Bernado, full name Bernardo Nunez in the 1961 film and Bernardo Vasquez in the 2021 film, is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Riff) of the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story as well as its film adaptations. He is the leader of the Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks who make it their mission to defeat their rival gang Jets (led by Riff) as payback for treating them like dirt because of their skin color, and he is the musical's equivalent to Tybalt (as the musical is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet).

He was portrayed by George Chakiris in the 1961 film and David Alvarez in the 2021 film.

Biography[]

Past[]

When Bernardo first immigrated to America from Puerto Rico, he was jumped by Riff and his gang because they didn't want a Latino in their neighborhood. Wanting revenge, he started his own gang (the Sharks) that consisted of fellow Puerto Rican immigrants and began a violent, bitter rivalry with the Jets.

In the musical[]

At the beginning of the musical, as the Jets are dancing on the streets, Bernardo confronts them, ready for some conflict. He is outnumbered, however, as he doesn't have his gang around to back him up, and so Riff and the Jets mock him and brush him off. Bernardo, mortified, gathers his Sharks, and they face off with the Jets, leading to a street brawl. Bernardo and his gang end up cornering Riff's subordinate Baby John and beat him up before the Jets come to Baby John's rescue. Lieutenant Shrank and Officer Krupke promptly arrive on the scene, break the fight, and kick the Sharks out of the playground.

That night, Bernardo stops by at his apartment along with his friend Chino to take his sister Maria and his girlfriend Anita to a dance. At the dance, he and the Sharks spot the Jets there. They try to have another confrontation but are intervened by a social worker who tries to get the gangs to get along instead. Bernardo eventually notices Tony kissing Maria and accosts him. Riff defends Tony, and a fight nearly breaks out. With police officers around and watching, however, they are unable to publicly spar, so they privately agree to have a rumble the next night. Bernardo then picks up Maria and Anita and takes them home.

At their apartment, Bernardo and his gang sing about the disadvantages of living in America while Anita and her friends insist otherwise. Afterwards, the Sharks head off to Doc's candy store to negotiate with the Jets about the rumble. They agree to hold the rumble under the highway and have Bernardo fight a "best man" (Ice), and Lieutenant Schrank enters the store before they can negotiate further and kicks the Sharks out of the store. Bernardo presumably goes home and informs Anita of the rumble.

The next night, Bernardo leads his gang across the street and to the rumble location, vowing to defeat the Jets. When they reach the place along with the Jets, Bernardo prepares to fight Ice, but Tony shows up and vainly tries to stop the fight on Maria's behalf. Bernardo instead challenges Tony to fight him, and he and the Sharks taunt him when he declines. Bernardo decides to insult Tony and call him a racial slur, provoking Riff into punching him across the face. Bernardo, incensed, gets up and pulls out a switchblade, leading to a knife fight between him and Riff. Tony panics and helplessly tries to stop the fight before it can escalate even further. The fight ends with Bernardo accidentally stabbing Riff fatally. In a fit of rage, Tony grabs Riff's knife and stabs Bernardo to death.

Aftermath[]

A riot follows after Bernardo's death. When Chino returns home to inform Maria what had happened, she unwittingly reveals her affair with Tony, pushing Chino to the brink. He buys a gun, partially out of jealousy and partially to avenge Bernardo, and eventually hunts down and shoots Tony, killing him. Maria, having had enough, condemns both gangs for the deaths of Tony, Bernardo and Riff. The two gangs are affected by her speech and finally reconcile, ending their rivalry.

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