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Mercer is the only Cobra Viper that ever defected to G.I. Joe and lived. Mercer joined Cobra for adventure and material gain, but became disillusioned with the Cobra philosophy. He escaped from Cobra Island by hot-wiring a
Moray hydrofoil and outrunning his pursuers across the Gulf of Mexico.
After his defection, the United States government utilized Mercer's unique situation by assigning him to the black operations group Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades. The Renegades, commanded by Sgt. Slaughter, was a motley four-man operation consisting of Sgt. Slaughter, Mercer, Red Dog, and Taurus. The Renegades answered only to themselves and never officially existed on any government ledger and weren't carried on the rosters of any existing military unit. There is no computer access to their dossiers and they are paid through a special fund earmarked for "Pentagon Pest Control." Therefore, The Renegades functioned with little restraint and the U.S. military could deny culpability should The Renegades be compromised.
The Renegades were reassigned to Europe with Sgt. Slaughter in 1989. Soon after, Sgt. Slaughter was reassigned to the Slaughter's Marauders that same year and the Renegades were disbanded. In 1991, Mercer was officially enlisted in the U.S. military under the name Richard S. Cecil to be reassigned to G.I. Joe. This was for his own protection, to use his knowledge and skills, and to keep a loyal soldier at hand should Mercer turn traitor once more. At some point thereafter, Mercer was reassigned to a post in India with the G.I. Joe team. Although reformed, because of his background, Mercer constantly had to prove his new loyalty. The G.I. Joes didn't completely trust him, then or now. This is most likely why Mercer has not been re-enlisted with G.I. Joe since its reinstatement. Despite all of this, Mercer quickly rose through the enlisted ranks to E-9 during his service. He was also officially pardoned of all crimes he may have committed while in Cobra's employment.
The
deployment of Red Dog to India in 2001 is proof that the Renegades still
continue missions for the United States government. Should Mercer be
officially re-inducted into the ranks of G.I. Joe, he could prove a valuable resource. Mercer has gone through the entire Viper training program and has first-hand observations of Cobra's past daily routines. Mercer has served in the Brazil, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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