X-Files creator Chris Carter has responded to several long-standing fan questions about the sci-fi drama, in an interview tied to the release of a new director's cut of the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe on Hulu and Disney Plus. Carter made clear he still has "big plans" for Mulder and Scully regardless of the upcoming Ryan Coogler-led reboot, and suggested original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson could return for it, indicating the franchise's story is far from finished in his eyes.

Among the mysteries addressed, Carter said Agent John Doggett's unexplained absence from the show's revival seasons was unintentional and hinted he "may" reappear if the series returns. He was coy on whether recurring villain the Cigarette Smoking Man, seemingly killed at the end of season 11, is truly dead, remarking he "seems immortal". He was similarly evasive about Assistant Director Skinner's fate after being run over in the same finale, saying the ending was deliberately left "inconclusive" for dramatic effect. The article also raises the popular fan theory that Agent Scully may be immortal, based on clues from two earlier episodes, though Carter's full answer on that point is not included in the excerpt provided.