The Renegades don't answer to anyone but themselves. They don't officially exist. They can function with very little restraint but if they are compromised, they're on their own. Mercer was the only Cobra Viper that ever defected to the Joes and survived. He had joined Cobra for the adventure and the promise of material gain but soon grew disaffected with the Cobra philosophy. He escaped Cobra island by hot-wiring a hydrofoil and outrunning his pursuers across the Gulf of Mexico. Mercer is proficient with all Cobra small arms and explosive devices.
Mercer is one of the Renegades, a black-ops squad of paroled prisoners assembled by Sgt. Slaughter and first appearing in G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987). First released as a Hasbro carded action figure in 1987.
Mercer appears in 2 episode synopses across the Sunbow (1983 to 1987) and DiC (1989 to 1992) runs, first appearing in DiC's "The Eliminator" (1991). Full screencap and continuity review pending.