Batwoman: Who Is Renee Montoya?

The Season 3 premiere of Batwoman makes its debut tonight, ushering in a new era for the fan-favorite The CW series. The new batch of episodes are expected to weave in some major new characters, and one of the most highly-anticipated among them might be Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena). While Cartagena is no stranger to the role of Renee, having played an alternate version of the character on Fox’s Gotham, the idea of her entering the fold of Batwoman opens a whole new can of worms. So, who is Renee Montoya? Here’s what you need to know.

Created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian, Renee was initially crafted for in Batman: The Animated Series, and preemptively made her comics debut in 1992’s Batman #475 before debuting on the animated show. Initially a Gotham City Police Detective who is partnered up with Harvey Bullock and Crispus Allen, Renee was most prominently featured in the Gotham Central comic series. The title famously featured Two-Face publicly outing her as a lesbian and framing her for murder, an action that profoundly impacted her personal life.

Renee later quit the GCPD during the “War Games” storyline, and her character was profoundly reimagined again in the 52 storyline, which saw her taking on the mantle of The Question. Montoya would continue to operate as The Question for several years, and has since returned to the GCPD while moonlighting as a vigilante in the DC Rebirth and Infinite Frontier relaunches. Most recently, the comics have further explored the idea of Renee’s on-again, off-again relationship with Kate Kane, with the pair just recently breaking up in the pages of Batman: Urban Legends.

Batwoman will mark Renee’s latest live-action debut, following Cartagena’s stint on Gotham, and Rosie Perez portraying the character in 2020’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). And according to Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries, Renee’s role in the show will be a significant one.

“She’s old school, and she’s been around, and she remembers Batman’s Gotham and Gordon’s Gotham,” Dries explained in a recent interview with TVLine. “She knows that things don’t end well when people get their hands on [the Bat trophies]. [Both Kate and Ryan as] Batwoman have done a great job of keeping the streets relatively safe for the last few years, but Renee sees a storm brewing – and she is terrified.”

Batwoman airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.