Do the leaders look historically accurate?

[socratic]

Bolivar was given a design based on the US perception of what Latin Americans look like. This isn't that surprising, Russia got the same treatment. Catherine is also very different from her real-life counterpart and seems to take more inspiration from the western show than anything else. Even Russia's theme has music sampled from American films for some reason

It's also possible hes the only latam leader we're getting so they made him as generic as possible

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Bolivar was given a design based on the US perception of what Latin Americans look like.

I think it is surprising considering his portrayal in Civ 6 was much more accurate. Maybe they didn't want the two to be too similar looking considering they just released him less than 4 years ago for that game. If that's the case maybe they should have gone for someone else?

 

[socratic]

I think it is surprising considering his portrayal in Civ 6 was much more accurate. Maybe they didn't want the two to be too similar looking considering they just released him less than 4 years ago for that game. If that's the case maybe they should have gone for someone else?

That makes sense too. Pachacuti is the only other returning leader from civ 6 and he's also very different. Its just awkward since Bolivar already has an iconic appearance. The only other traditional leader thats as widespread as Bolivar is Che Guevara and he's too controversial for something like civ. Maybe a famous creative like Frida Kahlo or Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

 

[untitledjuan]

I at least expect the return of a Brazilian leader. They could have gone with Pedro II again but base his leader model when he was older (kind of what he looked like back in Civ5).

 

[bbbt]

I think it is surprising considering his portrayal in Civ 6 was much more accurate. Maybe they didn't want the two to be too similar looking considering they just released him less than 4 years ago for that game. If that's the case maybe they should have gone for someone else?

Maybe they originally wanted Che Guevara, got nixed by 2K, and told the artists, okay give Bolivar a little more of that college dorm poster appeal.

 

[notNamed]

Genghis follows the pattern of previous leaders in not paying too much attention to detail.

• Fleur-de-lis on his helmet are obviously a very European motif and the studs on the neck protector seem to be borrowing more from Hollywood than real artifacts.
• The armor is completely wrong. In a lamellar armor, the small pieces of leather, iron or steel are tied to each other and overlap. This picture shows a hole pattern that the game seems to have been going for. Notice the individual pieces overlapping and the strings clearly passing through 2 on each stitch, unlike in the game... except on his sides (they do actually overlap sensibly under his arms).
• His chest features a prominent brass boss. I don't know how far back this goes (I would hazard a guess in 19th century pieces obtained in colonial ventures?), but it's obviously not an authentic piece for contemporary Mongolian armors. Civ started it in IV, pop-media has used it since at least Genghis Khan (1956). The design of a bird on the boss is likely inspired by Mongol (2007), as people already noted the similarity between the face of its titular Japanese actor and the visage of Genghis in VII.
• Continuing the theme of Hollywood tropes, he is wearing a quiver on his back. Mongols had various quiver designs suspended from their waist, like the example reproduction in this video.
• He wears leather vambraces. As I've already mentioned in previous nitpick lists, this is something that's a recent stylistic invention in most drawings/reproductions of any culture or period worldwide. Historical drawings and artifacts left of the 13-14th cent. Mongols don't support anything like that.

Spoiler A shot from the side both to show how the lamellar texture actually overlaps there and to show the quiver on his back. :

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

I’m realizing we haven’t talked about Charlemagne yet!

 

[untitledjuan]

Continuing the theme of Hollywood tropes, he is wearing a quiver on his back. Mongols had various quiver designs suspended from their waist, like the example reproduction in this video.

It's a shame that they went with movie or series depictions as opposed to historical portraits (even if inaccurate). It produces some bizarre aesthetic decisions, such as half-undressed Mexican Simón Bolívar

 

[WillK96]

Bolivar was given a design based on the US perception of what Latin Americans look like. This isn't that surprising, Russia got the same treatment. Catherine is also very different from her real-life counterpart and seems to take more inspiration from the western show than anything else. Even Russia's theme has music sampled from American films for some reason

It's also possible hes the only latam leader we're getting so they made him as generic as possible

I think he was actually given a design based on the actor that portrayed him in a Colombian soap opera.

 

[Patine]

Ada Lovelace seems to be loosely based on some of her portraits, but her outfit looks a little more plain, and she's missing that fabulous flowery headdress. Any experts on the period, please comment!

She was raised by her parents, and it is was drilled into her, to overcompensate away from being mad, amoral, flamboyant Byron's daughter. Hence why her mathematics skills were cultivated, despite the very small number of women in the field at the time, because it would move her sternly away from the humanities.