There are a bunch of new characters and actors joining "The X-Files" for its ninth season that begins next month, but one familiar menacing face will be back for more.

James Pickens Jr., who plays FBI deputy director Alvin Kersh, said he is returning yet again to the show.

"The character got such a reaction on a lot of fronts, wich I wasn't aware of," Pickens told Sci-Fi Wire. "I guess they decided the character could be a little more vital in terms of the storylines. We'll have to wait and see what it means in terms of the day-to-day on the show. People don't know who Kersh is, what's behind the face, what his intentions are. I like that. It keeps people guessing and it keeps people wanting to see him, to see which way he's going to go."

Popular characters on "The X-Files" always find a way of ending up dead in some way or another, but Pickens said he isn't too concerned.

"That's the nature of the business. I don't worry about that stuff," he said. "Our whole career is spent going from one job to another. So I'll enjoy the time that I've got on 'The X-Files' and make it work to my advantage. And if it's time to go, then I'll press on to something else."

"The X-Files" premieres Nov. 11 on Fox.