X (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
X, sometimes referred to as Mr. X, is a fictional character
on the American science fiction
television series The X-Files
. He serves as an informant, leaking information to FBI
Special Agent
Fox Mulder
to aid Mulder's investigation of paranormal cases, dubbed X-File
s. The character serves as a replacement for his predecessor on the series, Deep Throat, who had been killed off in the first season
finale, "The Erlenmeyer Flask
". X himself would be killed off after appearing in several seasons, eventually being replaced by Marita Covarrubias.
X is portrayed in the series by Steven Williams
, and made his début in the second season
episode "The Host
", although the character would not appear on-screen until "Sleepless
", two episodes later. The role had original been conceived as female, with Natalija Nogulich cast in the role; although her initial scenes were deemed unsatisfactory by the producers, leading to her replacement. Williams' portrayal of X was intended to introduce a personality completely different to the character's predecessor, Deep Throat, and has been positively received by critics and fans.
and James Wong
; although it was series creator Chris Carter
who suggested Williams for the part. Nogulich was replaced because the writing staff felt she was not able to create the "right chemistry" with her co-stars.
Williams' portrayal of the role was intended to act as a counterpoint to Jerry Hardin
's portrayal of X's predecessor, Deep Throat. Whereas Deep Throat had been a selfless character, X was written and performed as a scared, selfish character. Williams has stated that he has never attempted to rationalise the character's motives or imagine a backstory for him, preferring to play the role with as little background as possible, stating "the less I know about him, the more interesting he becomes."
Williams' background in fight choreography
, stemming from his role in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
, allowed him to prepare for, and to help create, the character's actions scenes, including choreographing the character's brawl with Walter Skinner
in the episode "End Game
". Williams has also stated that his portrayal of the role is based in part on Avery Brooks
' character Hawk on the series Spenser: For Hire
.
in the second season
episode "The Host
", telling Mulder that he had "a friend in the FBI".
However, the character would not appear on-screen until "Sleepless
", two episodes later, aiding Mulder in an investigation by leaking information on a secret military project from the Vietnam War
. While X's loyalties and his own agenda were often unclear, he has more than once proven that he at least does not want Mulder dead. In the episode "End Game
", he is approached by Dana Scully
, who pleads that she needs to know where Mulder is, believing his life to be in danger. Initially X refuses, and is subsequently confronted by Walter Skinner
, who seemed to recognize X. He relinquishes Mulder's location, though not until after a brief but intense scuffle with Skinner. In the episode "731
", X's loyalty to Mulder is further confirmed. Trapped on a train car equipped with a time bomb
, Mulder, about to escape, is attacked brutally by an MIB assassin. X fatally shoots the Red Haired Man as he is about to step off the car. X boards the car with only enough time left to save either Mulder or the alien-human hybrid the car was transporting, opting to save Mulder, and carries him off to safety just as the car explodes.
In the season 4
opener "Herrenvolk
", X's position as an informant is discovered by the Syndicate
. When suspicion arises after the finding of photographs that were taken of The Smoking Man by X, false information is planted at the First Elder's behest, in order to root out the leak. Attempting to relay the information to Mulder, X goes to his apartment and is surprised by fellow MIB operative, the Gray Haired Man, who fatally shoots him. With his last strength, X crawls to Mulder's doorstep and writes in his own blood "SRSG", meaning "Special Representative to the Secretary General" of the United Nations
, and thus, this clue leads Mulder to Marita Covarrubias. After his death, X appears two more times—in The Lone Gunmen
origin story "Unusual Suspects
," set before his death, and as a ghost in the series finale
, "The Truth
".
included the character in the list of the top 20 Black Sci-Fi Icons in 2009, at number 17. Todd vanDerWerff, writing for The A.V. Club
, has praised the "gravitas" of Williams' acting, adding that he wished that the writers "had figured out a way to have him around more often than they did". His fellow writer Zack Handlen felt that the character's assassination in "Herrenvolk" was "appropriately shocking", calling the scene "one of the most memorable death's in the series"; although he felt that the immediate introduction of the character's successor, Marita Covarrubias, "deflates the importance of X's loss" in the episode.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. He serves as an informant, leaking information to FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
Special Agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
to aid Mulder's investigation of paranormal cases, dubbed X-File
X-file
On the television series The X-Files, an X-File is a fictional case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The files constitute an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream that is more or less concerned with unexplained phenomena. -First X-Files:The very...
s. The character serves as a replacement for his predecessor on the series, Deep Throat, who had been killed off in the first season
The X-Files (season 1)
The first season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on September 10, 1993 and concluded on the same channel on May 13, 1994 after airing all 24 episodes....
finale, "The Erlenmeyer Flask
The Erlenmeyer Flask
"The Erlenmeyer Flask" is the 24th episode and the first season finale of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "The Erlenmeyer Flask" introduced several new plot elements which would continue in later seasons and featured the death of recurring character, "Deep Throat"...
". X himself would be killed off after appearing in several seasons, eventually being replaced by Marita Covarrubias.
X is portrayed in the series by Steven Williams
Steven Williams
Steven Williams is an American actor of films and television.Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Chicago. He is known for his role as Captain Adam Fuller on the Fox Network's hit TV series 21 Jump Street from 1987-91.He played Lt. Burnett on the CBS drama series The Equalizer in...
, and made his début in the second season
The X-Files (season 2)
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, and contained 25 episodes.- Production :...
episode "The Host
The Host (The X-Files)
"The Host" is the second episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 23, 1994. It was written by Chris Carter, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured guest appearances by Darin Morgan. The episode is a...
", although the character would not appear on-screen until "Sleepless
Sleepless (The X-Files)
"Sleepless" is the 4th episode of the second season, and 28th overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on October 7, 1994. "Sleepless" subsequently aired in the United Kingdom, Ireland and was eventually released for...
", two episodes later. The role had original been conceived as female, with Natalija Nogulich cast in the role; although her initial scenes were deemed unsatisfactory by the producers, leading to her replacement. Williams' portrayal of X was intended to introduce a personality completely different to the character's predecessor, Deep Throat, and has been positively received by critics and fans.
Conceptual history
The character of X was originally intended to be a woman, and Natalija Nogulich had been cast in the role. However, after shooting her first scene the role was recast with Williams, an actor who had previous experience with writers Glen MorganGlen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
and James Wong
James Wong (producer)
James 'Jim' Wong is a Cantonese-American television producer, writer, and film director notable for his screen works of The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium, Final Destination 1 & 3, The One, and the remakes of Willard and Black Christmas along with writing partner Glen...
; although it was series creator Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
who suggested Williams for the part. Nogulich was replaced because the writing staff felt she was not able to create the "right chemistry" with her co-stars.
Williams' portrayal of the role was intended to act as a counterpoint to Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
's portrayal of X's predecessor, Deep Throat. Whereas Deep Throat had been a selfless character, X was written and performed as a scared, selfish character. Williams has stated that he has never attempted to rationalise the character's motives or imagine a backstory for him, preferring to play the role with as little background as possible, stating "the less I know about him, the more interesting he becomes."
Williams' background in fight choreography
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
, stemming from his role in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning is a 1985 action/adventure film, and a prequel to Missing in Action, both of which star Chuck Norris...
, allowed him to prepare for, and to help create, the character's actions scenes, including choreographing the character's brawl with Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
in the episode "End Game
End Game (The X-Files)
"End Game" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "End Game" continues from the previous episode "Colony", and includes Mulder's pursuit and confrontation with the Alien Bounty Hunter who has captured Scully.- Plot :USS Allegiance, a...
". Williams has also stated that his portrayal of the role is based in part on Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks
Avery Franklin Brooks is an American actor, television director, jazz musician, opera singer and college professor. Brooks is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and in the...
' character Hawk on the series Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire is a mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. The series, developed for TV by John Wilder, differs from the novels, mostly in its lesser degree of detail....
.
Character arc
X was introduced on the series via a phone call made to Fox MulderFox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
in the second season
The X-Files (season 2)
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, and contained 25 episodes.- Production :...
episode "The Host
The Host (The X-Files)
"The Host" is the second episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 23, 1994. It was written by Chris Carter, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured guest appearances by Darin Morgan. The episode is a...
", telling Mulder that he had "a friend in the FBI".
However, the character would not appear on-screen until "Sleepless
Sleepless (The X-Files)
"Sleepless" is the 4th episode of the second season, and 28th overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on October 7, 1994. "Sleepless" subsequently aired in the United Kingdom, Ireland and was eventually released for...
", two episodes later, aiding Mulder in an investigation by leaking information on a secret military project from the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. While X's loyalties and his own agenda were often unclear, he has more than once proven that he at least does not want Mulder dead. In the episode "End Game
End Game (The X-Files)
"End Game" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "End Game" continues from the previous episode "Colony", and includes Mulder's pursuit and confrontation with the Alien Bounty Hunter who has captured Scully.- Plot :USS Allegiance, a...
", he is approached by Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
, who pleads that she needs to know where Mulder is, believing his life to be in danger. Initially X refuses, and is subsequently confronted by Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
, who seemed to recognize X. He relinquishes Mulder's location, though not until after a brief but intense scuffle with Skinner. In the episode "731
731 (The X-Files)
"731" is a 1995 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the tenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "731" concludes the story begun in "Nisei"; it features Mulder investigating a possible alien-human hybrid held aboard a train car while Scully investigates what happened to her...
", X's loyalty to Mulder is further confirmed. Trapped on a train car equipped with a time bomb
Time bomb
A time bomb is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use time bombs has been for various purposes ranging from insurance fraud to warfare to assassination; however, the most common use has been for politically-motivated terrorism.-Construction:The explosive charge is the main...
, Mulder, about to escape, is attacked brutally by an MIB assassin. X fatally shoots the Red Haired Man as he is about to step off the car. X boards the car with only enough time left to save either Mulder or the alien-human hybrid the car was transporting, opting to save Mulder, and carries him off to safety just as the car explodes.
In the season 4
The X-Files (season 4)
-Episodes:Episodes marked with an asterisk are broadly part of the series' mytharc. Episodes with a double asterisk are primary episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc....
opener "Herrenvolk
Herrenvolk (The X-Files)
"Herrenvolk" is the season four premiere of The X-Files. While Mulder and Jeremiah Smith attempt to uncover the truth, the Syndicate realizes that they have a traitor in their midst. "Herrenvolk" means "Master Race" in German.-Plot:...
", X's position as an informant is discovered by the Syndicate
Syndicate (The X-Files)
The Syndicate is a fictional "shadow government" group featured in The X-Files television show and feature film created by Chris Carter. They were also known as The Elders, The Consortium, and The Group...
. When suspicion arises after the finding of photographs that were taken of The Smoking Man by X, false information is planted at the First Elder's behest, in order to root out the leak. Attempting to relay the information to Mulder, X goes to his apartment and is surprised by fellow MIB operative, the Gray Haired Man, who fatally shoots him. With his last strength, X crawls to Mulder's doorstep and writes in his own blood "SRSG", meaning "Special Representative to the Secretary General" of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and thus, this clue leads Mulder to Marita Covarrubias. After his death, X appears two more times—in The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen are a trio of fictional characters, Richard "Ringo" Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers, who have recurring roles on the American television series The X-Files. They also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called The Lone Gunmen. The name was derived from the lone...
origin story "Unusual Suspects
Unusual Suspects
"Unusual Suspects" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Kim Manners and aired in the United States on November 16, 1997 on the Fox network...
," set before his death, and as a ghost in the series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
, "The Truth
The Truth (The X-Files)
"The Truth" is the collective name for the 201st and 202nd, and final, episodes of the science fiction television series The X-Files. They first aired in the United States on May 19, 2002 on Fox in the United States and Canada. "The Truth" subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It...
".
Reception
The character of X has been well-received by critics. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
included the character in the list of the top 20 Black Sci-Fi Icons in 2009, at number 17. Todd vanDerWerff, writing for The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
, has praised the "gravitas" of Williams' acting, adding that he wished that the writers "had figured out a way to have him around more often than they did". His fellow writer Zack Handlen felt that the character's assassination in "Herrenvolk" was "appropriately shocking", calling the scene "one of the most memorable death's in the series"; although he felt that the immediate introduction of the character's successor, Marita Covarrubias, "deflates the importance of X's loss" in the episode.