10 X-Files Fates Worse Than Death
8. Forced Disappearance
People are frequently spirited away never to be seen again in The X-Files, particularly when the government wants to conceal the truth or to use a person's skills as a weapon.
One of the most tragic instances of this happening was in the 1995 episode, Soft Light. Here, Tony Shalhoub's Dr. Chester Ray Banton is accidentally exposed to a particle accelerator and emerges unscathed, albeit with a shadow that acts as a black hole. Several characters, including Scully's former pupil, Detective Kelly Ryan (Kate Twa) are accidentally caught in Banton's shadow, causing them to suddenly evaporate, leaving a black mark on the floor where they were standing.
Banton is desperate to end it all, firstly allowing himself to be held in a mental hospital and later trying to convince his colleague, Christopher Davey (Kevin McNulty) to kill him with the particle accelerator. Sadly, Davey double-crosses Banton and detains him for the government to collect. Deep Throat's successor, X (Steven Williams) arrives, killing Davey in the process, and makes it appear as though Banton has successfully destroyed himself.
In truth, however, Banton is trapped inside a top secret facility. As the episode draws to a close, Banton is left crying in despair as scientists perform experiments on him to determine precisely what his shadow can achieve.