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| “ | Tonight's the night. And it's going to happen again and again. Has to happen. | „ |
| ~ Dexter's catchphrase and most famous quote. |
Dexter "Dex" Morgan (née Moser), also known as The Bay Harbor Butcher, is the titular main protagonist of the crime drama television franchise Dexter. He is a forensic blood spatter analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department who leads a secret life as a vigilante serial killer.
Dexter witnessed his mother's brutal murder at age three, which resulted in mental trauma diminishing his capacity for normal emotions and an insatiable desire to kill. He was later adopted by police officer Harry Morgan. Recognizing Dexter's dark urges early on, Harry developed a code to channel Dexter's homicidal tendencies toward killing only other murderers who had escaped justice through legal means. He is also the brother of Brian Moser and adoptive brother of Debra Morgan.
He is portrayed by Michael C. Hall in Dexter and Dexter: New Blood. In the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, he is portrayed by Patrick Gibson.
What Makes Him a Base Breaking Character?[]
What Do People Like About Him?[]
- Many fans find him to be an entertaining and interesting character due to his charisma, modus operandi as a vigilante serial killer, stealth and intelligence, and his relationships with other characters, such as those with his brother Brian or his sister Deb.
- Dexter is a serial killer who only targets other killers, which creates a strange ethical situation for viewers who find themselves rooting for a murderer.
- Michael C. Hall is absolutely wonderful in performing the role and does a fantastic job showing his different emotions in different scenes.
- Many find him tragic and sympathetic as he developed his urge to kill people after witnessing his mother get dismembered by a chainsaw.
- Throughout the series, Dexter has a lot of character growth, and he changes from someone who believes he cannot feel emotions to someone capable of love, attachment, and genuine connections.
- He is overall one of the most iconic anti-heroes in television.
What Do People Hate About Him?[]
- Detractors dislike how the show bails him out of certain moral dilemmas, such as killing innocents like James Doakes or Maria LaGuerta to avoid arrest, by having others do it (Lila for the former and Debra for the latter) to spare him the burden of responsibility and maintain his "good" serial killer status. Many argue that this is poor writing that doesn't convey anything, and it's only purpose is just to have Dexter remain likable, with the writers uncomfortable with subverting this.
- Coinciding with this, some criticize Dexter for being written too sympathetically and heroically compared to the early seasons, which can be viewed as glorifying vigilante justice.
- Detractors find that as the series progresses, his killing of enemies became very stale and repetitive due to many of his antagonists not being very memorable and his cat-and-mouse endeavors remaining stagnant.
- He has a ton of plot armor and manages to escape from situations that he realistically should not be able to survive, along with many arguing that he is a Karma Houdini.
- The series' original finale in Season 8 was notoriously controversial, with Dexter faking his death and becoming a lumberjack after believing he was harming everyone around him. Many felt that this was an unsatisfying and bizarre ending that didn't give his character closure.
- Moreover, when Dexter: New Blood attempted to course-correct, the original intention was for him to die at Harrison's hands in Iron Lake, only to retcon it again in Dexter: Original Sin where it's revealed that he is, again, still alive. Detractors find that the writers were unsure how to properly close out his character, with some arguing it is just to milk the series.
- Many viewers felt the writers undermined the character by making him increasingly reckless in later seasons, contrasting with his careful, calculating nature established early in the series.
- He inadvertently lets his sister Debra die due to his extremely contrived narrative decision to leave Oliver Saxon alive.
- Many detractors found Dexter's relationship with Hannah to be out of sync with his character, as it made him abandon his rationality to protect her despite how toxic she was.
- Some detractors preferred the early seasons when Dexter was more flat emotionally and psychopathic, and his morality was left more ambiguous and the show focused less on drama.
- Some detractors did not like the casting of Patrick Gibson in Original Sin, with a common point of contention being the overuse of Dexter's smirk. Some also find that the prequel series was simply unnecessary for his character, and ended up contradicting the established timeline and character development seen in the main series, such as how Dexter evidently cares about his family in the prequel despite his older self in the main series starting off as though he is unsure of this.
External Links[]
- Dexter Morgan on the Villains Wiki
- Dexter Morgan on the Heroes Wiki
- Dexter Morgan on the Dexter Wiki
- Dexter Morgan on the Wikipedia