The X-Files Revival: Mulder's Fatherhood (Doesn't Matter) Is Neglected
One aspect that struck me about the latter end of The X-Files was the subtle undermining and conclusive erasure of Mulder's fatherhood.
While not intentionally malicious, it-- like the Revival's rewrite of William-Jackson's legacy and Scully's final declaration-- was poorly handled. And not solely, as one might assume, by the fandom's favorite boogieman.
January 31, 2018:
[Interviewer]: So much of the episode [Ghoulie] is Scully’s roller coaster of near-misses and grief. His biological paternity may be in question, but William is still a young man that Mulder considers to be his son. How did you go about demonstrating Mulder’s grief in the episode?
[James Wong]: Well, I really do believe that, in the case of William, Scully’s character took the brunt of the emotional journey and baggage. She was the one who had to do everything by herself, really, and she made decisions for him by herself.
To me, Mulder’s emotional journey is really through Scully. I felt like he was trying to support her; he could only connect to it through her. And that’s how I approached it.
Through her. Mulder "could only connect to it" through her.
Not "our son" that left "us both" with "an emptiness that can't be filled," ala I Want to Believe. Not "my son" and "his mother", ala The Truth. Not "That doesn't make him any less of a miracle though, does it?", ala Existence.
Mulder is mainly granted snippets of fatherly recognition via his role as an auxiliary attache to Scully's arc. Although Maggie mentions Mulder's son on her deathbed, Home Again focuses primarily on Scully's loss. Regardless, My Struggle III casts doubt on Jackson's paternity soon thereafter. Even when Ghouli attempts to patch up a few holes-- e.g. Wong crafting a scene to underscore internalized pain and shame:
The moment it felt like Mulder was able to express his grief was when he and Skinner were talking on the boat. The moment I really love is Skinner is warning him to stay away, and Mulder is like, ‘Thanks for the warning, but you’re too late.’ The moment he turns around, we saw him not saying that to Skinner, but saying that to himself. The whole thing was too late for him. So that’s the moment I liked.
--Mulder is still left outside the sacred circle (i.e. a scene explicitly exploring his parental grief), bearing witness to Scully's loss in the morgue without being able to express his own. My Struggle IV then knocks away any future examination by doubling down on My Struggle III's revelation, severing the Mulder men's connection entirely. He's allowed one smothering hug before Jackson distances himself and fakes his death, before Scully tells her partner to write off the child he's loved as his own for nearly eighteen years.
Because William-Jackson doesn't consider him a father.
Because Mulder's just there to support Scully.
As tempered as I attempt to be concerning the Revival, My Struggle IV's insistence on creating more mystery rather than answering old questions added (likely unintended) insult to injury--
March 21, 2018:
[Interviewer]: If the show returns and if Gillian returns as Scully, will Scully still be able to sense that William is alive? Or has that connection somehow been severed?
[Chris Carter]: Because he’s still alive, there is that connection. I imagine right now, that’s what she sensed at the end of the dock at the sugar factory: William might in fact not be dead.
If that be the case, canon would be justifying Scully's lie by omission: that she'd directly or indirectly deceive her partner of twenty-five years in order to nudge him to "let go" of Jackson (which would, in effect, taint her characterization.) Why?
Because the William arc isn't really about Mulder, you see-- he's an accessory to Scully's bond with William. The shoulder to cry on, the unfailingly supportive-- but passive-- man who lets her adopt William out and lives with her through the pain and waits for her after she leaves and reopens the files after she brings a case to his doorstep and agrees when she insists they find William before the world ends and caves when she asserts they stop looking-- and give Jackson
up-- because their son, their baby boy, is "an experiment."
Because Mulder "can only connect" to his personal journey of fatherhood "through her."
Who's the better one-off character? (Loser's Bracket)
Dr. Bambi Berenbaum (played by Bobbie Phillips in "War of the Coprop
Gupta (played by Vik Sahay in "Founder's Mutation")
Voting ended onJul 31, 2025
Dr. Bambi Berenbaum: Her name: iconic. Her theory on UFOs: fascinating. Also she's smart and cute!
Gupta: "You guys are all alike, you know? You say you want to walk on the wild side, but when it comes down to it... you're repressed. I finally let go of all that, that self-loathing and that judgment and I'm free. Stop tormenting yourself. The truth (tapping MULDER's chest by his heart) is in here." #anyone who tries to suck mulder dick is gonna get my vote
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To jog your memory, here are the episodes they're from:
War of the Coprophages: A small town is plagued by deaths in which the bodies are found covered in cockroaches. Working from home, Scully has scientific explanations for all of them but Mulder—at the crime scene with an attractive bug expert—suspects the insects may not be organic, or earthly.
Founder's Mutation: With the X-Files now re-opened, Mulder and Scully are assigned to investigate the mysterious suicide death of a geneticist. Their search leads them to a research facility where extreme genetic experimentation has bred subjects possessing strange powers.
