Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs is a fictional character from the Miami Vice television series. Tubbs was originally portrayed by Philip Michael Thomas in the television series from 1984 to 1990, and later by Jamie Foxx in the feature film in 2006. Tubbs is an undercover detective for the Metro-Dade Police Department's Organized Crime Bureau, having relocated to Miami from New York City in order to track down his brother's murderer. For the duration of the series, Tubbs is partnered with fellow undercover detective James "Sonny" Crockett.
Tubbs made his first appearance in the show's pilot episode, "Brother's Keeper", and later went on to appear in all but one of the show's 111 episodes. Thomas' portrayal of Tubbs was well received by fans and critics, and earned him a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Tubbs would go on to become a fashion icon, and helped to set a trend for Miami Vice-related clothing.
Fictional character biography
Television series
Before coming to Miami, Tubbs was a detective in the Armed Robbery Division of the New York Police Department, along with his older brother Rafael who was a senior detective in the Narcotics Division. At various times during his stint in New York, Tubbs was partnered with detectives Valerie Gordon (Pam Grier) and Clarence Batisse (Victor Love) Tubbs and Gordon were romantically involved, and would sporadically resume their affair throughout the series. Tubbs' relationship with Batisse, however, was much more volatile—after a suspicious shooting during a routine bust, Tubbs' testimony to Internal Affairs resulted in Batisse's dismissal. Batisse would, however, eventually be exonerated thanks to Tubbs' aid.
Rafael's murder at the hands of drug lord Esteban Calderone (Miguel Piñero) led Tubbs to Miami, where he eventually teamed up with the Metro-Dade Organized Crime Bureau. Calderone was apprehended, but managed to bribe a judge to escape custody. Later, when trying to track the drug lord again, Tubbs sleeps with Angelina Madeira (Phanie Napoli), Calderone's daughter. Upon confronting the drug lord, Crockett and Tubbs are caught in a shoot-out, which ends when Crockett shoots Calderone dead. Several months later, Angelina surfaces again, having had a child as a result of her fling with Tubbs. However, her brother Orlando (John Leguizamo) has also located Tubbs, wanting revenge for his father's death. Tubbs' son, Ricardo Jr, is kidnapped, and Angelina killed, before Orlando escapes. Orlando reappears after luring Tubbs to a remote Caribbean island, hoping to trap and kill him. Tubbs is able to evade Orlando's gang, however, and escapes after killing his pursuer in a shoot-out.
In stark contrast to Crockett, who drives expensive Ferraris and carries high-tech handguns as part of his cover, Tubbs exudes a more tough, street-smart New Yorker image, driving a metallic blue 1964 Cadillac de Ville convertible, and carrying cheaper, more readily available weapons, his primary weapon being a snubnosed Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver, and as a secondary weapon, he carried a sawed-off side by side shotgun during Season 1 and later an Ithaca 37 "Stakeout" shotgun with shortened barrel and forward pistol grip.
Compared to his partner, Tubbs' cool demeanor helps him avoid much of the burnout Crockett would experience after the killing of his wife Caitlin and his brief amnesia. However, getting rejected by Valerie after proposing marriage eventually takes a toll on Tubbs too, and coupled with him and Crockett feeling disappointed in how they were treated by the government regarding their involvement in the case of protecting Costa Morada dictator Manuel Borbon, Tubbs and Crockett end up resigning from the force. He then meets up with Crockett one last time, and Crockett offers him a ride to the airport in his "stolen" Ferrari, as Tubbs decides to head "back up to the big bad Bronx".
Tubbs is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Film
In the 2006 film adaptation of Miami Vice, Ricardo Tubbs is portrayed by Jamie Foxx and is in a relationship with fellow Vice Detective Trudy Joplin, who is portrayed by Naomie Harris. Tubbs' past is not revealed in the film. He is shown to be urbane, level-headed and a smooth-talker like the television version, but with the additions of being more gritty, world weary, and a skilled pilot.