Current Events
Cardinal now known as Harrier, and is currently in prison. After aiding the Thunderbolts in defeating Crimson Cowl and the Masters of Evil, Harrier saw the error of his ways and realized that the right thing to do would be to go back to prison. Hawkeye convinced Cardinal to change his costumed identity to prevent any backlash coming to him from the Masters of Evil and Crimson Cowl so he reinvented himself as Harrier.
Origin
A veteran of the Vietnam War, Donald Clendenon is able to procure a powerful suit of armor and takes up the name Cardinal and works as a bodyguard and mercenary. His first employer is Jeremy Swimming Bear (Sea Urchin) who’s illegally smuggling weapons. The team the New Warriors comes to stop them and is able to defeat Cardinal and put him in prison. Cardinal is soon broken out of prison by the group the Air Force and they attempt to get revenge on the New Warriors but are unsuccessful and the entire group is put in prison. The Air Force, including Cardinal, is once again able to break out of prison and sent on a mission to stop a jet carrying supplies to Bosnia Herzegovina, Africa. Also traveling on board the aircraft is Night Thrasher, who is able to fight off Air Force and by threatening them, forces them to help in the relief efforts Bosnia Herzegovina.
As a result of being blackmailed by Night Thrasher into helping the needy in Bosnia Herzegovina, Cardinal realized that helping people was what he really wanted to do with his life so he remained in Africa assisting where he could. Some time after this a group knows a Undertow attacked and killed the refugees Cardinal was helping. In retaliation, Cardinal and the rest of Air Force battle Undertow but in the end Cardinal is seriously injured, the other members of Air Force are killed, and Undertow captures Sparrow. Cardinal tries to rescue Sparrow but is unable to do so and in his anger he decides to become a mercenary and join Crimson Cowl’s Masters of Evil and get revenge on the governments of the world. The Thunderbolts are successful in stopping and capturing Cardinal, as well as the other villains in the Masters of Evil.
Character Evolution
Cardinal under goes a lot of changes throughout his life, originally starting out as a Vietnam War who decides to become a mercenary, then a bodyguard. So while his motives are driven by money he eventually realizes that helping people in need is how he wants to live his life. This change of heart doesn’t last long as he has to deal with a group murdering the refugees he was helping, and this in a way pushes him back to the dark side and. Following the death of his daughter Valarie Barnhardt, Cardinal was led by Crimson Cowl to believe that Hawkeye was responsible for her death and he held a grudge against him. Eventually Harrier sees that Hawkeye was not at fault and forgives him. Cardinal currently is an upstanding man who is serving out his prison sentence voluntarily.
Powers and Abilities
Cardinal has no innate super powers but his suit of armor grants him numerous abilities such as flight, energy blasters, increased strength, can fire grenades, and operate underwater.