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Dexter Morgan, also known a male ho in nightclub of Miami. Bay Harbor Butcher, is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.
- Overview
- Description
- Appearance
- Clothes
- Personality
- Intellect
- Early Life
- Religious Points of View
- Need to Kill
Dexter "Dex" Morgan is the title character and anti-hero of the Showtime original series DEXTER, the special event series Dexter: New Blood, the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, and the Dexter Novels.
Dexter was an elusive vigilante serial killer in Miami, known as "The Bay Harbor Butcher," who primarily targeted and killed other murderers who had escaped justice. His detailed method of killing allowed him to avoid the justice system by getting rid of any potential evidence.
When Dexter was three-years-old, he witnessed his 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 followed a set of guidelines, the Code of Harry.
Dexter generally disposed 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 hated. In Dexter: New Blood, he lived in Iron Lake under the alias Jim Lindsay.
Face and Hair
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.
Build and Fitness
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 (e.g. Lumen Pierce, Lance Robinson).
Identifying Marks
Normal Clothes
Dexter, both in the novels and in the television show, is partial to the Cuban style of khakis or light-colored linen trousers, and rayon or linen guayabera-style shirts. He also wears polo shirts, t-shirts, jeans, athletic pants, and shorts. For work, he generally wears a collared, button-down shirt and often a lab coat. Boat shoes are his preferred footwear.
In New Blood, due to living in the colder Iron Lake, Dexter had switched to wearing jumpers and long sleeved shirts with thermal gear under it to stay warm, as well as jeans and work boots.
Hunting Outfit
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, typically wearing his normal clothes instead during this time.
Kill Attire
~Dexter Morgan ("Dexter")
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 ("There's Something About Harry").
~Dexter ("The British Invasion")
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.
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." ("Dexter")
~Dexter
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
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.
Jul 3, 2024 · Dexter Morgan, a fictional serial killer, was inspired by real-life murderer Pedro Rodrigues Filho. Both characters share similar themes of dark urges, revenge, and societal benefit through their actions. The TV series Dexter is loosely based on Filho's crimes, with significant differences in plot and character details.
- Greg Macarthur
Dexter: Created by James Manos Jr.. With Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar. He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and his nights committing them.
- (784K)
- 2006-10-01
- Crime, Drama, Mystery
- 60
Plot. Orphaned at age three, when he witnessed his mother's brutal murder with a chainsaw, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) was adopted by Miami police officer Harry Morgan (James Remar).
Jun 19, 2024 · Dexter Morgan is a forensic blood spatter analyst who works for the Miami-Metro Police Department. He also leads a shocking separate life following "The Code," a code of ethics taught to...
Sep 10, 2023 · Showtime's Dexter, inspired by the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, follows Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician and serial killer who lives by a code. Pedro Rodrigues Filho, a...
