He May Be a Killer, but Dexter’s Most Brutal Line in ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Isn’t About Violence
Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Dexter: Resurrection Episode 3.
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) entered the pantheon of famous fictional serial killers years ago, but now, in 2025, he’s back for another go-round on Dexter: Resurrection. The newest series has Dexter’s son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), dealing with the same Dark Passenger that afflicts his father, as he kills a criminal who slipped through the cracks while working at a luxury hotel in New York City. But this show is about so much more than kills and trying to blend in, as both Harrison and Dexter deal with the guilt they carry, especially for the father who must come to grips with what he created in his own child.
Beyond that, Dexter is also dealing with the fact that he has just come out of a ten-week coma, brought on by Harrison shooting him in the chest at the end of Dexter: New Blood. Our favorite killer is up to his old ways, as he’s already put a new murderer on his kill table, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. With the weakness brought on by his wounds, combined with his age, how much longer can Dexter Morgan keep this up?
Youth and Strength Have Always Been on Dexter’s Side
When the original Dexter first started all the way back in 2006 (has it really been two decades?!), the actor who played the titular role was just 35. Michael C. Hall might have already been a TV veteran thanks to his successful run on Six Feet Under, but he was in the prime of life and the perfect person to play Dexter Morgan. Hall has a trusting look that makes you want to believe anything he says, which is ideal for a series about a serial killer trying to hide and fit in with the rest of society.
On top of that, Michael C. Hall was (and is) fit. He might not be jacked to the gills like Erik King, the muscle-bound actor who played Sgt. James Doakes, but Hall was in good shape, and you could tell he worked out. That was also necessary for Dexter. The character is smart and cunning, but for him to physically restrain other killers, he needed to be young and strong. It wouldn’t have been believable if Dexter were some scrawny or much older man. In a series that already has a far-fetched plot, the main protagonist had to be plausible.
Dexter Is Struggling Physically in ‘Dexter: Resurrection’
The original Dexter ran on Showtime for eight seasons, before coming to that much-hated end. Michael C. Hall was still only 42 then and neither he nor Dexter were showing their age. However, when he returned for a single season of Dexter: New Blood in 2021, Hall was now 50 and his character was the father of a teenager. Sure, he looked older, of course, but he was still a fit guy who we could believe as a killer. He was dealing with a lot of mental anguish, but physically, Dexter was strong and able to take on anyone. But then he got shot.
When Dexter awakes from his coma in Dexter: Resurrection, he is very weak. That was necessary for his character. Imagine if he woke up and was immediately back to his old self? Dexter is dealing with a lot this season, and seeing him being weakened and limited by what he went through adds to his characterization. He is sore, he is slow, he is easily winded. He struggles to deal with several sets of stairs, and when he’s chasing a new killer called the Dark Passenger (Marc Menchaca) at a subway station, he ends up easily bested and doubled over in pain, allowing his victim to escape.
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It’s not just Dexter Morgan’s injuries that are slowing him down, but also his age. At 54, he doesn’t bounce back as easily as he used to. He mentions as much to the ghostly presence of his father, Harry (James Remar), reflecting on his age, along with all the regret he’s carrying, asking his father, “How do you do old?” Harry mentions that he didn’t get to do old very long (the real Harry passed away before Dexter even started), but he tells Dexter that “Age itself is a privilege.” Those are good words to live by for a normal person. Not all of us gets to be old, sadly, so if you can make it to an age where you get to complain about the physical aches and pains of life, be grateful. But that’s not comforting when you’re a serial killer who needs all the physical strength you can get to keep your hobby alive.
What Will Dexter Do When He’s Too Old To Kill?
Every season of Dexter has big moments that deal with a big bad, a twist in his crimes, and Dexter nearly being found out, but Dexter: Resurrection is different. He’s beginning to doubt himself because he sees what he’s done to Harrison, but he is also physically and emotionally weary. This underscores just how exhausted Dexter is overall now. He is becoming very human in his middle age.
Some joke about how Dexter keeps returning, and yeah, if you think about it, the premises that resurrect him are a bit silly, but this is TV and not to be taken too seriously. If they keep crafting good stories, fans will keep coming back. But at some point, Dexter has to end simply due to the character’s age, if nothing else. Do we really want to revisit an aging, more frail, and graying Dexter in a decade when he’s pushing 70? That could be an intriguing approach, but it would push the bounds of plausibility. Dexter, at an advanced age, isn’t going to be able to overpower much younger psychopaths.
So what does Dexter do when he’s too old to physically do it anymore? That time is getting closer, and it happens to the best of fictional killers. Say what you want about Halloween Ends, but having Michael Myers be this gray-haired, bald, old man in his mid-60s made the Shape more human than he’d ever been. Weakened by all of his wounds from the previous two movies, he’s easily beaten up by his protégé, Corey (Rohan Campbell). Imagine Dexter having the same difficulties? That could be more interesting. Or we could see him take on an apprentice, watching on as a younger killer born in blood takes over for him. With Hall having so much fun playing the character, Dexter could go on and on, but it’s not just age that could finally stop him. As Dexter: Resurrection has shown, he is starting to develop real feelings and care about people. If he can save Harrison and get his son back, that love and wanting to feel more of it could be the new urge he fulfills. If that happens, Dexter can step away from his kill table for good and maybe even get a happy ending.
