Dexter Morgan 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.
176 Facts About Dexter Morgan
2.
In both the novels and television series, Dexter is a forensic blood spatter analyst who works for the fictitious Miami-Metro Police Department.
3.
Dexter Morgan follows a code of ethics taught to him in childhood by his adoptive father, Harry, which he refers to as "The Code" or "The Code of Harry" and hinges on two principles: He can only kill people after finding conclusive evidence that they are guilty of murder, and he must not get caught.
4.
At the story's outset, Dexter knows very little about his life prior to being adopted by Harry and Doris Morgan.
5.
When Dexter Morgan is seven, Harry discovers that the boy has been killing neighborhood pets and realizes that Dexter Morgan is a sociopath with a deep need to kill.
6.
Doris died when Dexter Morgan was 16, and Harry died when Dexter Morgan was 20.
7.
Dexter Morgan was born out of wedlock in 1971 to a young woman named Laura.
8.
When Dexter Morgan was two years old, he witnessed his mother's brutal murder at the hands of three drug dealers.
9.
Since childhood, Dexter Morgan has felt homicidal urges directed by an inner voice he calls "the Dark Passenger"; when that voice cannot be ignored, he "lets the Dark Passenger do the driving".
10.
Dexter Morgan abides by a moral code taught to him by Harry: Dexter Morgan can only kill people who are themselves murderers; he must find conclusive proof of their guilt before killing them; and he must be careful and methodical enough to avoid getting caught.
11.
Dexter Morgan considers himself emotionally divorced from the rest of humanity; in his narration, he refers to "humans" as if he is not one himself.
12.
Dexter Morgan makes frequent references to an internal feeling of emptiness, and says he kills to feel alive.
13.
For example, in the novels, Dexter Morgan continues his relationship with Rita because he realizes that Rita's children are exhibiting the same sociopathic tendencies he did at their age, and he tries to provide them with "guidance" similar to that which Harry provided him.
14.
Dexter Morgan occasionally behaves in a way that suggests that he does feel some rudimentary human connection.
15.
Dexter Morgan admits that he cannot hurt Debra or allow anyone else to harm her because he is "fond of her".
16.
Dexter Morgan took it upon himself to end her suffering, and in her final moments, admitted that he loved her, the first and only time he had ever said that to her.
17.
In season three, when he is threatened by a target, Dexter Morgan fights to live because he wants to see his unborn child.
18.
In season four, before killing a police officer who has murdered her own husband and daughter, Dexter Morgan is overwhelmed with the realization that he does not want to lose his new family.
19.
Dexter Morgan is horrified when he finds out that one of his potential victims is an abusive husband and father; Dexter vehemently insists he is nothing like that and would never hurt his family.
20.
In season five, after Rita is murdered, Dexter Morgan realizes that he genuinely loved her, and is devastated by losing her.
21.
However, after Rita's death, Dexter Morgan became worse in many aspects.
22.
In both the books and the show, Dexter Morgan selects his victims according to his adoptive father's code and kills them only after he has discovered enough evidence to prove their guilt.
23.
Dexter Morgan uses the alias Patrick Bateman to procure these tranquilizers.
24.
Dexter Morgan then uses the threat of asphyxiation to force his victim to drive them to his prepared kill site.
25.
Dexter Morgan had planned to do the same to the man who ordered his mothers murder, Hector Estrada, but was prevented from doing so since Estrada was being used as bait against Dexter: he eventually kills Estrada simply by stabbing him in the heart.
26.
Just before the murder, Dexter Morgan collects trophies from his victims so he can relive the experience.
27.
Dexter Morgan then takes the bags out on his boat, the Slice of Life, and dumps them overboard into the ocean at a defined location; in the TV series, his dumping ground is a small oceanic trench just offshore.
28.
The books give less detail about disposal, with Dexter Morgan usually improvising depending on the victim.
29.
Dexter Morgan has dumped some victims into the ocean due to the victim's owning a boat and doing the same with their own victims, but uses anchors to weight the bags.
30.
Dexter Morgan disposes of another body in a vat of hydrochloric acid.
31.
Around this time, Harry discovers that Dexter Morgan has been killing neighborhood pets and realizes that the boy has an innate need to kill.
32.
Harry decides to channel Dexter Morgan's urges in a "positive" direction by teaching him to kill people who "deserve it", and to get rid of any evidence so he does not get caught.
33.
When Dexter Morgan is 18, Harry is diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized.
34.
The killer begins leaving taunting clues for Dexter Morgan to draw him in personally.
35.
Dexter Morgan persuades Brian to spare Deborah, and instead the two of them kill Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta.
36.
Dexter Morgan appears to accept it, but in subsequent books feels torn between her duties as a police officer and her loyalty to Dexter, whom she loves as her real brother.
37.
Doakes and Dexter Morgan are soon forced to work together to stop "Dr Danco", a psychopathic surgeon who removes his victims' limbs and sensory organs, leaving them in a state of living death.
38.
Doakes' pursuit forces Dexter Morgan to spend more time with Rita and her children.
39.
In Dexter Morgan in the Dark, the third novel of the series, third-person narrative reveals through an entity referred to as "IT" that the Dark Passenger is an independent agent inhabiting Dexter Morgan, rather than a deviant psychological construction.
40.
Later, Dexter Morgan realizes the Dark Passenger is related to Moloch, a Middle Eastern deity worshiped in Biblical times.
41.
In Dexter Morgan is Delicious, Dexter Morgan grapples with raising his infant daughter, Lily-Anne, and wonders if she can help restore his humanity.
42.
Brian reappears in Dexter Morgan's life, situating himself with Dexter Morgan's family.
43.
Dexter Morgan is reluctant at first to let Brian back into his life, but changes his mind when he sees him bond with Astor and Cody over their shared bloodlust.
44.
In Double Dexter Morgan, Dexter Morgan is seen by an anonymous Shadow while killing a victim in a secluded house.
45.
Dexter Morgan continues on with his life until he starts receiving threatening emails from the person who claims to have seen him over a pile of dead body parts.
46.
Dexter Morgan is eventually framed for a murder, at least circumstantially, by his still anonymous Shadow.
47.
Dexter Morgan finally gets the drop on him, and Crowley escapes with Astor on a speedboat.
48.
Dexter Morgan manages to sneak aboard and overpower Crowley, with some assistance from Astor.
49.
Deborah and Dexter Morgan are assigned as "technical advisors" to the stars of a police procedural TV series.
50.
Deborah is shadowed by female lead Jackie Forrest and Dexter Morgan is left with over-the-hill star Robert Chase.
51.
Deborah and Dexter Morgan quickly realize that the string of bodies all bear a striking resemblance to Jackie.
52.
Dexter Morgan is assigned to protect her in her hotel room.
53.
At first, things seem perfectly routine; Dexter Morgan accompanies Jackie to the station each morning and returns with her to the hotel at night, but when the killer's identity is revealed to him, Dexter Morgan's "Dark Passenger" leads him out into the streets in pursuit.
54.
Dexter Morgan thinks he has fallen in love with Jackie, and considers leaving Rita.
55.
Dexter Morgan is called onto the set to appear as a minor character in the series following a conversation with Jackie and Robert.
56.
Suddenly, Dexter Morgan gets a panicked phone call from Rita: Astor has disappeared.
57.
Dexter Morgan follows a hunch and heads to Rita and his new house.
58.
Dexter Morgan realizes that circumstantial evidence implicates him as the murderer of Robert and Jackie, and that the only person who can exonerate him is Rita.
59.
Dexter Morgan sees that his luck has finally run out, and waits for the police to arrive.
60.
Deborah, meanwhile, disowns Dexter Morgan for cheating on Rita and putting Astor in danger, and decides to take custody of his children.
61.
Dexter Morgan kills Raul and sets a bomb so no evidence is left, then jumps off the boat into the water and sinks into the ocean.
62.
When she overcomes her demons and becomes more amorous Dexter Morgan considers ending the relationship, fearing that she will see him as he really is if they become a real couple.
63.
However, during a therapy session with one of his intended victims, psychologist Emmett Meridian, Dexter Morgan is put into a state of deep relaxation, wherein he sees a frightening image of a small boy sitting in a pool of blood.
64.
One day, Dexter Morgan receives official notification that a man named Joseph Driscoll is his biological father, and that, since Dexter Morgan is the only next of kin, he must come settle the estate and claim the body.
65.
Dexter Morgan is called to analyze a hotel room flooded with the blood of multiple persons.
66.
Dexter Morgan's research leads him to discover he witnessed his mother's murder as a child, and he had a brother named Brian.
67.
When Dexter Morgan goes to rescue Debra, he finally recognizes Rudy as his long-lost brother, Brian Moser.
68.
In season two, Dexter Morgan is so haunted by killing his own brother that he cannot resume killing.
69.
Just as Dexter Morgan finds a chance to kill again, over 30 bodies are found in a Miami harbor, provoking a massive search for the so-called "Bay Harbor Butcher".
70.
Lila becomes obsessed with Dexter Morgan, believing he is her soulmate.
71.
Dexter Morgan learns that Lila is in fact a sociopath who attends NA meetings to vicariously experience emotions she is incapable of feeling, and tells her to leave him alone.
72.
Doakes' suspicions subside some when he realizes that Dexter Morgan is attending Narcotics Anonymous, but he begins to suspect this is a cover for an even worse secret.
73.
Dexter Morgan is forced to take Doakes captive and sets about framing him.
74.
Lila discovers the cabin in the Everglades where Dexter Morgan is holding Doakes and blows it up, to protect Dexter Morgan.
75.
Dexter Morgan pretends to want to run away with Lila, but she soon discovers that he intends to kill her.
76.
Lila kidnaps Astor and Cody, and when Dexter Morgan finds them at her house, she sets it on fire and leaves the three of them locked inside.
77.
In season three, Dexter Morgan finds his life manageable until he discovers that Rita is pregnant.
78.
Prado gradually discerns that Dexter Morgan is a serial killer, and they begin to murder together according to Dexter Morgan's "code".
79.
Dexter Morgan discovers the blood on the shirt is actually bovine, meaning that Prado was just using him as an excuse to kill.
80.
Dexter Morgan then kills Prado and marries Rita, with Debra as his "best man".
81.
Dexter Morgan is happy to have a child of his own, but his responsibilities as a new father leave him too exhausted to kill.
82.
Dexter Morgan finds it increasingly difficult to keep concealing his secret life, which leads to conflict with Rita and Astor, who has entered adolescence.
83.
Dexter Morgan eventually retraces his steps and disposes of the body.
84.
Once Dexter Morgan finds the killer he is shocked to discover that "Trinity" is actually Arthur Mitchell, a family man and pillar of his community.
85.
Dexter Morgan assumes the alias Kyle Butler and begins to insinuate himself into Mitchell's personal life in an effort to learn how Mitchell balances his family responsibilities with his secret life as a serial killer.
86.
The next day, Dexter Morgan learns that it was in fact Farrow's assistant that had been killing the models, and he is left shaken and guilt ridden with the fact that he had murdered an innocent man.
87.
When he returns home, Dexter Morgan makes arrangements for Rita and him to take a belated honeymoon.
88.
Dexter Morgan sends Rita ahead and entraps Mitchell, who is trying to skip town.
89.
Dexter Morgan immediately hears Rita's phone start to ring, indicating that she is in the house.
90.
Harrison then starts crying and Dexter Morgan 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.
91.
Dexter Morgan spends the next day completely numb, unable to even fake any sort of emotion or grief.
92.
When Rankin insults Rita, Dexter Morgan kills him in a fit of rage.
93.
Dexter Morgan settles on Boyd Fowler, a convicted rapist whose connection to a string of missing women makes him the perfect target.
94.
Lumen finds it hard trust Dexter Morgan, but comes to realize he means her no harm.
95.
Dexter Morgan becomes personally acquainted with Chase and stumbles onto a photo that proves that all of Lumen's attackers have known each other since childhood.
96.
Dexter Morgan eventually finds a vial of blood that Chase wears around his neck.
97.
Dexter Morgan provides Lumen and Dexter with the identity of the mysterious fourth attacker in the photo, Alex Tilden.
98.
Dexter Morgan allows Lumen to kill Tilden by stabbing him in the heart.
99.
Dexter Morgan, assuming that Quinn is watching him, waits for him to return to the surveillance van.
100.
When Chase wakes up, Dexter Morgan allows Lumen to kill him.
101.
About a year later, Dexter Morgan has begun searching for a preschool for Harrison, though his atheism conflicts with the religious preschools to which he applies.
102.
Dexter Morgan finds a greater understanding through Brother Sam, an ex-con and murderer whom Dexter once considered killing, who has since become a born-again Christian who counsels other ex-cons.
103.
Dexter Morgan initially sees Brother Sam's religious conversion as a scam, but Brother Sam proves himself a truly changed man, and even helps Dexter Morgan through a crisis when Harrison undergoes an appendectomy.
104.
Dexter Morgan realizes that a friend of Sam's, Nick, is responsible, and swears revenge.
105.
On his deathbed, Sam forgives Nick, and implores Dexter Morgan to do the same.
106.
Dexter Morgan 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.
107.
An enraged Dexter Morgan 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.
108.
Brian convinces Dexter Morgan to go after Arthur Mitchell's son Jonah, who appears to have become a killer.
109.
Dexter Morgan soon finds that the murders are being committed by two people: a fanatically religious college professor named James Gellar and his protege, Travis Marshall.
110.
Debra is horrified, but resolves to help Dexter Morgan stop killing by moving in with him and keeping a constant eye on him.
111.
Dexter Morgan relents at the last minute and calls Debra so she can talk him out of it, reassuring her that there is good in him after all.
112.
Dexter Morgan 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.
113.
Dexter Morgan subdues her and prepares to kill her, but stops when Hannah does not appear to fear him.
114.
Dexter Morgan falls in love with Hannah, who helps him realize that his "Dark Passenger" does not control his life.
115.
Debra is intent on arresting Hannah for the murder of Sal Price, a crime writer for whom Debra had feelings, and Dexter Morgan has trouble reconciling his feelings for his girlfriend with his responsibility to his adoptive sister.
116.
When Dexter Morgan tries to kill Hector Estrada, the man who ordered Dexter Morgan's mother's murder, LaGuerta arrives at the scene, forcing him to let Estrada go so he can escape.
117.
Dexter Morgan deduces that LaGuerta had orchestrated Estrada's release from prison to set Dexter Morgan up.
118.
Dexter Morgan refuses, but ends up inadvertently coming to Sirko's aid when one of his former henchmen attacks them both.
119.
Dexter Morgan kills the mobster, but is too late to save Sirko, who is mortally wounded during the struggle.
120.
Dexter Morgan refuses to believe it at first, but he is suspicious enough to order a toxicology screen on Debra's water bottle.
121.
LaGuerta has Dexter Morgan arrested for the Bay Harbor Butcher murders, but Dexter Morgan is released thanks to evidence he had tampered with to throw her off his trail.
122.
Dexter Morgan is certain that LaGuerta will not give up and resolves to kill her, even though doing so would be a violation of his "code".
123.
Dexter Morgan 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.
124.
The eighth season opens six months later, with Dexter Morgan growing increasingly worried about Debra, who has quit the police force and spiraled into depression and self-destructive behavior.
125.
Dexter Morgan goes to her new job as a private investigator and learns that Debra is pursuing, and sleeping with, drug dealer Andrew Briggs.
126.
When Dexter Morgan confronts her, Debra tells him that she wishes she had killed him instead of LaGuerta.
127.
Dexter Morgan begs Debra to come with him, but she refuses.
128.
Dexter Morgan discovers that some of the blood at the scene belongs to Debra.
129.
Dexter Morgan admits to killing El Sapo, and Dexter reluctantly covers up the crime.
130.
Dexter Morgan meets Dr Evelyn Vogel, a neuropsychiatrist consulting with Miami Metro about a serial killer dubbed "the Brain Surgeon" who removes parts of his victims' brains.
131.
Vogel says the "Brain Surgeon" is one of her former patients, and asks Dexter Morgan to kill him before he goes after her.
132.
Quinn calls Dexter Morgan to tell him that Debra has shown up at Miami Metro, blind drunk, and confessed to killing LaGuerta.
133.
Dexter Morgan realizes he cannot help Debra and asks Vogel to treat her.
134.
Dexter Morgan saves one of Yates' victims and confronts the killer, who escapes.
135.
Dexter Morgan kills Yates to keep him from harming Debra, and he and Debra reconcile.
136.
Dexter Morgan kidnaps Zach, who admits that he enjoys killing and will do it again.
137.
Dexter Morgan confronts Zach, who swears that he did not target Cassie, but another murderer, giving Dexter Morgan hope that Zach can be "trained" after all.
138.
Dexter Morgan investigates and finds that she has changed her name and married Miles Castner, a wealthy businessman.
139.
Dexter Morgan 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 Morgan.
140.
Dexter Morgan goes to Castner's boat to protect him, but finds that Hannah has already killed him.
141.
Dexter Morgan makes preparations to move while hunting Saxon, the last "loose end".
142.
Dexter Morgan pretends to accept, but is more determined than ever to kill him.
143.
Dexter Morgan 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.
144.
Dexter Morgan then enlists Debra's help in subduing Saxon and prepares to kill him.
145.
At the last moment Dexter Morgan realizes that his love for Hannah is stronger than his need to kill, and he spares Saxon's life.
146.
Dexter Morgan calls Debra so she can arrest Saxon, and says his goodbyes to her and Harry.
147.
Dexter Morgan blames himself, and realizes he will always destroy those he loves; he sees at last he can never have a happy life.
148.
Dexter Morgan goes to see Debra one last time, tearfully turns off her life support, and buries her at sea.
149.
Approximately 10 years after the original series' finale, Dexter Morgan has moved to the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York, posing as Jim Lindsay, a local shopkeeper.
150.
Dexter Morgan is in a relationship with Angela Bishop, the town's chief of police, and has abstained from killing for almost a decade.
151.
Dexter Morgan "falls off the wagon" when he impulsively murders Matt Caldwell, an arrogant stockbroker who once killed five people and got away with it thanks to his family's wealth and political clout.
152.
Dexter Morgan destroys the corpse and alters the crime scene to make it look like Matt left town after being injured.
153.
Unbeknownst to Dexter Morgan, 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.
154.
Dexter Morgan says he lived in a series of foster homes after Hannah died of pancreatic cancer.
155.
Over Debra's objections, Dexter Morgan 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.
156.
Meanwhile, true crime podcaster Molly Park arrives in town to do a story about Matt Caldwell, and Dexter Morgan discovers that she did a series on the Bay Harbor Butcher.
157.
Dexter Morgan becomes obsessed with finding out what she knows, especially after Harrison reveals that he learned the truth about Rita's death from her show.
158.
Dexter Morgan reluctantly saves her and gets a closer look at what he correctly suspects to be Kurt's killing ground.
159.
Dexter Morgan 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.
160.
Dexter Morgan leads her toward investigating Kurt as a serial killer in hopes that exposing his crimes will destroy his influence over Harrison.
161.
Dexter Morgan arrives at Kurt's cabin just in time to save Harrison from Kurt, who runs off.
162.
Dexter Morgan tells Harrison that they have the same "Dark Passenger", and for the first time truly bonds with his son.
163.
At first, Dexter Morgan tells Harrison that he merely "confronts" murderers to make them stop killing, but Harrison eventually figures out that Dexter Morgan kills his victims.
164.
Dexter Morgan then says that Kurt deserves to die, and father and son set out to kill him.
165.
When Kurt claims that he "saved" his victims from lives of pain and suffering, Dexter Morgan kills him as Harrison watches, and resolves to teach him "the Code of Harry".
166.
Dexter Morgan 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.
167.
Dexter Morgan meets up with Harrison and tells his son to leave town with him.
168.
Horrified, Harrison says that Dexter Morgan'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.
169.
Dexter Morgan 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.
170.
Dexter Morgan tells Harrison that the only way out for both of them is for Harrison to kill him.
171.
Dexter Morgan tells Harrison he "did good" as he succumbs to his wounds, and sees Debra holding his hand as he dies.
172.
Harrison leaves Iron Lake, and reads the goodbye letter Dexter Morgan wrote to Hannah 10 years earlier, telling her to "let me die so my son can live".
173.
Michael C Hall's portrayal of Dexter Morgan has received critical acclaim and has won many awards.
174.
Dexter Morgan appeared in Comcast's list of TV's Most Intriguing Characters.
175.
Dexter Morgan was nominated five times for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and won in 2010.
176.
Dexter Morgan has been nominated seven times for the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television and won in 2006.