Entertainment

Watch 'The X-Files' Season 11 Trailer Tease The Return Of An Important Character

Mulder and Scully are coming back (again), and this time their long-lost son William might just be along for the ride. The X-Files Season 11 trailer premiered Sunday at the New York Comic-Con, and it's two minutes of pure, adrenaline-fueled nostalgia. Unlike the previous six episode revival, Season 11 will consist of 10 episodes, and if the trailer is any indication they are going to be action-packed. The fate of the world is at stake this time — for real — and William is either going to be humanity's savior or its downfall.

After years of wondering what became of Mulder and Scully's miracle baby, fans may finally get an answer. Although the character isn't glimpsed in the trailer, he's name-checked — a lot. At the end of last season, it was suggested that the boy could be the key to saving Mulder, who was suffering from the virus affecting everyone without alien genomes to protect them. Scully wanted William to be a stem cell donor for Mulder, but given the circumstances of his birth, William's blood, like his mother's, may hold a cure.

Then again, William could also bring the world down around him. His parents are on a race to find him before the Cigarette Smoking Man or Barbara Hershey's new villain can get their hands on the boy. And they may have a good reason to be worried. In one scene, Scully pleads with Mulder, "You have to find him and you have to stop him before he releases hell on Earth." It's not 100 percent clear that she's talking about William, but it's a safe bet.

William's potential role in Season 11 is by far the most intriguing takeaway from the trailer, but it's far from the only reason to get excited. In addition to Mulder and Scully's son playing a pivotal role, the scenes shown feel like they could have been pulled straight out of an old school X-Files episode. Some moments are completely bonkers — like the appearance of a smoking alien — and others play off of the show's long history.

For instance, you can almost certainly expect to see Skinner and Mulder throw down. After the Cigarette Smoking Man offers Skinner a deal in exchange for him throwing the rest of humanity under the bus, it seems that the former director of the X-Files is on the outs with his agents and friends, Mulder and Scully. There's a definite lack of trust between the trio during an intense scene in a parking garage.

As usual, Scully is the one who walks away with the entire trailer. After all these years, she's still kicking butt. Only now, she's also flipping over tables to shoot at bad guys. It's clear that Scully remains the show's beating heart, and she's the one who is convinced she and Mulder need to find their son.

She's always put William's best interests first. And if she suspects for one minute that her little boy is going to be used by the likes of the Cigarette Smoking Man, then you can bet she'll stop at nothing to keep her son on the right path. Of course, she may also have to squeeze in some time to stop the whole impending apocalypse thing.

One thing is certain: The X-Files is back, and this time it looks like series creator Chris Carter isn't playing around. The mix of humor, action, and mythology feels just right, and for Mulder and Scully this season's case is going to be deeply personal. William is finally coming back, and his return is raising the stakes for his long-suffering parents in a major way. The truth is still out there, guys, and after you watch the Season 11 trailer you'll be ready to join the hunt for answers with Mulder and Scully one more time.