Who Are These People? Ever since I decided to do captions for two different shows I've had people asking me that question. So, I put together this page to help those of you who are unfamiliar with these characters catch up to speed. In addition to the character's name, I'll include the actor's name and a brief description of the character and/or their relationship to other characters. X-Files 1: Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Forensic pathologist assigned to the X-Files (a division of the FBI that specializes in the paranormal) to 'spy on' Agent Mulder. Gave birth to what may or may not have been - biologically anyway - Mulder's son William in season 8. 2: Agent Fox "Spooky" Mulder (David Duchovny). The agent in charge of the X-Files division. Possibly part alien hybrid or supersoldier - I have no idea... 3: Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). Rogue former agent whose loyalties are unclear. Occasional enemy to everybody. Killed by Skinner in season 8. 4: Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pillegi). Mulder and Scully's direct superior and sometimes also their friend and ally. 5: The Cigarette Smoking Man/Cancerman/CGB Spender (William B. Davis). The ever cryptic 'bad guy'. Established as Mulder's real father in season 7. 6: John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood). One of the 'Lone Gunmen', a conspiracy-loving trio Mulder calls friends. They help out on X-Files cases occasionally. 7: Richard "Ringo" Langly (Dean Haglund). See #6. The tech expert/geek. 8: Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood). See #6. Has a mildly disturbing crush on Agent Scully. 9: Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick). Former Marine and NYPD. Joined the X-Files in season 8 to "search" for the abducted Mulder. 10: Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). Very spiritual and open-minded. Also joined in season 8. Listens to whale songs. 11: Deputy Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.). General pain in the a**. 12: Assistant Director Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes). Reyes' former lover. That's about it. He was only there for half a season, so he wasn't very important. Alias 1: Agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Former double agent for the CIA and SD-6 (part of an organized crime ring - known as the Alliance - that poses as a black-ops division of the CIA) in an effort to bring down the latter. As if that wasn't complicated enough, the writers felt she should also be a college student. She graduated recently after about 10 years of classes. 2: Agent Jack Bristow (Victor Garber). Sydney's father. Also a double agent. Seemingly incapable of any outward display of emotion. 3: Irina "The Man" Derevko (f/k/a Laura Bristow) (Lena Olin). Former KGB agent whose current allegiances are unclear. Killed Vaughn's father. 4: Agent Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan). Went from Sydney's CIA handler (contact who gave her the counter-missions to SD-6's missions) to her boyfriend to someone else's husband in one season, proving that JJ Abrams enjoys torturing "shippers" just as much as Chris Carter did. 5: Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin). Former head of SD-6. Now a rogue bad-guy obsessed with a prophet/inventor from the 15th century (Rambaldi). May of may not be trying to control the friggin' world. Who knows? 6: Agent Marcus Dixon (Carl Lumbly). Sydney's former SD-6 partner. Now a CIA agent obsessed with taking down the man who murdered his wife: Sloane. Lumbly also appeared in the X-Files episode "Teliko" as Marcus Duff. 7: Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman). SD-6's tech expert. Tends to babble incessantly and annoy everybody, but he provides great comic relief. Weisman also appeared in the X-Files episode "Je Souhaite" as the dipstick who asked a genie to make him invisible and then ran in front of a moving bus. 8: Francie Calfo (Merrin Dungey). Was Sydney's best friend and roommate until she was murdered and replaced by genetically altered "double" Allison Doren at the same time the Alliance was being dismantled. Sydney shot Allison in the 2nd season finale, mercifully putting an end to cringe-inducing explanations of the "doubling process" that fly in the face of biology. 9: Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper). Sydney's other best friend. Was a reporter until he got too close to finding out the truth about SD-6. Now a CIA analyst. Was Francie's boyfriend briefly...actually, Allison's, but he *thought* it was Francie. 10: Mr. Sark (David Anders). Rogue agent currently working with Irina and Sloane. His loyalties, intentions and first name are unknown. Other people these shows have in common (besides Lumbly and Weisman) who are/were recurring characters in at least one of them. Terry O'Quinn On Alias: FBI Assistant Director Kendall. I'm not really sure how he ended up being the head honcho, but he's a hilariously sarcastic hard a**. On X-Files: Lt. Brian Tillman, Darius Michaud and The Shadow Man. All three of whom died if I remember correctly. I guess the people in charge of casting didn't think we'd notice that the same person was playing three different characters... James Handy On Alias: CIA Director Devlin, who seems to have somehow lost authority over several agents to Kendall. On X-Files: A detective in the episode "2Shy". What? I said they only had to be recurring characters in *one* show! Miguel Sandoval On Alias: SD-6 agent Russek. Appeared in a few episodes, but I don't know how important he was because I didn't watch the first season. On X-Files: The Vice President of an oil company...or something who doesn't want X-Files agents meddling in his business - even though the men he has drilling in the gulf are dropping like flies - in the episode "Vienen". Tracy Middendorf On Alias: Elsa Caplan, an undercover Russian spy ordered to 'keep tabs on' her husband Neil (played by Christian Slater), not realizing that Neil is actually an undercover NSA agent and already knows about her. On X-Files: The poor girl who had to give birth to a bunch of snakes in the episode "Signs and Wonders". Scully mistakenly identified her as the killer of the week after finding out that her "baby" was her own father's. Danny Trejo On Alias: Senor Vargas, whose nose was smashed in by a half-mad Dixon in the episode "Countdown". On X-Files: The man with the spider web tattoo who killed Joe Morton's "wife" in "Redrum". Okay, so neither of these is a recurring character, but I don't care.