Throughout Snoopy has portrayed himself as a number of imaginary characters, including “Joe Cool” and “World Famous Tennis Player”, but his WWI Flying Ace persona is second to none, and the character’s extensive history in Peanuts lore confirms it.

Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace alter ego made his debut in the Peanuts comic strip published on October 10, 1965. In the strip’s very first , Snoopy is already wearing the iconic pilot’s helmet and goggles with his signature red scarf. In other words, Snoopy is the WWI Flying Ace right at the start of the character’s debut, without any lead-in or build-up whatsoever, throwing readers right into the mythos of this exciting new persona.

As the WWI Flying Ace, Snoopy sits atop his doghouse (which he’s pretending to be his Sopwith Camel biplane) before crossing over enemy lines. Once he does, the WWI Flying Ace comes face-to-face with his arch nemesis: the Red Baron. While the Red Baron would become a mainstay in Peanuts’ Flying Ace stories, Snoopy nearly gunned the enemy fighter down in this very comic. However, the Flying Ace misses that chance when he’s shot down by Linus, who was pretending to be an enemy gunner.

Funny enough, Snoopy seemingly almost retires his WWI Flying Ace persona upon the character’s debut. After Linus shoots him down, Snoopy (as the Flying Ace) says, “Maybe I can get a job with a good commercial airline…” implying that he’s ready to hang it all up right then and there. However, as fans very well know, that wasn’t the case, as Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace would go on to appear in a number of subsequent Peanuts storylines for years to come.

Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace Alter Ego has No Shortage of Memorable Peanuts Moments

The Adventures of Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace are Absolutely Legendary

Since his first appearance in 1965, Snoopy’s Flying Ace persona has made a number of appearances, including some standout moments that are especially memorable.

In the Peanuts comic published on January 9, 1966, the WWI Flying Ace goes toe-to-toe with the Red Baron once again. Unfortunately, this encounter doesn't go as well as the first one. Upon the Flying Ace’s debut, he nearly gets the Red Baron. In this comic, however, the Flying Ace thinks he’s gaining on the Red Baron, firing upon him in the hopes of shooting the enemy fighter out of the sky. But, once the dogfight comes to an end, Flying Ace sees that the Red Baron filled his Sopwith Camel full of holes, meaning he lost that round.

In the Peanuts comic published that same month on January 23, 1966, Snoopy comes up short while flying against the Red Baron once again. This time, the Flying Ace decides to bail out of his biplane, opting instead to parachute down to the Earth rather than go down with his plane. However, Snoopy is quickly snapped out of his imaginative game when Charlie Brown watches him plop right into his food bowl - a hilarious moment that Snoopy is totally embarrassed by.

In the Peanuts comic published a month later on February 13, 1966, Snoopy steps up the storytelling with these games by pretending the WWI Flying Ace is shot down behind enemy lines, making his way on foot back to safety. By the end of it, Charlie Brown comes to the conclusion that these games are starting to become a bit too intense for Snoopy. While that might be true, that doesn’t stop Snoopy from making his WWI Flying Ace games even more elaborate with the help of other Peanuts characters.

Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace Even Manages to Recruit Other Peanuts Characters

More than Just Snoopy Pretend to be a Part of the ‘War Effort’

Over the years, more and more Peanuts characters started to participate in Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace games. Fans already know that Linus was the first to do so in the Flying Ace’s debut, but as the years went on, he was far from the last.

The inclusion of these other Peanuts characters makes Snoopy’s Flying Ace games even more immersive, and expands the ‘Flying Ace Lore’ in Peanuts canon.

One of the most prevalent additions to Snoopy’s ‘Flying Ace’ lore is Woodstock (as well as Woodstock’s family), who acted as the Flying Ace’s plane mechanic. Snoopy even got his own family involved in his games on numerous occasions. Snoopy’s sister Belle adopted the role as a wartime nurse for the troops, and Snoopy’s brother Spike became a member of the infantry himself. Even human of the Peanuts gang ed in on the fun, including and especially Marcie, who takes on the role of the “French Lass” that falls in love with Snoopy’s Flying Ace.

Snoopy’s other brother, Marbles, was also invited to play ‘Flying Ace’ with Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip published on October 8, 1982, but he was just confused the whole time, and didn’t add much to the game.

The inclusion of these other Peanuts characters makes Snoopy’s Flying Ace games even more immersive, as he’s not just throwing himself into his own pretend world while sitting on the roof of his dog house anymore, he’s collaborating with his friends to make the game even more fun. Bringing more people into the game also expands the ‘Flying Ace Lore’ in Peanuts canon, adding new characters to the persona’s personal history, and making his stories that much more exciting to read.

Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace Appears in More than Just the Peanuts Comic Strip

WWI Flying Ace is Featured in Movies, Specials, & Video Games

While the WWI Flying Ace’s history in the Peanuts comic strip is extensive, it’s far from the only version of Snoopy’s iconic alter ego. The WWI Flying Ace has also made a number of appearances in other media, including feature films, holiday specials, and even video games.

Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace made his animated debut in the holiday special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which actually adapts the aforementioned comic strip that was published on February 13, 1966. The Flying Ace also appeared in 2015’s The Peanuts Movie, bringing his action-packed imaginative adventures to the realm of computer animation. Plus, Snoopy’s Flying Ace is the main playable character of not one, not two, but three separate video games: Snoopy and the Red Baron, Snoopy vs the Red Baron, and Snoopy Flying Ace.

Clearly, Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace persona has had a major impact on Peanuts canon ever since his debut all the way back in 1965, a trend that has continued to this day. Snoopy will always be a standout character in Peanuts, a timeless icon that fans will enjoy forever, and a main reason for that is his many alter egos that allow Snoopy to go on countless adventures in increasingly fun and interesting ways - and there are arguably no better alter egos than the WWI Flying Ace.

Source: JoBlo Animated Videos/YouTube