The first idea for this storyline involved a villain from the Aladdin (1994) TV series named Mozenrath. The plot was that the hero and villain would turn out to be brothers. However (according to one of the writers) everyone thought they should steer away from the TV show and that, and the fact that they couldn't get in touch with Jonathan Brandis (Mozenrath's voice), prompted them to move on to another relative of Aladdin's - his father.