Pre-Crisis In pre-
Crisis continuity, Steve Lombard is a quarterback for the fictional football team the
Metropolis Meteors. The day before his team is to play in the Super Bowl, Steve exacerbates existing injuries to his knees while saving a baby falling from a building. An experimental radiation treatment cures his knees, but also produces an energy clone of him. Initially taking credit for the energy being's performance, Lombard publicly confesses the truth after the being goes on a rampage and is defeated by Superman. Steve resigns from the Meteors and retires from football over his actions, leading
Morgan Edge to hire him as a sportscaster for Galaxy Broadcasting, working alongside anchor
Clark Kent on the Six O'Clock News. Steve is portrayed as brash and arrogant, and often plays childish pranks on Clark. However, Steve also considers Clark one of his few real friends, since he takes Steve's behavior in stride and never bears him a grudge. Steve has a brother named Vernon, who is a doctor, and a nephew named Jaime. Steve also has an aunt, Kaye Daye, who is a mystery novelist who works with the Mystery Analysts of
Gotham City. Morgan Edge ultimately fires Steve after many years due to his declining popularity with the viewing audience. Steve goes to Clark's apartment seeking solace, only to be attacked by a former college roommate who did not shrug off Steve's pranks as well as Clark did, and obtained superhuman powers to get revenge. In a rare display of genuine courage and humanity, Steve forces Clark to safety before confronting his opponent, although Clark returns as Superman and rescues Steve.
Post-Crisis Lombard was not part of the original reboot of the
Superman storyline that began in
The Man of Steel. His first post-
Crisis appearance is as a news anchor on WGBS-TV in
The Adventures of Superman #467 (June 1990). In post-
Crisis continuity, Steve works for the
Daily Planet, as the editor of the Sports section.
Perry White states Steve has recently returned to the paper, so it can be assumed that Steve used to work there before leaving to work for WGBS.
Action Comics Annual #11 (May 2008) gives the following information on Steve: "Sports Reporter. Steve Lombard played football in high school, college, and briefly for the pros. He sees himself as a man's man, everything Clark Kent is not in fact. He is a walking encyclopedia of sports trivia and put-downs. Lombard cannot figure out why
Lois Lane does not throw herself at him". It is also stated that Steve often butts heads with coworker
Ron Troupe. The 2009-2010 miniseries
Superman: Secret Origin established that Lombard, in post-
Infinite Crisis continuity, was already on the staff of the
Daily Planet when Clark began working there. ==Alternate versions==