America
Washington has been in three games if you count colonization. Lincoln has been in five. Maybe they shouldn’t bring Lincoln back, but I would like to see him brought back to life with a high pitched voice and Kentuckian accent. FDR to me is quite controversial (did he knew about Pearl harbor?, trying to put his judges on the supreme court, Japanese internment camps), Thomas Jefferson is fine (I don’t care about what he did with Sally Hemings, many plantation owners did the same), Teddy Roosevelt would be fun, Wilson is ok. But no Andrew Jackson, that dude is definitely a war mongerer and would attack the Iroquois.
G. Washington (3)
Abraham Lincoln (5)
F. D. Roosevelt (1)
John Adams (1, colonization)
Eleanor Roosevelt (1) –WTH, I know she did a lot of great things, but she’s not qualified for leading US in civ, no woman is, at least not yet. A lot of sexism here, lol.
Arabia
Maybe they can bring Harun back since it’ll only be his second appearance. Having Saladin will prolly upset some people since he’s a Kurd and ruled Egypt. Civ3 had Abu Bakr as leader but he is too tied to the prophet Muhammad and therefore controversial. Another possible ruler could be Abd ar Malik or maybe even Abd ar Rahman (though he ruled in Moorish Iberia).
Abu Bakr (1)
Saladin (2)
Harun Al-Rashid (1)
Aztec
Montezuma II has been in five games. They should prolly use Montezuma I again, but not make him seem too insane. Cuauhtemoc or Ahuitzotl would be interesting. In my opinion, the Maya should be placed before the Aztecs, but that’s my opinion.
Montezuma II (6, with Colonization)
Montezuma 1 (1)
Nazca (1) made up, taken from Nazca culture in Peru, seriously, even La Malinche works better
Babylon
Hammurabi is in four games, so maybe they should keep Nebuchadnezzar. Or they could replace Babylon with Assyria. Ashurbanipal would be a good choice for leader.
Hammurabi (4)
Nebuchadnezzar II (1)
Ishtar (1) A goddess. There were queens and princesses they could have chosen from. Overall, Mesopotamia is lacking in female leadership.
China
Maybe they can bring Wu Zetian back, but make her more elegant in speech and with the headdress I’ve seen Wu depicted with. Besides, she was in her sixties when she attained power. Male rulers include Han Wudi, Taizong of Tang, and Kangxi. These are all good choices.
Mao Zedong (5)- I hate the sight of him, and he would be speaking Hunanese, not Mandarin
Wu Zetian (2, was in second game as Wu Zhao)
Qin Shi Huang (1)-vain man who tried to become immortal, had first son commit suicide, second son is weak and stupid
Denmark/Vikings
Still wish Cnut was in the game. They just chose Harald Bluetooth because he’s not Christian, at first. So what, do they always have to have winged helmets and longboats? That period was insignificant compared to the one after. They can also replace Denmark with Norway or Sweden (possible leaders: Gustavus Adolphus, Karl, Christina) though they prolly still want to cash in on the Viking gimmick.
Canute/Cnut (1, was in second game)
Ragnar (2) very little is known of this guy; kinda of stupid ingame (rubs his nose)
Harald Bluetooth (1) his descendents are better choices, in-game seems rather psycho
Gunnhild (1) another legendary woman?, even Queen Christina would be a better choice
Egypt
Ramesses II has been in four games so far. Cleopatra in two. Hatshepsut in one. If they really want to have female rulers, put in Hatshepsut and not Cleopatra (who would prolly speak Greek ingame). I don’t want Hatshepsut to look like Nefertiti again. She needs a false beard and nemes headcloth. Notable male rulers include Amenhotep III, Thutmoses III or Akhenaten. No Afrocentrism please. Should of just put Nubia in the game.
Ramesses II (4) I would like to see his red hair portrayed in game
Cleopatra (2) what good did this woman do, she was the last Ptolemaic ruler.
Hatshepsut (1) better than Cleopatra
England
Elizabeth has been in six games mainly because she’s a female. No offense to women. They could add other civs with women leaders, even if they are considered “minor” civs (for example Georgia, Sri Lanka, Sweden etc). I’m tired of seeing her in every game. There are other rulers who merit an appearance like Alfred the Great (him speaking Old English would be awesome), William the Conqueror, Edward Longshanks (who would have a fierce temper), Edward III, and perhaps Queen Victoria.
Elizabeth (6) in 5, she gets jealous easily, dammit, I hate her!!!
Victoria (1) more of a figurehead
Winston Churchill (1) Clement Attlee would be good too
Henry VIII (1) no, just no.
George II (Colonization) don’t know much about him
France
Napoleon has enough screen time (five games). Louis XIV would be a good replacement since he had ambitions as well. If you want to go further back in time, there’s Philip Augustus.
Napoleon (5) I mean, he’s famous and did major things. But, too overused. Give other rulers a chance.
Louis XIV (3, if count colonization)
Joan of Arc (2) not really suited, a peasant girl in her late teens
Samuel de Champlain (colonization)
Frontenac (colonization)
Germany
No more Bismarck. He’s in four games. I would prefer they use Frederick the Great or maybe even an earlier king like Frederick II or Otto or even Charlemagne. A female option could be Maria Theresa, though people would prolly complain.
Otto von Bismarck (3) good choice, but I would like a break from him, his ability is more suited for some early Germanic ruler like Theodoric or Arminius
Frederick the Great (2) good choice, interesting figure
Frederick Barbarossa (1, in second game) also a good choice
Maria Theresa (1) wouldn’t mind her in the game, though ppl might be pissed to have her leading Germany.
Greeks
No more Alexander, please. If you do bring him back, give him blond hair, heterochromia, a strange neck disfigurement and a much rougher voice. He has already appeared in six games. He’s been portrayed to death.
Instead of Alex, you can use Pericles, or Themistocles. But no Leonidas, because he’s insignificant and only known because of that movie. Hellenic League actually suits Pericles.
Alexander (6)
Pericles (1) good choice
Hippolyta (1) mythic figure, there are real Greek women, like Olympias
Inca
No Inca emperor could really match Pachacuti. Huayna Capac is partly responsible for the fall of the empire with his two sons fighting over the throne.
Pachacuti (2)
Huayna Capac (1)
India
Gandhi, Gandhi, Gandhi, Gandhi, Gandhi, Gandhi! That’s the amount of times this guy’s been in a game. It seems like Firaxis can’t get enough of him. But there’s more to India than just Mohandas. Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Chandragupta II, Akbar among others. They ruled in India’s glorious periods. Just having Gandhi make it seem like India is only a modern nation when it’s actually not. Maybe, they could just keep Mahatma in a cameo appearance. Anyone else sick of Gandhi and his love for nukes?
Gandhi (6)
Ashoka (1) good choice
Indira Gandhi (1) well, she’s real but controversial. Razia Sultana, perhaps?
Iroquois
I know some people are biased against having North American tribes in the game. But why not? Do they need to have invented writing? Or created colossal statues? Or discovered iron? Or creating a gigantic empire stretching from the Atlantic to Pacific? (That would destroy the language diversity which I find fascinating) They lacked many domesticated animals, and people in the Old World had a headstart and more interaction with other peoples. At least the Iroquois adapted to the change the Europeans brought. Hiawatha has been in two games. I would suggest a more historical leader like Joseph Brant or Cornplanter. Of course, the Iroquois could be replaced by the Sioux (with Red Cloud as leader and no totem poles) or some other tribe. But I do think they deserve to be in. Other tribes too. Having leaders like Osceola, Geronimo or Tecumseh would be interesting.
Hiawatha (2) famed name, but highly mythical
Logan-was a Mingo leader, kind of related but there are better leaders to choose
Japan
Nobunaga possibly or even Hideyoshi. Tokugawa Ieyasu has been in four games already. Meiji emperor seems to be off limits. There were female empresses who ruled in their own right, but I ‘m not sure if they are off limits too.
Tokugawa (4) His head was really thin in CivRev. The f was up with that.
Nobunaga (1)
Amaterasu (1) there are real historical empress regnants like Koken.
Mongolia
Genghis has been in six games. Perhaps Kublai Khan should replace him. Genghis did a lot of stupid stuff like raze cities to the ground and massacred populations. How the hell would you rule if there’s no infrastructure? No wonder Central Asia is so messed up now with all those dictators. Hulagu Khan might work, but he might not speak Mongol. If Genghis is back again, I hope they choose a better voice actor for him because he sounds so unintimidating in the current game.
Genghis Khan (6) very unimpressive in fifth game, almost a racist caricature in third
Kublai Khan (1) good choice
Bortei (1) Genghis’s wife, there were other influential Mongol women as well, just not as Khans
Ottomans
Suleiman would prolly be the best choice. No other Ottoman ruler can match him. If they want a different ruler, then maybe Mehmed could work. Just don’t make Suleiman sound so comical. An influential woman was Roxelana, though only as wife of Suleiman.
Osman (1) meh
Mehmed (1) notable leader
Suleiman (2)
Persia
Darius has been in two games. Certainly, we could bring him or Cyrus back. Yet, there are other great periods of Persia history overlooked. Achaemenid Persia isn’t the only golden age for Iran. There’s Sassanid Persia, with Shapur I, Shapur II or Khosrau as good possible rulers. Or even Safavid Persia, with Shah Abbas as ruler. My point is that Persia should not always be associated with the Achaemenids, who I think are favored simply because they were conquered by Alex. I also think they should not make Darius or Cyrus speak Aramaic.
Xerxes (2) failure, beginning of empire’s decline
Darius (2)
Cyrus (1) good choice
Scheherezade (1) fictional, there were influential women in ancient Persia
Polynesia
Kamehameha can be brought back, though possibly the name could be changed to Hawaii. Liliuokalani could be a female choice but she lost the kingdom to Dole and his pineapples. Other Polynesian kingdoms should be considered. Hongi Hika could be a Maori leader.
Kamehameha (1)
Rome
No more Julius Caesar or Augustus for that matter. Julius has been in five games, while Augustus in two. There were many other great Roman emperors—Trajan, Hadrian, Diocletian, Constantine (who’s quite a bloodthirsty type, he had his son and wife killed). We don’t need to keep representing one Roman family. If they do bring Augustus back, give him light hair and a unibrow (lol, its true though)
Julius Caesar (5) took many appearances, got himself killed
Augustus (2)
Livia (1) important woman, but there was never any Roman empress Regnant (ahh, Italian society, still the same today…
Russia
So far, Catherine the Great has been in five games. That’s enough. We shouldn’t keep her in just because she’s a woman and fanservice. Russia has plenty of capable rulers, like Ivan III or Peter the Great or Yaroslavl the Wise. But no Stalin, of course.
Catherine the Great (5) but she’s hot!!! (sarcasm), maybe should have a German accent when speaking Russian
Stalin (2) argg
Peter the Great (1) good choice, but had his son tortured to death, similar to Ivan IV who killed his son
Vladimir Lenin (1) meh, he started it all
Siam
They could be replaced with another Southeast Asian kingdom like Khmers, Burmese, Majapahit or Vietnamese. I wish there were at least two of these civs in the game. They all have different languages and traditions. The difference between Thailand and Cambodia is like between France and Germany. Only reason against them is they did not colonized the whole world. That would be funny. That said, I would like Ramkhamhaeng to be replace by someone like Naresuan, King Narai or Taksin if the Siamese are kept. The stele of Ramkhamhaeng may not be totally true. Current Thai dynasty is off limits of course.
Ramkhamhaeng (1)
Songhai
Maybe you can bring Askia back, or possibly replace him with Sunni Ali, who’s more of a conquering type anyways. Or, you can replace the Songhai with Mali and have Mansa Musa again.
Askia (1) no more fiery backgrounds which implies a warmonger
Spain
Isabella has been in five games already and because she is a woman. A good male ruler can be Philip II. If Isabella is back, be sure to give her reddish blonde hair. Also, don’t hire the same voice actress, she sounds a bit too young.
Isabella (5) man, this woman dominates! Plain in real life, though I guess Isabella II looks worser
Philip II (1) good choice
Carlos V (in Colonization) also was a Holy Roman emperor
in the city
Bonus when next to a friendly unit, +1 extra
for every allied and friendly City State
and 
of trade.
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