We Found Out What 18 Historical Figures Really Looked Like Thanks to AI

3 weeks ago

© Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions, © Mihrimah Sultan or a lady dressed up to look like her / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

We decided to compare how the historical figures of the past centuries looked like according to film directors, artists, and AI, which always has its own special opinion. To be honest, the results were quite unexpected for some of them.

Mihrimah Sultan

© Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions, © Mihrimah Sultan or a lady dressed up to look like her / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Suleiman the Magnificent

© Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions, © Sultan Suleiman in profile / Kunsthistorisches Museum / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Giacomo Casanova

© Casanova / Touchstone Pictures, © Giacomo Casanova / Kelly Galbraith / Wikimedia Commons, © CC-BY-SA-4.0, AI-generated image

Hypatia

© Agora / Mod Producciones, © Primer plano de Hipatia de Alejandría / Wikimedia Commons, © CC0 1.0 Universal, AI-generated image

Emperor Commodus

© Gladiator / DreamWorks Pictures, © Bust of Emperor Commodus / J. Paul Getty Museum / Getty Villa / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Queen Mary Stuart

© Mary Queen of Scots / Focus Features, © Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) / François Clouet / Royal Collection / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Joan of Arc

© Joan of Arc / Columbia Pictures, © Joan of Arc / John Everett Millais / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Anne of Austria

© The Three Musketeers / Summit Entertainment, © Portrait of Anne of Austria, Queen of France / Peter Paul Rubens / institution Palace of Versailles / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Lucy Hay (Milady’s prototype)

© The Three Musketeers / Summit Entertainment, © Lady Lucy Percy, Countess of Carlisle / Anthony van Dyck / National Trust / Petworth House / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Louis XIV

© The Man in the Iron Mask / United Artists, © Louis XIV, King of France / Museum of the History of France / Department of Paintings of the Louvre / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Giordano Bruno

© Giordano Bruno / Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, © Giordano Bruno Amir / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 4.0, AI-generated image

Maria Theresa

© Maria Theresia / MR TV-Film, © Jean-Étienne Liotard - Maria Theresia van Oostenrijk / Jean-Étienne Liotard / Rijksmuseum / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Ludwig van Beethoven

© Immortal Beloved / Icon Entertainment International, © Portrait of Beethoven / Joseph Karl Stieler / Beethoven House / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Jane Austen

© Becoming Jane / HanWay Films, © Cassandra Austen via James Andrews / Jane Austen (based on the portrait by Cassandra Austen) / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Henry VIII

© The Tudors / Peace Arch Entertainment Group, © Portrait of Henry VIII / Hans Holbein the Younger / Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Anne Boleyn

© The Tudors / Peace Arch Entertainment Group, © Anne Boleyn / National Portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

Mary I

© The Tudors / Peace Arch Entertainment Group, © Mary I of England / Antonis Mor / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

William Lamport (the prototype of Zorro)

© The Mask of Zorro / TriStar Pictures, © Young man in armor / Peter Paul Rubens / Timken Museum of Art / Wikimedia Commons, © CC0 1.0, AI-generated image

And here AI showed what celebrities would look like as cartoon characters of our childhood.

Please note: This article was updated in September 2025 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

Preview photo credit Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions, Mihrimah Sultan or a lady dressed up to look like her / Wikimedia Commons, AI-generated image

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