Renee Montoya

Renee Montoya as the Question from Final Crisis: Revelation v1 #2.

Renee Montoya is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Origins

Renee Montoya

One of the first Arkham inmates to attack was Mr. Zsasz. He broke into a school and held some of the students hostage. Renee played a vital role on Zsasz's capture as she stalled the killer long enough until Batman arrived. After Batman defeated Zsasz, Renee was forced to stop Batman from brutalizing the maniac. (Batman v1 #493) Later, with several inmates still roaming free, Renee investigated Firefly's past in order to locate him. (Detective Comics v1 #661) She was among the first officers who responded to The Riddler's threat and after Robin defused the situation, Renee arrested Riddler and carried him away to be taken to prison. (Detective Comics v1 #662) A few hours later, the abduction of Mayor Krol was revealed and Montoya, along with Bullock, went to the man's home looking for clues. There, they learned that Krol had been taken to the Gotham River Tunnel, but they were unable to enter, as the tunnel had been blocked. (Batman v1 #496) Moments later, Montoya located Krol near the edge of the river and she informed Gordon and called for paramedics to get the man some medical attention. (Detective Comics v1 #663)

Hours later, Montoya witnessed Bane tossing a seriously injured Batman onto the streets. She tried to help, but an ambulance from Gotham's Mercy Hospital arrived and took Batman away. Montoya was blamed by Gordon for letting strangers take Batman, but the Commissioner apologized after Bullock's intervention. Later, under Gordon's instructions, Bullock and Montoya retrieved a medication and delivered it to Batman's allies. (Detective Comics v1 #664) Shortly after, Bullock and Montoya investigated the crime scene at the Gotham University, where Scarecrow had killed and kidnapped several students. They played a tape that was addressed to Batman and they had to be saved by the Dark Knight when the tape was revealed to be an explosive. (Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #17)

Montoya was soon promoted to detective of the Major Crime Units, where she remained as Harvey Bullock's partner. As a rookie detective, she was in charge of reviewing cold cases, but she was soon summoned to the Gotham Morgue, where she managed to capture Mister Freeze with Batman's help. Although this helped her gain a reputation with her peers, the experience caused her to doubt Batman's identity as the man she used to know. (Detective Comics v1 #670)

A Gotham bridge was blown up with a missile, and Catwoman was spotted in the vicinity. Gordon laid out the facts to Harvey and Renee, saying it didn't fit Catwoman's M.O. Harvey said women changed their minds all the time, which offended Renee. Gordon admitted that it looked more like joker's work, and decided to contact Batman to see if there was a possibility of them working together. (Catwoman v2 #63)

Montoya and Harvey Bullock investigated the scene of Zatanna's abduction from Gotham Auditorium. (Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin v1 #1)

Question

Searching for clues in 52 v1 #4.

Montoya takes the case of a missing illegal immigrant — the young sister of the man named Hector Soliz seeking her detective services. She follows some leads to their hideout and discovers pornographic pictures of the girl, indicating she may have become involved in a child pornography or sexual slavery ring. (Detective Comics v1 #854)

When Montoya briefly returned to Gotham City, she worked with the new Batman and quickly realized that he was Nightwing. Her old partner Bullock also discovered that Renee is the new Question, pointing out that he worked with her long enough to be able to recognize her butt anywhere. (Detective Comics Annual v1 #11)

Aristotle Rodor and Renee Montoya came to learn that the dead were rising as the Black Lantern Corps. Rodor wondered if it was possible Vic Sage could come back from the dead and plucked some hairs from Question’s old hat. Lady Shiva arrived at Rodor’s lighthouse saying she’d come to test Renee in her prowess of the martial arts as she’d challenged her predecessor as the Question. Aristotle asked them to fight outside, and although Renee wasn’t thrilled with the idea Lady Shiva said she’d kill her if she didn’t fight. They found themselves evenly matched, and while they were fighting a Black Lantern ring appeared, raising Question from the dead as a Black Lantern. Question attacked Renee and Shiva, both of whom realized that although he looked like their friend there was nothing of Vic Sage inside him. Question intended to kill them, but Rodor interrupted the fight by shooting Shiva in the arm. Rodor desperately wanted Question to tell him the mysteries of life and death, seeing it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to understand the meaning of life. Question told him to beg, and Rodor realized Question meant to kill him as well. Shiva realized the Black Lantern Question saw through the emotional spectrum, so she allowed herself to feel nothing, making her invisible to him. After some prompting from Shiva Rodor and Renee were able to do the same, and the Question, frustrated, left. Renee changed into the Question, saying she could not let him remain on the loose. (Question v1 #37)

Some time after this, Montoya teams up with the Huntress to bring down the criminal network that Renee had earlier encountered. Eventually, the hitman known as Zeiss attacks the women, having been ordered by an unknown client to kill them. Renee appeals to the hitman's greed, offering him more money if he simply fakes their deaths and leaves them be. After this, Huntress takes Renee to Oracle for help in tracking down the client who put out the hit, and is flabbergasted upon discovering that Oracle was in fact 'Commissioner Gordon's daughter'. The two women eventually make their way to Oolong Island (home of the Doom Patrol), where they are arrested. (Detective Comics v1 #862) After escaping from police custody, Huntress and the Question discovered that Vandal Savage is behind the human trafficking network they had been trying to shut down. Savage offers to shut down his criminal network in exchange for one of them taking the Mark of Cain, which had been branded onto his face by the Spectre during the events of Final Crisis. Renee ultimately chooses to accept the Mark of Cain, ending Savage's reign of terror but leaving her face disfigured. (Detective Comics v1 #863)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

At some point, she left the force and became associated with the vigilante the Question, coming to consider Victor Sage to be her best friend. Their travels together took them to Kahndaq, where they met Black Adam. She saw Victor die of a wasting illness in her arms on a mountaintop and later took up his mantle as the new Question. (Lois Lane v2 #4)

About a month later, she had tailed him to Atlanta, where Kate Kane also happened to be living at the time, having been displaced by Bane's capture of Gotham. Renee enlisted her girlfriend's help to capture Black Mask, but once again he was able to escape, this time after wounding Renee. (Black Mask: Year of the Villain v1 #1)

While investigating Mariska's death, she re-encountered Vic Sage, whom she had believed to be dead and whom had been resurrect as a result of outside forces manipulating reality. (Lois Lane v2 #3)

Afterwards, Gotham suffered from the events of A-Day that saw a massive Joker Toxin attack on Arkham Asylum. Renee came to re-join the GCPD as a detective where she met with Mayor Christopher Nakano. He asked her to replace the resigned Harvey Bullock as the new Police Commissioner. (The Next Batman: Second Son v1 #3)

The evening before she plans to accept the position, Renee has a run-in with two GCPD officers who are harassing a man Renee had arrested years earlier and who had received a relatively harsh sentence for a low-level drug offense. Conflicted after hearing the man's explanation, Renee begins reconsidering her choice to accept the Commissioner position. Batwoman meets Renee, and the two discuss the issue; Kate helps clarify Renee's thoughts on the matter, and Renee concludes that she has the chance to help clean up the GCPD and amend for the sorts of abuses of power she saw as both a patrol cop and a detective that she couldn't otherwise prevent, as well as ones she herself took part in, in the name of meeting monthly citation quota. (Batman: Urban Legends v1 #21)

Overview

Personality and attributes

She later came to be vigilante and took on the name of the Question. (52 v1 #48)

Notes

• Renee Montoya was created by Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Mitch Brian who created her in Batman: The Animated Series.

Alternate Versions

• In Teen Titans v3 #17 (2004), an alternate version of Renee Montoya appeared in the dark timeline ten years in the future that was known as Titans Tomorrow. The Teen Titans a adopted a more ruthless authoritarian streak in eliminating villains from the world. On this Earth, Renee Montoya was the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department and received advice from the retired James Gordon. The pair were at odds with the new Batman who was actually Tim Drake that began eliminating criminals instead of capturing them.
• In Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance v1 #2 (2011), an alternate version of Renee Montoya appeared in the altered timeline of the Flashpoint. While Batman investigated the bar for clues a murder, the vigilante began to rough up one of Montoya's usual patrons Harvey Bullock, which caused her to take a swing at Batman with the baseball bat she hid underneath the bar. Instead of continuing the fight, Montoya instead helped Batman with his investigation by showing him to the basement, where one of her Joker Venom-infected coworkers was being held. Killing him, Batman then left her bar with the mess to clean up.
• In Justice League v2 #23.4 (2013), an alternate version of Renee Montoya appeared in the world of Earth-3 in the reborn Multiverse. She was partners with Harvey Bullock. The two cops were as bad as criminals, sticking up a family and demanding their wallets. However, they were run over by Outsider.

In other media

Television

Renee Montoya in Gotham.

• In Gotham, Renee Monoya appeared in the setting of the live-action television series first season where she was portrayed by actress Victoria Cartagena. She was shown as a detective in Major Crimes in the Gotham City Police Department where she was partnered with Detective Crispus Allen. It was revealed that as part of her backstory that she was involved romantically Barbara Kean though the two had broken up with Barbara now being Jim Gordan's fiancée. Detective Montoya and Allen attempted to investigate the death of Thomas as well as Martha Wayne. The socialites were shot in Crime Alley though the case passed to Detective Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock with the two believing Mario Pepper was responsible for the murder who was shot. Through Oswald Cobblepot, they learnt that Pepper was framed and she warned Barbara Kean as she still had feelings for her.
• In Batwoman, Renee Montoya appeared in the setting of the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse where she was portrayed again by actress Victoria Cartagena.

Films

• In Batman: Bad Blood, Renee Montoya made an appearance in the animated film where she was voiced by actress Vanessa Marshall. She was shown as a Detective in the Gotham City Police Department and when she was off-duty she met Katherine Kane at a bar. The pair developed a mutual attraction to one another with Montoya agreeing to go on a date with her.
• In Birds of Prey, Renee Montoya appeared in the setting of the live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Rosie Perez. This version was a skilled Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) Detective and fan of 1980s police films, which she is prone to quoting while conducting police work, whose career has stalled due to her former partner and current captain Patrick Erickson taking credit for solving a past case sometime prior. In the present, she develops a fixation towards Roman Sionis while investigating his criminal activities, but is suspended for failing to provide evidence. After she joins forces with Harley Quinn, Dinah Lance, and Helena Bertinelli to rescue Cassandra Cain from Sionis, Erickson takes credit for doing so, leading to Montoya resigning from the GCPD and joining Lance and Bertinelli in forming the Birds of Prey.

Video games

• In Batman: Dark Tomorrow, Renee Montoya appeared briefly in a cutscene in the setting of the video game where she was voiced by actress Erin Quinn Purcell.
• In DC Universe Online, Renee Montoya appeared as the Question where she was voiced by Angela Harger. She was shown in Gotham City where she and Batwoman served as the experts on the Religion of Crime as well as task player heroes in combating the Intergang Cult of Crime. When Kate Kane was captured for sacrifice, Montoya directed players to the Temple of Crime and sought to free Batwoman.
• In Batman: Arkham Knight, Renee Montoya was referenced in the video game on a board listing Detective shifts at GCPD Headquarters with her name being present on it.
• In Batman: The Telltale Series, Renee Montoya appeared in the video game series where she was voiced by actor Krizia Bajos. She was a Detective in the GCPD who admired the efforts of Bruce Wayne for Gotham City. Renee was later drugged causing her to lose her impulse control leading to her shooting Carmine Falcone in the head when he was detained at GCPD Headquarters.

Appearances

• Batman v1: (1992)
• Detective Comics v1:
• Gotham Central v1:
• 52 v1: (2007)
• Final Crisis: Revelation v1:
• Lois Lane v2: (2020)
• The Next Batman: Second Son v1:
• Batman v3: (2021)

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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