Yes, X-Files and Twin Peaks Are Set in the Same Universe

The X-Files and Twin Peaks are two ’90s TV cult classics featuring two of the weirdest FBI agents ever depicted on screen – and as one throwaway line in an X-Files comic confirmed, the two not only share a fictional universe, but Dale Cooper and Fox Mulder are, naturally, friends.

X-Files: Year Zero – by Karl Kesel, Greg Scott, and Vic Malhotra – includes a moment where Mulder makes a Twin Peaks reference, solidifying the connection between the two series.

A friendship – or at least a healthy working relationship – between Cooper and Mulder makes total sense, with this seemingly throwaway line teasing a team-up fans of both franchise would lose their minds over.

Related: “They’re All Because of Mr. Xero”: The ‘X’ in X-Files Comes From the Franchise’s Forgotten First Villain

Fox Mulder Has A Familiar Friend In The Pacific Northwest

In X-Files: Year Zero, there is a scene with Mulder and Scully at a diner; when the waitress asks if they would like a refill of their coffees, the agents decline, though Mulder says it is, “a damn fine cup of coffee,” citing a “friend of [his] in the Pacific Northwest” who would say precisely that. This is a clear reference to the endearing catchphrase popularized by Twin Peaks’ Agent Dale Cooper. The short-lived, but culturally impactful David Lynch series was a clear influence on Chris Carter’s X-Files, which debuted just a few years after Peaks’ run abruptly ended following its second season.

Twin Peaks was a primetime soap opera, with its supernatural element just one of many vehicles for the weirdness of the eponymous town to be expressed. X-Files, as a serialized show, was able to tell weird stories, pushing them to the limitations of TV in that era, without the premise or the audience getting burnt out, as happened with Twin Peaks. The two series easily fit into the same world, with characters from either naturally extending into the domain of the other. In this sense, an actual crossover – for which the comic book medium would be the most obvious playground – feels long overdue.

Dale Cooper Would Thrive Working On The X-Files

The reference to Dale Cooper in X-Files: Year Zero is designed to light up readers’ imagination, prompting fans to imagine the possibilities of an interaction between the characters from two similar iconic franchises. An actual crossover would deliver a pop culture moment decades in the making. Imagining Dale Cooper investigating X-Files alongside Mulder and Scully offers almost too much exciting potential; conversely, exposing Mulder and Scully to the horrors of the Black Lodge seems like almost more than they are prepared for. There are many connections between X-Files and Twin Peaks, but knowing they officially coexist in the same spooky universe begs for a direct crossover.