He shouldn't be surprised; that space pirate worked his way up the career ladder:



N64: No appearance, but heard about it.

Melee: Rejected application as a fighter (too big), but received cameo in the opening as Samus' archenemy.

Brawl: Boss in Subspace Emissary story, managing to swing an extra appearance as Meta Ridley.

WiiU/3DS: A stage hazard enemy able to be a pseudo-fighter helping other characters, swallowing his pride for the sake of more appearances.

Ultimate: Full-fledged fighter.