Fox Mulder

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Fox Mulder
11
FilmsThe X-Files, The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Fox William Mulder (

eleventh
seasons.

Mulder made his first appearance in the

first season pilot episode, broadcast in 1993. Mulder believes in extraterrestrial unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and a government conspiracy
to hide or deny the truth of their existence. Mulder considers the X-Files and the truth behind the supposed conspiracy so important that he has made them the main focus of his life.

Fictional character biography

Mulder was born on October 13, 1961, on the island of

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The mysterious disappearance of Mulder's sister and his ensuing search for her became the consuming drive of his life.[1] In 1983, Mulder graduated with first-class honors from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He then graduated with honors from the Quantico FBI Training Academy in 1986.[2] Mulder joined the FBI on October 24, 1984.[3] On graduating from the academy, Mulder began his work in the Behavioral Science Unit (psychological profiling) under Special Agent Bill Patterson, with whom he had a testy relationship.[4]

In 1988, the FBI assigned Mulder to the

scientific reasoning to Mulder's work and theories.[5]

Mulder's ultimate goal was to uncover what he believed to be a

Michael Kritschgau that aliens did not in fact exist and that the government conspirators had merely concocted that threat as a smokescreen, to justify military activities and toy with him.[7][8]

During the

The Smoking Man to live out her life under his supervision, all the while undergoing additional tests. She was unable to bear the testing any longer so she ran away from her home and was eventually admitted to a nearby hospital, where she disappeared from her locked room. It is revealed that Samantha was taken by "spiritual intervention", with the help of beings called "Walk-ins". Mulder is briefly reunited with Samantha's spirit.[9]

Mulder was also abducted by the aliens himself in 2000, and returned to Earth, almost dead, a few months later.

William, Mulder went into hiding in New Mexico after Kersh said his life was in danger.[14]

After about a year in hiding, Mulder obtains crucial information from

death. With help from several people, including a reformed Kersh and the ghost of Alex Krycek, Mulder breaks out of prison and escapes with Scully. As of the series finale, Mulder and Scully were on the run.[15] Six years after the events of the ninth season, Fox Mulder's fugitive status is clear. Scully mentions that he is wanted by the FBI and the dialogue also shows that the FBI does not really want to find him and is simply happy to have him "out of their hair". He is called to assist with the investigation of a missing FBI agent. In exchange for his help, all charges against him are dropped.[16]

Seven years later, Mulder returns to the FBI when the X-Files is re-opened, in order to look into a government conspiracy, when it transpires they have been using alien technology. Along with Scully, they investigate several cases together like they had done originally. Six weeks after their return to the X-Files, Mulder confronts an alive Smoking Man to try to prevent him from carrying out a plan to depopulate the United States using a virus applied to smallpox vaccines. In a vision of Scully's, Mulder falls sick to the disease, but refuses the Smoking Man's help and his proposal to join his elite. Mulder is saved by Agent Miller and they regroup with Scully; however, she says Mulder needs a blood transfusion and only their son can give it to them. At that moment, an unidentified flying object hovers over the trio, which is where

season eleven reveals this vision came from Scully's son, William. Over the course of season eleven, Scully and Mulder search for William. Skinner learns from the Smoking Man that the Smoking Man, who is Mulder's father, also artificially impregnated Scully, and thus is William's father as well. In the third episode of the eleventh season, "Plus One", Scully and Mulder are intimate again. In the season 11 finale, "My Struggle IV
", she reveals to Mulder that she is pregnant with his child.

Characterization

If there was a profiler like himself profiling him he would have to work from the fact that he has some oral fixation because he is constantly popping sunflower seeds. He doesn't have a bedroom, you've never seen him in his bed, you've seen him sleeping only on the couch.
David Duchovny talking about his character.[17]

Despite his aloofness and cynical sense of humor, Mulder displays unbridled enthusiasm and interest when it comes to the paranormal, especially because of his personal involvement after his sister's abduction.[5] Walter Skinner and other FBI officials have become concerned by his unprofessional behavior. This only proves true as Mulder makes a habit of letting his personal feelings cloud his judgment; his emotional attachment to UFO cases becomes more severe throughout the series, because of Dana Scully's eventual abduction and resultant cancer as well as his sister's abduction.[9] Mulder can lose his temper when Scully is involved; on multiple occasions, he has become violent in his grief and unreserved in threatening physical force.[18] Mulder's overprotectiveness of Scully stems not only from his obvious devotion and love for her, but also a long-harbored guilt; Mulder has admitted feeling indirectly responsible for the ordeals and tragedies Scully had gone through because of their investigations.

In the episode "

Jewish when interviewed during production of the second season.[24] In the episode "The Field Where I Died", Mulder went into a hypnotic trance and recalls a past life, where he is in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, and another where he was a Confederate soldier killed in the Battle of Chattanooga
.

Mulder is almost never seen sleeping in a bed. The bedroom in his apartment (which appeared as late as the

Morris Fletcher got it in Dreamland) is leaking.[26]

Relationships

He's a guy who should be working, and he's not working because he's tried to make this relationship with Scully work.
David Duchovny in an interview talking about The X-Files: I Want to Believe.[27]

Mulder had a rather strained relationship with his parents

shadow government and his own role in the conspiracy, eventually approached Fox about his past deeds but was shot and killed by Alex Krycek – working as an assassin for the Syndicate – before he could reveal any great amount of information.[28] Over the next few years, Mulder got into several conflicts with his mother while trying to discover the extent of her own knowledge of his father's precise involvement. Teena dies of an apparent suicide when the stress of Samantha's abduction finally becomes too painful.[29]

During the last years of his work on the X-Files, Mulder was even forced to doubt that Bill was his true father. He is led to consider the possibility that his mother had had an affair with the

ninth season, "William" explains that Spender and Mulder have very similar DNA, providing strong evidence that they do have the same father.[31][32]

During his studies at

Diana Fowley (season 5, episode 20, The End
). None of those remained longterm and stable.

Mulder's closest friend was FBI partner Dana Scully, who was assigned to "debunk [his] work" by the conspirators and the FBI brass. But against their intentions, her loyalties quickly became affixed to Mulder's quest and Mulder himself, a connection which seemed to pull Mulder's work out of obscurity, as Scully's scientific bent afforded them a certain amount of credibility.[5] Their intense professional and personal relationship continued to strengthen through the years. While the relationship was platonic for the greater part of the series, there are clues that it developed into a romantic one by the last few seasons.[14] Mulder and Scully almost always called each other by their surnames – Mulder purportedly hated his first name, but Scully had no such aversion.[25] At the fourth episode of season seven the romantic undertones were confirmed when the two shared a kiss.[14] In the series finale, the final scene depicted Mulder and Scully after running away together, in bed together, contemplating what the future held. In the season 11 finale Scully revealed to be pregnant with his unborn child.

Mulder's greatest nemesis was

Melissa Scully.[21][28]

Appearances

Duchovny portrays Mulder as a series regular for the first seven seasons of the show. Duchovny left the show following the

seventh-season finale
"Requiem", wherein he was abducted by aliens. Although he makes a handful of cameos in the first part of season eight—most notably in the episodes "Within", "Without", "The Gift", and "Per Manum"—Mulder is returned by the aliens and the latter part of the season deals with his death, subsequent resurrection, and his departure from the FBI. After the conclusion of the eighth season, Duchovny left the show and only appeared in four ninth-season episodes: "Trust No 1", "Jump the Shark", "William", and "The Truth". Duchovny's appearances in "Trust No 1" and "Jump the Shark" were via archival footage, and he only made a small cameo in the third. However, his appearance in "The Truth", the program's series finale, was substantial, and Duchovny was once again listed in the credits as starring.

Conceptual history

main character in the first seven seasons and the tenth season, as well as a recurring character
in the eighth and ninth seasons.

pilot episode of The X-Files. Green and Duchovny were both convinced it was a good script, so Duchovny auditioned for the lead.[34] When Duchovny was auditioning for the part of Fox Mulder, he made a terrific audition but talked rather slowly. Chris Carter thought that he was a good judge of character, and thought that Duchovny wasn't too bright. So he talked to Duchovny and asked him if he could please imagine himself as an FBI agent for the future weeks. The casting director of the show was very positive about him, while according to Carter, Duchovny turned out to be one of the best-read people he knew.[35] After getting the role, Duchovny thought the show wouldn't last for long or that it wouldn't make as much impact as it did.[34]

Carter has said that he named Mulder after his mother's maiden name. His first name, Fox, was actually not a tribute to the Fox network which aired The X-Files, as often assumed – Carter said he had a childhood friend named Fox.

script with many of Mulder's characteristics fully formed.[34] Executive producer Frank Spotnitz called portraying actor Duchovny amazingly smart. He further stated that Duchovny was behind some of the main characteristic ideas behind Mulder.[40]

At the end of the

season nine, Duchovny wasn't available for shooting, so he only appeared in three episodes with small cameos, the first being an archive footage only in "Trust No 1", a brief cameo in "William", which he also directed and appeared full-time in the series finale, "The Truth".[45]

After the show ended, Carter and Frank Spotnitz started to talk about a movie sequel. Duchovny stated in an interview that very same year that it always had been a desire to come back to the franchise, saying it was a natural stage of development for the franchise to go to the cinema. When talking about Mulder in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Duchovny said that he wanted to play him a "little different". He continued saying that Mulder had "lost every battle" and was "beaten down by life ... . He's the same guy, but he is older Mulder".[46]

Mulder had a brief cameo on

The Lone Gunmen, an X-Files spin-off featuring the characters of the same name. He appeared on the episode "All About Yves". In the Millennium episode "Lamentation", the main character, Frank Black, visits the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and Mulder and Dana Scully are briefly seen descending a stairway. In fact, they are Duchovny and Anderson's stand-ins.[47]

Reception

Duchovny was nominated for two

Satellite Award in the category "Best Actor – Drama Series" in 1997,[55] and was nominated once again 1998.[56]

Animated versions of Mulder appeared on

Eek! the Cat (both series which have been featured in episodes of The X-Files), in the episodes "The Springfield Files" and "Eek Space-9", respectively. Both featured the voice acting of Duchovny. Duchovny appeared as Mulder on the sketch show Saturday Night Live with Molly Shannon as Scully, when he hosted an episode. Joining him was co-star Nicholas Lea, who would appear as Alex Krycek in a sketch that spoofed The X-Files.[57]

seventh season, commented that the chemistry Duchovny and Gillian Anderson had, could only happen "once in a lifetime".[63]

TV Guide ranked Fox Mulder #7 in its "50 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends" list.[64]

References

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External links