[Originally appeared in DEADLY Magazine #5] For nine seasons (and two feature films), fans of The X-Files became engrossed with FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully’s search for the truth and along the way, we were introduced to numerous supporting characters that helped them (or did their damnedest to foil their efforts) along the way. Here’s a look back at some of The X-Files’ greatest unusual suspects.
Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin)
Mulder’s first informant when the X-Files division of the FBI was established. A member of The Syndicate who wanted to expose some of the secrets the government had tried desperately to keep hidden, Deep Throat was tragically gunned down while trading an alien embryo for Mulder’s life in the first season finale, “The Erlenmeyer Flask.”
Cigarette Smoking Man/Cancer Man (William B. Davis)
Hands down The X-Files’ greatest villain, Cigarette Smoking Man’s presence dominated over the first season of the series despite actor William B. Davis only having four lines total. He was later revealed to be Mulder’s biological dad but still remained the show’s biggest baddie up until the very end.
Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi)
Originally the hard-nosed supervisor to Mulder and Scully, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner eventually shed his no-nonsense approach once he realized that he, too, was becoming a pawn in The Syndicate’s nefarious schemes. Skinner also realizes the validity of the X-Files division during the seventh season finale when he comes face-to-face with an alien spacecraft and witnesses Mulder’s subsequent abduction.
X (Steven Williams)
X (or Mr. X, as he was sometimes known as) became Mulder’s second confidante after the death of Deep Throat. Despite his involvement with The Syndicate, X proves his loyalty to Mulder during the third season when he chooses to save the agent over the work of his organization. It’s a decision that eventually seals his doomed fate, as X is assassinated in the Season 4 premiere episode, “Herrenvolk.”
Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea)
Initially brought in to partner with Mulder after Scully had been abducted and the X-Files division disbanded, Alex Krycek was the perfect double agent/errand boy for the Cigarette Smoking Man beginning in Season 2 and throughout each subsequent season. There was no angle he wasn’t willing to play on anyone (given whatever predicament he was in at the moment), his need for power ultimately leading to his demise.
The Lone Gunmen: Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood)/Richard Langly (Dean Haglund)/John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood)
A trio of conspiracy theorists who would regularly help Mulder and Scully get out of whatever jam they were in, The Lone Gunmen quickly became fan favorites due to their witty back-and-forth banter and their penchant for exposing the government’s misdeeds. While the characters did get their own spin-off series, The Lone Gunmen ended up valiantly sacrificing their lives to stop a terrorist attack from affecting millions.
The Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson)
Originally appearing in the Season 2 episode, “Colony,” the Alien Bounty Hunter seemed like nothing more than a mindless killing machine at first, but was eventually revealed to be a much bigger player in The X-Files’ alien mythologies. Equipped with unprecedented strength and the ability to change its identity at any time, the Alien Bounty Hunter was undoubtedly one of the biggest adversaries Mulder and Scully faced during the series.
The First Elder (Don S. Williams)
Introduced in Season 3 as one of the higher-ranking members of The Syndicate, The First Elder was behind the murder of X as well as Scully finding out more about her abduction. Having no tolerance for liars, The First Elder even tried his damnedest to eliminate the Cigarette Smoking Man once he realized he had a hidden agenda.
Well-Manicured Man (John Neville)
A British member of The Syndicate, the Well-Manicured Man was the driving force behind the efforts to find a vaccine for the dreaded “black oil” and generally opposed the viewpoints of the Cigarette Smoking Man. He eventually sides with Mulder and Scully in the 1998 feature film, The X-Files.
Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden)
Undoubtedly the most attractive member of The Syndicate, Marita Covarrubias first appears as an ally of X when it’s revealed that she’s Mulder’s new informant. Of course, true to The X-Files, there’s more than meets the eye with Covarrubias and it is later revealed that she was working heavily with both Krycek and Cigarette Smoking Man after the initial members of The Syndicate had fallen during the series’ sixth season.
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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