Major spoilers for The X-Files Season 11.

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After ten thrilling weeks, the eleventh season of The X-Files reached its conclusion with "My Struggle IV", revealing big shocks and bigger deaths, making the show's future very interesting indeed. We're going to break down everything that happened in that crazy hour.

There's a chance that "My Struggle IV" is the final episode of The X-Files, ever. Gillian Anderson has stated that this is her last performance as Agent Dana Scully. Series creator Chris Carter initially stated that The X-Files is dependent on the presence of both Mulder and Scully, but has since insisted that the show will go on, with or without Anderson, although the Fox network has their own opinions on the matter. One way or another, Carter intends for The X-Files to continue.

Related: Why Season 11 Is Gillian Anderson's Last

For its part, "My Struggle IV" feels very much like a season finale, and not a grand ending to the entire X-Files saga. Carter took a big risk by setting up so many cliffhangers without knowing whether or not he'll ever get the chance to resolve them, but one has to admire his sheer audacity in throwing caution to the wind and writing with an admirably reckless abandon. So, what exactly went down in the season finale of The X-Files? Read on to find out.

This Page: The X-Files Season 11 Finale Explained

Mulder's Rampage

Mulder in The X Files Season 11 Finale

David Duchovny is a unique actor. His understated performance as FBI agent Fox Mulder is sometimes criticized for seeming lackadaisical or disinterested, but that's not really the case. Mulder is a fiercely driven introvert dedicated to uncovering the truth, no matter the cost. A telling moment for the character came in the episode, "Ghouli." Believing that the son he never knew may have committed suicide moments before a potential reunion, and confronted by a pair of shady Department of Defense agents taunting him, Mulder coldly warns them off, saying, "You have no idea of my state of mind."

That ruthless, but stoic, determination and deep love for his son (who's not really his son, but don't worry too much about it) reaches a fever pitch when Mulder, acting on a tip from Agent Reyes, shoots his way through an airplane hanger manned by operatives Purlieu Services, the private military led by Mr. Y, a shadowy member of cabal secretly preparing for alien colonization. Although most (but not all) of the carnage occurs off-screen, Mulder's brief foray into violent action hero territory is entirely believable; any father will eagerly gun down a room full of armed thugs to save his son from harm.

Related: X-Files Creator Stands By Season 11 Premiere Twist

Unfortunately for Mulder, William is not present at the hanger, and Mulder's search for his son continues.

William is More Powerful Than Previously Thought

William in The X Files

To call William (or Jackson Van De Kamp, his adopted name) a gifted child would be a massive understatement. Initially believed to be Mulder and Scully's miracle child, he was later revealed (in "My Struggle III") to be the product of alien science. He's not Mulder's son; he's the son of Carl Gerhard Bush, AKA the Cigarette Smoking Man. As a baby, he manifested powers, but they were nullified due to a magnetite serum injected by Jeffrey Spender, an attempt to make the boy "normal" and thus useless to the nefarious machinations of the Smoking Man and other syndicate members.

However, the effects of the serum were only temporary, since "My Struggle III" revealed that William was receiving visions of a possible future and relaying them to his mother. The entirety of "My Struggle II," the tenth season finale, were all one of William's visions. When William finally made a proper appearance in "Ghouli," he had the ability to project an image of himself, disguising his identity and adopting the visage of his choosing; either a kindly stranger or a vicious monster.

Finally, "My Struggle IV" shows off two brand new powers in William's growing repertoire of abilities: first, he saves Mulder's life by focusing his mental energy and causing his pursuers to explode in a shower of blood and gore (so long, Erika Price!), and second, he manages to shrug off a point-blank headshot from the Smoking Man. Indeed, after the heartbreaking twist of William essentially committing "suicide-by-cop" to save his father's life, his seemingly lifeless body falls from the dock and into the water below. The final shot of the season is William, rising from the water, no worse for wear, despite the gaping bullet hole in his head.

Scully Is Pregnant

One of the most controversial moments in the episode came in its final scene. After the presumed death of William and Mulder's swift and brutal retribution upon the Smoking Man, Scully arrives and Mulder tells her everything that happened. She reveals to him the truth of William's origin. Despite her grief, Scully comforts herself, and a heartbroken Mulder, by acknowledging that the boy was a science experiment, an unnatural combination of alien science and the unsavory intentions of evil men.

Related: David Duchovny Wishes X-Files Fans Would Quit Focusing on Scully's Exit

Scully then drops an even bigger bomb on Mulder; she's pregnant. Her first pregnancy was believed to be a miracle, but it was actually an abomination of forbidden science. This one, as she puts it, "is more than impossible," due to her previously-established infertility, to say nothing of her age (Gillian Anderson is 49. At that age, pregnancy is not impossible, but it's not likely, either). Of course, Scully's physiology was altered by the introduction of alien DNA to her system, so it's impossible to know if her baby will be a normal human, a hybrid, or a super-powered entity like William.

Walter Skinner in The X Files Season 12 Finale

Is Skinner Really Dead?

For longtime X-Files fans, the most shocking moment came near the end, when Walter Skinner faced down a car containing the Smoking Man and Monica Reyes. Reyes refused to attack her former boss, but the older villain seized control, forced the car into gear, and stomped on the gas. Skinner shot at his pursuers, managing a (probably fatal) headshot on Reyes, but was forced to retreat. He dived low to the ground to avoid certain death, but it looks like at least his legs got run over by the car.

If he's dead, then he died giving his agents a fighting chance to live. If he survived, he might be seriously injured when he returns in the future, in whatever form The X-Files take.

Even if he survives, Skinner's not necessarily out of danger. "Kitten," an episode focused around Skinner's backstory, ended with the implication that the FBI Assistant Director was infected with MK-NAOMI, a toxic gas which incites psychotic rage in its victims. In his final scene in that episode, one of Skinner's teeth comes loose and falls out, exactly like what happened to the MK-N test subjects throughout the episode.

Are Reyes and The Smoking Man Really Dead?

X Files Season 10 Cigarette Smoking Man William B Davis

The other major casualties of "My Struggle IV" are Reyes and the Smoking Man. Reyes was originally introduced in Season 8 (becoming a regular for the 9th and final season of the show's original run) and worked on the X-Files alongside Agents Doggett and Scully. When she reappeared in Season 10, she was the Smoking Man's lieutenant and aide in exchange for a spot on his short and exclusive list of chosen survivors of the impending apocalypse.

Her conflicting loyalties came to a head in the aforementioned showdown with Skinner. She tried to avoid running down her former boss, but Skinner had no way of knowing that. While shooting at the car, he managed to land a bullet right on her temple, presumably killing her. She wasn't an outright villain, but she ultimately made the wrong choice in siding with the Smoking Man, and was thus doomed to suffer the wrath of his enemies.

Related: The X-Files Cast Reuniting for Cold Cases Audio Production

As for the Smoking Man himself, Carl Gerhard Bush, Mulder gunned him down in a fit of righteous fury, but X-Files fans know all too well, to never bet against the Smoking Man's survival. After all, in the original series finale, "The Truth," he was literally hit by a missile, with an extreme close-up of his face being melted by the flames, and he still managed to survive, albeit very badly injured. Whatever alien technology he uses to regenerate himself, there's no reason to believe he can't shrug off a handful of 9mm bullets. If The X-Files comes back, the Cigarette Smoking Man will surely return, as well.

The X-Files Season 11 Cast

What's Next For The X-Files?

Gillian Anderson firmly put her foot down and declared that she is done playing Dana Scully. Whatever happens next with The X-Files, she won't be involved. This wouldn't be the first time a key cast member left the series. After Season 7 of the original run, David Duchovny left, with Robert Patrick stepping in as Agent John Doggett. Ultimately, Duchovny was absent for around half of Season 8, and the entirety of Season 9, save for the series finale. It's not impossible for The X-Files to continue without one of its two main leads, but would it be worth it?

Despite positive fan reception to Robert Patrick's inclusion in the final two seasons of the original run, it's unanimously agreed that the core of The X-Files is the relationship between Mulder and Scully. Even when he wasn't physically present, the essence of Mulder was still an integral part of the show, since he was first missing, then on the run. Chris Carter has floated the idea of treating Scully the same way, as an "absent center", with her essence informing the direction of the show. If the series comes back for another season on TV, maybe Scully will be written off as retiring to raise her baby. But then, why wouldn't Mulder retire with her?

In the short term, it will be immensely difficult for The X-Files to deal with Scully's absence if the show comes back for another season. Maybe the franchise will be forced back into hibernation while Chris Carter and company decide what to do next. It's hard to fault Gillian Anderson for not wanting to play Scully anymore. She first played the iconic redhead 25 years ago, all the way back in 1993. At some point, an actor needs to know when to call it quits and move on to other things

Will The X-Files Season 2 Even Be On TV?

Scully and Mulder in a hospital room looking at the camera in The X-Files.

This whole situation, of X-Files actors being finished with the show, has happened before. After Duchovny quit the show after Season 7, Anderson decided she was done with The X-Files after Season 9. Fox and Chris Carter ultimately had to choose between continuing the show with Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish or outright cancellation. They chose cancellation. The legend goes that the series was initially going to continue with a series of feature films, but those plans ultimately fell through. Both Duchovny and Anderson returned for 2008's The X-Files: I Want to Believe, again intended to be a launch pad for a series of X-Files movies, but it wound up being a financial disappointment, so the franchise was put on ice until the current TV revival.

Actors say they're "done for good," but that's not always the case. Gillian Anderson has other things she wants to do right now - she's recently received acclaim for The Fall and American Gods - so maybe she'll come back around to the idea of playing Scully again. If TV timings are the problem, maybe The X-Files will return to cinemas for a grand finale; that was the original plan, after all.

A large factor in the future of the franchise lies with the looming sale of Fox's assets to Disney. If the sale ultimately goes through (and it likely will), then the adventures of Mulder and Scully will become the property of Disney, and Chris Carter will have a whole new group of executives with whom to make decisions regarding the next chapter of The X-Files.

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Despite the apparent dissolution of The X-Files, it's hard to believe that "My Struggle IV" could really be the end. The X-Files was originally supposed to end with Season 5, and continue in a series of movies, but the success of the first X-Files film led to Fox bringing the show back for more seasons. After the Season 9 finale, the show was dead and buried, but it still came back for the 2008 film, I Want to Believe. After that movie failed, audiences figured that was it - The X-Files could never come back again - but they were wrong. Now, after two successful revival seasons on Fox, it's hard to believe that The X-Files is really gone for good. Only time will tell what's next for Mulder, Scully, and Chris Carter.

Next: 15 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From The X-Files