‘The X-Files’ Writer Darin Morgan Says Satirizing Mulder Has Deepened The Character

Darin Morgan, writer of some of the quirkiest hours of “The X-Files,” is fond of satirizing Mulder within the show. While a number of fans aren’t particularly pleased with how he writes David Duchovny’s character, the Emmy-winning scribe said that making a fool out of Mulder has actually made the character more real.

“Mulder at the beginning was cast as a kind of mythological hero on a quest for the truth, but I noticed things that made him rather foolish, and we all started having fun pointing out Mulder’s flaws,” Morgan told Entertainment Weekly. “I think that actually deepened his character and saved him from being a cartoon guy on a vision quest. You understand that he is trying to find his sister and fighting the powers that be, yet he is still human and does a lot of stupid things.”

While Morgan makes fun of Mulder in his episodes, Duchovny actually likes the installments he wrote. “What I personally love in [Morgan’s episodes] is that he hates Mulder,” Duchovny told TVLine last month. “He’s always trying to make Mulder an imbecile and the butt of every joke.”

Although the 57-year-old actor enjoys playing the quasi-victim in Morgan’s episodes, Duchovny admitted that portraying one is a challenge. “It’s very difficult to figure out how to play Mulder in those episodes because he’s such a fool, and I feel pressure to find that place where I can service how funny it is and still keep Mulder Mulder,” the “Californication” alum explained. “It’s a bit of a pressure cooker for me because I love Darin and I want his episodes to have integrity. I don’t want it to just be this goofy thing like, ‘Oh, we’re not ‘The X-Files’ this week. We’re winking. It’s not really Mulder.’ I want it to be more than that.”

Morgan wrote and directed the upcoming Season 11, episode 4 of the series. According to the synopsis for the installment, Mulder and Scully (Gillian Anderson) explore the idea of The Mandela Effect and learn how The X-Files may have originated. While no other details have been revealed about the hour, series creator Chris Carter told TVLine in November that the episode is “original, smart, funny … everything you expect.” Carter also teased that it “has a big link to previous ‘X-Files’ episodes.”

“The X-Files” Season 11 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.