Saddam Hussein was the infamous President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 until US military apprehended him. In 2006, he faced trial for crimes against humanity and was sentenced to death. Hussein’s eldest son, Uday Hussein, reportedly had a falling out with his father, despite Uday’s position as successor to the Hussein regime. The eldest son was internationally known for his unstable personality and numerous criminal allegations - which included assaults against women, the use of archaic forms of punishment, and fatal attacks on family members and enemies alike. Uday and his brother Qusay died in 2003 when special operations Task Force 20, in conjunction with the US Army, besieged a hideout in Mosul, Iraq.

The 2011 drama The Devil’s Double presents an adaptation of Latif Yahia’s 1994 true crime novel of the same name. Yahia, a former classmate of Uday, describes how he was enlisted to function as Uday’s body double - a dangerous position that required he make public appearances as Uday. Although some journalists reject the former soldier’s claim, Yahia went on to publish several more texts about his experiences in Hussein-ruled Iraq. Uday is portrayed as a blood-thirsty tyrant with no regard for human life - and as a man and ruler whom the people of Iraq greatly feared. The accounts also detail how Uday was fixated on his appearance, a behavior which caused the public to view him as both dangerous and eccentric.

