The late Kevin Smith first appears in the Xenaverse as Hercules' maternal half brother Iphicles. He would later portray Ares the god of war who is a paternal half brother of Hercules.
In European folklore, the vaguely humanoid root of the mandrake plant is a demon whose scream is deadly to humans. In this show, the mandrake is a kind of lizard, which does not match the traditional folklore.
In some versions of the Hercules story, Iphicles is Iolaus' father. Michael Hurst (Iolaus) is older than both Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Kevin Smith (Iphicles).
The title is based upon a quote from William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet": (Act II, Scene II): "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".