The iconic Disney cartoon short Steamboat Willie celebrates its 90th anniversary later this year, and along with it has come the anniversaries of many of the biggest names in Disney history. Interestingly enough, though, the antagonist from Steamboat Willie was not a new character – Pete had actually debuted several years earlier, though his appearance alongside Mickey Mouse would certainly go on to cement his legacy.

Pete first appeared on February 15, 1925, as “Bootleg Pete” in Alice Solves the Puzzle. His name came from his career, which was bootlegging alcohol during the Prohibition Era. Worth noting is the fact that Pete’s first appearance had him as a totally different animal than what he is now; he first showed up as an angry bear that was interested in menacing Alice into giving him the puzzle she was working on for his collection.

Pete later appeared – again as a bear – in the 1927 Oswald short, The Ocean Hop. He would continue to antagonize the lucky rabbit even after Disney lost the rights to Oswald, making Pete one of the only cartoon characters to ever appear frequently in shorts that were being produced by two rival studios at the same time.

In Steamboat Willie, Pete was cast as the short-tempered captain of the titular boat; this appearance also marked the first time Pete appeared as the cat he’s still known as today (in order to be a proper villain for the heroic mouse). In the short, Pete boots Mickey from the bridge after the latter had been enjoying himself by whistling a tune, and later injures himself after accidentally spitting chewing tobacco into his own eye.

Pete was the most consistent antagonist for Mickey in the early days of his cartoons and well into the 1930s, appearing in a variety of roles, such as an outlaw in Gallopin’ Gaucho and as a cop in Moving Day. He also appeared in other characters’ stories when Mickey’s popularity waned, with Pete going on to torment Donald Duck and even Goofy.

With the Disney character lineup entering the world of comic strips, Pete continued on in his villainous fashion, often teaming up with other less-than-savory types such as Eli Squinch and Sylvester Shyster. The comics in Italy in particular proved to be popular, and Pete often took more of a central role to the story rather than simply showing up to irritate the heroes.

Like a lot of other Disney cartoon characters, Pete was essentially absent for a lot of the mid-century, with his appearance in 1954’s The Lone Chimpmunks being his last for nearly 30 years. It wouldn’t be until Mickey’s Christmas Carol in 1983 that he resumed his antagonistic ways. He’s been seen fairly consistently since, with a handful of appearances in DuckTales leading into more major roles in Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Though he’s usually portrayed as a bully towards Mickey, Minnie and the gang, there have been several more moments of Pete being a far more sympathetic character than he ever was in his early days.

Pete was given a family in 1992’s Goof Troop series, with his wife Peg and his son Pete Jr. (or P.J.). Though Pete was often the antagonist on the show, he was also often on the receiving end of Goofy’s various antics, which may have played into his perpetual bad mood. However, P.J. and Goofy’s son Max often got along, and the two families at large tend to get along. Pete and P.J. also played minor supporting roles in A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie, both of which were spinoffs from the show.

He’s also been continued to be introduced to new generations of Disney fans via various video games, such as in Disney’s Magical Quest, Mickey Mania, and World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, in which Pete is the main antagonist in all three. Pete is also a recurring villain in Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2, in which he appears with his classic peg-leg. He’s also a recurring enemy in the Kingdom Hearts series, where – having previously been banished to another dimension – he’s freed by Maleficent and seeks to build and control an army of Heartless for her.

Regardless of if he’s simply causing mischief or is outright being a bully to Mickey and the gang, Pete has maintained a consistent place throughout Disney cartoon history. While his Steamboat Willie appearance wasn’t his true debut, it was the introduction of the smarmy, temperamental cat known today.