Lionel washed ashore after the dam broke, and was then dragged away by a mysterious figure. No one knew of this, so he was presumed dead by Lex and the media. Sometime later, Lionel finally awoke to find himself chained to a bed by a woman named Marilyn. He managed to get loose, but was knocked out by Lana. After Lex tried to free Lionel, Marilyn had a gun pointed at his son, and Lionel snuck up behind her and beat her to death. Lionel went to see Lana at the Kent Farm, and knew she was behind his disappearance. He warned her not to continue with her sense of retribution or something bad would happen.