The Appeal of The Question

Dennis O'Neil's revival of Steve Ditko's The Question in the 1980s transformed the character from a troubled vigilante into an enlightened hero. I consider this metamorphosis to represent the value of curiosity in life, particularly when directed inward.

Vic Sage was a naturally curious person given that he was a news reporter keen on exposing corruption in Hub City. It was being attacked, nearing death, being rescued by Lady Shiva, and undergoing training with Richard Dragon that taught him an alternative use of that curiosity.

After his near-death experience, Sage wakes up and asks who he is. Rodor, his friend, says, "The Question". Sage replies, "Damn right it's the question. I'll ask it again... who the hell am I?" (The Question #2, 1987). To me this makes it fairly clear that the "question" in the character's name when taken literally is intended to be "who am I?", indicating that Vic Sage is meant to embody introspection.

Turning curiosity inward and becoming introspective allows Sage to hone himself and become a more effective crime-fighter and a more balanced person. This lesson is pertinent to everyone. Given that it allows you to understand your strengths and weaknesses and what you value in life, introspection may be the single most important process in the cause of self-betterment. No one can reach their full potential without investigating themselves, as reporter Vic Sage does.

In fact, I'd note that curiosity in general, directed inward or outward, is maybe the most important value for anyone to have. Introspective curiosity allows self-improvement; interpersonal curiosity naturally causes compassion; and curiosity about the world naturally helps with gaining intelligence. Self-betterment, sociality, and intelligence are some of the most broad and relevant things in life -- if you look to The Question for inspiration, you may be encouraged to achieve all these things by heeding his lesson of curiosity.