Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Assassin's Creed is a franchise known for historical tie-ins
From Cleopatra to Napolean to the God of Thunder, you can meet them in different games.
With the first game in the series released in 2007, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed has gone from strength to strength. Having just released their twenty-second installment to the series, Assassins Creed: Valhalla, Ubisoft shows no signs of slowing down. It could have been Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in the very first Assassin's Creed game or Eivor from Assassin's Creed: Valhalla that drew gamers in. Perhaps it was the backdrop of the French Revolution to the deserts of Ancient Egypt; there's no denying that there's something for everyone in this vast franchise.
Whilst a lot has changed over the years, part of the games' allure is still the ability to walk through different points in history. Spanning centuries, the Assassin's Creed games take place across all corners of the world—which means that tying in historical figures is no hardship for the Ubisoft team. With countless notable figures popping up as characters throughout the franchise as fun easter eggs for players, it would be a hard task to list them all. Here are just ten of the most interesting people you can meet whilst playing the games!
10. The Mentor Rashid ad-din Sinan (Al Mualim)
Known in real life more commonly as the Old Man of the Mountain, Rashid ad-din Sinan was a Syrian Ismaili Shiite Muslim leader. He was a prominent figure during the crusade -- somewhere around the 12th century. There are plenty of myths and legends about his life, but he's an important figure in history all over the world.
Players will recognize him from early Assassin's Creed games as the infamous Brotherhood mentor and, more specifically, mentor to the first playable assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. He might not have a, uh, happy ending in the games, but he's certainly one of the first prominent historical figures you can meet.
9. The Templar-Aligned Cesare Borgia
The Borgia family was a prominent Spanish-Aragonese family who rose to power during the Italian Renaissance. Embroiled in scandal after scandal, the Borgia family made enemies of pretty much every prominent figure in Europe. It makes sense, therefore, that Cesare — and other members of the family — crop up as Templars throughout some of the earlier games, and even in the Assassin's Creed books, to make interesting antagonists for Ezio.
Cesare is easy to hate: ruthless, cruel, and aggressive. He has very few loyalties in the game and would do anything to rise to power which, if the history books are to be believed, doesn't sound too far off the mark.
8. The Pirate Queen Anne Bonny
Black Flag gives players the chance to meet many famous pirates from Blackbeard to Calico Jack, but it's Anne Bonny that gets the mention here. One of the most famous pirates of all time, players get to watch her story unfold on the screen. There's little known about her history and her ultimate fate is unknown, but that doesn't stop her from being a pirate of legend.
Black Flag gives our favorite lady Pirate a somewhat (albeit marginally) happier ending than the mystery that surrounds her actual fate. Rescued by Edward and Ah Tabai, she goes on to join their crew before ultimately staying in the West Indies. Regardless, Anne's a tough cookie with a big heart to boot and makes for a fun interaction in the game.
7. The Infamous Napoléon Bonaparte
Who hasn't heard of the French military and political leader, Napoléon Bonaparte? Whether it's for his shorter stature (he was actually quite tall for the time) or his involvement in the French Revolution, he's a common enough household name. He pops up a number of times throughout Assassin's Creed: Unity and makes an unlikely friend and ally to Arno.
A little ruthless and power-hungry, he's by no means a perfect character, but he adds depth to the game and gives players a little more insight into Arno's character. That and it's pretty cool to see his involvement in the Revolution up close and personal.
6. The Renaissance Man Benjamin Franklin
A man of many talents: Benjamin Franklin is a prominent and well-known American historical figure. A Founding Father, writer, political philosopher, freemason, inventor... the list goes on. He shows up three different times in three separate Assassin's Creed games over the years. That just speaks to how important a historical figure he is.
He's similar to Charles Dickens in a way (another character who pops up later in the series) in that he — quite literally — bumps into the main characters before becoming a helping hand later on in the game. Either way, it's fun to see him fleshed out into a seemingly real person and even get a glimpse at an alternate timeline!
5. The Genius Leonardo da Vinci
You'd have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of Leonardo da Vinci. Widely considered one of the greatest minds in history, most people are likely to recognize the man, the myth, the legend from his infamous paintings that hang in galleries around the world. More than this, however (perhaps more pertinent to his role in the games), he was wickedly smart and had many inventions up his sleeves.
He becomes a close friend to Ezio and assists the Brotherhood with his many innovative and helpful weapon designs and inventions. Frankly, it's debatable whether Ezio would have been able to make as many kills as he did without help from his dear friend.
4. The Amorous Alkibiades
Alkibiades may have only been a small part of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, but he certainly made an impact. Sassy, romantic, and just downright pretty, Alkibiades' interactions with Kassandra or Alexios were certainly...memorable.
Whilst he's maybe not as well-known as some of the other names on this list, Alkibiades was actually the last famous descendent of an aristocratic line that fell following the Peloponnesian war. During the war, our boy Alkibiades played a key role as a strategist, politician, and military commander.
3. The Brash Thor
There are plenty of Norse and Viking figures who crop up throughout the latest game in the series. But one of the most notable is one that Marvel fans have come to instantly recognize. Move over Chris Hemsworth – there's a new Thor in town.
Missing the now-mainstream blonde locks, Assassin Creed: Valhalla's Thor is certainly different from the Thor most people have come to recognize. But he makes a worthy appearance with his famous hammer, Mjolnir, and (if you so choose) helps to lead an attack on Jotunheim. He's loud, he's aggressive but he's still the God of Thunder. And, God or not, it's still pretty fun to see him pop up in the Viking era game.
2. The Robust Queen Victoria
You could hardly have an Assassin's Creed game set in Victorian London without having Queen Victoria herself make a surprise appearance. The second longest-reigning monarch, Queen Victoria led quite the drama-packed life. From the Industrial Revolution to surviving several attempted assassinations on her life, she's a force to be reckoned with.
She appears in the games and seems to be on the side of the Frye twins from the jump. She eventually inducts them and Henry Green into the Order of the Secret Garter.
1. The Legendary Queen Cleopatra
Again: could you have an Ancient Egyptian themed game without having Cleopatra show up? The prototype for the femme fatale trope, she was a powerful Egyptian ruler known for actively influencing Roman politics and her various love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She's mentioned in a fair few of the Assassin's Creed games but makes her first real appearance in Origins.
Ubisoft didn't shy away from playing up to this promiscuous side to Cleopatra — rightly or wrongly. But she provides a fun addition to the game through her interactions with Bayek.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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