Special Agent 'Fox William Mulder' (born
October 13,
1961), nicknamed "Spooky" Mulder, is a
fictional character played by
David Duchovny on the
1993-
2002 television series, ''
The X-Files''.
FBI Special Agent Mulder believes in
UFOs and a
government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of their existence. With his FBI partner
Dana Scully, the two work in the X-Files office, which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were left unsolved and shelved by the FBI. Mulder considers the X-Files and the truth behind the supposed conspiracy that he has made the main purpose of his life. He lives alone near
Washington, D.C.
Biography
Early life
Fox Mulder was born to
Bill Mulder and
Teena Mulder (maiden name Kuipers) on
October 13,
1961, presumably in
Massachusetts. He has a younger sister,
Samantha Mulder, who was born in
1965.
His first words, at 11 months, were "
JFK", and he grew up in
Chilmark, Massachusetts. The Mulder family had a summer house in
Quonochontaug, RI, where Fox and Samantha would play during summer vacations. He apparently had an active childhood, full of neighborhood baseball games and tree climbing - where he once came face to face with a
praying mantis, an incident which terrified him and fostered an intense dislike for insects. He also developed an all-consuming fear of fire when his friend's house burned to the ground and they had to stay in the rubble all night to ward off looters. He had nightmares for years regarding that incident, but overcame his fear during the episode "Fire." Mulder apparently enjoyed science fiction in his early years, dressing as
Mr. Spock from ''
Star Trek'' in childhood, and watching
''The Magician.'' In his teenage years, Mulder was also very excited about space. Although he says he never wanted to be an
astronaut, he was delighted to meet an ex-astronaut during one of his investigations and admitted that watching a shuttle launch fulfilled one of his boyhood dreams.
On
November 27,
1973, Samantha mysteriously disappeared from the Mulder family home in Chilmark, an event which had a severe impact on the Mulder family, especially Fox. The subsequent investigation into her disappearance turned up no evidence. Soon after, Mulder's parents divorced.
Mulder's memories of the event are not necessarily to be trusted. In the pilot episode ("
Pilot"), Mulder told Scully that his sister "just disappeared out of her bed one night." Yet in a dream sequence in "
Little Green Men", Fox and Samantha are shown playing
Stratego and watching TV, their parents visiting the neighbors, when flashing lights flood the room. Fox, frozen in shock, sees Samantha rise in the air and float out of the window, and an alien figure appears through the backlight.
This particular memory of her disappearance was recorded in a state of
hypnosis, under the direction of regression hypnotherapist
Dr. Heitz Werber in 1989 ("Closure"). In the season 5 episodes "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black", Mulder himself doubts the reliability of this memory, suspecting his recollection of the abduction may have been due to "an elaborate staging of events," or even entirely fabricated. Although he later regains his belief in an alien conspiracy, it is never made clear whether Mulder's memories under hypnotherapy were authentic or, indeed, who Samantha's abductors were.
Education and pre-X-Files career
The disappearance of Mulder's sister and his search for her soon after became the main consuming drive of his life. Mulder probably graduated from high school -- where his foreign language of choice was French ("
731") -- in spring of 1979 or 1980 (most likely 1980, as graduating in 1979 would have required him to skip a grade or start school before his fifth birthday.). It is not known what he did between 1980 and 1983. In 1983, Mulder entered
Oxford University to study
psychology. He graduated ''
summa cum laude'' in 1986 (a blooper: degrees in the UK are classified as 'First Class Honors,' ' Upper Second (Class),' 'Lower Second (Class),' 'Third (Class),' etc., not Latin honors as in the United States).
Later that year, Mulder entered the
FBI Academy in Quantico,
Virginia. It is known that Mulder "joined the FBI" on
October 24,
1986, but it is unclear whether that is the date when he started his Quantico Academy course or finished it. On graduating from the Academy, Mulder started his work in the
Behavioral Science Unit (
psychological profiling) under Agent Bill Patterson, with whom he had a testing relationship. Around this time he wrote a
monograph on
serial killers and the
occult, which helped catch serial killer Monty Props in 1988. This, coupled with his successful capture of such dangerous criminals as John L. Roche and
Luther Lee Boggs, made Mulder something of an intra-Bureau legend.
At some point, Mulder started working as a field agent of the
Violent Crimes division under Agent Reggie Purdue. It is possible that Mulder did, for a short time, work both as a profiler and a field agent. During Mulder's first case as a field agent a fellow FBI agent died during a standoff with a suspect, and Mulder later blamed himself for sticking to the FBI protocol, which he felt didn't allow him to prevent the agent's death. His partner in violent crimes was Jerry Lamana, whose incompetence and self-serving agenda led to him misplacing evidence which resulted in the maiming of a federal judge ("
Ghost in the Machine"). In his later FBI career Mulder always showed varying degrees of disregard for rules.
Fox Mulder appears to have been a very talented and remarkable agent. It was said that Mulder had "commendations out the yin-yang" ("
Unusual Suspects"). In "
Pilot", Scully claimed she'd heard of Mulder by reputation, and that he is "brilliant." Mulder was talked about at the FBI even while still in the Academy, as he was always "three jumps ahead" of others ("
Young at Heart"). Mulder got the nickname "Spooky," presumably from a combination of his unnatural insights into the psychology of serial killers and other violent criminals, and his interest in the paranormal.
Work on the X-Files
Opening the X-Files
In May 1989, Mulder was sprayed with an experimental drug that causes
hallucinations and
paranoia. Mulder started talking about aliens and conspiracies, although his previous interest in such things was not as active. The following month, Mulder underwent regressive hypnosis in attempt to remember what happened when Samantha disappeared. After that, Mulder started displaying a fanatical interest in the paranormal.
Mulder continued to work in the Violent Crimes department, pursuing his paranormal interests in his spare time. In 1990, he learned a great deal about the X-Files from former FBI agent
Arthur Dales ("Travelers"). In late 1991, Mulder "discovered" the X-Files, and re-opened them with Agent
Diana Fowley. Agent Fowley transferred away shortly thereafter, leaving Mulder the only agent to work on the X-Files. A few months later, in March 1992,
Dana Scully was assigned to the X-Files as a partner to Mulder, with the assignment to use her background in hard science to apply scientific reasoning and expertise to evaluating Mulder's work with the X-Files.
Seasons 1 through 7
Mulder's ultimate goal was to uncover what he believed to be a government conspiracy to hide the truth about alien life, and to find out what had happened to his sister. His quest and belief in the existence of aliens was, for most of the series, the driving force of the plot, or
mytharc. However, during a period of time after Scully's cancer went into remission (season 5), Mulder was convinced that aliens did not in fact exist, and that the government conspirators had merely concocted that threat as a smokescreen, to toy with him. Progressively through the series, Scully's scientific methodology, and Mulder's strong beliefs, started to rub off on one another.
Mulder's basement office was decorated with photographs, newspaper articles and other materials pertaining to
conspiracy theories, extraterrestrial life, and other supernatural phenomena. Among the collection was a picture of
Deloys monkey, a newspaper article about
Duane Barry,
Max Fenig's
NICAP hat, and, most famously, a poster depicting a
flying saucer with the words "I Want to Believe".

Mulder's paranoia reflected the American public's suspicion of the government, characteristic of the 1990s
While working on the X-Files, Mulder often came into conflict with his superiors, most notably his direct superior, FBI Assistant Director
Walter Skinner, who was for a long time skeptical of Mulder's work. Mulder's dedication to the X-Files led many of his superiors and fellow agents to regard him as a moonstruck fringe-dweller who spent all his time and effort "hunting [for] little green men," a once promising FBI agent who threw away his career.
Mulder tended to conduct his investigations with blatant disregard for rules and regulations, sometimes even breaking the law. He accused Bureau authorities of hiding the truth and infiltrated restricted military bases and other secret facilities, leading to official reprimands and suspensions on more than one occasion. He was often in risk of being fired - however, he was usually able to keep his job through the help of
various benefactors.
Throughout his work, Mulder was antagonized by the
Cigarette Smoking Man and the
Syndicate. Various conspirators provided Mulder with some information, but they were never entirely truthful, and Mulder could never disregard the possibility that they were trying to mislead him.
Mulder had multiple informants. Of his most significant high-level government informants,
Deep Throat was first, followed by
X, and later
Marita Covarrubias. Each of them provided Mulder with valuable information, even saving Mulder's life on more than one occasion. Little was known about the background of these characters. Mulder also had
US Senator Richard Matheson on his side for a number of years (see "
Little Green Men" and "S.R. 819").
During the 7th season, Mulder eventually discovers the truth about his sister. Samantha was abducted (either by the alien colonists or the government conspirators), and various tests were performed on her. She was then returned to The Cigarette Smoking Man to live out her life under his supervision, all the while undergoing additional tests. The episode "Closure" reveals that, unable to bear the testing any longer, Samantha ran away from her home with the
Spenders in California 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. There are, however, some
plot holes relating to Samantha's apparent passing (See article,
Samantha Mulder).
Seasons 8 and 9
Mulder was also abducted by the aliens himself in 2000 ("Requiem"), and returned to Earth, almost dead, a few months later. He had been infected by an
alien virus (for the second time), but Scully found a way to rescue him ("Deadalive"). He returned to work for a brief period of time, but was eventually fired by the newly promoted
Deputy Director Kersh ("Vienen"). After Scully gave birth to William, Mulder went into hiding in
New Mexico.
After about a year in hiding, Mulder obtains crucial information from
a secret facility about the date of the planned alien colonization effort, but is caught and put on trial for the murder of
Knowle Rohrer. Despite a defense organized by
Skinner with numerous witnesses, the judges (who it is hinted are at least partially working for the conspiracy) sentence Mulder to
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 are hiding.
A second ''X-Files'' film has been in the works for several years, and will reportedly focus on an individual case rather than delving into the series mythology or the upcoming alien invasion. In April 2007, Duchovny confirmed a sequel was in the works, that both he and Anderson wanted to be in it, and that Carter and writer Frank Spotnitz were working on the script. Duchovny said, "At this point all of the kind of fatigue and anxiety that we had towards the end of a nine-year run is gone" and joked, "We've forgotten why we hate one another and can only remember why we love one another and we're very happy to go back."
[1]
Relationships
Family
Mulder had a rather strained relationship with his parents, not in the least thanks to the X-Files. Initially, he had no idea his father was involved in the conspiracy and Samantha's disappearance. Bill Mulder, who became disenchanted with the
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 ("
Anasazi"). 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 Mulder dies of an apparent suicide, when the stress of Samantha's abduction finally becomes too painful ("Sein und Zeit").
During the last years of his work on the X-Files, Mulder was even forced to doubt that Bill Mulder was his true father. He is lead to consider the possibility that his mother had had an affair with the
Cigarette Smoking Man (due to strong evidence provided in "
Talitha Cumi"), a connection which may have resulted in the birth of either Samantha or Mulder himself. The possibility was hinted at later in the series, and
Jeffrey Spender, who certainly was the Smoking Man's son, said that Mulder was his half-brother. In the 9th season, "William" explains that Spender and Mulder have very similar
DNA, providing strong evidence that they do have the same father.
Mulder's relationship with his sister Samantha was, in some ways, one of the most central of the series, although the real Samantha was only ever shown in flashbacks. These flashbacks show them alternately bickering and affectionate, and it can be assumed that their relationship was close. They seem to have spent a good deal of time together, playing pick-up games of neighborhood
baseball (Fox usually played right-field), riding bikes, playing board games, and watching television. After her disappearance, when Mulder was twelve, the family fell apart, and Mulder's intense desire to unravel the mystery of her abduction became the central drama of his life.
By the 6th season of the series, the relationship between Mulder and Scully was clearly more than professional or even friendly, and by the 7th it was evidently romantic. Mulder was, evidently, the father of Scully's child
William, perhaps by way of
in-vitro fertilization ("
Per Manum"). The episode "
all things" showed Scully dressing in Mulder's apartment in the early morning, with a sleeping, apparently naked, Mulder in the bed where she had presumably spent the night. When Mulder reflects on William's conception in "
Essence", he asks himself "How did this child come to be? What set its heart beating? Is it the product of a union or the work of a divine hand?" implying that he and Scully were intimate at least once. In "
The Truth", the prosecutor in Mulder's trial asks: "Agent Scully, isn't it true that you and Mulder were lovers, and you got pregnant and had his love child?" She and Mulder share a brief yet profound look, undoubtedly confirming the question. Scully, speaking to Mulder earlier in the episode, referred to William as "our son."
Friends and foes
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. 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. Mulder and Scully almost always called each other by their
surnames - Mulder purportedly hated his first name, but Scully had no such aversion. At the end of season eight, the romantic undertones were confirmed when the two shared a kiss. In the series finale, the very last scene depicted Mulder and Scully in bed together, contemplating what the future held.
When in need of extra assistance, Mulder went to various friends/contacts with expertise in different areas.
The Lone Gunmen, three conspiracy theorists/
computer hackers/tabloid newspaper publishers, were his most trusted friends, after Scully. The trio was generally sought after when Mulder and/or Scully needed more techno-savvy assistance. The Lone Gunmen, in turn, had their own contacts when a situation was beyond their abilities. Dr. Charles "Chuck" Burks was another character who helped Mulder when Mulder's own knowledge of the paranormal was not enough to crack a case. Earlier in the series, Mulder could be seen calling Danny Valladeo, a character who was never shown on screen. He would typically help Mulder with tasks such as pulling up
plate numbers.
Mulder's greatest nemesis was the
Cigarette Smoking Man, who, despite his obvious ill-intent, seemed to hold Mulder in special regard. Though he mocked Mulder to his face for his foolishness and the futility of his quest, in "Two Fathers" he told his son
Jeffrey Spender, "You pale to Fox Mulder." Mulder also developed an intense enmity for
Alex Krycek, a double agent who briefly worked with Mulder in the FBI as an infiltrator, and who continued to serve as a recurring adversary, acting as an assassin for the Syndicate in the murders of
Bill Mulder and
Melissa Scully.
Personality
Mulder famously has a sardonic sense of humor even in the face of the most bizarre and dangerous phenomena, and his trademark dry jokes (most of them improvised by actor
David Duchovny) are characteristically glib or cynical.
He is somewhat athletic and has an interest in sports, mostly
baseball and
basketball. He jogs regularly, and has been shown playing a casual game of basketball ("Two Fathers") and displays some skill with a 3-point shot (such as in "Paper Hearts", where he effortlessly sinks a shot when challenged). He often bounces his basketball around his apartment when bored. His favorite professional teams are the
New York Yankees and the
New York Knicks, even though he grew up in
Massachusetts.
Though his ethnicity and religious affiliation are never directly disclosed, scripts and surname data indicate Mulder is a
Dutch-American Protestant. The name Mulder is characteristically
Dutch. His mother's maiden name is Kuipers, which is also Dutch.
[2][3] David Duchovny suggested Mulder is
Jewish when interviewed during the second season.
[4] In the episode "Drive," Mulder facetiously apologizes on behalf of the "international Jewish conspiracy" in response to the abusive and
anti-Semitic tirades of a suspect; the suspect also guesses Mulder's ethnicity is Jewish based on his surname.
[5] Despite this, in the episode "
Kaddish," Mulder is unable to identify a
Talmudic book, states that he does not know
Hebrew, and quips that
Jesus returned from the dead.
[6] Also, Mulder, as his father before him,
[7] had a Christian burial presided over by a
Protestant minister[8] following his apparent "death" in the episode ''DeadAlive''. This suggests he hails from a Protestant background, as Scully hails from a
Catholic background.
[9] Mulder also seeks comfort in a
Christian church following the events of the episode "Conduit."
[10]
Despite believing in a variety of paranormal phenomenon, Mulder is often openly scornful of organized religion ("
Revelations"; "All Souls"). However, in the series finale he talks hopefully about the afterlife and touches Scully's crucifix with some reverence, suggesting that just as Scully has modified her skepticism and accepted some of Mulder's beliefs in the paranormal, so has Mulder opened his mind to the possibility of God.
Mulder is almost never seen sleeping in a bed. The bedroom in his apartment (which appeared as late as the 6th season of the show's run) is apparently used for storage and is filled floor to ceiling with junk, including a couple boxes of pornographic magazines. Instead, Mulder sleeps on his couch, often falling asleep to a blaring television. Mulder can seem to go through manic periods when worried or working on a case, contributing to or exacerbating his
insomniac tendencies. Since "Dreamland II" Mulder gets his bedroom renovated and equipped with waterbed. In "Monday" he finds himself soaked through when his waterbed (which he can't remember getting) is leaking.
Mulder's
porn habits are a recurring joke on the series, and are alluded to in several episodes. In the third season episode "
Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" the psychic
Bruckman implies that Mulder will die from an act of
autoerotic asphyxiation. Mulder normally watches porn to sleep; at other times, he does it out of boredom or habit. At times it is implied that he watches porn as other people watch TV shows.
Mulder apparently has a rather poor sense of direction - he sometimes goes through the wrong corridors in a building and can't use a map very well. Similarly, Mulder isn't comfortable when in the country and somewhat doesn't really like nature. In "
Home" he tells Scully that he would like to live in a rural community when he retires, then takes it back when their hotel television can't seem to get reception for the Knicks game.
Mulder rarely drinks alcohol, and in the few cases he does, he is so drunk that he behaves out of character, suggesting a low tolerance level ("X-Files: Fight the Future"). This might also reflect his choice of drinks- including spooning frozen orange juice from a can directly into a bottle of vodka and drinking the contents ("Syzygy").
He says his famous penchant for sunflower seeds was passed down from his father. At home, Mulder does not appear to be particularly skilled in the culinary field, on one occasion opening his refrigerator only to find it bare, save for a jug of orange juice, 4 months past its expiration date ("Chinga"). This suggests a high proportion of take-out or frozen meals (understandable, considering the amount of time Mulder spends on the road).
In "
Fire", he reveals suffering from
pyrophobia, but it is never mentioned throughout the rest of the series. He also admits to a childhood fear of bugs in "
War of the Coprophages". Mulder has a photographic memory, and once mentions that he is "cursed with a
photographic memory."
Mulder disapproves the use of drugs when treating psychological disorders and says that he's not a
Freudian.
For some (perhaps brief) period of time Mulder was a smoker. In "Travelers", while interviewing former FBI Agent Arthur Dales, Mulder is seen smoking a cigarette. The episode is set in 1990.
Appearances
Seasons 1 - 7
★ All episodes
Season 8
★
Within
★
Without
★
The Gift
★
Per Manum
★
This Is Not Happening
★
Deadalive
★
Three Words
★
Empedocles
★
Vienen
★
Alone
★
Essence
★
Existence
Season 9
★
The Truth
Trivia
★ In the episode entitled, "Clyde Bruckman's Final Response", it was hinted by the psychic Bruckman that Mulder will die of an autoerotic asphyxiation accident.
★ Mulder's address is #42, 2630 Hegal Place,
Alexandria, VA 23242 ("Small Potatoes" and "Monday"). However, 23242 is a ZIP code in the vicinity of
Richmond, Virginia. He was living at that address at least as far back as 1990 ("Travelers").
★ Mulder's apartment number,
42, is a reference to the
answer to life, the universe and everything. Scully apparently has a key ("End Game", others), although when she acquired it is a mystery.
★ Mulder's badge number is JTT047101111 ("F. Emasculata")
★ Mulder's computer password is TRUSTNO1.
★ Mulder's
Social Security number is 123-32-1321 ("Dreamland II").
★
Pseudonyms Mulder has used include M.F. Luder,
George E. Hale, Marty and Mr. Kaplan ("The Pine Bluff Variant"). Jose Chung refers to him as "Reynard Muldrake" in his book, with "reynard" being the antiquated spelling for "fox" in French ("Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'").
★ He hates being called Fox, and claims that he even made his parents call him Mulder growing up. However, both parents call him Fox on the show.
★ The character of Fox Mulder has also appeared on other series - ''
The Lone Gunmen'' and
''Millennium''. He was mentioned in the short-lived series ''
Strange Luck''. He also made an appearance in the "
The Springfield Files" episode of ''
The Simpsons'' and on the animated series ''
Eek! The Cat''. In an episode of the ''
ReBoot'' series, Mulder and Scully were parodied as agents "Fax Modem" and "Data Nully." David Duchovny did not provide his voice for the episode.
★ He is possibly of partial
Dutch heritage, as ''Mulder'' is a
Dutch surname meaning ''Miller''.
Chris 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.
[11]
★ According to the 5th season episode "Unusual Suspects", which took place entirely in
1989, Mulder is 6' tall (~183cm), about 170lb (~77kg), and has green eyes.
★ In the Episode "Hollywood AD" Mulder states that has seen ''
Plan 9 from Outer Space'' 42 times (another reference to ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''), and claims that the film is so incredibly bad that it shuts down the logic centers of his brain, allowing him to make intuitive leaps of logic. He called this the "Ed Wood Investigative Method".
★ According to the episode "Beyond the Sea," Mulder's
blood type is O-negative.
★ In the episode "Wetwired", he states that he is red-green
colorblind, although this trait does not appear to interfere with his casework or personal life, and indeed is never mentioned anywhere else in the show.
★ In the episode "Je Souhaite", while watching ''
Caddyshack'' at Mulder's apartment, Mulder and Scully are shown drinking
Shiner Bock beer.
★ In the episode "Blood," it is revealed that Mulder's favored manner of dining at home involves eating food from his hands, over the sink.
★ Mulder's favorite snack is sunflower seeds. In "Aubrey" (Episode #36), he reveals to Scully that his father used to eat them as well and suggests that his taste for sunflower seeds may be some sort of genetic memory. In "Anasazi" (Episode #49), Mulder asks for seeds while delirious with a fever. The audience first sees him eating them in the pilot episode, while he is driving a car.
★ Mulder's personality type is
INTP, under the
Myers-Briggs personality test.
★ In season 6 episode "The Unnatural", we find that Mulder is a fan of baseball — so much so that he is able to correctly state the number of home runs
Mickey Mantle hit from each side of the plate in his career.
[12]
★ In the video game ''Ape Escape 2'' for the Playstation 2, there is an ape named Mulder with the tagline "The truth is out there!".
★ Mulder's birthday, October 13, is also
Chris Carter's birthday. Carter also named his production company after the date,
Ten Thirteen Productions.
References
1. http://www.hollywood.com/news/All_Go_on_X_Files_Sequel_with_Duchovny__Anderson/3677034
2. "Deep Background: Fox Mulder" Accessed 14 February 2007
3. Transcript of ''Dreamland II'' from ''Inside The X''
4. ''"The Truth Is Out There," The Official Guide to the X-Files Vol. 1'', by Brian Lowry, Chris Carter. Harper Paperbacks, 1995.
5. Transcript of ''Drive'' from ''Inside The X''
6. Transcript of ''Kaddish'' from ''Inside The X''
7. Transcript of ''The Blessing Way'' from ''Inside The X''
8. Transcript of ''DeadAlive'' from ''Inside the X''
9. Transcript of ''Miracle Man'' from ''Inside the X''
10. Transcript of ''Conduit'' from ''Inside The X''
11. Chris Carter FAQ
12. Transcript of ''The Unnatural'' from ''Inside The X''
External links
★
From Russia with Madness - Wold Newton universe speculation on the origins of Fox Mulder.
★
X-Files Deep Background: Fox Mulder - A volunteer encyclopedia of information on all aspects of the show.