The Lone Gunmen were a trio of fictional characters, Richard "Ringo" Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers, who had recurring roles on The X-Files and also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called The Lone Gunmen. The name was derived from the lone gunman theory of the John F. Kennedy assassination.

 

Described as counterculture patriots, they were ardent conspiracy theorists, government watchdogs, and computer hackers who frequently assisted central X-Files characters Mulder and Scully, though they sometimes had their own adventures. The Lone Gunmen authored a news publication called The Magic Bullet Newsletter (a pejorative reference to the single bullet theory and, like the group's name, a reference to the Kennedy assassination), later renamed The Lone Gunman, of which Mulder was a loyal subscriber. None of them had day jobs; they relied on financial backers who believed in their cause, and what revenue the subscriptions to their paper generated. They shared a loft apartment (where they also worked) and used a 1970 VW Transporter (minibus) to commute.

 

About the Trio -

 

John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood) was once a menial office worker for the FCC. He was a conservative dresser with a neatly trimmed beard, a stark contrast to his grungier comrades. He had at least some working knowledge of medicine, genetics and chemistry and is known for the famous line, "That's what we like about you, Mulder. Your ideas are even weirder than ours." He was born on November 22, 1963, the same day that President Kennedy died. His parents named him after the fallen president. His name would have been Bertram otherwise. Byers was the most "normal" of the three, and while Frohike and Langly were seemingly born angry misfits, Byers dreamed of a quiet, uneventful, suburban life. Byers' father was a high-ranking government official, but they never saw eye to eye and when Byers' father appears in The Lone Gunmen pilot, the two hadn't spoken for some time.

John Fitzgerald Byers (1963-2002) is a fictional character in the television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, played by Bruce Harwood.

John Fitzgerald Byers was born on November 22nd 1963, the day JFK was assassinated, in Sterling, Virginia, and was named after the fallen president – his parents were originally planning to call him Bertram after his father. Byers idolized his namesake, but always had suspicions about the real cause of his death.

He worked as a public affairs officer for the FCC in Baltimore until May 1989. At this time he met Suzanne Modeski at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore and fell instantly in love with her. Initially lying about her identity to him, she revealed herself to be a scientist working for the Army Advanced Weapons facility and appealed to him for help in stopping one of her developments (a gas causing fear and paranoia) being used by the military on innocent civilians. Enlisting the help of Melvin Frohike and Richard Langly who were also at the electronics show, they succeeded and, although Modeski was later kidnapped, she had awakened a desire in all three of them to uncover the truth, which subsequently led to the formation and publication of “The Lone Gunman” newsletter, providing information on government cover-ups and conspiracy theories. Leaving the FCC and publishing the newsletter led to estrangement from his father, although the two were briefly reconciled in 2001.

Byers is rarely seen without his suit and tie and always impeccably turned out, sporting a neatly trimmed beard. The most conventional dresser of all the Gunmen, he is a straight man whenever they need someone who looks respectable.

He appears to have at least some working knowledge of medicine, genetics and chemistry; he is able to interpret DNA strands, instantly informing Mulder that Scully’s blood had been tampered with in One Breath.

All three of the Lone Gunmen died in the X-Files episode “Jump The Shark”, sacrificing themselves to save thousands from a terrorist created plague by using fire doors to seal themselves in a closed hallway with the man carrying the plague. AD Skinner pulls some strings and arranges for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery as tribute to their brave deeds.

 

Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) was a former '60s radical and the oldest of the three. Though a skilled computer hacker, Frohike was primarily the photography specialist for the newsletter. Frohike had a lascivious attitude toward women and secretly coveted Mulder's collection of pornographic videos. However, he had a more purely romantic attitude towards Dana Scully; when she was gravely ill in the episode 'One Breath', Frohike appeared at the hospital in a tailored suit carrying a bouquet. His unique sense of fashion made him stand out: leather jackets, furry vests, combat boots, fingerless gloves, etc. Frohike considered himself the "action man" of the trio and would often be seen doing very intense stunts (many rigged to look more impressive than they really were). Despite his childish scraps with Langly and others, Frohike's age and experience gave him a kind of quiet wisdom that occasionally surfaced when he consoled his friends about the sorry nature of their lives. In The Lone Gunmen episode "Tango de los Pistoleros," Frohike was revealed to be a former tango champion who danced under the stage name "El Lobo."

Melvin Frohike (1953-2002) is a fictional character in the television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, played by Tom Braidwood.

Frohike was born circa 1953 in Pontiac, Michigan. Prior to joining The Lone Gunmen, he was an acclaimed Tango dancer in Miami. On giving up the Tango, he toured the country with hippies before founding Frohike Electronics Corp, specializing in cable pirating hardware.

In 1989 at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore, where his company had a trade stand, he met John Byers and Richard Langly and subsequently they formed a group publishing “The Lone Gunmen” Newsletter.

Frohike is the shortest of the three members of the Lone Gunmen and is terminally scruffy with a unique dress sense. In earlier X-Files appearances he sported a short ponytail, and favors wearing woolen vests, braces and leather, together with his trademark fingerless gloves.

He is the Lone Gunmen’s expert in photography, special operations and electronic surveillance and is something of an engineering wizard.

Frohike has a deep attraction for Agent Scully. In his first appearance he was taking photographs of her, ogling her and calling her “tasty”. Whilst this attraction seemed rather lustful at first, he has shown genuine affection for Scully (and Mulder) on numerous occasions, being the first person to bring her flowers after she returned from her abduction in the episode “One Breath”, and rescuing her from the attentions of Morris Fletcher in “Three of a Kind”.

All three of the Lone Gunmen die in the X-Files episode “Jump The Shark”. They intentionally lock themselves in a closed hallway; this saves thousands from a terrorist created plague. AD Skinner arranges for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

Richard Langly (Dean Haglund) was the most confrontational and socially immature of the three. He was a big fan of The Ramones and enjoyed critiquing the scientific inaccuracies of the short-lived sci-fi series Earth 2, and he had a long-running competition with Frohike over who was a better computer hacker. He also had "a philosophical aversion to having his image bounced off a satellite." His nickname was "Ringo". Langly was a Dungeons and Dragons player (as 'Lord Manhammer') and enjoyed violent videogames like Quake. (In the William Gibson-penned X-Files episode "First Person Shooter," Frohike and Byers were also avid gamers, an uncharacteristic development for both men and one that was never referenced again in later stories.)

Richard “Ringo” Langly is a fictional character in the television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. He was played by Dean Haglund.

Langly was born circa 1968/1969 and grew up on a farm in Saltville, Nebraska. He showed an aptitude for computers from an early age, which was frowned upon by his parents.

In 1989 he met Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore, and subsequently they formed a group publishing “The Lone Gunman” Newsletter.

Langly wears thick black-rimmed glasses, heavy metal and punk T-shirts (favouring The Ramones in particular) and jeans. He has long, blond hair (which sometimes leads to him being mistaken for a girl) and bears a striking resemblance to Garth from Wayne's World. He idolizes Joey Ramone in particular.

He is the Lone Gunmen’s expert in computers, hacking and programming. He is possibly the most paranoid of the Gunmen, taping all incoming phone calls, including those from Mulder, and on one occasion refusing to take part in a teleconference with Mulder, stating he didn’t want his image bounced off a satellite. He is also the most sarcastic member of the team, always ready to offer a barbed comment.

Langly enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons before the formation of the group; his alias is "Lord Manhammer." He once hacked into Maryland’s DMV mainframe in order to secure a handicapped parking permit.

All three of the Lone Gunmen died in the X-Files episode "Jump The Shark", sacrificing themselves to save thousands from a terrorist created plague by using fire doors to seal themselves in a closed hallway with the man carrying the plague. AD Skinner pulled some strings and arranged for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery as tribute to their brave deeds.

Langly's name is a subtle reference to the Vancouver, British Columbia suburbs of Langley and Fort Langley, which was where much of X-Files' series 1-7 was shot. It also references Langley, Virginia, location of the CIA's headquarters.

 

Associates

Kenneth Soona aka The Thinker (Bernie Coulson) - an unofficial fourth member, a computer hacker, who succeeded in accessing Majestic 12 files and encrypting them onto a digital tape in the season 2 finale of the X-Files titled "Anasazi". He was killed by assassins working for the Cigarette Smoking Man, who eventually re-acquired the tape. He was referred to in the first episode of season 3 titled "The Blessing Way" as being murdered, but he was not in that episode.

Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden) - another "fourth member", who joined the trio in The Lone Gunmen series. Though he shares the bravery and physicality of his namesake, he initially appears to be rich but not very bright, and is fascinated with the trio, who often consider him a nuisance. His saving grace is his boundless optimism, coupled with an idealistic view that the jaded Gunmen wish they still held.

Yves Adele Harlow (Zuleikha Robinson) - a femme fatale thief who sometimes works with the Lone Gunmen trio (although sometimes she is their rival). The alias Yves Adele Harlow is an anagram for Lee Harvey Oswald. The anagram name, Yves Adele Harlow, could also be a reference to Marilyn Monroe. Monroe played a supporting role in All About Eve (an episode in the series is "All About Yves"). Before she died, she had planned to star in a biopic about Jean Harlow. The Lone Gunmen are obsessed with John F. Kennedy's assassination (Kennedy and Monroe were having an affair), which was supposedly committed by Lee Harvey Oswald. It was later revealed in the X-Files episode "Jump the Shark" that Yves' real name was Lois Runce.

Kimmy the Geek (Jim Fyfe) - an expert hacker and a Star Trek fan who occasionally helps the trio. He is the twin brother of Jimmy the Geek, a character killed by a bus in The X-Files episode "Three of a Kind", played by the same actor.

 

Origins

In the X-Files season 5 episode "Unusual Suspects", it is revealed how the Gunmen initially got together.

In 1989, John Byers meets a woman named Holly in an electronics expo. Holly claims that her ex-boyfriend (Mulder) is stalking her and has kidnapped her daughter. She gives Byers an internet address which is supposed to locate her daughter. The file is encrypted, so Byers enlists the aid of computer hacker/cable salesman Melvin Frohike. Frohike decrypts the file, but when they confront Mulder, they discover he is an FBI agent. Suspicious, Byers and Frohike get Richard Langly to hack into the FBI network. They discover that Holly's real name is Susanne Modeski, and she is wanted for bombing an FBI lab. The three confront Modeski, and she admits that she works for the Army Advanced Weapons facility at Whitestone, NM. She has developed a gas that causes fear and paranoia, and the military plans to test it on civilians. She then enlists the help of the three to stop the government’s plan. They track the material to a warehouse, where the gas is in a shipment of asthma inhalers. Mulder follows them and is about to arrest them when all five of them are ambushed by two hitmen sent to kill Modeski. A shootout ensues, and Mulder takes cover.

Modeski kills the hitmen and promptly flees. A team led by X sanitizes the scene, cautioning the guys to stay out of trouble. The trio got their name as a result of Byers confronting X at this point about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. X's cynical reply was, "I heard that it was a lone gunman."

The police arrive soon after. All three of the Gunmen are arrested, and Byers recounts his story to Detective John Munch. Munch is skeptical, but Mulder verifies the story, so the guys are released. They find Modeski, and she implores them to tell as many people as they can about the government conspiracy. Without warning, a black rental car pulls up, and the occupants force Modeski inside. Later, the guys are visited by Mulder, who says that he has weird ideas in his head that he can't seem to shake.