Line #114 ComicBook/TheQuestion


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/question_3.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Good Question.[[note]]Left: the Question I (Charles Victor Szasz[=/=]Vic Sage) Right: the Question II (Renee Montoya)[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"I will gather evidence -- document every foul lie. I will forge my manifesto. My challenge to any free mind that may find it. Like a note in a bottle. Cast into the ocean. [...] The mind of man must be reclaimed -- if not by this generation or by the next, then some day. Some decade. It is not in my power to affect the change. I haven't the might. I am not the answer. I am only the Question."''
5	-->-- '''The Question I (Victor Sage)''', ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain''
6
7	->''"You're going to find, like Sage did, that some questions can only be answered by wearing a mask. Just as there are some that can only be asked when you remove one."''
8	--> -- '''ComicBook/RichardDragon''' to Renee Montoya (The Question II), ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo''
9
10	A classic Creator/CharltonComics character created by Creator/SteveDitko who later [[CanonInvasion migrated]] over to [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]]. The Question first appeared in the backpages of ''Blue Beetle'' vol. 5 #1 (June, 1967). Vic Sage was a television reporter for [[WretchedHive Hub City]] [[note]] the considerably less corrupt "Crown City" in the original Charlton comics[[/note]] when he was visited by his friend and former professor Aristotle "Tot" Rodor, who had invented an artificial skin he called "pseudoderm." Unfortunately, Tot had discovered that pseudoderm occasionally became toxic when exposed to open wounds and he decided not to produce or distribute the material. His partner decided to continue to manufacture pseudoderm anyway and, to stop him, Tot provided a "mask" of pseudoderm to Vic to use in his investigations. Thus the Question was born.
11
12	Most early stories tended to show the Question mainly as a mouthpiece for Ditko's [[{{UsefulNotes/Objectivism}} Objectivist]] philosophy, similar to his ComicBook/MrA stories, but blunted a bit for more commercial appeal. For instance, The Question once knocked some crooks into a fast moving sewer flow and refused to pull them out as they were clinging for dear life, but left to call the police to go and get them out.[[note]] This was considered highly controversial at the time, during UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks.[[/note]] Like most Charlton comics, it folded when the company went under and was bought by DC. When DC decided to reboot some of the characters it had acquired from Charlton it was decided that the Question was to get a whole new image for his next series, which debuted in 1987.
13
14	In the beginning of Dennis O'Neil's series the Question is viciously beaten by ComicBook/LadyShiva, then shot in the head with a pellet gun and [[LeftForDead left for dead]]. Shiva, however, deeply respects him enough to rescue him, taking him to train with ComicBook/RichardDragon, who also provides him with a new Eastern philosophical outlook that gives him a more nuanced morality. When he returns to Hub City he finds his old flame Myra is now married to the drunken mayor and [[BadCopIncompetentCop the crime is worse than ever]]. O'Neil's series has mostly been collected into six trade paperbacks.[[note]]Only the quarterly issues and the annuals remain uncollected.[[/note]]
15
16	Eventually, after a few years he decides to leave Hub City. He reappeared in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' as the mentor to [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Renee]] [[ComicBook/GothamCentral Montoya]] before revealing that he was dying of lung cancer. He died in issue #38 (March, 2007). Renee assumed the mantle of the Question in issue #48 (June, 2007), with the help of Tot and Richard Dragon. She continued the mission he had been working on before his death: Investigating the [[ReligionOfEvil Religion of Crime]] and Intergang. She appeared in two limited series, ''The Question: Five Books of Blood'' and ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis: Revelations'', and eventually became the second feature in Creator/GregRucka's ''Detective Comics''. While combating ComicBook/VandalSavage in the ''Detective Comics'' feature Renee was forced to take from him the "[[MarkOfShame Mark of Cain]]," supposedly the mark placed by {{God}} on [[CainAndAbel Cain]] to forever label him as a murderer and an eternal subject of ridicule and scorn. The 2010 ''Detective Comics'' annual edition revealed that she had indeed been marked. She now bears a scarred cross on her face and is viewed with shock and distrust by all she meets, but she has refused the offered means of removing the Mark, either giving it to another or committing suicide, as her tenure as the Question has given her maturity, outlook and philosophy to handle the Mark.
17
18	In the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'', the Question was completely reinvented, appearing in the Free Comic Book Day one-shot as one of the beings on the [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Rock of Eternity]], punished along with ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger and Pandora for undisclosed sins. His punishment is that his name and face will forever be forgotten; that's not a mask any more. Funnily enough, being supernaturally driven to uncover conspiracies and questions surrounding his own identity and various other nefarious goings-on actually puts his character in practice closer to the JLU version. Renee also appeared in the ''New 52'', but her tenure as The Question was retconned and she had transferred to the Blüdhaven Police Department. Vic Sage was also introduced as a character apparently unrelated to the unnamed Question, as Amanda Waller's boss in ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad''.
19
20	The Vic Sage incarnation of the Question made his post-[[ComicBook/{{DCRebirth}} Rebirth]] debut in ComicBook/ActionComics #1005, and has appeared several times since. And, as of ''ComicBook/LoisLane'' #1, so has the Renee Montoya incarnation of the Question (though she made earlier appearances during this era).
21
22	The Vic Sage Question also appeared in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' voiced by Creator/JeffreyCombs in which he was a [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favorite]]. Indeed, while Question had been around for decades before JLU, it was his appearances there that skyrocketed his popularity amongst comics fans. He also appeared as minor character in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' voiced by Nicholas Guest but had a larger role in the spinoff film, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndBatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', where he was again voiced by Combs.
23
24	Renee has appeared in the ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' prequel comic, and was the main character in a ''Convergence'' mini series. She also had brief appearances during a few issues of ''Detective Comics'' during the ComicBook/New52 and ComicBook/DCRebirth eras.
25
26	Also, the character of Rorschach in ''{{ComicBook/Watchmen}}'' started out simply being The Question, until DC vetoed the use of existing characters and Creator/AlanMoore was forced to create an original Objectivist conspiracy theorist instead. As a ShoutOut, one issue of the Denny O'Neil run has the Question reading ''Watchmen'' and commenting on Rorschach's methods--then trying them and getting his ass kicked, ultimately concluding, "[[SelfDeprecation Rorschach sucks]]."
27
28	Renee Montoya made her film debut as a major character in ''Film/{{Birds of Prey\|2020}}'', played by Creator/RosiePerez, though she doesn't assume the identity of the Question during it.
29
30	----
31	!!Which tropes do the Question include? That's a good question:
32
33	[[foldercontrol]]
34
35	[[folder:Who is The Question?]]
36
37	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Zig-zagged between Vic and Franchise/{{Batman}}. Batman has the title of the "World's Greatest Detective", but on several occasions, Vic has been argued as having better deductive and investigative skills than the Caped Crusader. It can be argued that Batman qualifies for having far greater resources at his disposal, thus enabling him to achieve much more, but Vic can hold his own in the sleuthing department without any of that stuff. So, this comes down to DependingOnTheWriter.
38	* AwesomenessByAnalysis
39	* BadassLongcoat: With his trenchcoat and fedora, he is pretty awesome.
40	* BadassNormal: Vic Sage during his original appearance in Charlton Comics (and also in his appearance in the ''Blue Beetle'' miniseries by Len Wein) did not have any superhuman powers or even gadgets, his sole technological gimmick being [[TheBlank his mask]].
41	** Averted in later stories by Dennis O'Neil, Rick Veitch, and the New 52, who gave Vic some supernatural powers from Zen Buddhism, Urban Shamanism and being CursedWithAwesome like the Phantom Stranger. ''Question Quarterly'' by O'Neil even had Vic being able to [[https://imgur.com/uoS23RY communicate with a forest]].
42	* BadCopIncompetentCop: Hub City is a WretchedHive unmatched in the DC Universe, and that ''includes'' the ever-hated Gotham City. The FBI yearly analysis lists Hub City's police department as ''the'' most corrupt department in the country, and even the honest cops currently trying to improve the department have bad history; the current straight-arrow chief only became a crusader for integrity because of what he encountered when he was out shaking down local criminals and businesses for the bribes they owed him.
43	* TheBlank: Practically the TropeCodifier.
44	* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Not a real butterfly, but rather Vic's last words are telling Montoya how she has to change "... like butterflies."
45	* CainAndAbel: In ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis: Revelations'', a limited series written by Creator/GregRucka that takes place within the larger ComicBook/FinalCrisis story, the Question and Huntress combat, amongst others, Vandal Savage. Here it is revealed that Savage is [[BiblicalBadGuy the Biblical Cain]], who committed the first murder and is worshiped by the Religion of Crime as a [[DarkMessiah messianic figure]] and the bringer of all crime, and he is now using TheSpearOfDestiny to enslave ComicBook/TheSpectre and conquer the world.
46	* CoatHatMask: Montoya usually does not even have the coat; she just wears the mask and hat over whatever she was wearing that day. Covers and such usually depict her in the blue suit, though. In the Denny O'Neil series Vic Sage had a tendency to do that, too; in one particular issue he sported a leather jacket and a cap. In another issue he wore a wife-beater, jeans, and a baseball cap.
47	* CoolOldGuy: Aristotle "Tot" Rodor.
48	* DeadpanSnarker: To varying degrees in most incarnations.
49	* DespairEventHorizon: This is what prompted Charlie to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave]] [[WretchedHive Hub City]] in the finale of his solo series and to wander until he became a regular in ''52''. In the latter series, Vic Sage dies of cancer in a truly godawful manner, groaning in a haunting fashion, and leaves Renee alone just outside the gates of Nanda Parbat. She ''seems'' okay, but without Charlie she is so lost and alone that she does not even know who she ''is.''
50	** An indeterminate amount of time in the torture chambers of an EldritchAbomination was one for the New 52 Question, [[spoiler: leading him to temporarily join her.]]
51	* DyingToBeReplaced: Renee Montoya and Vic Sage were added to the cast of ''52'' with the specific intention of killing Vic and replacing him with Renee. The series was a smash critical and financial success, as were subsequent stories to star Renee as the Question, but the decision did generate some controversy for the seemingly unnecessary killing of a well-established character [[StuffedInTheFridge just to give his replacement motivation and a title to bear]].
52	* FedoraOfAsskicking: As part of his CoatHatMask. Starting as a brawler, he later became an expert martial artist under the tutelage of ComicBook/RichardDragon.
53	* HardboiledDetective: The Question, [[{{Pun}} boiled]] down to his essence, is one of these--just add a mask and minimal gadgets.
54	* IceCreamKoan: Averted, especially during the O'Neil run, as he was quite well schooled in philosophy and would often include a recommended reading list at the end of issues.
55	* InsultBackfire:
56	--> '''Renee Montoya''': "You really ''are'' a bastard."\
57	'''The Question (Vic Sage)''': "Well, I was raised in an orphanage, so you're probably right."
58	* LegacyCharacter: Why he started is a mystery known only to him, but Vic Sage helped bring Renee Montoya back from alcoholism and despair and trained her in his ways of combat and thought. When he succumbed to lung cancer, she assumed the mantle of the Question and has returned to Hub City to continue his fight.
59	* PaletteSwap: Rare non videogame example. Both versions are able to slip into their disguise at a moment's notice by simply activating the gas, which changes the color of their clothing and hair, as well as bonding the mask to their face.
60	* PlatonicLifePartners: Both Renee and Vic, and later on Renee and Huntress have this dynamic.
61	* SeriesContinuityError: The series ''Huntress: Cry for Blood'' state that Jackie, Myra's daughter, returned to Hub City after some time living with Vic. However, an earlier issue in the ''Question: Quarterly'' reveal that Jackie died before she can return to Hub City.
62	* TheProfessor: Professor Aristotle Rodor, although he is noticeably bad at inventing things. A tranquillizer he sold to a drug company upon completion of his [=PhD=] put the company out of business with its Thalidomide-like side-effects and his invention Pseudo-derm is entirely useless for its intended purpose as it becomes toxic when applied to open wounds. The only practical application it has is as Question's mask.
63	* ThouShaltNotKill: Zig-zagged at times, and mostly averted for both Questions despite their disgust of murderous criminals. Vic was originally highly against killing, often feeling very conflicted on how far to go in enforcing justice due to his own repeated temptation to kill criminals. His mentor Professor Rodor kept him from crossing that line, until he ended up killing to save the daughter of his love interest. At some point [[ItGetsEasier it got easier]], as Vic kills again in the 1991 Brave and the Bold mini-series and the 2005 Question mini-series, but was implied to have a change of heart when he strongly advocates against murder in Huntress' Cry For Blood mini-series. Montoya is agonized over the issue of killing criminals, even refusing to kill the murderer of her partner in the GCPD, but ends up killing a child suicide bomber later on and has a DespairEventHorizon after the fact.
64	* WretchedHive: Hub City; it is worse than ''Gotham''.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67
68	[[folder:Who is Vic Sage?]]
69	* AdaptationDistillation: Even though [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague JLU's]] Question is far different from the regular DC Question, fans still love him. However, the flip side is some fans expect the comic Question to be identical to his animated appearance and are confused by his different personality points.
70	** It’s not to say that comic book Vic Sage doesn’t dwell into conspiracy theories. He is a detective after all. But it wouldn’t be until the New 52 and Detective Comics #1000 where the status of Sage being a conspiracy theorist was made canon in the comics.
71	* AuthorTract: The UrExample in comics. Steve Ditko often used the comic as a soapbox for Objectivism during its Charlton run, though to a lesser degree than the similar character Mr. A.
72	* BunnyEarsLawyer
73	* TheBusCameBack: Finally returns as the Question in Brian Michael Bendis' run on Superman.
74	* CanonInvasion: The Question was originally owned by Creator/CharltonComics before said company was bought out by DC. The character was introduced to the main [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]] ComicBook/PostCrisis.
75	* {{Catchphrase}}: During the O'Neill run, someone would ask the Question who he is, and his response was some variation of:
76	--> '''The Question''': Good question.
77	* CharacterFilibuster: In the Charlton Era, it wasn't uncommon for Vic to go on Mr. A-like rants that spewed Objectivist morality.
78	--> "If anyone's going to stand with me, he's going to have to give me a good reason why! I won't accept the lame reasons about my being the underdog, every misfit can claim that! Or that I need help, I'm not a charity case! I'll accept only a reason why you personally want to make the stand and on your behalf, not mine!" [[note]] Sage is trying to prove his case that a well-loved businessman is corrupt, and won't accept the idea of his staff sticking by him out of loyalty to him.[[/note]]
79	* CutHimselfShaving: Vic's explanations of why he did not have a face could be downright hilarious.
80	-->"Overdosed on acne medication."
81	* DaChief: A non-police version with Vic's tv station manager often butting heads with Vic's more head-on approach.
82	* DeadlyDoctor: The Mikado.
83	* DependingOnTheWriter: Sage's characterization depends a lot on the writer. Steve Ditko wrote him as an abrasive Objectivist vigilante, Denny O'Neil had him mellow into a Zen-like investigator, Rick Veitch depicted the Question as an urban shaman with a warrior's ethos, in "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" Frank Miller wrote him as a libertarian anti-government conspiracy theorist, while in "52" he was enigmatic and fatalistic but not particularly committed to any philosophy.
84	* {{Fanservice}}: Myra in particular has quite a few moments of this--since the very beginning of the O'Neil run.
85	** For the ladies, Vic has some nice shirtless moments when he's working out.
86	* FieryRedhead: Myra has her moments.
87	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In the Charlton Era, Sage is ''not'' popular at his TV station. His coworkers (outside his own incredibly loyal personal production staff) find him insufferable, while audiences find his dismissive feelings towards civil rights horrifying, and his self-righteous preaching grating. However the station's president likes his uncompromising attitude and will not fire him, and none of the sponsors will drop their support.
88	* HeroicBastard: He does not make a big deal of it, but Sage is well aware that, since he was raised in an orphanage, it is extremely likely that he is a literal bastard.
89	* HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs: The 2005 miniseries [[RetCon retcons]] Tot's binary gas as having psychoactive properties to compliment Vic's new "urban shaman" identity. Vic uses it to "walk in two worlds" and "speak" to cities during his investigations as the Question, allowing him to perceive [[LifeEnergy chi]], and even [[spoiler: interact with spirits]]. Superman respects its shamanic use, though he's concerned Vic may be addicted to it.
90	* HonorBeforeReason: One Charlton story has the Question observe a well-known respectable businessman colluding with a well-known crook, and is determined to find out whatever dirty business they're conducting. The next day said businessman shows up at the station offering to be the sponsor for Sage's show. Rather than using this as an opportunity for his investigation he refuses the man's sponsorship on the basis that a "source" told him the man was crooked, without offering any definite proof. This results in Sage nearly losing his job over such an accusation both because it ruins his credibility as a reporter and could make the station unpopular with other sponsors and advertisers.
91	* IntrepidReporter: Sage's day job; his beating at the hands of ComicBook/LadyShiva came when the subjects of his investigation were trying to lure Sage himself into a trap, and were surprised when the Question came instead. Of course, that raises [[IdiotBall serious doubts about their intelligence]], since they were unable to make the logical assumption that Sage ''was'' the Question, not even when Sage disappears the same day Question does after this attack. When the BigBad, Reverend Hatch, figured it out, everyone else was just convinced he was nuts because he also thought Sage was a ghost returned to haunt him (or a messenger sent by either God or the Devil).
92	** Myra was this, herself, before being blackmailed by Reverend Hatch into marrying the puppet mayor.
93	* {{Jerkass}}: In the Charlton era, the Question may have been a hero, but he was extremely self-righteous and abrasive and saw criminals as sub-humans who deserved to die rather than be kept alive to face the courts and justice. And as Vic Sage the idea of ''everyone'' having basic civil rights -- criminals included appalled him, which he made quite clear on his TV show. This got him into hot water when a coworker was accused of murder and Vic publicly said he believed him to be innocent. More than one viewer was quick to call him out on hypocrisy.
94	* LawEnforcementInc: At one stage Myra was considering sacking Hub City's notoriously corrupt police force and hiring biker gangs to enforce the law.
95	* LifeWillKillYou: Vic Sage was a heavy smoker and, even though he ditches the habit early in O'Neil's run, when he appears in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' he has developed advanced lung cancer. There is no miracle cure, there is no alien healing technology, he just slowly wastes away physically and mentally before dying in the snow outside Nanda Parbat.
96	* MadArtist: Ditko did a story about a charlatan modern artist who hated uplifting and beautiful classic art, and dressed up as one of his own ugly, turd-like sculptures to become an art-vandalising costumed villain.
97	* ManifestoMakingMalcontent: In ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', he mentions a manifesto almost immediately after he is introduced. Later on, he is established as a hardcore anti-authoritarian technophobe.
98	* ObfuscatingDisability: Richard Dragon. Due to Vic's ego, it would have been impossible for Richard to train him otherwise.
99	* OrphanageOfFear: As Charles Victor Szasz, Vic grew up in one.
100	* PostmodernMagick: Various writers has depicted Sage interacting or dabbling into magic.
101	** One issue of O'Niel's run has him meet a World War 2 era comic book artist who believes the Allies won the war because of comic books, comparing the process of making comics to the sympathetic magic performed by hunting tribes. [[spoiler:Vic asks him to redraw a page with the currently-comatose Myra instead, and right after, a sequence of events almost identical to the comic cause her to awaken from her coma.]]
102	** The 2005 miniseries depicts Vic as an "urban shaman", who uses the binary gas to enter a trance that allows him to "speak" to cities, absorbing snippets of information and energy from around him. He even explains it by saying, "As the river and the mountain speak to the native, so, over time, did the living city whisper to me."
103	* TheRashomon: ''The Question Quarterly'' #5 is one of these. It starts with the Question punching the mayor in the face, then several characters speculate on why he did it, with each version drawn by a different artist. [[BadCopIncompetentCop Izzy O'Toole]] tells a standard {{Film Noir}} story, a pair of crackheads claim that the Question was a disfigured psychopath, and the Mayor herself finally explains that he knocked her out to prevent a desperate deal with a group of gunrunners to bring in some money to the city. The Question finally shows up and tells them they are all wrong. [[spoiler:It turns out he went against his uncompromising nature and made the deal himself. He just did not want Myra to meet the criminals face to face for fear they would double cross her]].
104	* RealMenWearPink: In several of the Ditko and early Cowan stories, the gas turns the Question's shirt salmon.
105	* SchrodingersButterfly: Zhuangzi's quote is brought up ''constantly'' by Sage, to the point where he uses it as a pick-up line.
106	* SmokingIsCool: A big [[AvertedTrope aversion]], as Vic's smoking eventually did him in.
107	* SwordOverHead: In one memorable scene, the Question warns a hoodlum about to drop an innocent off of a very tall building. "Drop him and you're going straight after him." The unfortunate innocent is dropped: the Question rushes the thug and leaves him hanging by his finger-tips over certain death. Question: "I told you what would happen if you dropped him, didn't I? (waves)... Bye." He then walks away, only to turn back seconds later and pull the thug to safety. However, he says as he pummels the tar out of the now tearfully-grateful thug: "Just one thing: don't THANK me. Don't EVER thank me." He then walks off, musing to himself, "I'll never be played by Chuck Norris. Or Charles Bronson."
108	* VigilanteMan: The Mikado
109	* VillainousRescue: Lady Shiva saved Vic's life, ''after'' she had viciously beaten him, because she said he had a "warrior's passion".
110	* WhatAPieceOfJunk: Vic Sage used to drive a beat-up VW Bug. That had a Porsche racing engine in it. (A determined real-life mechanic can actually do this.)
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Who is Renee Montoya?]]
114	* AdaptationalSexuality: The comics' character is a lesbian, whereas mentioned below, the SeriesBible originally intended to have had a dead husband as part of Montoya's backstory in ''B: TAS''. Though of course, those two facts [[TheBeard need not contradict]], [[AmbiguouslyBi necessarily]].
115	* AffirmativeActionLegacy: A [[TwoferTokenMinority Hispanic lesbian]].
116	* TheAlcoholic: ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' opens, and occasionally goes back to, Renee as a heavy drinker [[DrowningMySorrows trying to forget what happened in]] ''ComicBook/GothamCentral''. Creator commentary reveals that the intention was for Renee to be an actual alcoholic at this point, and not simply on a brief or minor bender. It was only with the help of Vic Sage that she was able to pull herself together.
117	* AuthorAppeal: Creator/GregRucka, the predominant writer for the Question storyline in ''52'' and the author for her three subsequent appearances (''The Question: Five Books of Blood'', ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis: Revelations'' and the second-feature in ''Detective Comics'') was the author to originally [[CharacterDevelopment develop]] the Montoya character in ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' and has a history of writing [[ComicBook/{{Whiteout}} strong]] [[ComicBook/QueenAndCountry female]] characters.
118	* BattleCouple: She has this a bit with Batwoman, especially after the two began dating again in the Rebirth era.
119	* BookDumb: She once claimed not to know what the periodic table was when one was discovered at a crime scene. Though that was likely a joke, she did follow up by stating she skipped high school chemistry.
120	* BoxingBattler: Even before meeting Vic Sage or becoming the Question, Renee was a skilled boxer, able to defeat a larger man while suffering from broken ribs.
121	* CanonImmigrant: Montoya was created as a side character for ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Batman: The Animated Series]]''. She has come a '''long''' way.
122	* CartwrightCurse: Montoya's friends and partners tend to have a short lifespan.
123	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Her sexuality is a defining character trait for her under Creator/GregRucka, but when Renee Montoya was originally created for WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the plan ([[AllThereInTheManual According to background info in the series bible]]) was that she was originally intended to be driven in her own fight on crime by the memory of her dead ''husband''. The same source also says that she butts heads with Batman over his methods, whereas in-series she admires him and understands why he acts outside the law.
124	* DrivenToSuicide: The 2010 ''Detective Comics'' annual edition reveals that, as a child, Renee once tried to kill herself when she began to question her sexuality and confronted the religious implications. Her introduction in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' featured her [[DrowningMySorrows drinking heavily after the events of]] ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'', and her narration implies that she is ''literally'' trying to drink herself to death.
125	* GrandFinale: Renee's ''Convergence'' arc mostly serves as this, giving her a ([[BittersweetEnding mostly]]) happy ending where she gets to kiss the girl and redeem Two Face.
126	* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Happens in the finale of ''52'', after Renee's girlfriend Kate is kidnapped and stabbed through the heart. Luckily, she makes it.
127	* InLoveWithYourCarnage: A heroic version. There are multiple instances of Renee expressing attraction toward Batwoman while the latter is in the middle of dishing out a beatdown, or else immediately afterward.
128	* MarkOfShame: After her last encounter with Vandal Savage, where she was forced to take from the him the "Mark of Cain," Renee now bears a cross scarred into her face that causes everybody to view her with shock and disgust.
129	* MeaningfulName: ''Renee'' is a feminine form of the Latin name ''Renatus'', meaning "reborn," an apt description of the process of her becoming the Question.
130	* NameOfCain: The second ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}, Katherine "Kate" Kane, was introduced in the Renee Montoya/Question storyline of ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', and it took several weeks for anybody (Even Renee) to make even the ''slightest'' connection between Kane and Cain.
131	* ReligionOfEvil: Montoya's main bad guys generally come from the Religion of Crime (which they prefer to call the Dark Faith or the Way of Sin), who have an obsession with [[ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} an old girlfriend]] and who Sage had been following for months before they met.
132	* SexForSolace: Renee admits that she has a well-established pattern of dealing with emotional trauma, namely [[DrowningMySorrows getting drunk]] and then hopping into the first bed she can find. Charlie helps her confront this part of herself and a significant part of her [[CharacterDevelopment character arc]] comes when she is able to deal with loss emotionally instead of falling back into old habits.
133	* TheTeetotaler: She's still an alcoholic, but has remained sober ever since ''52'' ended.
134	* TokenMinority: After some complaints about the [[MonochromeCasting complete lack of minorities]] in the ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', author Creator/GailSimone confirmed that she would be use Renee as a guest star in a storyline.
135	* WhatTheHellHero: Tot is ''furious'' when Renee and Huntress buy off an assassin to give them information they need.
136	--> "You have purchased that with ''blood money''. You've let a killer go free in exchange. You should ''both'' be ashamed of yourselves. And if he were here right now... '''Charlie''' would be, too."
137	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Literally. After Vic's death Renee becomes listless and undriven, and undergoes a ritual in the darkness of a cave, trying to figure out who she ''is''. It is only after days spent in pitch black that she is able to figure that out. What does she see? "Good question."
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Who is The New 52 Question?]]
141	* AchievementInIgnorance: Due to the fact that he has no knowledge of his past sins, as well as a need to question everything, The Question is the only member of The Trinity of Sin that does not believe he was judged justly. [[spoiler:This allows him to break free of the subconsciously self-inflicted punishments of the Redemption Box.]]
142	* AmbiguousGender and Race: Sort of. Though the readers know he was born a white man, The Question has no clue who he was before he was cursed. He has taken on the identities of multiple genders and races throughout his long lifetime.
143	* AmbiguouslyEvil: Right off the bat, we know he did something to earn a part in The Trinity of Sin. Also, during the creation of the trinity, he was the only member to act defiantly, vowing to rise up and take revenge on the wizards. As The Question, he has done some pretty questionable things, mostly involving backstabbing the other members of the trinity, but also some unambiguously good things, such as saving a kidnapped child.
144	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: This version of the character last appeared in "The Trinity of Sin" miniseries and hasn't been seen since.
145	* ConspiracyTheorist: Just like the JLU version of Vic, although he may be right on a few counts.
146	* CursedWithAwesome: Though he was cursed to lose his sense of identity, not to mention his actual face, The Question did gain immortality and is strong enough to stand on the same cosmic scale with that of The Phantom Stranger and Pandora.
147	* DecompositeCharacter: The New 52 has a Victor Sage ''and'' a Question.
148	* DrivingQuestion: No pun intended, but the ComicBook/{{New 52}} version is cursed to have this constantly as his part in the Trinity of Sin, with various questions he will never be able to answer.
149	* EvilRedhead: Was a bad dude with light red hair pre-curse. After becoming The Question his hair seems to be a dark red and he is more morally ambiguous.
150	* MasterOfDisguise: He has shown the ability to alter his appearance and look like anyone at will. Whether this is a power afforded to him by his curse or a talent he picked up over time is unknown.
151	* {{Narcissist}}: Years after the character's last appearance, creator Geoff Johns finally revealed his true identity: [[spoiler: turns out he was mythological figure Narcissus. The loss of his face and identity was punishment for his ungodly vanity.]]
152	* TheSpook: He's cursed to be this, even to himself. No name, no face, no memory. The only clue we have is that he earned the curse by committing an atrocity on the scale of Pandora releasing evil into the world and ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger [[spoiler:betraying Jesus to his death]].
153	[[/folder]]
154

Context ComicBook / TheQuestion