WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Next Batman: Second Son #2, from John Ridley, Mark Morales, Tony Akins, Travel Foreman, Marco Failla, Deron Bennett and Rex Lokus, on sale now.
In the DC Universe, Gotham is in a mess right now, struggling to rebuild after "Joker War." This has Mayor Nakano on an anti-vigilante crusade, turning the public against longtime Batman sympathizer Jim Gordon and supporters of masks. He wants to ensure the entire police system is revamped, which foreshadows the Future State era that had the city run by the Magistrate's paramilitary forces.
After Commissioner Gordon went missing after being corrupted by the Batman Who Laughs, Harvey Bullock took over as GCPD Commissioner before quitting during the Joker's last assault.
As the Infinite Frontier kicks off, The Next Batman: Second Son #2 Mayor Nakano, a former officer himself, taps Renee Montoya to replace her former partner as Commissioner Montoya.
As the issue starts, Nakano is holding court with Montoya, making it clear change is coming, and he needs the right candidate. He hates that the Bat-Family and vigilantes like Clownhunter keep trying to take the law into their own hands. In his eyes, they're just as harmful as the villains they try to stop, and Nakano can't trust anyone to course-correct this. While this was a focal point of his campaign, it's not an entirely moot point, so Montoya is willing to sit down in his office and listen.
Still, she knows Nakano is alienating a big part of what curbs crime. Montoya herself has been a vigilante as the Question, and she's continued to vouch for what Gordon and his crew have done with Batman.
Montoya even doubts herself, admitting she was drunk and got her partner, Crispus Allen, killed. However, Nakano believes in her as she's worked the beat on the streets and the office for major crimes. As Gordon's former protege too, Nakano knows he can use her and the respect she commands. There's a real chance she can do some good, which is why Montoya admits she'll contemplate the offer.
As a fan-favorite character and one of Gotham's most recognizable police officers, Montoya seems like a prime candidate for the job, but she has a spotty official record, and she's crossed the line with a subject more than once, which she knows could come back to bite her. But as we've seen in the cartoons, animated movies and even the Birds of Prey movie, Montoya genuinely wants to make a difference, even with her self-admitted flaws.
The question of if she'll be compromised by Nakano is another thing, however. It doesn't seem likely that she would totally turn her back on her ex, Kate Kane's Batwoman, or the rest of the Bat-Family since they've saved her and Gotham's other cops so many times or prosecute the same kinds of vigilantes she once called peers as the Question. While she's already appeared talking to Nakano elsewhere, it's still not clear if she'll take the job, because Nakano's offer almost certainly comes with at a price she may not be willing to pay.