Before we wrap up, I’d like to address Renee Montoya, a character you’ve written quite a lot of recently. Your Other History of the DC Universe retold her story seen in Gotham Central and 52 of a woman who was disillusioned with the police, and left to seek her own truth as the Question. But, in Second Son and I Am Batman, we’ve seen a very different side to Montoya as police commissioner, enforcing laws she doesn’t even seem to believe in herself. How did Renee get here? Has she forgotten her ideals, or is there something we’re not seeing?
Renee is a character, just, her longevity and her progress has been remarkable. One of the things that’s great about comic book storytelling is even outside of the spaces I’ve worked in, there’s progression of these characters. They’ve been around a long time, but there’s progress. And Renee has gone from being a beat cop, to being a detective, to being on the Major Crimes Unit. We’ve seen her struggles with herself, with her identity, with her sense of loss. With her partner, and that feeling of guilt. And one of the things that for me was very interesting was it’s one thing to be outside, adjacent to, or part of a system, but not really a decision maker, and gripe about how decisions are made. It’s a whole other thing to then be a titular person in a system and realize it’s not that easy. There are compromises. There are things you have to do.
You know, you watch shows like The Wire, which I loved, or American Crime, they are very much about systems. And you can be an idealist all you want, and we see it every campaign. But you get in there and you realize it’s not that easy to lead. That’s what I really loved about it. It was an opportunity for Renee Montoya. Just that ascension itself was just an honor to write. But fresh from The Other History, to be able to say, “Now, how do you put all this into practice? What do you do with all this? How do you actually manage?” And to see Renee have to make compromises. To see her even have to say to Adriana Chubb, “Look, I’ve got to make some tough choices right now. And the toughest choice: I need you to be a pawn, because it’s part of the endgame, and that’s me having more authority in running the police department if you’re not here.” And Chubb going, “Well, I don’t get this.” “Well, it’s not for you to get, this is the system, and the way it works.”
I love Renee. I was so honored to introduce her as commissioner. I love where she is in the overall DC Universe right now. And without giving away too much, there are more plans afoot for me with Renee. And I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to continue building on the legacy of so many people who’ve made her one of the most interesting characters at this point in the entire DC Universe.
I mean, to many, it’s surprising that she came back to the police at all, after all she’s been through.
Yeah, sometimes it takes somebody who’s got a little scarred flesh, and can endure, to do that. But I cannot think of a more perfect person to have step in. She’s the least amoral person in an immoral world. That’s why I loved her as the Question, you know? She questions her own identity. She questions the world. She’s very philosophical. She understands very deep things. Everybody loves Jim Gordon, but every once in a while, you’ve got to renew what’s going on. And Renee is a renewal, but it’s consistency as well.