A question about the Luthor Mansion

[Wooderson_Grey]

In Smallville season 3 i think it was, we learn that it was Lionel who gained the Luthor family wealth, by killing his parents for the start up money. We even find out that Lionel's father Laughlin Luthor, was a street vagrant who tried to robb people on the street (I.E. Lana's aunt) in the 50's. Well, I was just thinking..... In the Smallville pilot Lex tells Clark about how his mansion was the Luthor ancestrial home in Scottland, and how his dad had it shipped over "brick by brick".
If it was Lionel who made the family rich, then where did this Luthor ancestrial castle come from? If the family had money, I dont think that they would have lived in Suicide Slums. Right? or am i missing something. It may just be one of those flubs that the writers missed, but i figured if there was an answer to this, then someone here would know it.

[j_sundude]

I believe that the mansion is not really the Luthor ancestrial home. Most likely, that was just another lie that Lionel told Lex. Lex doesn't know much about his grandparents, so there's no telling what kind of stories he was told regarding them or the secrets of the family wealth.

[MidgardDragon]

I think j_sundude hit it right on the head. Even if the writers weren't thinking about how Lex got the mansion when they wrote that plot about Lionel killing and making the family rich, it is easily explained and thus not a true plot hole. Lionel just lied about it, IMO.

[Insight]

Didn't Lex and Lionel talk about this in Relic (Smallville 1961, I still get confused with some titles). I really thought Lex confronted him about that toward the end of the episode.

[meteor_phreak]

i don't know about that...but another possible option is that the castle was in europe, and no longer belonged to the family, but when he got rich, and needed a home near smallville, he bought it back from whoever owned it, and had it flown to Kan-couver.

[Digitalsteel]

Originally posted by meteor_phreak
i don't know about that...but another possible option is that the castle was in europe, and no longer belonged to the family, but when he got rich, and needed a home near smallville, he bought it back from whoever owned it, and had it flown to Kan-couver.

BINGO! This is my theory as well. Just because they didnt live in it when It was in Scotland, doesnt mean it wasnt their ANCESTRIAL home.

[KryptonianRain]

I believe that the mansion is not really the Luthor ancestrial home. Most likely, that was just another lie that Lionel told Lex. Lex doesn't know much about his grandparents, so there's no telling what kind of stories he was told regarding them or the secrets of the family wealth.

That is a horrible excuse. And a very weak one at that. Sorry, but a lot of us who read it thought so, i just had to say it. I mean the "he lied" excuse? In that case there can never be another verbal error made on any show or movie ever made, because you can say, "well someone lied" Sorry i think that it was just a mistake the writers made.

[j_sundude]

Originally posted by KryptonianRain
That is a horrible excuse. And a very weak one at that. Sorry, but a lot of us who read it thought so, i just had to say it. I mean the "he lied" excuse? In that case there can never be another verbal error made on any show or movie ever made, because you can say, "well someone lied" Sorry i think that it was just a mistake the writers made.


My theory is based on the fact that at the time, Lionel basically lied to everyone about a great deal of things. There are countless examples of this, that back up my theory. In my opinion it's a good explanation and probably the same one the writers themselves would give.

By the way, please give my regards to all the people you referred to as "a lot of us"!

[Lex Dance]

Originally posted by KryptonianRain
That is a horrible excuse. And a very weak one at that. Sorry, but a lot of us who read it thought so, i just had to say it. I mean the "he lied" excuse? In that case there can never be another verbal error made on any show or movie ever made, because you can say, "well someone lied" Sorry i think that it was just a mistake the writers made.

I'm with j_sundude and MidgardDragon on this one.
The writers may well have made a mistake but it is quite conceivable that Lionel would lie to his son in order to maintain his family's "legitimate" claim to wealth. Characters in fiction lie to us all the time. In this case it's not really an excuse on the part of the writers, if anything it adds to Lionel's ruthlessness.

[UpandAtom]

It was even stated in "Relic" that Lionel lied about his ancestry. Though how the Smallville Ledger knew who Lionel's parents were, but Lex didn't is another matter.

[Wooderson_Grey]

Yea, I can see him having lied about that i guess. I'm just used to seeing his tretchory. Because I do remember Lex saying "Why did you tell me my grandfather was of scottish nobility" or something like that.

[MidgardDragon]

Originally posted by KryptonianRain
That is a horrible excuse. And a very weak one at that. Sorry, but a lot of us who read it thought so, i just had to say it. I mean the "he lied" excuse? In that case there can never be another verbal error made on any show or movie ever made, because you can say, "well someone lied" Sorry i think that it was just a mistake the writers made.

Sorry, I think you're just wanting to have an excuse to poke holes in the story here. It's not a horrible excuse, as it fits Lionel's character *perfectly*. If we were saying something like Lana lied (between Seasons 1 and 4 at least) then it wouldn't fit the character and you'd have a point. But in this case it makes a lot of sense and isn't a "horrible excuse" it's a PLAUSIBLE excuse.

[krpto]

When Lex first said it was the luthor ancestrail home I got the impression That he didn't really beleave it but It was the story his father told him.

[meteor_phreak]

i got the impression that it was true, but lex didn't like the idea of living in it...

i still like my explanation, but since the PTB haven't given us any proof, i think any of these answers will work...

[Timester]

Originally posted by KryptonianRain
That is a horrible excuse. And a very weak one at that. Sorry, but a lot of us who read it thought so, i just had to say it. I mean the "he lied" excuse? In that case there can never be another verbal error made on any show or movie ever made, because you can say, "well someone lied" Sorry i think that it was just a mistake the writers made.

Because he did lied, Lex even confronted Lionel because of the lie.

[xrayvision]

Originally posted by Wooderson_Grey
In Smallville season 3 i think it was, we learn that it was Lionel who gained the Luthor family wealth, by killing his parents for the start up money. We even find out that Lionel's father Laughlin Luthor, was a street vagrant who tried to robb people on the street (I.E. Lana's aunt) in the 50's. Well, I was just thinking..... In the Smallville pilot Lex tells Clark about how his mansion was the Luthor ancestrial home in Scottland, and how his dad had it shipped over "brick by brick".
If it was Lionel who made the family rich, then where did this Luthor ancestrial castle come from? If the family had money, I dont think that they would have lived in Suicide Slums. Right? or am i missing something. It may just be one of those flubs that the writers missed, but i figured if there was an answer to this, then someone here would know it.

I think somewhere along the way as the Luthors left Scotland & arrived to the US, they lost their fortune or made a bad business deal and Lachlan was unable to relocate the mansion to the US due to lack of funds. Once Lionel got the insurance money by killing his parents, he was able to start Luthorcorp and eventually move the mansion.

[Kal26]

Thank you once again Xray, you said just about what I was thinking as I read the above posts. It could, and probably is what you're saying.

Another theory of mine is that lionel's father left the family, or was cast out for his ways. Once Lionel was able, he restored the family home that his father was cast out of by his long dead relatives.

Does anyone know how a vagrant living in suicide slums was able to afford insurance, and not just any insurance, but the kind that would make lionel super rich? That would lead me to believe that he got that insurance before he moved here, or before he was disowned. Or was it covered by whoever owned the building. If so, I need a landlord like that, cause I have no insurance where I live.

As was stated above, I don't think it's odd to think, or even an easy out for the writers to say that lionel lied about the home. I don't think that's the case, but if it was, I would believe it. Lionel was lying to his own son about how he got rich. Don't you think he would tell some more lies to keep the story alive? A rich family would have and ancestral home, so IMO he would create one. Fits his profile perfectly.

[theWatcher]

Originally posted by j_sundude
I believe that the mansion is not really the Luthor ancestrial home. Most likely, that was just another lie that Lionel told Lex. Lex doesn't know much about his grandparents, so there's no telling what kind of stories he was told regarding them or the secrets of the family wealth. You are correct in thinking that the castle is a lie. Lionel admits later on in the show that he was raised in Suicide Slum and poor. Lionel wanted more for himself so he offed his parents to collect insurance money. He then put that money towards investments which obviously paid off down the road. Everything about the Luthor past was then altered after Lionel aquired enough money to do so. The castle and everything else that was fabricated was done so to give the appearance of power and stability.

[squall7]

He called the mansion the Luthor Ancestrial home before he moved into it. It never was such when it was in Scotland. He just said that his father had the bricks of the building shipped from scotland.

[thedean123]

Originally posted by theWatcher
You are correct in thinking that the castle is a lie. Lionel admits later on in the show that he was raised in Suicide Slum and poor. Lionel wanted more for himself so he offed his parents to collect insurance money. He then put that money towards investments which obviously paid off down the road. Everything about the Luthor past was then altered after Lionel aquired enough money to do so. The castle and everything else that was fabricated was done so to give the appearance of power and stability.

You're bang on. I recently just saw a old episode(which I can't remember the title) where Lionel basically says the whole thing about his family history is bs(castle included). There's no historical connection to the castle with the Luthors other then Lionel bought it when he had the money.

[xrayvision]

I never saw such an episode. He did say he grew up in Suicide Slum. That doesn't mean that his ancestors didn't live in that mansion back when it was located in Scotland.

Here is what Lex said:

"It's the Luthor ancestral home, or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland, stone by stone".

The conversation continues as:

Lex: My father had no intention of living here. He's never even stepped through the front door.

Clark: Then why he'd ship it over?

Lex: Because he could.

When Lex says because he could, it shows Lionel's power. So I highly doubt he just ordered a bunch of stones to send to the US and just lie to Lex about that.

We know that Lex before season 3 did not know or care much about his ancestors. He never knew that his grandparents died the way they did or that Lachlan was ever in Smallville until Relic.

My guess is that something made the Luthors leave Scotland. I'm guessing the Luthors came to the US during the 20th century. Maybe it was the ravages of World War II that made them leave and start all over again in the US, living in Suicide Slum.

[Kal26]

That would sound about right.

[Lex Dance]

Originally posted by xrayvision
When Lex says because he could, it shows Lionel's power. So I highly doubt he just ordered a bunch of stones to send to the US and just lie to Lex about that.
But don't forget, if Lionel DID lie about his roots then the bricks could just have come from the local quarry! :)

"It's the Luthor ancestral home, or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland, stone by stone".
I also think that if anything, this quote suggests that Lex has his doubts about the validity of Lionel's claim.
Despite the fact that I think the writers want us to believe that Lionel has spun a lie about his past, I would rather the Luthors DID have an ancestral home (either in Scotland or elsewhere) as I have trouble believing that a boy from the slums who invested his insurance money wisely could rise to such meteoric prominence and power.