These answers came in episodes that happened to allow for big reveals, and they delivered payoffs to longtime viewers without crafting episodes all around the past.
Even the Cigarette-Smoking Man’s real name has been confirmed.
The second episode answered how Langley (who died in Season 9 but appeared in promos for Season 11) could return to the action as well as the name of Mulder’s long-dead source, Deep Throat, who was killed back in the Season 1 finale.
Interestingly, the plot of the Season 11 premiere ended on a reveal that touched back on a lingering question about an episode from Season 7, finally seemingly delivering the answer of what the Cigarette-Smoking Man did to Scully way back then.