Summary
Sid Meier’s Civilizationhas always enjoyed taking inspiration from history to the point where it uses actual historical figures as playable leaders. Of course, this can lead to wacky situations where people from different eras and locations meet up with chaotic results. This is a game where Abraham Lincoln can get caught in a nuclear war with Sumeria.
As the series has progressed, so far containing six games (not including spin-offs)with a seventh in development, its roster of historical leaders and civilizations has expanded, but there are some people who have become staples of the series. These are characters who manage to keep coming back again and again, no matter what other changes are made around them.
5Abraham Lincoln
Civilization: America, Appearances: 6
The 16th President of the United States remains one of the most famous to hold the title. His struggles to navigate one of the most divided moments in American history continue to inspire leaders today. TheCivilizationgames have experimented with a few different American leaders: George Washington, Theodore, and Franklin Roosevelt, and even Eleanor Roosevelt inII,but Lincoln remains a go-to choicefor the series.
He has managed to appear to some extent inallthe main games, and some of the spin-offs. Even inCivilizationV,where he is not one of the main leaders, he gets his own scenario about leading America through the Civil War.
4Elizabeth I
Civilization: England, Appearances: 6
Somehow, the famous Queen Elizabeth I keeps finding her way into theCivilizationgames. She is not always the only option for England. Henry VIII, Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria, and Eleanor of Aquitaine have beenplayable English leaders at certain pointsin the series, but Elizabeth is the one person to do so consistently.
She has managed to lead England in all the main games. While not initially included in the base game ofCivilizationVI, this was eventually rectified with the Leader Pass DLC.
3Julius Caesar
Civilization: Rome, Appearances: 5
Rome has been a playable civilization since the original game, but the series has had a tendency to gravitate towards one particular figure: Julius Caesar, a military general and a charismatic politician whoset the stage for Rometo shift from a Republic into an Empire.
This makes some sense. A lot of the later Roman Emperors wereknown to be insane, corrupt, outright psychotic, and self-destructive. Occasionally, the developers change things up by bringing in Trajan (often considered one of the more level-headed Emperors), butCaesar has so far appeared to some extentin every game exceptCivilizationV,where he was replaced by his adopted son, Augustus.
2Mahondas Gandhi
Civilization:India, Appearances: 6
Gandhi has become notorious in theCivilizationcommunity, mainly because of an alleged bug in the original game that accidentally turned the famous passive-aggressive resistance leader into a psychotic nuke-obsessed warlord.While this story has been disputed, its popularity certainly contributed to Gandhi returning in every subsequent game.
In fact, he has almost exclusively led India throughout the series. The only exceptions so far have beenCivilizationIIandCivilizationVI,which added Indira Gandhi and Chandragupta Maurya, respectively. Even then, they were only added as alternatives to Gandhi.
1Shaka
Civilization: Zulu, Appearances: 6
The Zulu have been part ofCivilizationsince the original game, and they have almost exclusively been led by one man: the famous warrior king Shaka. The only exception to this rule wasCivilizationII, and even then, the alternative choice was essentially just a gender-swapped version of him.
Shaka has led the Zulu civilization through all six games and has continued to appear in spin-offs. Given this pattern, there is a good chance he will return forCivilization VII.
