Cardinal (comics)
Encyclopedia
Cardinal is a fictional character
, a supervillain
appearing in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is African American
. Cardinal was created by Fabian Nicieza
and Darick Robertson
in New Warriors
#28 (October 1992).
, Night Thrasher
, and Thunderbolts
.
veteran. While on a mission in Rhodesia
, he conceives a child named Valerie Barnhardt with fellow mercenary buddy Sprocket
(Amelia Barnhardt). At some point, Clendenon is outfitted with a powered suit of armor and took the name Cardinal. Cardinal first appeared as a bodyguard for arms smuggler Jeremy Swimming-Bear (aka "Sea Urchin"). The plot was foiled by the New Warriors
. Broken out of prison by his allies, the Air Force, he and the team went after the New Warriors, but were defeated and sent back to prison.
Some time later, Air Force was dispatched to attack Dwayne Taylor
and a group of high-powered corporate officials on a jet bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Bosnia-Herzogovina. Taylor, secretly Night Thrasher, defeated Air Force and blackmailed them into assisting in relief efforts in middle Africa.
In Africa, Air Force were moved by the humanitarian disaster and began to earnestly help transport food and other aid to the starving peoples of the region. Protocol and his Soldiers of Misfortune attempted to interfere with the rescue missions and decimated Air Force, killing two of their members. Cardinal was badly injured in the battle. With the destruction of Air Force and frustrated with his attempt to do good, Clendenon repaired the Cardinal armor and vowed to continue to work on his own as a mercenary-for-hire.
's version of the Masters of Evil
. The Thunderbolts
defeated the Masters of Evil and destroyed the Crimson Cowl's weather machine which threatened the whole world. Cardinal was again incarcerated in Seagate Prison.
along with a special fighting suit. She is murdered along with several of her teammates during a battle with the villain Graviton
. Josh didn't know he had a daughter until after her death and a paternity test is done after her corpse is retrieved from space by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts' connection to the Redeemers is what the Crimson Cowl uses to get Cardinal to rejoin her Masters of Evil. Hawkeye
tracks the Masters of Evil down and convinces them that most of them were infected by a deadly biotoxin with which the Crimson Cowl sought to control them. Hawkeye makes a deal with them for the four Masters of Evil to join him, Songbird
, and Plant-Man to stop the Crimson Cowl. They accept and form a new team of Thunderbolts. Cardinal takes the new name of Harrier. The team defeats Crimson Cowl and the rest of her Masters of Evil
. They are able to neutralize the biotoxin.
Soon after, Citizen V
contacts the team explaining that the engines of the Vanguard, the V-Battalion
's airship, had created a white hole
. This threatens to fuse the whole Northern Hemisphere into glass within two hours time. He explains he needs the Thunderbolts' muscle to fill the white hole with as much material as necessary. Surprisingly, the core Thunderbolts team, who had been missing on Counter-Earth
, emerge from the void. The two teams close down the anomaly void and flee the V-Battalion. The Thunderbolts reorganize and Harrier voluntarily returns to prison.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
appearing in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. Cardinal was created by Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
and Darick Robertson
Darick Robertson
Darick W. Robertson is an American artist best known for his work as a comic book illustrator. Highly prolific, Robertson has illustrated hundreds of comics in his twenty plus years in the industry. His body of work ranges from science fiction characters of his own creation to headlining on...
in New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
#28 (October 1992).
Publication history
Cardinal has appeared in the pages of New WarriorsNew Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
, Night Thrasher
Night Thrasher
Night Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
, and Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
.
Air Force
Donald Joshua Clendenon is a Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran. While on a mission in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, he conceives a child named Valerie Barnhardt with fellow mercenary buddy Sprocket
Sprocket (comics)
Sprocket is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe where she was primarily a pilot for the superhero team the New Warriors. Her first appearance was in Night Thrasher: Four Control #2...
(Amelia Barnhardt). At some point, Clendenon is outfitted with a powered suit of armor and took the name Cardinal. Cardinal first appeared as a bodyguard for arms smuggler Jeremy Swimming-Bear (aka "Sea Urchin"). The plot was foiled by the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
. Broken out of prison by his allies, the Air Force, he and the team went after the New Warriors, but were defeated and sent back to prison.
Some time later, Air Force was dispatched to attack Dwayne Taylor
Night Thrasher
Night Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
and a group of high-powered corporate officials on a jet bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Bosnia-Herzogovina. Taylor, secretly Night Thrasher, defeated Air Force and blackmailed them into assisting in relief efforts in middle Africa.
In Africa, Air Force were moved by the humanitarian disaster and began to earnestly help transport food and other aid to the starving peoples of the region. Protocol and his Soldiers of Misfortune attempted to interfere with the rescue missions and decimated Air Force, killing two of their members. Cardinal was badly injured in the battle. With the destruction of Air Force and frustrated with his attempt to do good, Clendenon repaired the Cardinal armor and vowed to continue to work on his own as a mercenary-for-hire.
Masters of Evil
Cardinal joined the Crimson CowlCrimson Cowl
Crimson Cowl is an identity which has been used by four Marvel Comics characters to varying degrees:*Ultron used the identity in his debut as Ultron-5 to conceal his sentience, while using:**Edwin Jarvis as a "frontman" under the identity....
's version of the Masters of Evil
Masters of Evil
The Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
. The Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
defeated the Masters of Evil and destroyed the Crimson Cowl's weather machine which threatened the whole world. Cardinal was again incarcerated in Seagate Prison.
Thunderbolts
To clear her criminal record, Cardinal's daughter Valerie becomes a member of the government Redeemers program and is given the name MeteoriteMeteorite (comics)
Meteorite is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in the comic series, the Thunderbolts.-Fictional character biography:...
along with a special fighting suit. She is murdered along with several of her teammates during a battle with the villain Graviton
Graviton (comics)
Graviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
. Josh didn't know he had a daughter until after her death and a paternity test is done after her corpse is retrieved from space by S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts' connection to the Redeemers is what the Crimson Cowl uses to get Cardinal to rejoin her Masters of Evil. Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
tracks the Masters of Evil down and convinces them that most of them were infected by a deadly biotoxin with which the Crimson Cowl sought to control them. Hawkeye makes a deal with them for the four Masters of Evil to join him, Songbird
Songbird (comics)
Songbird , formerly known as Screaming Mimi, is a fictional character, a superheroine and former supervillainess in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:...
, and Plant-Man to stop the Crimson Cowl. They accept and form a new team of Thunderbolts. Cardinal takes the new name of Harrier. The team defeats Crimson Cowl and the rest of her Masters of Evil
Masters of Evil
The Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
. They are able to neutralize the biotoxin.
Soon after, Citizen V
Citizen V
Citizen V, is the codename of several fictional superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Citizen V was an obscure hero from the Golden Age of Comic Books, but the character's identity was revived in the modern day in the pages of Thunderbolts. The various incarnations of the...
contacts the team explaining that the engines of the Vanguard, the V-Battalion
V-Battalion
The V-Battalion is the name of two incarnations of a fictional secret organization composed of Golden Age superheroes and their descendents in stories from Marvel Comics...
's airship, had created a white hole
White hole
A white hole, in general relativity, is a hypothetical region of spacetime which cannot be entered from the outside, but from which matter and light may escape. In this sense it is the reverse of a black hole, which can be entered from the outside, but from which nothing, including light, may escape...
. This threatens to fuse the whole Northern Hemisphere into glass within two hours time. He explains he needs the Thunderbolts' muscle to fill the white hole with as much material as necessary. Surprisingly, the core Thunderbolts team, who had been missing on Counter-Earth
Counter-Earth
The Counter-Earth is a hypothetical body of the Solar system first hypothesized by the presocratic philosopher Philolaus to support his non-geocentric cosmology, in which all objects in the universe revolve around a Central Fire...
, emerge from the void. The two teams close down the anomaly void and flee the V-Battalion. The Thunderbolts reorganize and Harrier voluntarily returns to prison.
Powers and abilities
Clendenon has no superhuman powers. As Cardinal he wears a suit of powered armor that gives increased strength, body armor, flight and the ability to function underwater. The suit incorporates a number of offensive weapons including energy blasters, grenade launcher and tar gun.Television
- Cardinal appeared in the The Avengers: United They StandThe Avengers: United They StandThe Avengers: United They Stand is an animated series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team The Avengers. It consists of 13 episodes, which originally premiered on October 30, 1999, and was produced by Avi Arad and distributed by 20th Century Fox Television...
episode "Command Decision" voiced by Peter WildmanPeter WildmanPeter Wildman is a Canadian actor, voice actor, musician, writer and member of the Frantics comedy troupe. He voiced Buzz Sherwood on The Red Green Show, Mojo on the X-Men Animated Series and Sergeant Murphy in the series The Busy World of Richard Scarry....
. He is seen as a member of Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of EvilMasters of EvilThe Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
.
List of titles
- New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
#28, 35, 54-56 - Night ThrasherNight ThrasherNight Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
#4-5 - ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#24-25, 64-65, 67, 69, 71, 73-75 - Thunderbolts: Life SentencesThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#1
Significant stories
- New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
#28 (October 1992); "Heavy Turbulence" - Cardinal, bodyguard for Sea Urchin, battles the New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
. - New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
#35 (May 1993); "Hawks and Doves" - Cardinal and the Air Force battle the New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
. - Night ThrasherNight ThrasherNight Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
#4-5 (November 1993-December 1993) - The Air Force fight Night ThrasherNight ThrasherNight Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
. - New WarriorsNew WarriorsThe New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
#54-56 (December 1994-February 1995) - The Air Force are decimated in a fight with Protocol and his Soldiers of Fortune. Cardinal is severely injured. - ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#24-25 (March 1999-April 1999) - Cardinal joins the Crimson CowlCrimson CowlCrimson Cowl is an identity which has been used by four Marvel Comics characters to varying degrees:*Ultron used the identity in his debut as Ultron-5 to conceal his sentience, while using:**Edwin Jarvis as a "frontman" under the identity....
's Masters of EvilMasters of EvilThe Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
and are defeated by the ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
. - ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#65 (June 2002); "Becoming Heroes, Part 1: Moving Targets" - Cardinal joins Hawkeye's team of ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
. - ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#67 (August 2002); "Becoming Heroes, Part 2: Trust in Fear" - Cardinal takes the identity of Harrier. - ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#75 (February 2003); "Didn't See That Coming" - Harrier leaves the ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
and returns to prison.
External links
- Cardinal at Marvel.com