Gotham

Overview

It’s Batman! Without Batman…

Before the new 52, before 52, there was Gotham Central, a comic about the cops who worked in the city of the Bat. No capes, no super powers, just deep characters and plotlines. From that we have the sensational Renee Montoya, lesbian detective. But let me step back.

Renee Montoya was created for Batman: The Animated Series, in which she is a uniformed officer partnered with Harvey Bullock. She later becomes a Detective. Renee then jumped back to the comic, and we met her during the insanity of No Mans Land (earthquake in Gotham, yadda yadda) and she becomes the last detective appointed by Commissioner Gordon. At least until we rebooted everything again. But her most epic storyline was “Half A Life” where Two-Face outs her because he loves her. It’s complicated.

Renee explaining to Two-Face what gay means

And we had Renee on Gotham. She’s worked her way oddly through the myriad versions of the Bat-Verse. On the TV show, Renee used to date Barbara Kean (currently Jim Gordon’s fiance), and when the show broke for winter hiatus, we were left with the two tangled in the sheets. Sadly after that, Renee and her partner were written off the show, so they could have more villains.

Since then, Barbara went actually insane and starting running a bar with a criminal. They were also in a rather sadistic relationship. Because that’s good tv or something. At one point, Barbara died and then she wasn’t dead, and in the end had a kid on her own. It was all very confusing, and took what could have been a wonderfully complex plot into something not worth anyone’s time.

Queer Plotline Timeline

Renee starts out gay. Nuff said.

Notable Queer-Centric Episodes

Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot” – Renee used to date Jim’s fiance. Awwwkward.
Season 1, Episode 3 “The Balloonman” – Renee breaks in on Babs, who is high as a kite, and have more sexual tension than anyone else on the show.
Season 1, Episode 4 “Arkham” – Barbara comes out to Jim and they break up.