The X-Files' season 9 premiere introduced a dangerous new character played by Xena star Lucy Lawless, but despite her big arrival, she never returned. Over the course of its 200-plus episode run, The X-Files has played host to lots of notable guest stars, in roles both big and small. For instance, there was Brad "Chucky" Dourif as a psychic serial killer in the season 1 episode "Beyond the Sea," game show host Alex Trebek in season 3's "Jose Chung's From Outer Space," and even Burt Reynolds in season 9's "Improbable," just to name a few.
In addition to those already famous when they guest-starred, The X-Files featured early appearances by future stars like Ryan Reynolds, Seth Green, Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, and Aaron Paul. When Lucy Lawless entered the X-Files world, she was most definitely already a big name, having starred on the fan-favorite action/adventure series Xena: Warrior Princess for six seasons by that point, becoming a 1990s pop culture icon along the way.
Unfortunately, almost as soon as her character joined The X-Files, Lawless made a quick, permanent exit. However, that wasn't at all the original plan for Lawless' role, and here's why things sadly turned out the way they did.
The X-Files: Why Lucy Lawless' Character Never Returned
On The X-Files, Lucy Lawless played the character of Shannon McMahon, an old friend from Agent Doggett's time in the Marines before joining the FBI. She plays a key role in both halves of season 9's two-part premiere, entitled "Nothing Important Happened Today." McMahon was revealed to be a alien/human hybrid super soldier, having been snatched out of the Marines for the program alongside Doggett's other friend Knowle Rohrer. She's working for the side of evil, but appears to save Doggett's life when he's attacked by Rohrer, with both of them then falling - seemingly to their deaths - into a reservoir. Of course, Rohrer was revealed to have survived thanks to his super soldier mutations.
The original plan was for McMahon to survive as well, and for the same reason, as implied by a dream Scully has. She would've returned, like Rohrer, to play a big role in season 9's two-part finale, "The Truth." Unfortunately, following the end of production on her first appearance, Lawless became pregnant, and her pregnancy ended up being high-risk, preventing her from making McMahon's planned return. Thankfully, she did at least end up delivering a healthy baby boy. Still, it's a shame her X-Files arc had to end so abruptly, and without closure. Considering how hard it proved to be to kill a super soldier though, one presumes McMahon is still alive somewhere in The X-Files universe.