Cardinal returning to the Magic wing, wearing new armor
Also known as: Lady Cardinal, Lady Redbird, Quelea
Name: Serenity Landon
Age: 19
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amber
Alignment: Justice League Midwest
Powers: Sorcery/Destiny (Magic)
Backstory[]
Serenity Landon was born to African parents in Southside Chicago, and, for the first few years of her life, had a moderately normal lifestyle.
It wasn't until she was about 5, that her parents started to notice a strange skin pattern running down her back, that slightly resemble feathers. When they took her to the doctor, they assumed it was just a birthmark. Her parents were not so sure. It wasn't until she turned 8 that they began to realize that their child was not normal.
On some nights, she would have nightmares. When her parents came to comfort her, she would be found muttering inarticulate sentences, which would result in objects flying across the room, windows breaking. At first, they thought it was a coincidence, and that she was just having a seizure. When she did the same thing 3 days later, her eyes were glowing, and they confirmed their fears: she was possessed.
Desperate, they called in a family friend, who once operated as a witch doctor. To their surprise, the doctor told them that this was not a curse. She was possessed by the spirit of an African winged deity named Hodelwe. She also said that one day, she would do great and wonderous things with her powers. This gave her parents hope.
Serenity Landon, 3 years before her transformation
Fast forward 11 years: after growing wayward during her childhood years, Serenity has dropped out of college, and is working as a bartender at a local nightclub. As she is walking home, she is mugged and shot by one of the customers. When the ambulance comes 40 minutes later, they immediately begin to take the bullet out. Not only does the bullet come out, but they find that the bullet wound is healing itself...very rapidly. At the same time, her eyes began to glow, and the feather-like pattern on her back suddenly grew textured; eventually, the feathers became full-fledged wings. Before the EMT's can react, the now-winged Serenity flies out of the ambulance and into the night sky.
The next day, the mugger is found dead of massive internal injuries.
A few weeks later, Serenity is confronted by a woman in a trench coat, who says that she can teach her to control her powers. Serenity asks who she is, taking note of the hidden tiara on her head. Before she can respond, they are both transported to what looks like a police department building. The woman takes off the trenchcoat, revealing herself to be Wonder Woman, and revealing to Serenity that this was, in fact, the JLA Watchtower, specifically the Magic wing.
Serenity decided to take Wonder Woman as her mentor, learning more about the magical arts. When a JLA assignment comes up, involving Felix Faust stealing souls, she takes it upon herself to stop him, believing that it is her chance to prove herself to Wonder Woman, and to the Justice League.
Since that mission, she has continued to fight crime under the name "Cardinal", and she is still learning much from all of the magic-based heroes.
Naomi Gonzalez, codename "Azalea". She got her powers in nearly the same way Serenity did.
Spiritual Sister?[]
It was resently discovered that their was another girl who was granted magical powers during her youth, along the same circumstances as Cardinal. Instead of sorcery, however, her powers dealt with nature. Her name was Naomi Gonzalez, and her alter ego name is Azalea.
Powers[]
Cardinal has a wide range of magical powers, a lot of which involve healing. She can blast enemies with beams of magical energy, or summon many different guardians to either heal allies, or further aid in the fight.
She can also cast numerous spells, based on what is needed during battle. She can create a wide magical field that can heal partners and damage opponents, as well as turn them into harmless animals.
She also can cast a spell to heal her friends at the expense of her health (although she tries to not use this power). After months of training, she has finally learned to cast the "Arbiter of Destiny" spell, which allows her to transform into a winged beast, augmenting her power exponentially.
Her magically-endowed wings allow flight, and when not in use, they retract back into her skin. Her weapon of choice is the Bo staff, which she learned to use through training with Nightwing on the weekends. In ranged attacks, her staff can act as a ray gun. Recently, she has picked up martial arts as well.
Costume[]
Before her magical powers were realized, Serenity Landon would always wear a leather jacket (with a chain), some shorts, and some sneakers. She also had an afro. Of course, her jacket had to be modified to accomodate for her wings, but it, along with the afro, is still her trademark style. Recently, though, the afro has changed to a bob hairstyle, presumably so it could fit in war helmets. In addition, she can now cast a spell to make her wings appear/disappear, to keep a disguise.
However, she has adapted to her new lifestyle; after she rescued Wonder Girl from Giganta, she had acquired pieces of magically-enhanced Amazonian armor. In addition, the colors of her jacket and shorts have recently become brighter.
As her opponents got more and more powerful, she eventually switched to an entire Amazon armor set. She still wears the jacket and shorts off the job, or on small time missions. She is working on adopting the "Fate's Faith" armor.
Trivia[]
- Originally, Cardinal's character design was slightly based on the Subway Surfers character 'Frizzy.'
- She is known to work (and be best friends) with Voltaire, another one of Wonder Woman's proteges, and a new champion of Shazam. These two, along with Azalea, make up the "Wings of Myth."
- She is bisexual, and is currently in a stable relationship with Cassie Sandsmark/Wonder Girl.
- She used to have a crush on Dick Grayson/Nightwing.
- Her DCUO name is still "Lady Redbird."
- Cardinal tries not to use her powers in public, if she can help it.
Gallery[]
