken dragged it and its captain to Davy Jones' Locker.^[3]

[edit] Journey to Singapore

"A gentleman of fortune he was!"

―Pintel lamenting the death of Jack Sparrow.^[src]

Pintel joined his new crew in lamenting the loss of Captain Jack Sparrow in Tia Dalma's shack. Tia Dalma suggested going to World's End, to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker. Pintel agreed to embark on the quest along with all the other surviving crew. It transpired that this journey would be led by none other than Hector Barbossa^[3], resurrected by Tia Dalma herself. Once more under the command of his former captain, Pintel and his fellow crew members travelled to Singapore, to convince the Pirate Lord Sao Feng to loan them a ship and crew, as well as steal the navigational charts to Davy Jones' Locker.^[5]

While Barbossa and Elizabeth met with Feng, and Will searched for the charts, Pintel and the other crewmen swam underwater to a sewer opening. Although most of the crew wore coconuts on their heads to hide themselves, Pintel did not, due to his baldness, which made him visibly annoyed. While Tia Dalma distracted the locals, the crew cut through the bars of the sewer opening, and broke into Sao Feng's bath house. The crew secured the steam room, right below Feng's meeting with Barbossa. Ragetti excitedly tried to let Pintel look at something between the floor boards, but when Pintel looked through the cracks of the floor, a large man with a huge belly stood overhead. Pintel is disgusted, although Ragetti is confused by his expression.^[5]

As it happened, the meeting began to go sour, Will had been captured, so the crew popped weapons though the floor boards to Barbossa and Elizabeth. Before anything could happen, however, the East India Trading Company attacked the bath house. The crew destroyed a portion of the floor, killing several soldiers in the process. Pintel and the others then popped up and joined the battle. The battle raged out onto the streets, where the crew managed to receive the Hai Peng and the navigational charts. The crew then set off to World's End and Davy Jones' Locker.^[5]

[edit] Davy Jones' Locker

"No one said anythin' about cold!"

―Pintel during the Hai Peng's voyage through a frozen sea.^[src]

After sailing through a frozen landscape, and despite Ragetti’s optimism, Pintel became perturbed by the immensely cold weather. The Hai Peng soon became lost, and Barbossa sailed the ship off the edge of the world. Pintel and the others washed up on a beach, but before they could begin their search for Sparrow, Tia Dalma assured that he was closer than they thought, and the Black Pearl appeared over a dune, and glided down into the sea, much to the crew's amazement. Jack Sparrow jumped off the ship to greet what he thought were hallucinations. When he realized that they were real, he recruited Tia Dalma, Gibbs, Cotton, Marty, and Sao Feng's men for his crew, leaving the others on the beach. Although Sparrow listed a reason for why he was leaving Ragetti, he simply grimaced at Pintel and walked off. Barbossa was able to get them on the Pearl by denying Sparrow the navigational charts.^[5]

Pintel and Ragetti on the Hai Peng, in a frozen sea.

The crew sailed through an endless sea, and encountered the souls of all those that die at sea. Some were floating in the water, and Ragetti suggested dropping a cannon ball on them. Before Pintel or Ragetti could do this however, Tia Dalma confronted them. She told them that the souls should be in the care of Davy Jones. She also told them that Davy Jones was once a man, not a monster. Sparrow finally figured out the clues in Feng's charts, and began rocking the ship so that it would capsize, and when the sun set, the Pearl would be propelled back into the living world. Pintel allowed Ragetti to tie themselves to the mast so that they would be right side up when the ship turned over. This seemed like a good plan at the time, but when the ship rose up into the living world, and a conflict broke out between Barbossa and Sparrow, Pintel became angry with Ragetti. By the time they became untied, the crew realized they had wet powder in their pistols. Pintel attempted to restart the conflict by suggesting using the handles of their pistols as clubs, but to no avail.^[5]

[edit] Betrayals and alliances

"Have you noticed, that on top of everythin' else, it's raining?!"

―Pintel to Ragetti, prior to the Battle of Calypso's maelstrom.^[src]

The Pearl sailed to an island to gather fresh water. Pintel and Ragetti discovered the dead Kraken on the beach, and began prodding it with a stick. Everyone else took this as an ominous sign. While examining the island's water supply, Sao Feng's men turned on them, and gave them to Sao Feng, who had come to capture the Pearl in his ship, the Empress. Will had apparently made a deal with Feng so he could get the Pearl. When Jack asked if anyone had come to save him from the Locker just because they missed him, Pintel was one of the ones who raised his hand, much to Sparrow's surprise. Feng betrayed Will however, and handed Jack over to Beckett, who had come in his ship, the HMS Endeavour. The Company seized the Pearl from Feng, who had been promised ownership, however, and Barbossa made a deal with the frustrated Feng, and gave him Elizabeth in return for aiding them in their escape. The Empress attacked the Endeavour, and the Pearl was able to escape with Jack. The crew then sailed to Shipwreck Cove, the meeting place of the Brethren Court.^[5]

At Shipwreck Cove, Pintel became privately disdainful of the Pirate Lords, unimpressed by their pieces of eight, which were not coins, but pieces of junk. One of Pintel’s fellow crew members, Joshamee Gibbs, explained that when the first Pirate Lords met they were broke. When Pintel asked why they didn’t change the names of their junk, Gibbs dismissed him, saying that nine pieces of whatever-we-happen-to-have-in-our-pockets-at-the-time, didn’t sound very piratey.^[5]

He later participated in the decisive battle against Lord Beckett and the East India Trading Company around Calypso's maelstrom, and as always, he fought alongside Ragetti. He survived the battle, and manned the cannons during the attack on the Endeavour, helping to destroy Beckett's ship. Pintel remained onboard the Pearl when Barbossa commandeered it, leaving Jack Sparrow behind at Tortuga. Pintel and some other crewmen, felt guilty about leaving Jack Sparrow behind, and tried to get Barbossa's bearings to the Fountain of Youth, possibly so they could lead a mutiny against Barbossa, and avenge Sparrow. However, Sparrow had cut out a hole in Barbossa's map. It remains unknown if the Pearl ever found the Fountain of Youth.^[5]

[edit] Equipment and traits

Pintel was a short, round man with balding gray hair. He always wore a faded blue coat and a shirt that was torn down to his waist. Around Pintel's neck was a torn neckerchief. Strapped on his brown trousers was a faded black leather belt. He had a great deal of black facial hair. Pintel wore a pair of shoes which were considered fashionable for their time and had soaked his trousers in chamberlye to rid them of bloodstains.

Pintel's weapon was a cutlass^[2] which he used with some aptitude, namely alongside his friend and fellow pirate, Ragetti.^[3] Pintel also wielded on occasion a pistol^[2], axe^[3], and a knife.^[5]

Pintel appeared to be gruff and vicious, but could easily be frightened by many elements.^[3] and was very meek at times, going so far as to be apologetic for shouting at others.^[5] During a battle however, Pintel showed courage when alongside his partner in crime, Ragetti^[2]. Pintel also questioned the recently-acquired religious nature of Ragetti.^[3] One thing Pintel seemed to share with Ragetti, was a strong loyalty to Barbossa, switching allegiances from Jack Sparrow to Barbossa when he returned from death. Despite being loyal to Barbossa, Pintel held a great deal of respect for Sparrow, coming along on the journey to World's End out of this respect.^[5]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Pintel is portrayed by Lee Arenberg in all three Pirates of the Caribbean films. He is voiced by Greg Ellis in The Legend of Jack Sparrow, who also provides the voice of Ragetti in that game.
Arenberg maintains that his character is the uncle of Ragetti, though no evidence for this claim has yet been presented in any official material.^{[citation needed]}
In 2006, Pintel and Ragetti were part of an ad campaign for VISA credit cards, in which they try multiple ways to "get treasure" from out of a VISA card.
In a deleted scene of Curse of the Black Pearl, Pintel was gay as he said "he used to go out with a eunuch", if this scene was used in the film (and there for made canon) then Pintel would have been the first character under the LGBT category, to be in a movie released under the Walt Disney banner^{[citation needed]}.