Meet the GTA 5 modder bringing The Avengers to Los Santos

JulioNIB is a talented Brazilian modder whose GTA 5 superhero creations have caught our eye on several occasions. In the past few years, he's brought everyone from Superman to Ghost Rider, Green Goblin to The Flash, The Hulk to Iron Man to Los Santos. Much of his work features on his YouTube channel, his GTA X Scripting blog, and his Patreon page—the latter of which offers subscribers an early peek at in-development projects. 

With many more superhero projects in the pipeline—not least the creator's own favourite champion—I caught up wtih JulioNIB to learn more about his process and what drives him. And yes, I deliberately chose today to do so as I'm super-hyped for Avengers: Infinity War.

Best GTA 5 Mods

JulioNIB is best known for his impressive superhero mods, but he's also added dragons, Oblivion drones and Dragon Ball Z characters to San Andreas. Check out those and more in our best GTA 5 mods list. 

PC Gamer: How long have you been making GTA 5 mods, and what got you into mod creation? 

JulioNIB: I've been making Grand Theft Auto mods since 2013. My first ever GTA project was a simple telekinesis mod for GTA 4. I've always liked to change things and I like creating customizations, in both real-life and in games.

What other games do you mod, if any? 

I mostly mod GTA 5 these days, but also Grand Theft Auto 4. I also made map modes and plugins for Counter-Strike 1.6 in the past. I once made two Deathrun maps there.

You're best known for your superhero mods—what is it about creating superheroes in GTA 5 that you enjoy?

I'm inspired by movies, comic books and, of course, player requests.

What is it about playing as superheroes in GTA 5, do you think, that players enjoy so much?

I think it's simple, really. People like flying around San Andreas and destroying the world in ways the base game doesn't allow. 

You've created a few of Marvel's Avengers in GTA 5—which heroes are next?

I'm working on The Hulk (again) at the moment, but I plan to make Spider-Man some day. I also want to make Black Panther, some of Spider-Man's enemies, a whole lot of stuff. Actually, the list is pretty endless—players are always requesting new things. 

Which superhero have you enjoyed bringing to GTA 5 most? 

Iron Man. Hands down. 

Who is your favourite superhero in real life? 


What are the biggest challenges of creating superhero mods in GTA 5?

The biggest challenges are creating authentic animations and particle effects—mainly because we can't make custom ones in GTA 5 yet, in the same way we could in GTA 4. This really limits what we can do with some mods.

What is the most enjoyable part of mod creation in GTA 5?

I love seeing how impressed people are with the end result—particularly after player requests. 

What does the future hold for you—do you think you'll create mods in Red Dead Redemption 2 if it comes to PC, for example? (I'd love to see The Hulk in a cowboy hat.)

Oh yeah! If someone develop tools, I surely will make mods for it.