The Civilization series has had many civilizations and leaders over the years with Sid Meier's Civilization 6 not being an exception. As of the "Gathering Storm" DLC, there are 45 different leaders that players can choose to play as to lead their civilization.
With the expansion pass, more leaders and civilizations are comingto Civilization 6. Some may be returning from previous titles and some may be brand new to the series as a whole. The following are great choices for future additions to the game via the expansion pass. While some of the returners may have their abilities changed around with the updated game mechanics, they could still work well in Civilization 6.
Maria Theresa - Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Germany, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia. She was born in 1717 and died at the age of 63 in 1780. Maria Theresa was the leader of Austria included in Civilization 5's "Gods and Kings" DLC expansion.
Her play style revolved around being able to annex city-states into her civilization through influence and being allies for long enough. She was good for players who wanted to go for a passive cultural victory.
With the relationship with city-states changing in Civilization 6, Maria Theresa's ability involving them would definitely change. With the suzerain feature in Civilization 6 as well, something could be done involving getting extra suzerain benefits from city-states. Whatever happens with her, she would be a wonderful return to Civilization 6. Austria also had the unique unit of Hussars and the unique building of Coffee House.
Benito Juárez - Mexico
Mexico hasn't been a playable civilization in the Civilization franchise except in the Civilization: Call to Power games. Even then, Mexico didn't have a leader. Mexico City is a city-state that players can interact with in Civilization 6, but that's about it. With a lot of unique culture and history surrounding it, Mexico would be a perfect addition to Civilization 6.
One of the most famous leaders in Mexico's history is Benito Pablo Juárez García, also known as Benito Juárez. He was the 26th president of Mexico and served from 1858 up until his death in 1872 at the age of 66. Benito Juárez is known for his dedication for equal rights involving the indigenous people of Mexico and his devotion to democracy. Additionally, he fought to reduce the Catholic Church's influence over others. His birthday on March 21 is considered to be a national holiday in Mexico due to his impact.
Considering his history, Benito Juárez would likely be a leader for players looking to get a diplomatic victory. His AI would likely not be fond of players who use religion strongly as well, but would respect players that keep their citizens happy.
King Kamehameha I - Kingdom of Hawaii
Only appearing in Civilization 5 as the leader of Polynesians, King Kamehameha I was the first king of the Kingdom of Hawaii and is known for uniting the Hawaiian islands under one kingdom. Despite being known as the leader of Polynesians in Civilization 5, Civilization 6 could have him return as the leader of Hawaiians instead, allowing other rulers of other Polynesian groups to make appearances as well.
Kamehameha's ability in Civilization 5 is known as Wayfinding. It allows units to immediately embark over coasts and oceans. These units additionally gain one sight. Builders could additionally create a unique improvement known as Moai, which provide +10% combat bonus to any nearby friendly units.
Kaarlo Juho Stahlberg - Finland
Kaarlo Juho Stahlberg was the first President of Finland and one of the drafters of Finland's constitution in 1919. He was born in 1865, served as president from 1919 to 1925, and died in 1952 at the age of 87. His efforts helped lead to Finland becoming a separate country from the Russian Empire and is an important figure in Finnish history. Like Mexico, Finland has only gotten representation with some of the Viking based cities or Swedish cities despite being Finnish. Helsinki has also appeared as a City-State in Civilization 5.
Finland is very likely to appear in the expansion, as there are many mods for multiple Civilization games that have Finland as a playable civilization. There are many options for a leader, but Stahlberg seems to be a good choice due to his impact on the nation itself.
Te Atairangikaahu - New Zealand
Te Atairangikaahu was the longest reigning monarch of the Māori people born in 1931 and only passed in 2006. She reigned from 1966 up until her death in 2006. Unlike other cultures' selections of queens, she was elected queen.
During her reign, Te Atairangikaahu used her influence to protect Māori culture for the future and help Māori women. Her efforts helped with the preservation of the Maori language through the teaching of children and keeping the tradition of performing haka alive.
Because of her impact, she would serve well as a leader focused on cultural victories with benefits focused on preserving the culture of her civilization. As mentioned with King Kamehameha, there are multiple groups of Polynesian people with different cultures that have potential for different civilizations in Civilization 6.
Mariana Bracetti - Puerto Rico
While Puerto Rico is currently a sovereign state under the United States of America, Mariana Bracetti was one of the leaders fighting for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain during the 1860s. She is additionally known for being the creator of Puerto Rico's original flag, and she was one of the leaders that was additionally instrumental in organizing the insurrection known as "the Cry of Lares". During this insurrection, 800 Puerto Ricans took over the town of Lares and declared Puerto Rico's independence. Mariana Bracetti was unfortunately taken prisoner by the Spanish Army, although her flag stayed flying.
If Mariana Bracetti were to become a leader in Civilization 6, her ability could revolve around getting cities belonging to other civilizations to rebel. Used effectively, she could have the ability to gain a domination victory without ever having to go to war.
Boudicca - Celts
Boudicca came to Civilization 5 in the "God & Kings" DLC as the leader of the Celts. Historically, she was the queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe who was the leader during an invasion of the Roman Empire in the year 60 or the year 61. After a loss to the Romans, she took her own life in the year 61. In Civilization 5, Boudicca is great for religious victories due to her ability to raise faith quickly by just bordering unimproved forests. Not only that, but her unique unit, the Pictish Warrior will generate faith for every enemy killed by it.
Her return in Civilization 6 could play with the new district system and could provide new benefits for Holy Sites. The additional new uses for religion could also change up gameplay and make religion still useful when not pursuing a religious victory.
Toussaint Louverture - Haiti
Toussaint Louverture is known for his leadership in the Haitian Revolution which lead to the complete elimination of slavery in Haiti and the establishment of Haiti as its own republic. While he did not live to the end of the Haitian Revolution, his influence greatly helped the people of Haiti.
Because of his military leadership skills, Toussaint Louverture would likely get benefits involving combat units in Civilization 6. Because of the Haitian Revolution being an en-masse slave revolt, players may be able to upgrade non-combat units into combat units in times or war or something similar. Haiti hasn't had any representation in Sid Meier's Civilization at all before, so this is a good opportunity for Haiti to join the roster.
Theodora - Byzantine Empire
While players can encounter the Byzantine Empire during the "Vikings, Traders, and Raiders!" scenario in Civilization 6, this civilization is not playable. This was not always the case in previous games and especially not in Civilization 5. In Civ 5, Empress Theodora was the leader of the Byzantine Empire.
During her time as empress, Theodora was known for giving women in the Byzantine Empire more rights involving divorce and property ownership. She additionally got rid of the death penalty for wives that commit adultery, gave women guardian rights over their children, and outlawed forced prostitution. She additionally created support systems for ex-prostitutes that needed help after their traumas.
In Civilization 5, she was added in the "Gods & Kings" DLC. The Byzantine Empire greatly benefits from pursuing a religious victory due to it getting an extra belief when founding a religion. With districts being introduced in Civilization 6, there are possibilities for new benefits involving Holy Sites if Theodora were to return.
Paddy Roy Bates - Principality of Sealand
Some people may know of the famous micronation of the Principality of Sealand. While there aren't any nations that recognize it as a nation, the micronation continues to claim itself as an independent sovereign state. Sealand is an anti-aircraft gun platform that exists in the North Sea that was then occupied by Sealand's founder, Paddy Roy Bates. He got the platform from some pirate radio broadcasters with intentions of creating his own pirate radio station. One thing led to another, and he crowned himself prince of Sealand.
If Sealand was added to Civilization 6, it could be a complete wild card. Considering that Sealand is technically an artificial island, Paddy Roy Bates may have the ability to create any district on top of water. The possibilities are endless and could turn a normal game into one of complete chaos depending on what designers would want to do with this concept.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
