For superhero fans, the concept of masked vigilantes has always piqued their interest. The idea of someone taking on the challenge of fighting crime on their own and against all odds always inspires fans, and it is undoubtedly the secret of Batman’s immense success.
The Dark Knight, on the other hand, is not the only masked vigilante produced by DC. Vic Sage, often known as The Question, is a masked character that guards Hub City. His civilian persona is that of an investigative journalist, and he is a highly competent martial artist and detective.
The character was created by DC Comics in the early 1980s and gradually integrated into the DC world. It was conceived by Steve Ditko, and we saw The Question as a member of the Justice League and the Black Lantern Corps over time.
We delve deep into this mystery DC character in this video because we believe he deserves a lot more attention than he receives. Learn everything there is to know about this masked vigilante and the intriguing narratives that surround him.
How it all started?
Vic Sage was known in Hub City as an aggressive and outspoken investigative journalist who did not shy away from taking up controversial matters. As a child, he was quite the troublemaker, but he never compromised on his ethics. He did not exactly have a rosy childhood, and life as an orphan was harsh and rough.
However, he had a strong character, and with time, higher education combined with his violent side made him a righteous individual who could take on the criminal underworld. He grew up with strong ideals, and he had a knack for sniffing the truth out of sticky situations. He passed out of college, during which he had a huge crush on Lois Lane, and ended up as an outspoken reporter.
Soon, he started to get certain stories that could not be investigated by normal means. That is when he developed a special mask that made it look like he didn’t have a face. This secret mask was hidden in his belt buckle, and when he investigated any form of corruption, he took up his masked avatar.
The faceless vigilante is one of the world’s finest detectives, right up there with the likes of Batman, and his ability to question individuals or intimidate them to get the truth out was second to none.
Getting the artificial skin – Pseudoderm
Aristotle was Vic Sage’s former professor, and this talented scientist developed an artificial skin that he called Pseudoderm. This was co-developed with another scientist named Dr. Twain, and Pseudoderm was like a skin-like bandage that was created with a bonding gas. However, during the experiments, it was discovered that the material was extremely dangerous if it came in contact with open wounds.
Both Aristotle and Dr. Twain agreed to shelve the project because it could be dangerous and fatal in the wrong hands. But Aristotle soon found out that his partner had cheated him, and Dr. Twain was actually selling this product illegally to the Third World nations. Vic Sage came to know of the whole incident, and he was determined to stop Dr. Twain. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find a way to do so without giving away his cover.
This is when Aristotle advised his trusted pupil to make use of the Pseudoderm as a mask, and the masked avatar would be able to expose Dr. Twain’s corrupt practices. Eventually, after several twists and turns, the Question finally brought the evil scientist to justice, and he confessed to all his actions.
As a journalist, Vic Sage reported these illegal activities, and he came up with the idea to make his new identity a permanent feature. The Question could be the faceless symbol of justice that the corrupt city needed, and he continued his work with Aristotle, who kept supplying him with Pseudoderm, to be made into his mask.
After certain modifications in the bonding gas that was used, Vic Sage had the ability to change his hair color and clothing as well. Thus, Aristotle became a mentor come friend for the Question, and he was the only one who knew about his dual identities.
How the Question changed over the years – different forms and features
When the character was first conceived, it was very different from the Question we see in contemporary comic books. He started as a simply masked vigilante who had a rather black and white sense of morality. He was a thorough objectivist, and his greatest power was his sharp intelligence and power of digging out the truth.
The character soon started to enjoy certain specializations, such as the additional martial arts skills that were provided. He was almost brutal in hand-to-hand combat, and the character was even linked up to the Batman universe.
Some of the more modern takes on the Question show him with certain supernatural powers as well, and he is shown to have the ability to summon certain powerful spirits, control the minds of individuals, and even change his form when required.
Although he started off operating in Hub City, he relocated to Chicago for his career as a journalist. He found another trusted ally in the Blue Beetle, and his alter ego, the Question found a new platform to fight crime. His investigations often took him to other cities, and this is how he went on to team up with Batman briefly for a case.
After spending a considerable amount of time in Chicago, he was back in Hub City, and he continued his work as a journalist alongside his new love interest Myra Connelly. Although he was a skilled martial artist, one of his operations as the Question went horribly wrong. He was nearly fatally beaten up by another martial arts expert, Lady Shiva, and he was even shot with a pellet gun in the head. Later, he was thrown into a river, but just as he was about to drown, he had an unexpected savior.
Lady Shiva, the one who defeated him in hand-to-hand combat, saved him for some personal reasons and sent him off to meet Richard Dragon after he had recovered. This was the Martial Arts Master who would sharpen his skills, and Vic Sage trained for over a year under his guidance. Besides martial arts training, he also learned Eastern Philosophy, and his crime-fighting quest became a philosophical quest as well.
It deepened his moral perspective, and he understood the ambiguity in certain things better. When he returned to Hub City and resumed his act as a vigilante justice once again. This time around he had a broader overview of things, and he realized that fighting crime was not, one dimensional as he had previously thought.
After training under the Dragon, he took on the systematic corruption in the city, and there have been a few instances that compare the city to a twisted Gotham city. He was now a complete hero, who also explored the domains of politics and social justice and included them in his crime-fighting avatar.
He got his former lover Myra as an ally, and she was now married to a corrupt Mayor. With time, she had the courage to run for the Mayor herself, and the Question completely supported her ambitions. She tried to resist the temptation to reunite with Sage, but she ended up having an affair with both the Question and Vic Sage, without knowing that they are one and the same.
She lost the election by one vote, but when her challenger died in a terrible tornado, she was the automatic winner. However, she was shot by her mentally sick and corrupt husband during her speech, and she ended up in a comatose state. As Hub City sunk further into chaos and disorder, the Question was the only enforcer of law until Myra woke up from her coma and resumed work as the Mayor.
The Question started interacting with Lady Shiva once again, and this time they became allies. All this while, the creators added a darker touch to the character of the Question. The readers were shocked to find that there was a perverse part of his mind that desired to feel the thrill of killing another individual, and he barely managed to control the urge. With time, the character continued to go on a downhill journey and grew increasingly dark.
He realized that his key to happiness was leaving Hub City permanently, and he almost convinced Myra to go with him but she backed out because of her duties as the Mayor. Sage went to South America, and he soon got involved in certain drug wars that even caused him to kill a man to save his loved one.
He continued to work as a journalist in various places, teamed up with other heroes like Batman and Green Arrow, and the Question was now an important character in the superhero community.
At times, he would revisit Hub City, and he got a rude shock when he learned that Myra had moved on with her life. In fact, there was a time when he relocated to Gotham City briefly and worked alongside the Huntress. His skills were further enhanced, and by now, he could sense the life force or chi, and this gave him an increased awareness of his surroundings.
The Legacy of the Question
In an interesting twist to the narrative, the Question became the protector of Gotham City, and he removed the Bat symbol with a giant question mark. After a while, he learned that he was suffering from lung cancer and did not have long to live.
He had trained Renee Montoya all this while, and thus, the Question’s legacy lived on even after Vic Sage passed away. Renee wore the mask and worked as the vigilante in Gotham City. A recent makeover actually shows him as a supernatural being, who is a part of the Trinity of Sin.
Will the Question be an ideal character for a movie adaptation?
Over the years, the lore around this faceless vigilante has increased considerably and some of the narratives surrounding this heroic character were ripe for a movie adaptation. He offers a refreshing look at a character who is outside the mainstream, and yet who is someone the masses can relate to. The more you read about the character, the more you wonder if he would be a perfect fit into the DC movie universe.
After the grand success of Todd Phillips’ Joker, the business heads at Warner Bros. might just be fishing for such content, and the Question will provide them with the perfect, deep, and dark character that can be explored. Like many other DC characters, the Question has seen some major continuity changes, but that only offers more of a choice for the makers.
Warner Bros. has already allowed multiple Jokers in separate continuities, and the Question could be taken up with a similar approach. If things come together, you might have another exciting Batman-like hero on screen, and are you having a fanboy anticipation moment already!