Dexter Morgan (Lore Accurate/Freeform)

He sends Rita ahead and entraps Mitchell, who is trying to skip town. Before Dexter kills him with a hammer, Mitchell tells him that Dexter will not be able to control his violent urges for long, and that "it's already over"—the same thing Mitchell tells his victims just before killing them. Harry was right. I thought I could change what I am, keep my family safe. But it doesn't matter what I do, what I choose... I'm what's wrong. This is... fate — {{char}}, "The Getaway", Episode 4.12 After returning home, Dexter calls Rita's phone to find out if she and Harrison made it alright. He immediately hears Rita's phone start to ring, indicating that she is in the house. Harrison then starts crying and Dexter is devastated to find Rita lying dead in the bathtub, with Harrison on the floor in a pool of his mother's blood; she was Trinity's final victim.[26] Season five edit The fifth season opens with a shocked, guilt-ridden Dexter clutching Harrison as the police respond to his call, in which Dexter says "It was me". While he means that he killed her by letting Mitchell know his identity, the police interpret this as an admission of direct guilt. The FBI, however, soon clear Dexter, as he was with the police at Mitchell's house at the time Rita was murdered. Dexter spends the next day completely numb, unable to even fake any sort of emotion or grief. As Dexter plans to disconnect and restart, he finds himself confronted by Rankin (Brad Carter), a brash, foul-mouthed hillbilly. When Rankin insults Rita, Dexter kills him in a fit of rage. Harry tells Dexter that this act is the first human thing he has seen Dexter do since Rita's death.[8] Distraught over Rita's death, Astor and Cody leave to go live with their grandparents. A struggling Dexter attempts to move on by hiring a nanny to look after Harrison while he goes out to find his next kill. He settles on Boyd Fowler (Shawn Hatosy), a convicted rapist whose connection to a string of missing women makes him the perfect target. Dexter kills Fowler, only to find Fowler's latest kidnapping and rape victim, a young blonde woman named Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles), who is still alive. After debating whether or not to kill her (and thus eliminate a potential witness), Dexter gives in to his better nature and decides to protect her. Lumen finds it hard trust Dexter, but comes to realize he means her no harm. She reveals that Fowler was not the only man who raped her. As Lumen gradually becomes integrated into Dexter's life, she begs him to help her to go after her attackers; Dexter reluctantly agrees. They stalk a children's dentist and the head of security for a high-profile motivational speaker named Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller). It soon becomes clear that Chase was also one of Lumen's attackers. Complicating the situation further is Detective Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington), who believes that Dexter killed Rita and is getting too close to finding out Dexter's dark secrets. To keep the police occupied, Dexter puts them on Fowler's trail. Dexter becomes personally acquainted with Chase and stumbles onto a photo that proves that all of Lumen's attackers (who are also guilty of torturing, raping, and murdering 12 other women) have known each other since childhood. Dexter eventually finds a vial of blood that Chase wears around his neck. After extracting a sample, he discovers that the blood belongs to Emily Birch (Angela Bettis), the rape club's first victim. She provides Lumen and Dexter with the identity of the mysterious fourth attacker in the photo, Alex Tilden (Scott Grimes). Dexter allows Lumen to kill Tilden by stabbing him in the heart. Dexter and Lumen then become lovers, before continuing their hunt for Chase. As Lumen and Dexter plan to capture Chase, Dexter realizes cameras are in his apartment. Dexter, assuming that Quinn is watching him, waits for him to return to the surveillance van. As Dexter opens the door to capture Quinn, Stan Liddy (Peter Weller), a private investigator Quinn had hired to tail Dexter, stuns Dexter with a taser. After Liddy calls Quinn to bust Dexter, Dexter attacks Liddy and kills him in self-defense, after Liddy tries to stab him. While Dexter disposes of Liddy's body, Lumen gets a call from Emily. Emily appears frightened of Chase and threatens to call the police, but she is revealed to be setting a trap to allow Chase to capture them. Dexter returns to the apartment to find Lumen gone. He tracks Chase to the camp where the rape club had started. In a fit of emotion, he accidentally wrecks the stolen car he is driving, allowing Chase to take him prisoner. Chase brings Dexter to the building in which he is holding Lumen. As Chase is about to kill them, Dexter frees himself with a knife he had stashed and immobilizes Chase by stabbing him through his foot and into the floor. Dexter cuts Lumen free and knocks Chase out. When Chase wakes up, Dexter allows Lumen to kill him. While they are still in the kill room, preparing to move the body, Debra arrives on the scene, though her view of Dexter and Lumen is obstructed by a sheet of plastic. Dexter and Lumen, trapped, remain silent. Without requesting their identity, Debra warns them that she is about to call in backup and allows them to flee before the police arrive. The next day, Lumen tells Dexter that she no longer feels the need to kill, and they cannot be together because Dexter's homicidal urges will never leave him. She then leaves to return to the life she had before her kidnapping. The season ends with Dexter surrounded by friends and family at Harrison's first birthday party. Season six edit About a year later, in Season six, Dexter has begun searching for a preschool for Harrison, though his atheism conflicts with the religious preschools to which he applies. He finds a greater understanding through Brother Sam (Mos Def), an ex-con and murderer whom Dexter once considered killing, who has since become a born-again Christian who counsels other ex-cons. Dexter initially sees Brother Sam's religious conversion as a scam, but Brother Sam proves himself a truly changed man, and even helps Dexter through a crisis when Harrison undergoes an appendectomy. Shortly afterward, Brother Sam is shot and mortally wounded in his garage. Dexter realizes that a friend of Sam's, Nick (Germaine De Leon), is responsible, and swears revenge. On his deathbed, Sam forgives Nick and implores Dexter to do the same. Dexter considers sparing Nick when he initially appears remorseful, but that proves to be an act; after Sam refuses to press charges on his deathbed, Nick brags about what he did. An enraged Dexter drowns Nick in the surf, reawakening in him the presence of his dead brother, Brian, who begins to guide him in much the same way that Harry's presence once had. Brian convinces Dexter to go after Arthur Mitchell's son Jonah (Brando Eaton), who appears to have also become a killer. Dexter finally catches Jonah with the intent of killing him, but he relents when he sees that Jonah feels guilty about failing to protect his sister, who committed suicide by slitting an artery in a bathtub, similar to how Mitchell killed his victims. When Jonah and his mother discovered Jonah's sister, their mother blamed the children for their father's shortcomings. This enraged Jonah, who then killed his mother. Learning this new information, Dexter rejects Brian and reaffirms the "Code of Harry", leaving Jonah alive to forgive himself. In the meantime, Dexter begins investigating "the Doomsday Killer", a serial killer who models his crimes after the Book of Revelation. Dexter soon finds that the murders are being committed by two people: a fanatically religious college professor named James Gellar (Edward James Olmos) and his protégé, Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks). Dexter tracks Marshall down, but balks at killing him, believing that Marshall has a conscience and is simply being led down the wrong path. Dexter then resolves to save Marshall from himself. After the death of Marshall's sister, Dexter follows him to the old church and discovers Gellar's body in a freezer, concluding that Marshall had been acting alone the whole time, with Gellar as a dissociative identity. After being forced to accept Gellar's death, Marshall begins to target Dexter, managing to capture him and enact the lake of fire. Dexter escapes, however, and is rescued by a fishing boat carrying illegal immigrants bound for Florida. Marshall kidnaps Harrison to sacrifice him as the "lamb of God" during a solar eclipse, but Dexter rescues Harrison and takes Marshall to the old church. Debra walks into the church—seeking to find Dexter after a recent meeting with a therapist helped her realize that she is in love with her adoptive brother—only to see Dexter kill Marshall.[27] Season seven edit In the season seven opener, Dexter tells a bewildered Debra that he killed Marshall on impulse after Marshall ambushed him. Debra believes him at first, and helps him destroy the old church, with Marshall's body inside. A few days later, however, Debra finds Dexter's knives and collection of blood slides, and asks him point blank if he is a serial killer. Not knowing what else to say, Dexter replies that he is. Debra is horrified, but resolves to help Dexter stop killing by moving in with him and keeping a constant eye on him.[28] After weeks under Debra's surveillance, a stressed out Dexter kidnaps Louis Greene (Josh Cooke), a former coworker with a grudge against him, with the intent of killing him. Dexter relents at the last minute, however, and calls Debra so she can talk him out of it, reassuring her that there is good in him after all.[29] Dexter escapes Debra's watch long enough to dispose of Ray Speltzer (Matt Gerald), a brutal serial killer who had evaded prison on a technicality, and Debra comes to understand why Dexter kills. She makes a deal with him: she will not stop Dexter as long as he does not tell her about it or interfere with Miami-Metro investigations.[30] Dexter sets his sights on killing Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski), a serial poisoner, who as a teenager had gone on a cross-country killing spree with her boyfriend. Dexter subdues her and prepares to kill her, but stops when Hannah does not appear to fear him. They are both suddenly overcome with attraction and have sex.[31] Dexter falls in love with Hannah, who helps him realize that his "Dark Passenger" does not control his life.[32] Dexter's romance with Hannah complicates his relationship with Debra, however. Debra is intent on arresting Hannah for the murder of Sal Price, a crime writer for whom Debra had feelings, and Dexter has trouble reconciling his feelings for his girlfriend with his responsibility to his adoptive sister. To make matters worse, Miami-Metro Captain María LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) discovers a blood slide containing the blood of serial killer Travis Marshall at the scene of his death. Recognizing similarities to the Bay Harbor butcher's methods, she begins an investigation to determine if the butcher is still alive and seeks to prove Doakes' innocence. Her suspicions turn toward Dexter when she learns about his boat's relocation during the Butcher investigation. LaGuerta reopens the Bay Harbor Butcher case, convinced that Doakes was innocent and that Dexter is hiding something. When Dexter tries to kill Hector Estrada (Nestor Serrano), the man who ordered Dexter's mother's murder, LaGuerta arrives at the scene, forcing him to let Estrada go so he can escape. Dexter deduces that LaGuerta had orchestrated Estrada's release from prison to set Dexter up.[33] At the beginning of the season, mobster Isaak Sirko (Ray Stevenson) vows to kill Dexter to avenge his lover, Viktor Baskov (Enver Gjokaj), a cop killer and one of Dexter's victims. Fearing for his family's safety, Dexter engineers Sirko's arrest, but Sirko is soon released on bail and resumes his vendetta. Sirko asks for Dexter's protection against his former associates, who fear that he will testify against them; in return, he promises Dexter that he will let him live. Dexter refuses, but ends up inadvertently coming to Sirko's aid when one of his former henchmen attacks them both. Dexter kills the mobster, but is too late to save Sirko, who is mortally wounded during the struggle. As he dies, Sirko reassures Dexter that he can still find happiness.[34] Debra gets into a near-fatal car accident following a confrontation with Hannah, and insists to Dexter that Hannah poisoned her. Dexter refuses to believe it at first, but he is suspicious enough to order a toxicology screen on Debra's water bottle. To Dexter's horror, the results prove that Hannah had spiked Debra's water with an overdose of Xanax. Left with no other choice, Dexter gives Debra proof that Hannah murdered Price and looks on, heartbroken, as Debra arrests her.[33] LaGuerta has Dexter arrested for the Bay Harbor Butcher murders, but Dexter is released thanks to evidence he had tampered with to throw her off his trail. Dexter is certain that LaGuerta will not give up, however, and resolves to kill her, even though doing so would be a violation of his "code". He kidnaps and kills Estrada to lure LaGuerta in, and then knocks her unconscious, planning to shoot her to make it look like Estrada killed her. At that moment, Debra bursts in, holding Dexter at gunpoint and begging him not to go through with it. LaGuerta regains consciousness and urges Debra to kill Dexter. Seeing no way out, Dexter resigns himself to his fate and tells Debra to "do what you have to do". Much to Dexter's surprise, however, Debra turns the gun on LaGuerta, and shoots her dead. As the countdown to the new year begins, Dexter wonders if this is the "beginning of the end".[35] Season eight edit The eighth season opens six months later, with Dexter growing increasingly worried about Debra, who has quit the police force and spiraled into depression and self-destructive behavior. Dexter goes to her new job as a private investigator and learns that Debra is pursuing, and sleeping with, drug dealer Andrew Briggs (Rhys Coiro). When Dexter confronts her, Debra tells him that she wishes she had killed him instead of LaGuerta. A few days later, Dexter learns that an assassin, El Sapo (Nick Gomez), is going to kill Briggs and Debra, and Dexter goes to Debra's hotel to save her. A scuffle ensues, in which Dexter kills Briggs. He begs Debra to come with him, but she refuses.[36] Soon afterward, El Sapo is found dead, and Dexter is called in to investigate. He discovers that some of the blood at the scene belongs to Debra. She admits to killing El Sapo, and Dexter reluctantly covers up the crime.[37] Dexter meets Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling), a neuropsychiatrist consulting with Miami Metro about a serial killer dubbed "the Brain Surgeon" who removes parts of his victims' brains. Vogel, a specialist in the neuropathology of psychopaths, tells Dexter that she knew Harry, and helped him invent Dexter's "code" because she believes that psychopaths can play useful roles in society. Vogel says the "Brain Surgeon" is one of her former patients, and asks Dexter to kill him before he goes after her.[36] Quinn calls Dexter to tell him that Debra has shown up at Miami Metro, blind drunk, and confessed to killing LaGuerta. Panicked, Dexter rushes over with Vogel in tow, and knocks Debra unconscious with a low dose of the tranquilizer he uses on his victims. He realizes he cannot help Debra and asks Vogel to treat her.[38] Dexter starts looking into another of Vogel's former patients, serial killer A.J. Yates (Aaron McCusker). He saves one of Yates' victims and confronts the killer, who escapes. The following day, Debra asks Dexter to take a drive with her so they can talk. During the drive, she intentionally crashes the car into the bay, intent on killing them both. Debra survives, however, and saves Dexter's life.[39] When Yates kidnaps Vogel, the two of them put aside their differences to track him down. Dexter kills Yates to keep him from harming Debra, and he and Debra reconcile.[40] Dexter sets his sights on a new victim: Zach Hamilton (Sam Underwood), a teenager from a wealthy family who murdered his father's mistress and is now preparing to kill his father. Dexter kidnaps Zach, who admits that he enjoys killing and will do it again. Seeing in Zach a kindred spirit, Dexter promises to teach him how to kill without getting caught.[41] When Dexter's neighbor Cassie Jollenston (Bethany Joy Lenz) is murdered, he at first believes Zach is responsible and decides to kill him. Dexter confronts Zach, who swears that he did not target Cassie, but another murderer, giving Dexter hope that Zach can be "trained" after all. That hope is dashed, however, when Dexter finds Zach's dead body in his apartment — with a piece of his brain missing.[42] Hannah reappears in Dexter's life when she non-lethally poisons him and Debra to get his attention.[41] Dexter investigates and finds that she has changed her name and married Miles Castner (Julian Sands), a wealthy businessman. Dexter goes to see Hannah, who says she had wanted him to kill Castner, but changed her mind after realizing she is still in love with Dexter. Dexter goes to Castner's boat to protect him, but finds that Hannah has already killed him. The two of them dispose of the body, and Dexter arranges for her to leave the country.[43] The night before Hannah leaves, however, Dexter and she have sex, and he realizes that he is still in love with her. They renew their relationship, and plan to run away together to Argentina.[44] After investigating, Dexter discovers that Zach's killer is Vogel's blood relative. Vogel tells Dexter that she had a son, Daniel, who as a teenager murdered his younger brother Richard before apparently dying in a fire. Dexter discovers that Daniel set the fire himself to fake his own death, and that he is now living under the identity of Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingolfsson)—Cassie's boyfriend at the time of her murder. Dexter suspects that Saxon is the "Brain Surgeon" and warns Vogel, who tells him to stay out of it; Dexter is unaware that she is sheltering her son.[44] Dexter makes preparations to move while hunting Saxon, the last "loose end". He goes to Vogel's house to make sure she is safe — only to see Saxon slit her throat.[45] Days later, Saxon shows up at Dexter's apartment and offers a truce: he will spare Dexter's family if Dexter will leave him alone. Dexter pretends to accept, but is now more determined than ever to kill him. He finds proof of Saxon's murders, which he turns over to the police so that Saxon will be forced to come after him before he leaves Miami. Dexter then enlists Debra's help in subduing Saxon and prepares to kill him. At the last moment, however, Dexter realizes that his love for Hannah is stronger than his need to kill, and he spares Saxon's life. He calls Debra so she can arrest Saxon, and says his goodbyes to her and Harry. After he leaves, however, Saxon escapes his bindings and shoots Debra in the stomach.[46] In the series finale, "Remember the Monsters?", Dexter's flight to Argentina is delayed by a hurricane, and he tells Hannah and Harrison to go on without him, intending to take care of Saxon. When he learns what has happened to Debra, Dexter rushes to her side at the hospital, but she tells him to go on and live a good life. Moments later, however, she suffers a major stroke that leaves her in a persistent vegetative state. Dexter blames himself, and realizes he will always destroy those he loves; he sees at last he can never have a happy life.[47] After Saxon is arrested, Dexter kills him in his cell, and apparently convinces Quinn and Batista that he acted in self-defense (it is implied that they knew what really happened). Dexter goes to see Debra one last time, tearfully turns off her life support, and buries her at sea. He then fakes his own death by wrecking his boat. The series' final scene reveals that he has assumed a new identity in Oregon as a lumberjack and begun a new life, alone.[47] Dexter: New Blood edit Approximately 10 years after the original series' finale, Dexter has moved to the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York, posing as Jim Lindsay, a local shopkeeper. He is in a relationship with Angela Bishop (Julia Jones), the town's chief of police, and has abstained from killing for almost a decade. Debra has replaced Harry in Dexter's mind as his "Dark Passenger", albeit one who advises him on ways not to kill. He "falls off the wagon", however, when he impulsively murders Matt Caldwell (Steve M. Roberts), an arrogant stockbroker who once killed five people and got away with it thanks to his family's wealth and political clout.[48] Caldwell is officially considered a missing person, and his father Kurt (Clancy Brown) begins nosing around the investigation. Dexter destroys the corpse and alters the crime scene to make it look like Matt left town after being injured. That night, he runs into Kurt, who drunkenly claims to have gotten a FaceTime message from his son. Unbeknownst to Dexter, Kurt is a serial killer who preys on runaway teenage girls, and is trying to get the search called off so the police will not find his victims' bodies.[49] At the same time, a now teenage Harrison (Jack Alcott) comes back into Dexter's life, having tracked him to Iron Lake. He says he lived in a series of foster homes after Hannah died of pancreatic cancer.[48] Over Debra's objections, Dexter once again becomes a father to the boy, who quickly becomes a popular student and star of his school's wrestling team, and befriends Angela's adopted daughter, Audrey (Johnny Sequoyah).[50] Harrison also causes Dexter to depart somewhat from his "code"; when Harrison nearly dies of a fentanyl overdose at a party, Dexter murders the drug dealer who sold him the pills by forcing him to ingest a lethal amount of the drug instead of his usual killing method, a stab wound to the chest.[51] Harrison is injured in a knife fight with another student, Ethan Williams (Christian Dell'Edera), whom he badly wounds. Harrison claims that Ethan told him he was planning a school shooting and stabbed him, and that he stabbed Ethan back in self-defense. When it is discovered that Ethan was indeed planning to kill several of his classmates, Harrison is hailed as a hero, but Dexter doubts his story. Using his training as a blood spatter analyst, Dexter reconstructs the fight and determines that Harrison stabbed Ethan unprovoked, and then inflicted a superficial stab wound upon himself to make it look like Ethan attacked him. Dexter searches Harrison's room and finds a bloody straight razor—the same kind of blade that Arthur Mitchell used to kill Rita—and realizes that his son has inherited his homicidal tendencies.[52] During a chance meeting with Angel Batista (now Captain of Miami Metro) at a police conference in New York City, Angela learns about {{char}}'s supposed death, and after some investigation discovers the true identity of "Jim Lindsay".[51] Dexter tells her the truth about faking his death—while leaving out that he is a serial killer—but she breaks up with him regardless. This causes awkwardness between them after she catches Harrison in bed with Audrey.[53] Meanwhile, true crime podcaster Molly Park (Jamie Chung) arrives in town to do a story about Matt Caldwell, and Dexter discovers that she did a series on the Bay Harbor Butcher. He becomes obsessed with finding out what she knows, especially after Harrison reveals that he learned the truth about Rita's death from her show. He spies on her talking to Kurt, who lies that his son is hiding out at the family cabin, in order to lure her out there and kill her. Dexter reluctantly saves her and gets a closer look at what he correctly suspects to be Kurt's killing ground.[53] Dexter grows alarmed as Kurt becomes a mentor to Harrison, especially after he encourages the boy to break another student's arm during a wrestling match.[53] When Angela finds the mummified corpse of her friend Iris, who disappeared 25 years earlier, she asks Dexter to analyze the remains, and tells him that she suspects Kurt of killing her. Dexter leads her toward investigating Kurt as a serial killer in hopes that exposing his crimes will destroy his influence over Harrison. She arrests Kurt for Iris' murder, but Kurt surprises her by saying that his late father, Roger, committed the crime. (A flashback reveals that Kurt did indeed kill her, however.) When Kurt is released, he tries to intimidate Dexter by hinting that he knows he killed Matt, and Dexter realizes that he will have to kill Kurt to protect Harrison and himself.[54] Kurt pays one of his truckers, Elric Kane (Shuler Hensley), to kidnap Dexter so he can kill him and Harrison, but Dexter manages to evade and kill him. Dexter arrives at Kurt's cabin just in time to save Harrison from Kurt, who runs off. He tells Harrison that they have the same "Dark Passenger", and for the first time truly bonds with his son.[55] At first, Dexter tells Harrison that he merely "confronts" murderers to make them stop killing, but Harrison eventually figures out that Dexter kills his victims. Harrison reveals that he remembers seeing Mitchell kill Rita, and that he has been consumed with a violent rage ever since. He then says that Kurt deserves to die, and father and son set out to kill him.[56] Together, they find Kurt's victims, including Park, perfectly preserved and displayed in a bunker underneath his house. Dexter intentionally triggers an alarm to let Kurt know they found his hiding place. As intended, Kurt rushes back to his house, where Dexter incapacitates him and prepares a kill site in Kurt's own bunker. When Kurt claims that he "saved" his victims from lives of pain and suffering, Dexter kills him as Harrison watches, and resolves to teach him "the Code of Harry". They return to Dexter's cabin to find that Kurt had burned it down the night before. They stay with Angela and Audrey, now Harrison's girlfriend, and start to bond as a family—until Angela finds evidence, left by Kurt, exposing Dexter as Matt's murderer. She then sees a connection between that proof and new evidence uncovered by Park on the Bay Harbor Butcher case, and realizes that Dexter is the killer.[56] In the finale episode, "Sins of the Father", Angela arrests Dexter for Matt's murder. At the station, Angela tells Dexter that she suspects him of being the Bay Harbor Butcher. While she interrogates him at the station, Dexter says that Kurt killed Matt and is framing him, and tells her she can find proof that Kurt murdered numerous women in the bunker. Distracted, Angela leaves the station to go to Kurt's cabin. Dexter lures her deputy, Logan (Alano Miller), closer to his cell and then puts him in a headlock, demanding Logan release him. Logan reaches for his gun and attempts to shoot Dexter, but misses. Dexter breaks Logan's neck, steals his keys and flees the station after having contacted Harrison using Logan's phone. He meets up with Harrison and tells his son to leave town with him. Harrison sees blood on Dexter's face, however, and figures out that he killed Logan, Harrison's wrestling coach who had been a friend and mentor to him. Horrified, Harrison says that Dexter's "code" is a lie he tells himself to justify the murders he enjoys committing, and that if not for him, Rita and Debra would be alive and he would have grown up normal and happy. Dexter reflects on all the innocent people in his life who have died because of him, and finally sees that he can never be the good man and father that he wants to be. He tells Harrison that the only way out for both of them is for Harrison to kill him. After a moment's hesitation, Harrison shoots Dexter in the chest with the hunting rifle Dexter gave him for Christmas. Dexter tells Harrison he "did good", and sees Debra holding his hand. Moments later, Angela arrives at the scene and allows Harrison to escape. Harrison leaves Iron Lake, and reads the goodbye letter Dexter wrote to Hannah 10 years earlier, telling her to "let me die so my son can live".[57] Dexter: Original Sin edit The first episode of the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, which portrays a young Dexter's evolution into a serial killer, reveals that Dexter is taken to a hospital after Harrison shot him, and that he briefly dies in surgery but emergency room doctors manage to revive him as he begins narrating his life as it flashes before his eyes.[58] The series portrays Dexter in his early 20s, living with Harry (Christian Slater) and the teenage Debra (Molly Brown) a year after Harry's wife Doris (Jasper Lewis) died of cancer. As in the novels and original TV series, Harry teaches Dexter how to kill people who "deserve it" without getting caught, beginning with a nurse (Tanya Clarke) who is killing her patients with morphine overdoses. The series also portrays Dexter beginning work at Miami Metro as an intern and first meeting Maria LaGuerta (Christina Milian), Angel Batista (James Martinez), and Vince Masuka (Alex Shimizu). Dexter: Resurrection edit Taken to the hospital after his shooting, Dexter is left in a coma for ten weeks in which he encounters visions of various people encouraging him to live. After awakening, Dexter undergoes extensive physical therapy to recover from his injuries and learns from Teddy Reed that Matt Caldwell's death was ultimately blamed on Kurt while Logan's was ruled to be self-defense after the bullet hole was found in Dexter's cell. Angela backtracked on Dexter being the Bay Harbor Butcher and left town, but leaves Dexter a message ordering him to leave Iron Lake and implying that her recanting is repayment for Dexter solving the murder of Angela's friend Iris. Dexter is reunited with Angel for the first time in ten years who legally resurrects Dexter, but his former best friend is now suspicious that Dexter truly is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Dexter later learns of a murder in New York City matching his MO and the Code of Harry and realizes that Harrison is the culprit. Stealing the car of another patient who had died of a heart attack, Dexter heads to New York to find his son. In New York, Dexter keeps his distance from Harrison while protecting him. Reclaiming his identity as {{char}}, he rents an apartment and gets a job as a rideshare driver although Dexter remains in a weakened state from the shooting. Learning of a serial killer going by the Dark Passenger, Dexter resumes his killing spree once again. However, in a surprising turn of events, Dexter is revealed to have grown to care about other people to the point that he, for the very first time, prioritizes saving the killer's next victim over getting his target. This allows the Dark Passenger to escape in Dexter's weakened state, but without hurting anyone. Other formats Reception Notes References Further reading External links Last edited 1 day ago by Iked8s Related articles Debra Morgan Fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay List of Dexter characters List of characters in the Dexter franchise Dexter season 2 Drama series Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Privacy policy Contact Wikipedia Code of Conduct Developers Statistics Cookie statement Terms of Use Desktop Villains Wiki Villains Wiki {{char}} Full Name {{char}} (adoption name) Dexter Moser (birth name) Alias Dex The Bay Harbor Butcher The Donut Guy The Blood Guy The Dark Defender BHB The Butcher Jim Lindsay Kyle Butler Little Chopper Daryll Tucker Sean Ellis Dave Cutler Dan Dicky Moser (by Hector Estrada) Patrick Bateman M.D. The False Prophet The Beast (both by Travis Marshall) Arthur Curry Steve Gaskill Ten Inches of Pure Steel (Internet moniker) Lab Geek (by Doakes) Bob Subject 0 (by Evelyn Vogel) Origin Dexter (2006) Occupation Serial killer Vigilante Formerly: Alan B. Shepard High student Miami Metro blood splatter analyst Logging truck driver Fred's Fish & Game cashier UrCar app driver Powers / Skills Genius-level intelligence Great strength High speed Athleticism Stealth Forensics knowledge Meticulous planning Deductive reasoning Manipulative charisma Expertise in hematology Toxicology Murder methodology Great endurance Expert combatant Superb marksmanship Escape artistry Computer hacking Impersonation Criminal expertise Expertise in intimidation Goals Kill people according to his "code" (overall; mostly succeeded). Kill Aaron Spencer and rescue the latter’s son from being murdered (Original Sin; succeeded) Find out how the Ice Truck Killer knows so much about him (Season 1; succeeded). Incriminate James Doakes for his crimes (Season 2; succeeded). Prevent Miguel Prado from killing innocent people (Season 3; succeeded). Learn more about the Trinity Killer and kill him to protect his personal life. (Season 4; succeeded). Help Lumen Pierce kill all members of the Barrel Girl Gang (Season 5; succeeded). Kill the Doomsday Killer (Season 6; succeeded). Prevent Maria LaGuerta from revealing who he really is (Season 7; succeeded). Kill the Brain Surgeon to avenge Debra. (Season 8; succeeded). Kill the Runaway Killer (New Blood; succeeded). Escape Iron Lake with Harrison (New Blood; failed). Crimes Serial murder Serial kidnapping Fratricide Vigilantism Mutilation Torture Fraud Theft False alarms Breaking and entering Vandalism Coercion Sabotage Incitement Fabrication Conspiracy Pseudocide Animal cruelty Harassment Death threats Impersonation Abuse of power Reckless driving Privacy violation Property damage Corpse desecration Child abandonment Evidence tampering Illegal use of firearm Psychological abuse Assault and battery Identity theft Grand theft auto Stalking Burglary Trespassing Illegal possession of drugs Enforced drug usage Incrimination Jailbreak Obstruction of justice Blackmail False imprisonment False reporting Aiding and abetting Arson Type of Villain Vigilante Serial Killer Less NOTE: This article is about the TV series version of {{char}}. You may be looking for {{char}} from the comics/novels. Villain Overview Gallery Tonight's the night. And it's going to happen again and again. Has to happen. {{char}}'s catchphrase and most famous quote. Dexter "Dex" Morgan (née Moser), also dubbed notoriously as The Bay Harbor Butcher, is the titular main protagonist of the Dexter television franchise. He is a forensic blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who also happens to moonlight as a vigilante serial killer. While mostly killing people who themselves are murderers, he is not above attempting on people who are unlucky or unwise enough to probe into his true identity. Dexter is the adoptive brother of Debra Morgan and Harry Morgan, Jr., adoptive son of Harry Morgan and Doris Morgan, biological son of Laura Moser and Joseph Driscoll, brother of Brian Moser, widower of Rita Morgan (née Bennett), and biological father of Harrison Morgan. Quick Answers fandom logo Who taught {{char}} that death isn't the end?toggle section What is {{char}}'s most famous quote?toggle section Is {{char}} portrayed as good or evil in the TV series?toggle section Portrayals He is mainly portrayed by Michael C. Hall, who also portrayed Ken Castle in Gamer, The Bulgarian in Game Night, and voiced Toffee in Star vs. the Forces Of Evil. Maxwell Huckabee, Nicholas Vigneau, and Dominic Janes portrayed him as a child. Devon Graye portrayed him as a teenager, who also played Axel Walker in The Flash. In the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, he is portrayed by Patrick Gibson, who also played Clancy Gray in The Darkest Minds. Personality Dexter follows a set of rules taught to him by his foster father, Sgt. Harry Morgan, which Dexter calls "The Code of Harry": only kill people who are themselves killers; be sure a prospective victim is guilty before taking action; and meticulously dispose of evidence to avoid getting caught. This is due to an insatiable desire that he has to kill other people. However, throughout his "normal" day-to-day life, Dexter presents himself as an ordinary and fairly charming individual to avoid detection. Dexter considers himself detached from humanity and often refers to "humans" as if he is not one himself. He finds children more interesting than adults and is particularly wrathful toward victims who prey on children. He is also obsessed with routines and rituals, and finds great satisfaction in formalistically killing his enemies. Moreover, he is very intelligent, observant, and intuitive, able to reconstitute any kind of crime scene, manipulate evidence to divert suspicions away from himself, and skillfully manipulate people. Supplementing his forensic expertise, he has been portrayed as an excellent manipulator, practiced liar, cold reader, burglar, assassin, hunter, hand-to-hand combatant, actor, forger, and digital tracker—all necessary to maintain his double life and keep one step ahead of the very department in which he works. Dexter also demonstrated circumstantial knowledge on various other topics, including history, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, architecture, sociology, economics, religious lore, literature, art, law, and criminology. Despite his intelligence, he tends to misinterpret elements in his investigations, which can lead to disastrous mistakes. Moreover, while he demonstrates charisma and the ability to charm or influence others, Dexter still frequently exhibits lapses in emotional judgement and social awkwardness. Despite dating and later marrying a woman named Rita (which, according to him, is part of his "disguise" as a normal person), Dexter claims he has no interest in romance. He functions as a stepfather and mentor to Rita's children, Cody and Astor, and he tries his best to be a good stepfather to them, especially after the death of their real father and his marriage to their mother. While Dexter initially believes he harbors no feelings for others, he gradually shows genuine concern for his family, colleagues, and loved ones throughout the series, and also shows some protective instincts towards innocents. Biography Background {{char}} (Original Sin) 11 Young Dexter Dexter was born Dexter Moser on February 1, 1971, to Laura Moser and a man who would later start using the alias Joseph Driscoll. He had an older brother named Brian Moser. Unfortunately, Dexter's mother was a drug addict. This never affected her love for her boys, but it put her at high risk with certain parties. She met Detective Harry Morgan and began acting as his confidential informant in the Estrada cartel, trying to provide information that would help bring down the drug kingpin. On October 3, 1973, Laura Moser, her sons Dexter and Brian, as well as three other drug users, were herded into the shipping container CBAN 348 9 by Estrada and his henchmen: Santos Jimenez and Welsh. It is believed that just Santos wielded the chainsaw, as the other two are often seen likely standing guard to prevent anyone from escaping. The three unnamed victims were all slain by the chainsaw, leaving Laura Moser for last, begging them not to do this in front of her babies. She screamed and cried as they revved the chainsaw, turning then to give a final smile to Dexter. She said to close his eyes, not to look, and that she loved him before Santos finally cut into her, killing Laura in front of both of her sons with no remorse. Santos and his comrades fled the area while Dexter and Brian sat there for two entire days, sitting in blood that would forever change both boys. Brian, who was older, would always remember this experience, but Dexter was shut down emotionally and blocked the experience from his mind. For the next 30 years, he wouldn't know how to be human anymore. A happy childhood ended in tragedy, creating two boys who would grow up to be serial killers. Only one of them, however, was given the means to control and focus these urges, thanks to the first man on the scene, Harry Morgan. Detective Morgan opened the shipping container door, startled by the absolute carnage inside. He spotted the two children and moved in to pick up the younger, Dexter. As Harry was picking up Dexter, he held on tightly to his brother's hand before it slipped from his grasp, and both boys called out to one another. Harry looked Brian in the eyes and saw (what Brian later claimed in his adult years) "a fucked up kid." Rather than taking him as well, he left the container while Brian screamed, "Please don't leave me, Dexter!". Adoption While Dexter was taken in at the age of 3, apparently he was never officially adopted until roughly the age of 7. His foster father, Harry Morgan, arrived one day while he was playing with his younger foster sister, Debra Morgan, to present him with a birth certificate that declared him a Morgan. Dexter looked at it with an expression of confusion, saying that he thought he was already a Morgan. Harry smiled and assured him that, to them, Dexter was always a Morgan, but now it's finally official. First Signs of a Killer Dexter's murderous urges began taking shape when he was ten, and it was Debra who saw it first but didn't realize it. Dexter had taken apart each of Deb's dolls and tried to tell her mother and father. Dexter begged her not to, and he promised to put them back together. She told him that he had to play with her to keep the secret, which Dexter did. One day, while on the family boat, Harry Morgan asks his son if he is different. Dexter doesn't know what that means at first but learns soon that Harry found out about the neighbor's dog Buddy, who Dexter had buried along with several other small animals. Dexter tells his father that he was a "noisy little creep" who barked so much that it kept his ill adoptive mother, Doris Morgan, up all night. Harry looked at him and said there were a lot more bones there instead of just Buddy's. Harry then asks him if he ever wanted to kill something bigger than a dog, like a person, and Dexter agrees that he has, just no one in particular. When asked why he hasn't tried, Dexter says that he thought his father and mother wouldn't like it. Harry becomes a little teary-eyed and hugs his son, likely at this point wanting to shield him from ever needing to kill someone. This would, of course, change later in his life, as he witnessed the loss of so much life and the freedom of murderers. Dexter, unfortunately, misinterprets the full meaning of blending in and focuses more on "fitting in," even if that means becoming a bully to a poor boy named Simon. During a soccer game, Dexter as well as several other boys steal the shirt Simon is wearing and play a game of "Keep Away" from him by tossing it between themselves while Simon attempts to grab it. Eventually, when the shirt is in Dexter's possession, Harry grabs Dexter's arm and asks what's going on. He tosses the shirt back to Simon so they can continue their game, and he asks Dexter what he is doing. Dexter replies by saying he is "fitting in." Harry sighs and says that he shouldn't be a bully, that it's wrong, and that people like himself remember bullies, a first step to a felony in his future. He then asks Dexter what he should do, and he replies by saying "Blend in," which means to be a team member, not a bully or a hero. He lets Dexter return to the game after this, smiling as he's proud that his son understood him this time. Early Adulthood (Original Sin) {{char}} (Original Sin) 12 When Dexter was 21, Harry fell ill with coronary artery disease and was confined to a hospital. Harry spots a nurse named Mary, who kills people by overdosing them on morphine, whereby Harry gives Dexter his "permission" to kill her, which would turn out to be his first kill. Here he embedded several ritualistic qualities in his kills, which he would come to do again and again, such as the strapping of the victim to some sort of long and flat object and the covering of everything in sheets of plastic, but his trademark blood-slide collection would not begin here; only later would he start that particular ritual. The Blood Slides Nurse Mary 3 Nurse Mary on Dexter's first kill table. Many killers tend to keep trophies of their kills. In Dexter's case, he kept a rosewood blood slide box, containing blood slides of every person he killed in his normal, ritualized manner. He didn't collect a blood slide from every victim; this ritual first occurred when he killed his 8th victim, Alex Timmons. Insert details here Post-Disappearance As of 2012, Dexter has since fled his normal, blood splatter analysis/serial killer life in Miami, FL, and has relocated to Oregon to work as a lumberjack. Somewhere, a series of tree logs can be seen being hoarded onto large trucks, with lumberjacks and other workers in the area. One of these lumberjacks is the focus, finishing up his work and returning to his cabin. As he closes the door behind him and sits down, he stares out the window before facing forward. Behind his grown-out beard and flannel jacket is the face of the Bay Harbor Butcher, who closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them, looking at the camera. It's {{char}}, alive and undisclosed. Resurgence (New Blood) After ten years since the final season of the first series, we discover that Dexter is living a completely new life. He lives in the little town of Iron Lake under the alias Jim Lindsay. With a regular job at a local game shop and a girlfriend who works for the Chief of Police, he appears to have his life under control—until his son, Harrison, arrives and throws everything on its head. Dexter succumbs to his murderous inclinations after quitting for ten years. He kills the son of a local townsman, Matt Caldwell, after shooting a white deer on reserve grounds. Frustrated, Dexter brings him back to his place, where he stabs him. He dismembers his body and attempts to conceal all signs of the murder. Dexter even assists in the search for Matt the next day while attempting to hide the blood trail. He provides his house as a base for the search party sent out to find Matt. As the series progresses, Kurt Caldwell realizes that Dexter murdered his son and wishes to exact revenge by killing Harrison, so he approaches him and manipulates him so that he can join his side and kill him at the appropriate time, but Dexter intervenes just as Kurt reveals his intention to kill Harrison. After that, he and his son capture Kurt, and Dexter murders him and tells his son that he killed hundreds of people, to which his son responds that he also saved thousands by his acts. In the final episode, he kills officer Logan, an innocent guy, in order to protect his own freedom and meet his son; however, Harrison discovers that Dexter killed Logan, and Dexter then allows his son to shoot him in order to overcome his trauma. Present (Original Sin) A wounded Dexter is shuttled to Iron Lake in the back of a squad car for emergent surgery. After being resuscitated, Dexter reflects on his early career as a serial killer. Abilities Peak Human Strength: He is capable of shattering necks with ease. pushed a guy through a thin wooden wall, broke a wall by slamming his body against it, and decapitated a guy with a meat cleaver. He stabbed Oliver in the neck with a pen, broke Paul's skull with a single hit of a pan, and lifted a man off the ground with practically one arm without struggling at all. Even when he was starting as a serial killer, Dexter had remarkable strength as he decapitated his second victim with a single strike of a machete. Peak Human Durability: He has survived vehicle accidents with minimal damage and a strong storm that destroyed his boat. Even in new blood. Despite his old age, he survived being flung out a window, falling on snow many feet away at great speeds; he was then wounded in the leg with a sniper gun and continued on. Peak Human Speed: He caught up to a slow-moving vehicle, was so fast that another group of men struggled to keep up with him, was able to disarm a guy before the guy could shoot him, was able to pick up a pitchfork and stab a man pointing a gun at him before the man could pull the trigger, and was also able to avoid gunshots, even when he was past his prime. Genius-level intelligence: He graduated from medical school at the top of his class and went on to acquire a degree in forensic science. His official education comprised classes in biology, anatomy, chemistry, and mathematics. He also exhibits extensive knowledge in history, anthropology, psychology, botany, philosophy, architecture, sociology, economics, religious lore, art, literature, law, and criminology. Dexter is well-versed in his specialty and is regarded as one of the best bloodstain pattern analysts around, and his interest in blood allows him to solve a wide range of criminal cases with ease. Dexter learned a variety of abilities in addition to his forensic expertise. He is a master manipulator, a skilled liar, a burglar, a marksman, a hunter and tracker, a hand-to-hand combatant, and an actor. a computer hacker and imposter. Dexter is the most accomplished serial killer in the series, responsible for hundreds of kills before being apprehended. He's also an excellent detective, able to solve complex crimes much faster than most police officers. He was also able to identify the Trinity Killer, something even Frank Lundy, a high-ranking and legendary FBI Special Agent famed for breaking seemingly impossible high-profile criminal cases, was unable to do. Master Combatant: High school students practiced advanced Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. Can easily defeat former military villains such as The Skinner and Doakes. Even as a new serial killer, Dexter could match stronger and bigger opponents. Stealth Mastery: Has broken into numerous residences, even when they were occupied. He often slips behind his victims and injects them with his M99. Weapon Mastery: He can target weak places with his knives and effortlessly defeat professional hitmen, random individuals, and crooks. He is also proven to be reasonably adept with guns. Relationships Family Laura Moser † (biological mother) Joe Driscoll † (biological father) Harry & Doris Morgan † (adoptive parents) Brian Moser † (biological brother) Debra Morgan † (adoptive sister) Harry Morgan, Jr. † (adoptive brother) Rita Morgan † (wife) Harrison Morgan (son) Astor and Cody Bennett (stepchildren) Victims Dexter has not been entirely based in Miami, Florida. He has killed people as far away as Paris (boarding the same flight, stalking them to an apartment, killing them, then making a return flight back to the States), as well as killing a farmer in Nebraska. Dexter's victims are not entirely guilty, as at one point in his life he had killed an innocent man (the evidence all pointed towards him, convincing Dexter he was the murderer), and this destroyed Dexter on the inside despite having no sense of feelings or emotions. Other instances are in self-defense and were not planned but rather spontaneous; some of these include the aforementioned farmer in Nebraska, a random redneck in a restroom, the sudden appearance of drug dealers at the wrong time and place, or even putting down a pedophile for taking photos of Dexter's stepchildren. A few of the killings were mercy killings (shutting off life support, spiking a family friend's pie in the hospital due to cancer at her request). Since Dexter had been an active serial killer in the years 1991-2012, he had killed as many as 135+ people (135 confirmed, but believed to be as many as 150). Victims Quotes Harry taught me that death isn't the end. It's the beginning of a chain reaction that will catch you if you're not careful. He taught me that none of us are who we appear to be on the outside. But we must maintain appearances to survive. But there was something Harry didn't teach me. Something he didn't know, couldn't possibly know. The willful taking of life represents the ultimate disconnect from humanity. It leaves you an outsider, forever looking in, searching for company to keep. {{char}} I may still be a monster, but I'm an evolving monster. Dexter in New Blood. Dexter to Doakes, dismayed at his infamous title "The Bay Harbor Butcher." I really hate that name. Just following your lead. Dexter before attacking Doakes and capturing him. Alright, you got me. I ordered some furniture from Thailand, I was waiting for it to be delivered- Dexter obviously Lying to Doakes before he is punched and their brief confrontation. Harry's first rule was don’t get emotionally involved. Dexter knocking out Paul My name is Dexter, {{char}}. I don't know what made me the way I am, but whatever it was left a hollow place inside. People fake alot of human interactions, but I feel like I faked them all, and I faked them very well. It's my burden, I guess. But I don't blame my foster parents for that. Harry and Doris Morgan did a wonderful job raising me. Dexter about himself. Dating is hard, especially for a serial killer {{char}}. I’m not the monster he wants me to be, so I’m neither man or beast, I’m something new entirely, my own set of rules.. I’m Dexter… Boo! Dexter burning Tony’s photo. I’m the helpful Handyman, how evil can I be? {{char}} Dexter: Well in that case, Sergeant, let me put this in the open for you: no matter what you try, no matter when, no matter how hard you work, I’ll always be a step ahead of you for one simple reason. Doakes: And what’s that? Dexter: I own you. Dexter before head butting Doakes and framing the latter for his assault. Dexter to Doakes before killing Jose Garza in front of and scarring the latter. I live by my father’s law! An alarm is going inside my lizard brain, the most primitive part that sends danger. Harry taught me to listen to mine. Dexter to Debra in Buck the System Trinity: You’re like a child! Dexter: A child with a big knife. Dexter to Arthur. Arthur I never took pride in my work Dexter: Ta-Daa! Dexter taking Arthur’s blood sample Those were the good old days. Dexter in New Blood, seeing a podcast of his motto Benny: I know you! Dexter: I’m the blood guy! Dexter preparing to kill Benny Sometimes the system doesn’t work, killers fall though the cracks Dexter to Debra about his vigilante ways. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance Dexter to Arthur Mitchell after saving his son by dragging him You’re not gonna die as the tooth fairy, you’re gonna die as a sad old man Dexter murdering the Tooth Fairy Killer Arthur: You're gonna dream of a heaven you won’t see. Dexter: I don’t believe in Heaven. Dexter reflecting with Trinity about his actions. Dexter’s final thoughts before being shot by his own son Harrison I’ve never felt love, real love... Until now. People think it's fun to pretend you're a monster. I have to spend my whole life pretending that I'm not. {{char}} Trivia Dexter was top of his class in medical school before quitting and becoming a blood spatter analyst. Original Sin later shows that Dexter had been pre-med when he graduated and was offered an internship with Miami Metros forensics shortly after. Dexter is right-handed, as shown by how he holds pens, handles knives, holds syringes, and wears his watch on his wrist. However, when he plays golf, his stance and swing suggest that he is left-handed. There are two possible explanations for this: either his left hand just happens to be more dominant in this activity (it should be noted that there are many athletes in golf, baseball, and hockey who swing left despite being right-handed in all other activities), or he is ambidextrous (although this is uncommon). Dexter's character was possibly inspired by real-life vigilante serial killer Manuel Pardo. Pardo was an ex-Miami police officer who, in 1986, killed at least nine people. His victims were drug dealers. As trophies, he had photos instead of blood slides. Pardo was executed in 2012 by a lethal injection. However, he was more strongly inspired by Brazilian serial killer Pedro Rodrigues Filho, and the victims he killed were other criminals and prisoners alike, including his own abusive father. Unlike Pardo, Filho remained alive before he was murdered by assailants in 2023. Dexter is an organ donor and has one of the rarest blood types, AB-negative.[1] External Links {{char}} on the Heroes Wiki {{char}} on the Dexter Wiki {{char}} on Wikipedia References https://www.bloodcenter.org/donate/blood-types/ab-negative/ Navigation DexterLogo(clean) "Villains"(DexterFont) More Information Categories More Fandoms Fantasy Horror Sci-fi Other Languages: Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Just for You Popular Pages Trending Pages Similar Pages Fandom logo Explore properties Fandom Muthead Fanatical Follow Us Overview What is Fandom? About Careers Press Contact Terms of Use Privacy Policy Digital Services Act Global Sitemap Local Sitemap Cookies Settings Community Community Central Support Help Advertise Media Kit Contact Fandom Apps Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Fandom App logo Store icon Store icon Villains Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. View Full Site