I agree that Lana's parents being alive would solve a *lot* of problems. I agree with you that a lot of her more annoying qualities, like her constant need for a backup boyfriend and her abandonment issues, are due to the fact that she's an orphan. And if she wasn't an orphan, she wouldn't have been the town princess, with the twin entitlement/pedestal issues.

In fact, I doubt she would have been the target for all the mutants, since she wouldn't have been the center of attention that came with being the iconic meteor shower victim, and she wouldn't have worn the necklace that I think drew all the mutants to her. Like you say, she would have been just a regular high school girl.

Though you terrify me with the prospect of Nell possibly marrying Lionel!