Chris Carter’s sci-fi drama television series The X-Files introduced an impossible and unexpected character in season 8, episode 21, “Existence”: William Scully (also known as Jackson Van De Kamp). For longtime fans of the series, the arrival of William came as a shock; this ushered in a multitude of theories regarding how he could have come into being. Viewership dropped drastically following the departure of FBI special agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) in season 7. When his son with fellow agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was introduced, some viewers were not aware of his existence until the series reboot in 2016.
The improbability of Scully having a child was established in season 5, episode 6, “Christmas Carol”, when she announced she was infertile. She was abducted in season 2, episode 6, “Ascension”, which led to her infertility when her ova was extracted to be used in hybrid experimentation. Despite Mulder’s retrieval of the ova, a specialist revealed that they could not be saved. This storyline has an array of continuity errors. Regardless, most fan theorists agree that her pregnancy was impossible; this impossibility makes William Scully an extraordinary character in the series.
After the birth of William in “Existence”, he started to display abilities such as telekinesis as well as the ability to operate alien technology, leading to the belief that he is part alien. Believing that he will always be in danger as long as he lives with her, Scully gives William up in season 9, episode 16, “William”, to the Van De Kamp family. His powers begin to fade, and he settles into a life of normalcy under the name Jackson Van De Kamp.
The X-Files Reboot and William’s Fate Revealed
When the series reboot premiered in 2016, William became a large point of discussion when Scully and Mulder began to have dreams of their son at various ages. In the 2008 film, The X-Files: I Want To Believe, Jackson is shown with a new ability that allows him to see people he is connected to—such as Scully—but his story is not revisited until season 11, when it's revealed that the Cigarette Smoking Man is his actual father. In season 11, episode 10, “My Struggle IV”, Jackson’s new ability to appear as illusions of others is utilized when he takes on the form of Mulder to the Cigarette Smoking Man.
The Mulder illusion—who is really Jackson—is shot and killed. Except, the end of “My Struggle IV” shows him rising from the water, still alive. Fans theorized that he went back to start a life of his own now that he is truly out of harm's way. Regardless, Scully’s son has remarkable powers that allow him to connect mentally with others, present as an illusion of another person, and, somehow, reanimate himself after dying. His powers grew from the time of young childhood into his teenage years. At the rate that they increased by the reboot’s finale, it's clear that he is growing to become one of the most powerful hybrids that has ever existed in The X-Files universe.
Currently, there is no word on whether or not the series will return to finish Jackson’s story or revisit the shocking reveal that Scully is now actually pregnant with she and Mulder’s child. Due to this fact, fans continue to theorize what may or may not happen to the three. Unless The X-Files returns for another season or feature-length film, their fate will remain unknown.