WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman #26 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Alex Sinclair, & Dave Sharpe, on sale now.
Superman's most consistent foes aren't necessarily the powerhouses like Doomsday, but the more clever and recurring problems presented by the likes of Lex Luthor. Another surprising rival Superman has never really overcome comes from his civilian life, in the form of his old work rival, Steve Lombard. But things have changed at the Daily Planet since Clark revealed his identity to the world.
In Superman #26, Clark Kent finally settled the score with Steve Lombard, and left him shocked with a simple revelation -- that Superman always considered Lombard to be his friend.
Steve Lombard was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan in Superman #264. Lombard was always conceived of as a work-time antagonist for Superman, someone who could give Clark Kent trouble -- but had no actual problem with Superman. Lombard proved to be a popular addition and remained a part of the cast in the Post-Crisis DC Universe, with the blowhard sports reporter coming to the Daily Planet and becoming a consistent source of comedic antics and workplace drama in Superman stories. He openly flirts with Lois Lane despite her relationship with Clark, and he's frequently shown as a simple antagonist to Superman's civilian life. Although Lombard might be something of an insensitive jerk to his co-workers most of the time, he's also been shown risking his life to help his co-workers during times of crisis.
When Clark Kent finally returns to the Daily Planet for a normal day of work in Superman #26, he finds himself confronted by Lombard on the main floor of the Daily Planet. Lombard is initially confused as to why Superman would arrive at the Planet and change into a shirt and tie. Picking up on the hostility, Clark apologizes for putting Lombard into a difficult situation with his revealed identity. Clark even tells him that he values their friendship, and he'll find a way to make it up to him.
To Lombard's credit, this surprises him, as he had always seen himself as Clark's ultimate rival. Lombard still brings up how Clark being openly Superman somewhat endangers them all, having made the Daily Planet a bigger target than it already was. But Clark makes a point about how the Daily Planet is always a target -- and has always been protected by some of the best defenses Superman could set up. It's a quietly major moment between Clark and Lombard, who has frequently bullied and picked on Clark over the years. But it's nice to see that despite all the jabs and jives, Clark never saw Lombard as anything more than a friend and colleague.
Even if Lombard let himself think their rivalry was a defining part of their lives, Clark still saw the good in the sports reporter. It explains why Clark always allowed him to get away with it, instead of reasoning that it's his friend messing around instead of a terrible co-worker lashing out. With a simple apology and admission of friendship, Clark just took one of his professional rivalries and recontextualized it as a simple and enduring friendship. With Lombard openly surprised and taken-aback by Superman openly working at the Planet, it's nice to see Clark's innate kindness take the wind out of Lombard's sails a bit.