In today’s pop culture environment, the name “Doctor Evil” probably brings to mind the antagonistic bald man who seeks to take down Austin Powers. But Mike Myers wasn’t the person to originate the name – Dr. Evil has been around since the 1960s.

The original Dr. Evil was created to serve as an antagonist and villain of Captain Action, who was created as an answer to the popularity of G.I. Joe in 1966. Captain Action had the ability to transform into different heroes (thanks to costumes that could be bought for the figure separately), allowing him to turn into the likes of The Lone Ranger, The Phantom, Flash Gordon, Superman, Batman, Captain America, and many others.

Dr. Evil himself was a blue-skinned alien with large eyes and an exposed brain, who did his planning in a secret lair that also doubled as a carrying case for the figure itself. In the Captain Action comics, which were originally published in 1968, Dr. Evil’s backstory was changed from that of an alien invader to being Captain Action’s father-in-law who lost his mind.