Renee Montoya

Summary: Originally introduced as a supporting character in Batman: The Animated Series, Renee Montoya crossed over to DC Comics when writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker made her a significant player in the noir comic Gotham Knights. As Joe Palmer explains in an entry on the site Gay League, " Montoya was one of the ensemble cast members, but soon came to prominence in the the second story arc, the five part Half A Life. Renee, who had previously had a boyfriend named Johnny, was outed with a photo of her kissing a woman prominently posted on the station bulletin board. To make her life worse, Two Face had become obsessed with the detective and kidnapped her. Thankfully, she made it through the ordeal unharmed. Her parents, relieved that their daughter was not alive, were not understanding of her sexuality and disowned her." Renee Montoya was also an important cast member in a year-long weekly limited series (52) helmed by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Keith Giffen. By the time the series ended, Montoya had become the newest incarnation of the mystical hero known as The Question. Although many fans hailed this evolution of her character as an important step forward for lesbian and Latin-X representation, Montoya was eliminated from the comics entirely when DC Comics rebooted all of their books as part of the 2011 initiative known as "The New 52." Thankfully, DC remedied this mistake seven years later when they again rebooted their titles as part of "DC Rebirth." Renee Montoya's love interests have included the pastry chef Daria Hernandez and socialite Kate Kane (Batwoman). As Heather Hogan notes in an article written for Autostraddle, "With very few exceptions, Montoya is Kate’s go-to girlfriend in comics and on-screen."

Database Links: Wikipedia, DC Wiki, DC Universe

Important Issues: Renee Montoya served as an exemplary detective for the GCPD and aided Batman in capturing several villains in his rogues gallery. While her younger brother knew about her sexuality, during the Batman: No Man's Land story arc her parents learn the truth and disown their eldest child. Montoya goes on to be chosen by Vic Sage to be his successor as The Question. Like Harley Quinn, the character made her first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series before making her way to the pages of Batman comics and eventually being featured as the main character in her own comic series.