Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
714Kviews
I Used AI To Find Out What These 33 Historical And Mythical Figures Would Look Like If They Were Modern Everyday People (New Pics)
The patina of history shrouds many famous personalities and mythical figures in mystery. The distance of time and the mastership of the artists make all of them look like, well, gods or demigods. Comparing yourself to them may be daunting, and you rarely think of them as regular people with normal needs. But they are, and I wanted to show you this. But how else could I do it if not with the help of artificial intelligence, which is pretty accessible these days, and it produces wonderful results.
It's not the first time I've done this, and you may check out the previous post and see how I progressed since the last time. And without further ado, let's me show you what I've done this time. I think it really proves that they could be any one of us, and us—any one of them. I hope this inspires you to do great things today. Enjoy!
More info: Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Matau Tathonca
Final score:
206points
The recreations of the photographer and digital artist Bas Uterwijk (I, II, III) made me create this series in the first place. Obviously, he's a master of the medium, and I started by trying to learn more from him and emulate his style. I was very glad to receive some positive feedback from him the last time I talked with him! I would also like to mention Nathan Shipley's works (I, II), which also influenced me greatly.
RELATED:
#2
Fayum Mummy Portrait
Final score:
199points
When choosing the character, the most time-consuming thing is to find an image that resembles the historical figure. I spend hours in image databases and do research about how the historical personalities looked until I get the right picture. The time it takes greatly depends on the piece, but each individual recreation takes up to 2 hours, which is nothing compared to AI-unassisted methods that may take from days to months.
I believe that these legendary and historical personalities were really special, no matter how common and mundane the AI makes them look. No matter how regular they might look, we will always have in mind that they've a made a name for themselves in history, and the surrounding aura of their historical significance never really fades, unless it's completely forgotten. This time I'm more happy with my works than the previous, and I can really feel the progress from the last time.
#7
Saint Joseph
Final score:
180points
If you've scrolled this website, the chances are you might've seen my name somewhere. I am an active contributor to my beloved Bored Panda, and over the years I've done thousands and thousands of posts involving art, celebrities, and animals, and you can check out my profile to see tons of cool stuff that I've posted over my time here.
I would also love it if you'd show me support on my social media, where I share my best articles and art there. I try to give updates on what I'm going to do next there. Also, follow me on Bored Panda so you can always get a notification when I post something. So please give a follow, it means a lot to me!
#8
Lucifer
Final score:
175points
Titas Burinskas 2 years ago (edited)
The statue has that "I left my stove on" look eternally etched on its face. Perhaps this is the real meaning of eternal damnation, lol.
#11
Queen Nefertiti
Final score:
159points
#12
Zeus
Final score:
158points
Titas Burinskas 2 years ago
Looks like Zach Galifianakis. Or is it the other way around? Also looks a little bit stoned. Reminds of the lyrics "God of Thunder, and Rock and Roll." I also love that AI beard hair glitch. It looks like lightning bolts, which fits the character.
#16
Saladin, Sultan Of Egypt And Syria
Final score:
146points
Titas Burinskas 2 years ago
Just want to note that if Saladin on the left rocked that turban in modern times, it would put most modern celebrities to shame.
#18
Isabel, Princess Imperial Of Brazil
Signed the law for the liberation of slaves in Brazil.
Final score:
137points
#19
Christina Of Denmark
Final score:
135points
#21
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Final score:
134points
Martin Kaine 2 years ago
"You look like Beethoven." "What?'' "You LOOK like BEETHOVEN!" "WHAT?" "NEVER MIND!!!"
Julie Aaaa 2 years ago
He had many good years of composing in his 30s. Why must be be portrayed in his 50s?
Load More Replies...
olx 2 years ago
holy s**t that looks like robert... i wanna say pattinson? edward cullen? cedric diggory? that guy
2funky4words 2 years ago
I think John Belushi did a skit on SNL as Beethoven. The AI version looks like he could be Belushi's son or grandson...
Who Panda 420 2 years ago
Yes he did it was classic! Belushi was a comic genius
Load More Replies...
Jessica Cifelli 2 years ago
Who knew Beethoven was a dead ringer for Robert Pattinson in his younger days
Kent Kemmish 2 years ago
Only a matter of time before someone makes the first photorealistic historical biography using deepfakes and careful curation like this.
Michael Sanders 2 years ago
I’m jealous cuz he gets so many numbers saying he is Robert Pattinson’s brother.
Gigi 2 years ago
😂😂😂yeah, why are all of these so much younger than the original??
Load More Replies...
DennyS (denzoren) 2 years ago
Dylan Moran...especially that scene from Black Books would be perfect.
#23
Frederic Chopin
Final score:
121points
Anton Kider 2 years ago
There are photos of him actually. The recreation us not that accurate. The painting is.
#27
Costanza Bonarelli, Noblewoman, Merchant And Art Dealer
Final score:
91points
#28
Miss Edith Corse Evans
She was one of 4 first-class women to die on the Titanic, her body never found.
Final score:
91points
#29
Michelangelo's David
Final score:
84points
Orange Is Aging 2 years ago
That statue is so big! I thought it was regular person sized until very recently, and boy was I wrong!
#31
Cleopatra
Final score:
75points
Susan Williams 2 years ago
I think there has been a mistake, the original looks more like Marc Antony.
#32
"The Sacred Heart Of Mary"
Final score:
72points
Orange Is Aging 2 years ago
Except she definitely didn’t really look like that, being from the Middle East and all
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Mira Heiman 2 years ago
Hidreley! sorry there are so many people hating on your stuff!! I think what you do is awesome!
tuzdayschild 2 years ago
Same here, great job. I think some people think their opinion is worth nothing unless it's negative.
Load More Replies...
Valentina Cupido 2 years ago
I must admit, I loved this post and seeing the recreations is fun! Also almost all of them are really sexy! In my opinion it doesn't mean that you haven't been precise in the making but that with a little care and makeup anyone can have a great appearance!
Bradley Hart 2 years ago
They went a bit overboard on the black Egyptians. Ruling Egyptians of those time periods look much like the Egyptians of today, so says multiple studies of the DNA. I think every time we deliberately misrepresent this fact we devalue when the Nubians actually controlled Egypt
Who Panda 420 2 years ago
I thought these were really interesting. It brings art and history to life for modern eyes. It's easier to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what they may have went through. People have to realize too that a lot of these statues were stylized. We can't know what they really look like but based on the art and the AI this is the closest they have...Great Job Hidrėlėy
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Hidreley, I only commented on the ones I thought didn't fit. Know that all the ones without a comment from me were awesome!
Andrea Careless 2 years ago
I commend the skill involved, but I think most of these don’t express the “feeling” of the person, not to mention the facial features and bone structure. Having said that, I work in Photoshop and can only imagine how extremely hard and time consuming this must be.
K Witmer 2 years ago
Zues and Aphrodite are perfect w cgi. Very realistic. Caligula looks exactly how you'd think he'd be. Lol
K Witmer 2 years ago
Apollo and Joseph are gorgeous and so is every woman on here. Cleopatra extraordinary
Load More Replies...
Margaret O'Connor 2 years ago
I think these are great! A great selection of interesting figures from history and weirdly accurate to what historians believe! The exception is the two ancient Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Hatshepsut. Ancient Egyptians were a Mediteranean people like the Italians and Greeks. They were not sub-saharan dark skinned people. So a more accurate likeness would be something like Alyssa Milano or Lady Gaga. (Cleopatra was actually Greek and her picture was great.) But other than those two, spot on! These were so much fun to look at.
Charlotte A. 2 years ago
I do tend to enjoy viewing these things and some were really well made, but I fail to see the point of using idealised statues of mythological characters etc to recreate "people". The statue of liberty was never a person. For me, the interest usually lays in seeing past the idealisations of portraits of actual people, to try to understand what they might have really looked like.
Rabbit Lord 2 years ago
It really makes sence to turn greek god statues into "modern people"...
sharron lynn parsons 2 years ago
Very interesting, some are close to excellent, well done Hidreley, I enjoyes your work !!!
Kiwii Stone 2 years ago
It's interesting to see but the AI photos have faces that are generally too angular and 'skinny'. Many of the statues and portraits show people with rounder faces and less defined features (such as chins and jawlines)
Me 2 years ago
I believe this is because the AI uses libraries of photos probably from celebrity and stock images causing the results to be biased toward a more chiseled, slimmer look.
Load More Replies...
Julie Aaaa 2 years ago
People on here are total hacks and miserable. Your work is a joy to watch and the interpretations are fantastic! Please keep doing these and just ignore the ignorant! 🥰
ertancubukcu 2 years ago
Stop falsifying history in the name of politicale correctness! Either the male nor the female Egyptian pharaohs were not black!
Matleena Korhonen 2 years ago
These are very cool and interesting! My only criticism is that all of them look like models and follow our current beauty standards very strictly. It fits well with the mythical characters and of course the statues and paintings are based on people who were more attractive than average. But I think with some of the statues you can see how different kind of beauty was valued then. And then there are the historical figures who (I hope) reached their status based on something else than looks; there's no reason why they wouldn't look more like average people.
Chris Davison 2 years ago
Most all of the "recreations" did not accurately represent many originally features like the shapes of the faces, noses, eyes, and jaws. Also the angles of the original picture and remake were significantly different making it difficult to compare. A lot of artistic license was taken on details that were shown. Meh.
Andrea Careless 2 years ago (edited)
Also, I’d like to see these people in their original clothing, hair style, no makeup. Don’t turn them into modern-day people because they’re NOT.
Yoga Kitty 2 years ago
This would then be a possible topic for a completely different post one day.
Load More Replies...
Matthew Cleere 2 years ago
Amazing AI work! Most of the commenters have no idea what they are looking at, so ignore them. Great stuff.
Rachael Sampson 2 years ago
Giving all the blonde haired people blue eyes was kind of annoying.
Mira Heiman 2 years ago
Hidreley! sorry there are so many people hating on your stuff!! I think what you do is awesome!
tuzdayschild 2 years ago
Same here, great job. I think some people think their opinion is worth nothing unless it's negative.
Load More Replies... Valentina Cupido 2 years ago
I must admit, I loved this post and seeing the recreations is fun! Also almost all of them are really sexy! In my opinion it doesn't mean that you haven't been precise in the making but that with a little care and makeup anyone can have a great appearance!
Bradley Hart 2 years ago
They went a bit overboard on the black Egyptians. Ruling Egyptians of those time periods look much like the Egyptians of today, so says multiple studies of the DNA. I think every time we deliberately misrepresent this fact we devalue when the Nubians actually controlled Egypt
Who Panda 420 2 years ago
I thought these were really interesting. It brings art and history to life for modern eyes. It's easier to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what they may have went through. People have to realize too that a lot of these statues were stylized. We can't know what they really look like but based on the art and the AI this is the closest they have...Great Job Hidrėlėy
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Hidreley, I only commented on the ones I thought didn't fit. Know that all the ones without a comment from me were awesome!
Andrea Careless 2 years ago
I commend the skill involved, but I think most of these don’t express the “feeling” of the person, not to mention the facial features and bone structure. Having said that, I work in Photoshop and can only imagine how extremely hard and time consuming this must be.
K Witmer 2 years ago
Zues and Aphrodite are perfect w cgi. Very realistic. Caligula looks exactly how you'd think he'd be. Lol
K Witmer 2 years ago
Apollo and Joseph are gorgeous and so is every woman on here. Cleopatra extraordinary
Load More Replies... Margaret O'Connor 2 years ago
I think these are great! A great selection of interesting figures from history and weirdly accurate to what historians believe! The exception is the two ancient Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Hatshepsut. Ancient Egyptians were a Mediteranean people like the Italians and Greeks. They were not sub-saharan dark skinned people. So a more accurate likeness would be something like Alyssa Milano or Lady Gaga. (Cleopatra was actually Greek and her picture was great.) But other than those two, spot on! These were so much fun to look at.
Charlotte A. 2 years ago
I do tend to enjoy viewing these things and some were really well made, but I fail to see the point of using idealised statues of mythological characters etc to recreate "people". The statue of liberty was never a person. For me, the interest usually lays in seeing past the idealisations of portraits of actual people, to try to understand what they might have really looked like.
Rabbit Lord 2 years ago
It really makes sence to turn greek god statues into "modern people"...
sharron lynn parsons 2 years ago
Very interesting, some are close to excellent, well done Hidreley, I enjoyes your work !!!
Kiwii Stone 2 years ago
It's interesting to see but the AI photos have faces that are generally too angular and 'skinny'. Many of the statues and portraits show people with rounder faces and less defined features (such as chins and jawlines)
Me 2 years ago
I believe this is because the AI uses libraries of photos probably from celebrity and stock images causing the results to be biased toward a more chiseled, slimmer look.
Load More Replies... Julie Aaaa 2 years ago
People on here are total hacks and miserable. Your work is a joy to watch and the interpretations are fantastic! Please keep doing these and just ignore the ignorant! 🥰
ertancubukcu 2 years ago
Stop falsifying history in the name of politicale correctness! Either the male nor the female Egyptian pharaohs were not black!
Matleena Korhonen 2 years ago
These are very cool and interesting! My only criticism is that all of them look like models and follow our current beauty standards very strictly. It fits well with the mythical characters and of course the statues and paintings are based on people who were more attractive than average. But I think with some of the statues you can see how different kind of beauty was valued then. And then there are the historical figures who (I hope) reached their status based on something else than looks; there's no reason why they wouldn't look more like average people.
Chris Davison 2 years ago
Most all of the "recreations" did not accurately represent many originally features like the shapes of the faces, noses, eyes, and jaws. Also the angles of the original picture and remake were significantly different making it difficult to compare. A lot of artistic license was taken on details that were shown. Meh.
Andrea Careless 2 years ago (edited)
Also, I’d like to see these people in their original clothing, hair style, no makeup. Don’t turn them into modern-day people because they’re NOT.
Yoga Kitty 2 years ago
This would then be a possible topic for a completely different post one day.
Load More Replies... Matthew Cleere 2 years ago
Amazing AI work! Most of the commenters have no idea what they are looking at, so ignore them. Great stuff.
Rachael Sampson 2 years ago
Giving all the blonde haired people blue eyes was kind of annoying.
Related on Bored Panda
