Cecil L'Ively

**Cecil L'Ively** is an original character of both **The X Files** and the TV show that is featured in the story. He is the antagonist of the final arc in season 1.

## History

L'Ively is from Scotland. His name matches two accounts of people being burned alive in the UK, the first a child who was offered a sacrifice in a Satanic ritual in the 1960s and the second being a victim of a fire in 1971. It is difficult to know which of these people L'Ively is, if all three Cecil L'Ivelys are one and the same, or if the names are coincidence and L'Ively is neither person.

L'Ively's criminal career began in the UK, where he killed members of parliament and then harassed their grieving widows in the 1990s, a criminal pattern which Dana Scully believes to be psychosexual in nature (although Aaron Fulton later disagrees with this assessment of L'Ively). Scully and her partner Fox Mulder eventually succeeded in capturing L'Ively. After his arrest, he was subjected to scientific experimentation at the hands of Rasmus Johansson and Emily Oatman, among others. After he is freed by the Magic Bullets he begins torturing and killing low-level FBI employees in hopes of reaching Scully and Mulder to seek his revenge for his arrest and later torture.

When Jessica Dexler and Fulton find the lab where he was imprisoned, he takes one of them prisoner to lure Scully and Mulder to him. Whichever one he leaves free comes to rescue their partner, and L'Ively is subdued and taken in. Although he is alive at the end of season one, Walter Skinner says his health is deteriorating too quickly to be helped and that L'Ively's death is imminent.

## Personality

Scully describes him as "devious, sadistic, and [having] no reservations about murdering in cold blood." Cecil is shown to be a narcissist given that he tells Dexler and Fulton that his pyrokinesis makes him superior to others and believes himself to be a God. By 2019, he has become a bitter man obsessed with getting revenge on Fox Mulder and Dana Scully for his arrest and subsequent torture at the hands of workers at a government black site to the point he was willing to die if it means killing them due to his deteriorating health.

He is shown to have respect for Dexler and Fulton and tells them that he's impressed that they managed to anger the Magic Bullets enough that they broke him out of his imprisonment for the soul purpose of murdering them.

## Abilities

L'Ively possesses the ability to control fire, also known as pyrokinesis. Scully believes that he was born with a genetic mutation rather than gaining his ability from the occult ritual of which he may have been a victim, though the exact source of his abilities is unknown. Although he is able to manipulate fire, he cannot create it on his own, so he carries a lighter. It takes very little for him to use his abilities, as Dr. Oatman mentions that he burned her face and hands to the point where she could no longer work after she merely forgot to discharge static electricity before entering his cell.

Although not entirely immune to fire, L'Ively is fire-resistant and does not seem to suffer from either burns or smoke inhalation nearly as much as the average person. He is said to have recovered with disturbing speed from the burns he received when Scully and Mulder first arrested him, suggesting that he also has some sort of rapid-healing ability.

## Episodes

* Episode 9
* Episode 10
* Episode 11

## Relationships

### Dana Scully and Fox Mulder

L'Ively blames both Scully and Mulder for his incarceration and subsequent torture, and his dying wish is to kill them in revenge for their perceived wrongs.

### The Magic Bullets

The Magic Bullets free L'Ively from the lab where he is being held in hopes of manipulating him in the same way they did Marty Sneberg. However, L'Ively proves impossible to control as his only interest is in killing Scully and Mulder, and he is disdainful of their belief they could use him for their own ends. He implies that he retaliated against them, possibly injuring or killing some of their members, but the secretive nature of the group makes it difficult to know for sure.

### Aaron Fulton

Although L'Ively doesn't seem to like Fulton and Dexler per se, he does mention that he finds it impressive that they made the Magic Bullets angry enough to be added to their hit list. L'Ively orders Fulton to choose whether her or his partner will be taken hostage. If Aaron volunteers, L'Ively reacts with relative approval. If he refuses or volunteers Dexler, L'Ively mocks him for being cowardly.

### Jessica Dexler

Although L'Ively doesn't seem to like Fulton and Dexler per se, he does mention that he finds it impressive that they made the Magic Bullets angry enough to be added to their hit list. L'Ively is somewhat sexist toward Dexler, believing Fulton should volunteer himself on the basis of Dexler's gender. If Dexler becomes the hostage, L'Ively has the option to complain about "girls trying to be men," further demonstrating his sexism toward her.

## Gallery

L'Ively in Fulton's imaginationL'Ively with a cornered RochelleL'Ively with a cornered Rochelle and BradL'Ively douses the warehouse with accelerantsDexler subdues L'Ively with a kick to the headDexler stabs L'Ively with scrap metalDexler hits L'Ively over the headFulton stomps on L'Ively's headFulton subdues L'IvelyDexler and Fulton subdue L'IvelyDexler and Fulton subdue L'Ively
## Trivia

* L'Ively is an antagonist from the original X-Files television show, where he was portrayed by actor Mark Sheppard.
* His crimes include arson, murder, robbery, and kidnapping.
* If you get coffee with Scully in Episode 2, she mentions a suspect who faked spontaneous human combustion using accelerants and pyrokinesis, which is likely L'Ively.