Even though Gotham has a high concentration of vigilantes, only one of them would make the best replacement for Batman: the Question. When Renee Montoya isn’t serving as the Gotham City Police Commissioner, she’s a noir-like detective called the Question, and she’s the only mask worthy of taking Batman’s place
Though it’s difficult to compare them, Renee Montoya’s publication history is a lot like Harley Quinn’s: they both began as minor characters in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, only to eventually make their way into the comics. In the animated program, Renee began as a beat cop. As she moved into the print version of Gotham City, she eventually worked her way up to detective, and then, after Commissioner Gordon’s dismissal and subsequent retirement, she replaced him as police commissioner. But when she’s not working for the GCPD, Montoya moonlights as the Question, a faceless vigilante who isn’t afraid to dig into questions (and situations) normal cops wouldn’t dare to tread.
Though Renee hasn’t put on the Question mask (or hat) in a while due to her responsibilities as commissioner, she once again stands tall as the Question in a story from Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1 by Alex Segura, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Pat Brosseau. The Lazarus rains (caused by the events in the larger Lazarus Planet event) have mutated a once-human serial killer into something monstrous. Montoya decides that the police can’t handle this new turn in the case, and decides instead to tackle it herself—but not as the commissioner. “Before,” she narrates, “Gordon would just flick on the signal and pass the baton to Batman. But Batman’s not here.” And so the Question steps up once again.
While Batman is away “in the thick of the madness elsewhere” (as seen in Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1), the Question decides to step up as the investigator of all things weird and monstrous. Though this isn’t the first time Batman has needed a replacement in Gotham—Azrael took over for him in the 1990s, and Dick Grayson took a turn as the Bat after the events of Final Crisis—the Question might just be the best choice for the job. Though she doesn’t have the brute strength of Azrael or the unique, Bat-approved training of Dick Grayson, she does have the kind of detective skills that are often underappreciated in Batman’s own skill set.
Despite his gadgets and martial arts training, Batman is first and foremost a detective. It only makes sense that a true detective should step up in his absence from Gotham—and there’s no one better suited to that job than Renee Montoya as the Question. The Lazarus Planet event seems to be establishing a new status quo across the DC Universe. Hopefully Batman fans can expect to see more of the Question—not just Commissioner Renee Montoya—in the near future.