I Just Realized DC Fixed Its Most Controversial Hero a Decade Ago – It’s Time to Give Them the Spotlight They Deserve

Warning: contains spoilers for “Duality,” appearing in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15!I just realized DC fixed one of its most controversial heroes over a decade ago—and now it is time to give them the spotlight they deserve. Although the Question is not one of the publisher’s best known heroes, they still enjoy a cult following. The character’s current incarnation, Renee Montoya, takes center stage in the story “Duality,” appearing in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15–and it shows how far the character has come.

“Duality,” written by Alex Segura and drawn by Andy MacDonald, appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15. A mysterious assailant is targeting Renee Montoya, lashing out at those closest to her. Montoya, despite being the Commissioner, is at a loss to find out who is responsible. After her sponsor is brutally attacked and hospitalized, Montoya changes to the Question to search for answers.

The story also takes a deep look into Montoya’s psyche, showing her as a compassionate person who cares deeply about those around her.

These qualities separate her from her predecessor: Vic Sage.

The Question’s Creation and Early History, Explained

The Question Was a Comics-Code Friendly Way for Steve Ditko to Talk Politics

Crusading journalist Vic Sage, the first Question, was created by Steve Ditko for Charlton Comics’ Action Heroes Line, which also included Blue Beetle and Captain Atom. First appearing as a backup feature in 1967’s Blue Beetle #1, the Question was certainly one of the line’s most distinctive looking characters, thanks to his faceless visage. Ditko created the Question to be a mouthpiece for the philosophy of conservative thinker Ayn Rand. Comic historians have pointed out the similarities between the Question and another Ditko creation: Mister A. Both characters use a similar visual gimmick, and both are Rand adherents.

Charlton’s Action Heroes line was not a success, and within a few short years the characters entered limbo. Charlton, being a smaller publisher, was not able to pay creators the same rates Marvel and DC did, but there was a tradeoff: writers and artists were permitted greater control over their creations. This gave the Charlton Action Heroes a unique vibe, separating them from other publishers, and the Question best exemplified this approach, often dealing with foes more harshly than his contemporaries. This approach also ensured the Question and his allies would not remain in limbo for long.

The Question Might Have Slipped Into Limbo, If Not For DC

The Question Entered the DC Universe In the Mid-1980s

The Charlton Action Heroes characters made few appearances throughout the 1970s, mostly in fanzines. Writer/artist Dick Giordano, who had been the editor of the Action Heroes line, would later move to DC Comics, eventually working his way up to the position of Executive Editor. By the early 1980s, Charlton’s fortunes were in decline, and were in danger of going under. Paul Levitz arranged for DC to purchase the rights to the Action Heroes stable of characters, including the Question, as a gift to Giordano. Charlton folded in 1986.

What happened next is the stuff of comic book legends: then up-and-coming writer Alan Moore wished to use the Action Heroes characters to tell a complex story involving superheroes in the real world. Moore’s request was denied. DC had plans to incorporate the former Charlton heroes into its multiverse. The Question and his friends were relegated to Earth-4 in DC’s Multiverse, and made their proper DC debuts during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Moore then took the Action Hero characters and created new versions–which became Watchmen. Under Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’ guidance, the Question became Rorscach.

Two Comics Legends Reshaped the Question For a New Era

They Made the Question One of DC’s Most Compelling Characters

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Question received his own solo series, written by Denny O’Neil and drawn by Denys Cowan. The duo completely rebuilt the Question from the ground up. In 1986’s The Question #1, Vic Sage was shot in the head and left for dead. He was found by Lady Shiva and taken to Richard Dragon, a wheelchair-using martial arts master. Under Dragon’s tutelage, Vic gave up his right-wing, Ayn Rand-tinged philosophy and embraced a more Zen Buddhist outlook on life. Sage had been an expert in hand-to-hand combat, but Dragon taught him martial arts.

Under O’Neil and Cowan, the Question went from a Silver Age curiosity to one of the most compelling characters in the DC Universe. O’Neil and Cowan did away with Objectivism, but not the brutality. While they dispensed with Ayn Rand, O’Neil and Cowan still used the Question as a sounding board for philosophical ideas, with O’Neil offering reading suggestions in each issue’s letters page. The Question was perpetually pulled between his higher and lower selves, between the need for justice and the need for revenge, and this made for gripping stories. The series would end in 1990.

Vic Sage’s Journey Came to an End in the 2000s

Renee Montoya Took Up the Mantle of the Question

After the conclusion of the Question’s first solo title, he would make sporadic appearances throughout the DC Universe. In 1999, he teamed with other former Charlton Action Heroes characters in the series L.A.W.: Living Assault Weapons. In 2004, legendary creator Rick Veitch took a crack at the Question, reimagining him as an “urban shaman” in a limited series. Around the same time, the character appeared in the animated series Justice League Unlimited. Voiced by noted genre actor Jeffrey Combs, the show turned the Question into a conspiracy theorist, which has become a popular interpretation of the character.

Then, in 2006, the Question stepped back into the spotlight once again in the weekly series 52. Conceived as a follow-up to Infinite Crisis, 52 revealed that Vic Sage was dying of lung cancer. At the beginning of the series, he came to Renee Montoya, who at the time was in a downward spiral thanks to alcohol. Sage helps Montoya deal with her demons, all while training her to take over for him. Sage would die at the end of the series, and Montoya took over the mantle, which she continues to hold until this day.

As the Question, Renee Montoya Soared

Much Like Vic Sage, Renee Montoya Is Complex and Layered

Much like Vic Sage, Renee Montoya is a study in contrasts. Like Vic Sage, Renee Montoya works a job that allows her to keep her finger on the pulse of Gotham: the Police Commissioner. And like Sage, she has greater access to the flow of information, which she uses in her career as the Question. And just like Sage’s career as a vigilante puts him at odds with his journalism background, Montoya’s job as a police officer ensures she works within the system–yet she continually becomes the Question and steps out of the bounds of the law.

Yet where Vic Sage and Renee Montoya differ are their attitudes towards life. Both of them have had hard scrabble lives, ones marked by addiction and loss. However, Sage took a more hard-lined approach to life, even after embracing Buddhism. He gave up using lethal force at this point too, but still meted out a harsh and unforgiving brand of justice. Montoya is not afraid to get her hands dirty either, but takes a far more compassionate approach. Pain drives both Sage and Montoya, but she channels her in a far more constructive fashion.

Vic Sage Chose His Successor As the Question Well

DC Fixed a Controversial Character in the Best Way Possible

Vic Sage was also not the friendliest person, both in his civilian life and as the Question, and once again, Montoya is his opposite. Montoya tries her best to play by the rules and work within the system. She almost makes it, until her sponsor is attacked and left for dead. The pain and guilt Montoya feels ultimately drives her to become the Question and find answers. Montoya is a fascinating and layered character, much like Vic Sage, and I am glad DC fixed this controversial character in such a fashion. Now the time has come to give her the spotlight.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15 is on sale now from DC Comics!