Renee Montoya is a street cop who rose through the ranks of the Gotham PD and eventually became the Question. She was created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian for Batman: The Animated Series, however, her first official appearance was in Batman #475 (March 1992) prior to being introduced on the TV show.

In Batman: The Animated Series Renee started out as a uniformed officer who was partnered with Harvey Bullock, then she was promoted to detective in the follow-up series, The New Batman Adventures. Renee’s start in comics had a similar trajectory with her being assigned as a homicide detective and partnered with Bullock.

Her skills as an officer were put to the test after the earthquake that rocked Gotham City in the Cataclysm crossover. When Gotham was cut off from the rest of the country in No Man’s Land, Renee was one of the police officers who stayed behind to help protect vulnerable citizens from the villains who were taking more and more power.

She tried to broker peace between Commissioner Gordon and Two-Face by appealing to the Harvey Dent side of his persona, but the Two-Face side won the proverbial coin toss, and he decided to hold Renee captive and put Gordon on trial. Still thinking logically, Renee told Two-Face that Gordon should be given the benefit of a defense attorney, and this time her persuasion worked. Harvey Dent acted as Gordon’s defense, convincing his other half to free Renee and Gordon.

Once the city was reopened, Renee, Gordon, and Bullock returned to their official positions as Gotham police officers.