Dexter Morgan

When Dexter was three-years-old, he and his brother Brian, who would later become a serial killer himself, witnessed their mother being murdered by a drug dealer with a chainsaw. At an early age, Dexter started to kill and dismember animals. His adoptive father, Harry, (a homicide detective) realized that Dexter was a potential serial killer. After attempts to curb Dexter's violent behavior failed, Harry concluded that Dexter's need to kill could not be suppressed--only focused. Making the best out of a bad situation, Harry decided to train Dexter as a vigilante, to solely hunt and kill other murderers (arguably making society safer). To avoid arrest, Dexter follows a set of guidelines, the Code of Harry. The irony of Dexter's life is that he worked closely and affably with homicide detectives and a forensic specialist. Dexter, himself a blood spatter analyst, collected, processed, and interpreted evidence for the Miami Metro Police Department. He often used his ability to access police databases or tamper with evidence for his personal advantage. Dexter generally disposes of his victims by dismembering them, putting the parts into black trash bags, and dropping the bags off his fishing boat into the ocean. Scuba divers discovered the bodies of eighteen of his victims. Due to the location where the bodies were found and because they were cut into pieces, the media labelled the unknown killer "The Bay Harbor Butcher" - a moniker Dexter hates. To appear normal, Dexter dated and later married Rita, and had a son with her named Harrison. His attempts to balance his family and professional life ended in tragedy when he discovered she had been murdered by Arthur Mitchell, the prolific "Trinity" serial killer he killed prior to this discovery. Dexter appeared to be genuinely devastated by Rita's death. He flashed back to his own childhood trauma, before he picked up Harrison and carried him away, exactly like Harry did with Dexter. He later had two other girlfriends, Lumen Pierce and Hannah McKay, before leaving Miami after the death of his sister Debra. In Dexter: New Blood, he lived in Iron Lake under the alias Jim Lindsay. In Dexter: Resurrection, he moved to New York City and used the alias Ronald Schmidt, a local serial killer he killed, to kill most of Leon Prater's group of serial killers and eventually Prater himself, before taking Prater's serial killer files as his next targets. He currently works as an UrCar driver, and has retained his knowledge of forensics and disposing of evidence since leaving Miami. Dexter is a tall, handsome, Caucasian male in his mid-30s with auburn hair, and a few beauty marks. His hair length varies slightly during the series. It is the shortest in Season One and the longest in Seasons Two, Three, and Four. Dexter usually has a "Five-o'clock shadow" beard, although in the title sequence ("Morning Routine") from Episode Two onward, he's shaving his neck - with a drop of blood falling into the washbasin. Depending on what age Dexter is, and what actor is playing him, his eyes change color between brown, hazel, blue, and green. In New Blood, ten years later, Dexter's appearance remains mostly the same. His hair is cut in a shorter style than it had been in the past, and he retains his five-o'clock shadow beard. However, his beard had begun to show signs of his age, as there were flecks of white in it. In Resurrection, following his coma Dexter's body has atrophied due to its lack of exercise but he returns to a healthy lifestyle following his release from the hospital and acupuncture from Joy Kamara. As opposed to his attire in Miami and Iron Lake, Dexter is seen wearing more comfortable casual clothing generally consisting of long sleeved shirts or hoodies, particularly a camera-shy hoodie belonging to Ronald Schmidt. His face has shown some age in his later years though he retains his youthful physique. Dexter is 5'11" (as per his driver license), approximately 175 pounds, physically fit, and maintains an exercise routine. He periodically runs on a treadmill, uses a stationary bike, jogs in the streets, swims, and works out in a gym. Keeping himself in shape is important for two reasons. He must maintain the facade that he is an everyday guy, and he must be able to overpower his victims. Furthermore, Dexter's death-dealing activities require a lot of dragging, heavy lifting, and occasionally the chasing of someone. Dexter has five scars. Visible throughout the first season, Dexter has a large scar on his left side, which he received in childhood. Later, in season two, the scar has moved to his right side, leaving his left side unmarked. From being shot by Doakes, Dexter has a scar on his left leg. Jimenez gave Dexter a scar on his upper right arm when he slashed it outside the bowling alley. He also has a scar caused by Lumen near his left shoulder. After Harrison shot him and he survived, Dexter has a scar on his chest. When stalking a target, Dexter wears a military-inspired green (the manufacturer calls it "Army Green") 4-button Henley. He also wears brown cargo pants and boots that resemble WWII paratrooper jump boots. To avoid leaving fingerprints, Dexter uses latex gloves or black leather tactical gloves. Dexter no longer wears his hunting outfit during New Blood or Resurrection, typically wearing his normal clothes instead during this time. One of Dexter's most important traits is his need for control - of himself and others. Despite frequently feeling the urge to kill, Dexter displays an incredible amount of self-control. In order to survive, it is vital that he restrain his dark urges and follow the rules of Code. Also, he is very organized in all areas of his life. He keeps his home clean and neat, writes meticulous lab reports, and carefully plans most of his kills. Dexter admittedly calls himself a "control freak." Another trait of Dexter is his sense of superiority. Because he follows a code, he believes that he has higher moral values than the killers that he kills. He justifies his actions as "taking out the trash." On one occasion, Dexter even admitted to Hector Estrada, his mothers killer, that he had never killed for normal reasons, and he painted his following of the Code and his kills as vigilante justice to his son Harrison when he revealed his reasons for killing and his dark urges. However, during his final conversation with Harrison, Dexter realised that he could no longer consider himself morally superior to other killers as he himself fit the Code now and he was just another killer. Dexter can be charming but he is cunning and a practiced liar and, in most cases, viewers should place more trust in his thoughts than in his words to others. Even Hannah called Dexter a "master manipulator." By the time of New Blood, where he had been living under an alias and having faked his death for almost a decade, Dexter was shown to be even more skilled at manipulating others and acting human. Though he would seem annoyed by small talk and interacting with others in the past, he was shown to be a lot more skilled and at ease doing so. Even during this time, Dexter's facade would slip at times and he would occasionally show the same confusion about others in the past at times. Often, he engages in pre-murder conversations with his victims. With them, he can share the truth about who he is and know that they'll take his secret to their watery graves. As Dexter himself noted, when he had his final conversation with Doakes, he only really got to be himself and open up to those that were on his table. Except for anger, Dexter's emotional responses are usually part of a well-rehearsed act. In Season Two, he tells James Doakes that he only has a "small conscience" and that his feelings can't be played on because he doesn't have any. Dexter frequently references his internal feeling of emptiness. In his youth, this lead to attempts to "feel alive." (This occurs more in the show than in the books.) As an adult, he enjoys the rush he feels when stalking, killing, and evading capture. For many years, Dexter lived alone, had no interest in romance, and thought it best to avoid sex. He had learned to be wary of intimacy because usually when a woman gets that close to him, she is scared off. But he knew that he needs a relationship to help blend into society. So, for that reason, he starts to date Rita Bennett (an abused woman). At first, he considers his relationship with Rita to be part of his "disguise." Later, it appears that he cares more for Rita than he admits. Dexter eventually marries Rita. In his narration, Dexter often refers to "humans" as if he is not one of them. But there are chinks in Dexter's emotional armor. He acknowledges loyalty to his family, particularly to his dead, adoptive father. Regarding him, Dexter stated, "If I were capable of love, how I would have loved Harry." After Harry's death, Dexter's only family (until he marries Rita) is his adoptive sister, Debra Morgan. In one episode, Dexter comically repeats in his head "I will not kill my sister" (as she regularly leaves his apartment a mess while living with him). However, Dexter didn't allow his own brother, Brian, to harm Debra, as Dexter was "fond of her." After Rita's murder, Dexter realised how much he loved her and was devastated, emotionally shutting down once more for a short while. However, Rita's death also caused a change in Dexter, in many ways for the worst. Though he still followed the Code, he began to drift from it, killing non-killers more frequently, with no signs of remorse. His emotional depth had also regressed because of this, as he once again began to act as he had before he'd married Rita and had Harrison. His deviations from the Code reached the point where he was willing to murder innocent people as long as he remained free, having been willing to kill LaGuerta to keep himself from being caught, as well as appearing ready to attack and kill Angela Bishop (his ex-girlfriend) to stop himself from being arrested. This finally would culminate in him murdering Logan, a friend of his and Angela's sergeant, in an effort to escape his jail cell: unlike when he killed Farrow and felt guilty when he discovered that he was innocent, Dexter showed absolutely no sign of remorse or guilt for killing Logan, even attempting to justify it to Harrison. Although Dexter ruthlessly and ritualistically kills murderers with no remorse, he often wishes that he could just lead a normal life. His attempts to do this prove fruitless in the end. Part of the reason Dexter has been unable to lead a normal life is due in part to the fact he actually enjoys killing, even though he has claimed he only likes the way it makes him feel. In Resurrection, after surviving his gunshot wound from Harrison and recovering from his coma, Dexter's personality has changed more subtly. Unlike previously, he is shown to care more about others, having developed a quick friendship with Blessing Kamara and becoming ingratiated into his community in only a few weeks. While talking with Batista, Dexter refers to Blessing and his family as "my family." Dexter's new care for others also extends to the victims of other killers, as he has prioritized saving lives over scoring a kill. Dexter admits to Harrison that he was broken by Rita's murder, but having his son back in his life has seemingly drawn out more of Dexter's humanity. However, while Dexter has more empathy, he's also not the best at expressing it, resulting in mistakes like telling Joy Kamara that her father was a former child soldier, hurting both father and daughter and leaving Dexter upset that he had inadvertently hurt his friend. Dexter is portrayed as highly intelligent, introspective, pragmatic, calculating, relentless, generally fearless, and a "master of compartmentalization." He enjoys challenges, has a dry sense of humor, and is aware of his human defects. Overall, Dexter is a anti-villain protagonist as opposed to traditionally "good" ones. While he does have an anti-heroic attitude on killing only criminals who are likely to kill again, it's not out of the goodness of his heart nor is it to make the world a better place. Dexter was born Dexter Moser on February 1, 1971 (three years after Brian Moser) to parents Laura Moser and Joe Driscoll. On October 2, 1973 (reported in an October 3, 1973 news article), Laura, her two sons, as well as three drug users were herded into a shipping container. The boys watched as their mother and the others were brutally murdered by chainsaw. Dexter and Brian sat in their blood for two days before they were rescued, and the traumatic event forever changed both of them. While Brian was institutionalized, Dexter was taken in by the Morgan family and legally adopted. His adoptive family members are Debra (sister), Doris (mother) and Harry (the homicide detective who found him sitting in blood). Dexter grew up unaware of Brian's existence. Dexter's murderous urges took shape well before adolescence and it was his adoptive sister, Debra, who saw the signs first, but she didn't realize what it meant. Dexter had taken apart each of her dolls -- a harbinger of human dismemberment. (per Early Cuts) One day, while on the family boat, Harry asked Dexter if he's "different." He told Dexter that he'd found the grave of the neighbor's missing dog, Buddy, along with a lot of other bones. Harry asked Dexter if he ever wanted to kill something bigger than a dog, like a person. Dexter admitted that he had, but no one in particular. When asked, "Why didn't you?," Dexter replied that he thought his father and mother "wouldn't like it." When Dexter was 19-years-old, Harry fell ill of coronary heart disease and was confined to a hospital. Harry soon realized that Nurse Mary was purposefully overdosing people. On the verge of death from Mary's actions, Harry gave Dexter his "permission" to kill her. This was Dexter's first human kill ("Popping Cherry"). A year later, Harry walked in on Dexter dismembering Juan Ryness and he vomited. Three days later, Harry committed suicide, though Dexter didn't know he killed himself until later. In S7E2, Dexter tells Debra that he has been killing since age 20. Dexter doesn't understand religion. He personally never believed in a higher power, apart from the guidance from his father, Harry Morgan. Throughout the seasons, he hinted at being atheist, although he had no problem with those who followed religion. In Season Six, he clarified that his belief was mainly in science. The season's focus on religion introduced him to various characters, from Brother Sam to Travis Marshall. After pressure from Angel and Debra, he decided to pass religious belief on to Harrison (his son). Dexter's faith was tested on multiple occasions, yet he never called out to a spiritual deity for assistance. He found his own way out of bad situations. The exception was when he was faced with a predicament that he couldn't fix alone--Harrison in surgery for a ruptured appendix. Twice during this situation, Dexter prayed to God. Deeply worried, he promised that he'd do anything if Harrison would be okay. He wasn't sure if he really believed in a higher being but, for the moment, he just wanted his son to survive. After news of his son's successful recovery, he said "Thank God," which Brother Sam heard. Season Six events brought spirituality into Dexter's life. Deciding that his son would benefit from a structured lifestyle, he enrolled Harrison in Catholic school. As Dexter sought to understand religious values, he encountered one who knew little (Joe Walker); one who was an obsessed End Times expert (Professor James Gellar); one, a killer, who was trapped between his beliefs and his own personality (Travis Marshall); and one who "found" God but was a normal, functional man (Brother Sam). In the end, Dexter didn't believe in a high power. After Brother Sam's death, he claimed that religion was useless for his "dark passenger." In Season 8, he stated, "I don't believe in miracles." Dexter's need to kill stems from an early life incident. At age three, he witnessed his mother's brutal murder by chainsaw inside a cargo container. He was then left sitting in blood for two days. The traumatic incident caused something inside of Dexter to "change" and he was reborn as a killer. Dexter's urge to kill is strong and needs to be satisfied nearly monthly. He continually hunts for prey to place on his table. Then he takes his time to thoroughly enjoy his ritual. If he doesn't kill for a duration of time, he becomes unstable, with his personality representing withdrawal syndrome. Despite the 'withdrawal syndrome' Dexter has displayed when not able to kill for a duration of time, he was able to successfully give up killing for almost a decade by the start of New Blood, through the use of a structured lifestyle. Even before 'falling off the wagon' and killing again, he displayed a great amount of restraint, successfully ignoring his reawakened urge at first. It was only when pushed to his limit that he snapped and impulsively killed again. But even after this, his need wasn't as prevalent as it once was. This is also shown in Resurrection, as Dexter's increased empathy has led to him starting to focus on saving potential victims rather than scoring a kill. Dexter's adoptive father, Harry Morgan (with the guidance of Evelyn Vogel) trained Dexter to control his homicidal urges and to channel them away from innocent people. The Code of Harry allowed Dexter to kill other killers and helped him to avoid arrest. Don't get caught! Never kill an innocent. Be certain that the target is a killer. Victims must be killers who have evaded the justice system. Killing must serve a purpose, otherwise it's just plain murder. Blend in socially. Maintain appearances. Fake emotions and normality. Control urges to kill and channel them. Be prepared. Leave no traces or evidence. Never make a scene. Stay calm and collected. Don't make things personal because it clouds judgment. Dexter's preferred modus operandi, although he improvises as needed: Select a victim (suspected murderer). Stalk (learn routine, gather evidence). Confirm that the target meets the Code. Prepare a Kill Room. Capture the target. Collect a blood trophy. Conduct his Kill Ritual. Dismember the body. Leave no evidence. Dispose of remains from his boat/Dispose of remains in incinerators or furnaces. Dexter usually collects a blood slide as a trophy during a planned kill. He slices a victim’s cheek with a surgical scalpel and places a drop of blood between two microscope slides. He keeps his blood slides inside a specialized Blood Slide Box. Dexter was in the top of his class in medical school and, subsequently, earned a degree in forensic science. His formal education included courses in biology, anatomy, chemistry, and mathematics. Additionally, he demonstrates knowledge on various topics, including history, anthropology, psychology, botany, philosophy, architecture, sociology, economics, religious lore, art, literature, law, and criminology. Dexter possesses a large English vocabulary and speaks some Spanish, but he never exhibits fluency in other languages. To supplement his forensic expertise, Dexter mastered a wide array of skills. He's portrayed as a master manipulator, practiced liar, lock picker, burglar, marksman, hunter and tracker, hand-to-hand combatant, actor, computer hacker, and impersonator. These abilities proved necessary to maintain his double life, carry out his nightly activities, and keep one step ahead of the very Department in which he worked. His high level of physical fitness was a requirement for his survival and of utmost benefit in following the first rule of the Code - "Don't get caught." Dexter's cardio was a major factor in his personal upkeep. In the event that he had to chase down a target, he needed to keep up without tiring. If in a fight, he had to endure hits and return them with ease. And having enough energy while chasing, subduing, transferring, and disposing of victims was a necessity. Regarding his cardio, he said, "The voices in my head get quieter until it's just me, my breath, and my feet on the sand." Dexter has been swimming, jogging, running on a treadmill, using an exercise bike, and rowing on a gym's machine. Considering his muscle size and abdominal shape, it was apparent that he incorporated crunches, weight lifting, and push-ups into his exercise regimen. During New Blood, Dexter's exercise routine seemed to primarily consist of runs through the wood while hunting the White Deer. While Dexter's cardio had decreased after his recovery from his coma, he was able to build it back up, able to keep up with Mia LaPierre during a jog though he was still shown to be more winded than he would have been in the past when they stopped. This was helped with his acupuncture treatments with Joy Kamara. His physical strength is also quite impressive; only a few of the series' antagonists, including Little Chino and Ray Speltzer, have been able to overpower him. Dexter himself has overpowered antagonists (in no particular order) Arthur Mitchell, Brian Moser, Louis Greene, George King, Jonah Mitchell, Jordan Chase, Oscar Prado, Miguel Prado, James Doakes (twice), Joey Quinn, and more. Additionally, he can lift and carry adult men with ease, showing little sign of strain. He has proven capable of lifting a full-grown man (Louis Greene) off the floor by the neck, with two hands. A decade later, Dexter's physical strength was still quite impressive, as he was able to snap Logan's neck with little difficulty. Dexter was weakened after his 10 week coma, causing Dexter's muscles to atrophy. This forced Dexter to undergo physical therapy and caused him to get winded while climbing stairs in the Empire Hotel. However, after Dexter receives acupuncture from Joy Kamara, his strength is restored. Dexter's restored strength was quickly shown when dealing with Ronald Schmidt, as despite Schmidt having his saw wrapped around Dexter's neck, he was able to overpower him and sedate him. However, Dexter also now suffers from a shoulder injury that has flared up twice since his treatments with Joy, though the treatments have helped this injury to be less severe then it could be. In his college years, Dexter studied advanced Jujitsu techniques, other fighting and grappling techniques to aid in learning how to fight opponents. Through years of experience (and likely a few close calls), he became a master at hand-to-hand combat CQC (close-quarters-combat) and, on more than one occasion, he was able to out-maneuver and defeat other experienced combatants. For the most part, his training in Jujitsu allowed him to quickly subdue targets with just a few simple movements, which mostly culminated in a rear naked choke hold. (This technique cuts off blood flow to the brain via the carotid arteries and causes temporary unconsciousness in just a few seconds). While not often, Dexter snapped necks, particularly if the situation called for a quick execution. If his opponents had weapons, he was able to disarm them before they caused any real damage. While capable of taking on opponents, Dexter never rushes a battle to leave room for his own mistakes - unless he really needs to do so out of desperation. For instance, a handcuffed Dexter did decide to start fighting Doakes right away when the latter held him at gunpoint. Another example would be the time that a hit man held him at gunpoint and Dexter quickly cut his throat. Dexter's style often relied on counter-offense. He would allow his opponents to strike first in order to expose a weak or blind spot and then immediately take advantage of them (as with Joe Walker or Travis Marshall). In most instances, he adopted stealth and sneak attacks, as opposed to direct confrontation. He often stalked his victims from the shadows and disposed of them with minimal effort due to quiet steps and quick movements. He took advantage of any opportunity that presented itself, including the use of the surrounding environment. Dexter mostly uses sleeper holds or M99 tranquilizer to capture his victims. In the novels, Dexter uses 50-pound-test-nylon-fishing line to strangle his victims into unconsciousness with a tactic known as garroting. He either casually walks up to his victims and quickly throttles them, or he hides in their cars and waits for them to sit down in the front seat, at which point he strikes. He then orders them to drive to the site where he plans to kill them. Dexter also does this in the TV series. Dexter gets his etorphine by using the alias Patrick Bateman, M.D., based on Dexter's love for the novel American Psycho which was a formative read when Dexter was 19. As seen in Dexter: Original Sin, Dexter was inspired to do this by Tanya Martin after struggling with subduing his first victims.