Montoya was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in Batman 475 (Cover dated March 1992). She was initially a detective from the Gotham City Police Department, assigned to the Major Crimes Unit who comes into frequent contact with the masked vigilante, Batman. Later, Renee is outed as a lesbian, and later resigns from the police force, disgusted by its corruption. She was later trained by The Question and took over his mantle operating out of a lighthouse she shares with Aristotle Rodor on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was later retconned out in DC’s new 52, where she was reintroduced as a Police Detective once again.