Over the course of the nine seasons they appeared on The X-Files, Byers, Frohike, and Langly—collectively known as the conspiracy theorists The Lone Gunmen—went from kooky, basement-dwelling comic relief to some of the show’s most beloved characters. They even (briefly) got their own spinoff series. Now, fans will be pleased to know that the trio is coming back for the show’s revival—as has now been confirmed by Lone Gunmen actor Dean Haglund himself.
This raises an obvious question: How will the series handle the fact that these guys, despite being fan favorites, were also quite dead when the show ended? Sure, there was a canonical comic book series (cheekily titled The X-Files: Season 10) that claimed they faked their own deaths. But considering that on the show the three appeared to Mulder as ghosts, there will be some serious explaining to do if they are, in fact, alive.
Of course, spooky plot twists are just the kind of thing The X-Files thrives on, and the show has already resurrected everyone’s favorite cigarette-smoking man from presumed death, so anything is possible! Will the new revival be able to somehow resolve the Gunmen’s fate in the comics with their last appearance on the show? Will it just ignore the comics entirely? Will they appear only as ghosts, or only in flashbacks? The truth is out there.
