History Characters / AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves

%%* NiceHat

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnRhysDavies, Merwin Foard (singing)

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/CCHPounder

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JerryOrbach

* TakenForGranite: [[spoiler: A variant with gold instead of stone is his fate when he catches the Hand of Midas in his bare hand.]]

* AntiVillain: He's a pragmatist, a criminal, and the leader of a band of unrepentant thieves. And while Cassim claims that he would never hurt the innocent, he's more than willing to use brute force to intimidate everyone at Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding for the sake of stealing the Oracle's scepter. That said, he's doing all of it to find the Hand of Midas to make sure that his family is never wanting for money again, and laments that his lust for treasure has cost him more than he could have known. And once he finds out that Aladdin is his son, Cassim does everything in his power to keep his boy safe. As Iago puts it at the end of the movie: "You're a good guy, Cassim. But not ''too'' good."

* AntiVillain: He's a liar, a criminal, and the leader of a band of unrepentant thieves. And while Cassim claims that he would never hurt the innocent, he's more than willing to use brute force to intimidate everyone at Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding for the sake of stealing the Oracle's scepter. That said, he's doing all of it to find the Hand of Midas to make sure that his family is never wanting for money again, and laments that his lust for treasure has cost him more than he could have known. And once he finds out that Aladdin is his son, Cassim does everything in his power to keep his boy safe. As Iago puts it at the end of the movie: "You're a good guy, Cassim. But not ''too'' good."

In his obsession with finding it and thusly giving his family all the wealth they could ever dream of, he all but forgot about his family, returning only after his wife had died and his son had vanished -- unbeknownst to him, having made his own living as a street rat of Agrabah.

A hulking and intimidating member of the Forty Thieves, Sa'luk remembers the "good old days" before Cassim enforced the "don't hurt the innocent" rule and yearns to lead the Thieves back to that lifestyle. Seemingly killed when Aladdin is forced to join the Forty Thieves to save his own life, Sa'luk escapes and betrays his former gang, then manipulates the remnants to force Aladdin and Cassim to lead him to the Hand of Midas.

* AintTooProudToBeg: [[https://youtu.be/xcTDmPerIwo&t=1m25s According to this behind-the-scenes snippet]], it appears that when [[spoiler: the Hand of Midas transforms him into a gold statue]], he was originally meant to say "It's cursed! Cursed! No! Please!"

* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Unlike the LeanAndMean [[TheChessmaster scheming]] sorcerer Jafar was, Sa'luk is a brute who is more interested in stuffing his pockets than ruling a kingdom. And while Jafar [[ItsPersonal actively targeted Aladdin and his allies]], Sa'luk's conflict is mainly with Cassim, and he doesn't interact with or even acknowledge Aladdin when it doesn't involve his father.

** He constantly criticizes Cassim for his code of honor believing that VirtueIsWeakness yet the most notable time Cassim shows his merciless side is when [[spoiler: he threw the Hand of Midas to him and Sa'luk catches it by the golden hand. Cassim [[PayEvilUntoEvil knew by then]] [[TakenForGranite he killed Sa'luk]].]]

* GeniusBruiser: While not as intelligent or cunning as Cassim, who easily manipulates him multiple times, Sa'luk is a lot more sneaky and capable of deception than he first seems.
* ILied: In the climax, he demands that Cassim toss him the Hand of Midas, threatening to kill Aladdin if doesn't comply. Cassim throws the Hand to him, but after catching it, Sa'luk decides that he'll take Aladdin's life anyway. It turns out that [[spoiler: Cassim expected this and threw the Hand in such a way that Sa'Luk would have to catch it by the Hand itself instead of by the handle. By the time Sa'luk realizes what's going to happen to him, it's too late.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: He's rude, treacherous, physically abusive; check.

* AdaptationNameChange: In the original book, Aladdin's father's name was Mustafa.
* AntiVillain [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II]]: This line sums him up quite well:
-->'''Iago''': You're a good guy, Cassim. But not ''too'' good.
* ArchnemesisDad: Zigzagged. He and Aladdin first meet when Cassim leads the Forty Thieves to loot Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, and they briefly fight for the Oracle's sceptre. By the time they actually learn that they're father and son, Cassim no longer poses a threat to Aladdin at all, though their relationship is still strained with mistrust.

* TheCharmer: Definitely where Aladdin got it from.
* BeyondRedemption: {{Deconstructed}}. It's not that he doesn't want to change his ways, it's just that he feels as though he is too deep in the life of a criminal to just quit altogether.

* SkunkStripe: Due to his age the sides of his hair are graying.

* BadassBeard: He's got a full beard under that mask, and has proven capable throughout the film.

* BadassMustache: His moustache is very noticeable and sets him apart from the others.

* PayEvilUntoEvil: It is how he defeats Sa'luk. [[spoiler: He threw the Hand of Midas in a way that Sa'luk could only catch it by holding it onto the Golden Hand. Look at [[PapaWolf Cassim]] when Sa'luk basically told him ILied, he knew by that point he killed Sa'luk.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: It is how he defeats Sa'luk. [[spoiler: He threw the Hand of Midas in a way that Sa'luk could only catch it by holding it onto the Golden Hand. Look at [[PapaWolf Cassim]] when Sa'luk basically told him ILied, he knew by that point he killed Sa'luk.]]

* ReversePsychology: When Aladdin is caught trespassing in the lair of the Forty Thieves, Sa'luk says he must be killed due to their rules on intruders, and indicates to the others that Cassim would be showing weakness if he said otherwise. Cassim casually agrees to let Aladdin be killed, but then suggests an alternative. He pretends to dismiss this new idea, which only gets the thieves more interested, including Sa'luk, before finally suggesting that Aladdin face their initiation challenge and join the Forty Thieves. The thieves are immediately on board with the idea, and while Aladdin is not completely out of danger yet, Cassim's manipulations at least give his son a fighting chance.

* TheResenter: Hates Cassim with a passion.

* SuperStrength: He's not the strongest member of the Forty Thieves, but he's certainly far stronger than any normal man. He is able to lift Aladdin off the ground without any effort, and even ''kills a shark with his bare hands''.

Investigating leads Aladdin to the discover that the King of Thieves is his own long-lost father, who abandoned him and his mother years ago in hopes of finding the legendary Hand of Midas, a mystical artifact that resides on the Vanishing Isle and which can turn anything it touches into solid gold.

* CompositeCharacter: He is a fusion of Aladdin's late father Mustafa, Cassim and the chief bandit of the forty thieves.

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: He explains to Aladdin that he left to find an ancient treasure and secure a fortune for his wife and son. His refusal to come back empty handed meant he kept searching and stealing for years, and by the time he did come back he could not find his loved ones and was too deep in the criminal underworld to easily back out.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Proudly calls himself the King of Thieves, leads a thieves band and dresses up similar to how you'd expect a thief to dress, but he's determined to never hurt an innocent and only became a thief because he wanted to give his family a better life.

* AFatherToHisMen: Though his men are, unlike himself, real bloodthirsty criminals at heart, Cassim never treats them as underlings, and they in turn respect him enough to reject Sa'luk's claim that Cassim betrayed them to Razoul and the palace guards. When he has the opportunity to leave after escaping Agrabah, refuses to desert his men. Unfortunately, they've found themselves a new boss...

* InTheHood: Usually wears a hood and face-mask to preserve his identity.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Cassim prefers his criminal life than turning straight, but also has proven to be brave, caring, and never willing to hurt innocents.

* ReversePsychology: When Aladdin is caught trespassing in the lair of the Forty Thieves, Sa'luk says he must be killed due to their rules on intruders, and indicates to the others that Cassim would be showing weakness if he said otherwise. Cassim casually agrees to let Aladdin be killed, but then suggests an alternative. He pretends to dismiss this new idea, which only gets the thieves' more interested, including Sa'Luk, before finally suggesting that Aladdin face their initiation challenge and join the Forty Thieves. The thieves are immediately on board with the idea, and while Aladdin is not completely out of danger yet, Cassim's manipulations at least give his son a fighting chance.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: There's no question that he becomes leader of the remaining Thieves due to his skills at fighting, and he retained his position in the Thieves prior to Aladdin by being able to kill any man who tried to join and take his place.
* AintTooProudToBeg: [[https://youtu.be/xcTDmPerIwo&t=1m25s According to this behind-the-scenes snippet]], it appears that when [[spoiler:the Hand of Midas transforms him into a gold statue]], he was originally meant to say "It's cursed! Cursed! No! Please!"
* AxCrazy: Most ruthless and brutal of the Thieves, and openly enjoys violence.

* BaldOfEvil: Evil and clean shaven.

* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Unlike the LeanAndMean [[TheChessmaster scheming]] sorcerer Jafar was, Sa'luk is a brute who is more interested in stuffing his pockets than ruling a kingdom. And while Jafar [[ItsPersonal actively targeted Aladdin and his allies]], Sa'Luk's conflict is mainly with Cassim, and he doesn't interact with or even acknowledge Aladdin when it doesn't involve his father.
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:The Hand of Midas that he sought so hard to get turns him into a gold statue.]]

* EvilSoundsDeep: Being voiced by Creator/JerryOrbach, Sa'Luk has a gruff but powerful baritone voice that matches both his malice and his physical prowess. He especially gets to show it off during his VillainSong.

* GeniusBruiser: While not as intelligent or cunning as Cassim, who easily manipulates him multiple times, Sa'Luk is a lot more sneaky and capable of deception than he first seems.
* ILied: In the climax, he demands that Cassim toss him the Hand of Midas, threatening to kill Aladdin if doesn't comply. Cassim throws the Hand to him, but after catching it, Sa'Luk decides that he'll take Aladdin's life anyway. It turns out that [[spoiler:Cassim expected this, and threw the Hand in such a way that Sa'Luk would have to catch it by the Hand itself instead of by the handle. By the time Sa'luk realizes what's going to happen to him, it's too late.]]

* KilledMidSentence: Cassim casually tosses him the Hand of Midas, which Sa'luk catches with his bare hands, [[spoiler:but by the golden hand itself instead of the bronze handle. Sa'luk can only scream in horror as he is forcibly transformed into a gold statue, his BigNo [[AndIMustScream cut off]] once the magic reaches his face]].
* KnightOfCerebus: Sa'luk may not have supernatural powers like Jafar, but he is ''definitely'' almost as threatening. After surviving an apparent DisneyVillainDeath he ''kills a shark onscreen'' and the film takes a much darker turn when he sets his plot in motion. [[spoiler:His death is also nightmarish.]]

* WrestlerOfBeasts: Sa'Luk kills a shark that tried to make a meal out of him using only his strength and WolverineClaws.

* MetaphoricallyTrue: Her answer to Aladdin to find his father was, "Follow the trail of the Forty Thieves. Your father is trapped in their world". Aladdin at first thinks that he's literally their prisoner, but later realizes that he is "trapped" by his own greed.

* ProphetEyes: As seen in the page image, she has no visible pupils or irises. And of course she is the Oracle.

* NotoriousParent: He is a master thief and Aladdin's father. With an occupation like that, is it any wonder he had to leave his son?
* ReversePsychology: When Aladdin is caught trespassing in the lair of the Forty Thieves, Sa'luk says he must be killed due to their rules on intruders, and indicates to the others that Cassim would be showing weakness if he said otherwise. Cassim casually agrees to let Aladdin be killed, but then suggests an alternative. He pretends to dismiss this new idea, which only gets the thieves' more interested, including Sa'Luk, before finally suggesting that Aladdin face their initiation challenge and join the Forty Thieves. The thieves are immediately on board with the idea, and while Aladdin is not completely out of danger yet, Cassim's manipulations at least give his son a fighting chance.

* EvilSoundsDeep: He's played with a gruff baritone that matches both his malice and his physical prowess.

* GeniusBruiser: He’s alot more sneaky and manipulative than he first seems.
* ILied: He demands that Cassim toss him the Hand of Midas or else he'll kill Aladdin. Cassim complies, only for Sa'luk to make it clear he'll try to kill Aladdin, anyway. [[spoiler:Cassim expected this and so tossed him the Hand of Midas in such a way that he'd have to catch it by the hand itself instead of by the handle. By the time Sa'luk realizes what's going to happen, it's too late.]]

* BeyondRedemption: {{Deconstructed}}. It's not that he doesn't want to change his ways, it's jsut that he feels as though he is too deep in the life of a criminal to jsut quit altogether.

* BeyondRedemption: [[Deconstructed]]. It's not that he doesn't want to change his ways, it's jsut that he feels as though he is too deep in the life of a criminal to jsut quit altogether.

* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Unlike the LeanAndMean [[TheChessmaster scheming]] sorcerer Jafar was, Sa'luk is a brute who is more interested in stuffing his pockets than ruling a kingdom.

* DisneyDeath: Quite surprising, as it first seemed like a typical DisneyVillainDeath.

* SuperStrength: He's not the strongest member of the Forty Thieves, but he's certainly far stronger than any normal man. He even ''killed a shark with his bare hands''.