Warning! This post contains spoilers for the premiere of Dexter: Resurrection.
Dexter Morgan may be returning to our television screens, but several of his most famous adversaries were also “resurrected” in Episode 1 of Dexter: Resurrection.
The new spinoff was first announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2024 as a continuation of the Dexter franchise. There’s no Dexter without Dexter, so it was confirmed that Michael C. Hall would reprise his role despite the character’s apparent death in the previous series finale. The revival revealed in its premiere that Dexter survived his presumed death (thanks to the chilly weather of Iron Lake, New York). While he lies in bed, recovering from the gunshot wound from his son, he begins to have visions of ghosts who haunted him in his past life. While rumors swirled for months about surprise appearances, Episode 1 officially confirms the return of several iconic foes, now appearing as ghostly manifestations tied to Dexter.
Here’s every character from Dexter seasons past who appeared in the Resurrection premiere.
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Arthur Miller (John Lithgow)
The most famous of all Dexter’s rivals is, naturally, the first ghost we see. Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), also known as The Trinity Killer, appears to Dexter in a dreamlike vision. “Hello, Dexter Morgan,” he greets with chilling familiarity as Dexter wakes up in a sterile, white-lit room. Disoriented, Dexter believes he’s died, but Arthur coolly informs him that he hasn’t crossed into the afterlife just yet.
“But almost being killed by someone you’re fond of has its own particular sting,” Arthur muses, referencing Dexter’s near-death at the hands of his own son. Dexter lashes out, blaming Arthur for the trauma that fractured Harrison’s life. But The Trinity Killer refuses to shoulder any guilt for what happened to Dexter’s son. Instead, he offers cold-blooded wisdom, serial killer to serial killer. He reminds Dexter that believing he could have it all — a family, a normal life, and the “Dark Passenger” — was always a delusion.
John Lithgow’s return to the franchise had been confirmed ahead of the premiere, but it’s still a surprise to see him as the first face Dexter encounters in the new series. Lithgow’s performance as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter Season 4 remains one of the most celebrated arcs in the show’s history, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. His return is significant, even if it’s brief, as this is the person who frames the story of the season. Can Dexter really have it all?
Related: ‘Dexter’ Prequel ‘Original Sin’ Returns for More Murder with Season 2
Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits)
Dexter’s second vision comes quickly, this time in the form of Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits), the Miami assistant district attorney turned brief partner in crime. The two men once saw reflections of themselves in each other, only to be torn apart by betrayal. Miguel reminds Dexter of the unique trust they shared, a connection forged not in friendship but in blood.
“Usually, the only time I could be that open, that real, with someone was when they were on my table,” Dexter says. Miguel praises Dexter for saving lives, for stopping those who would have harmed others. But he warns that whenever Dexter tried to live a normal life, the wrong people paid the price. The gravestones of Debra Morgan, Maria LaGuerta, James Doakes, and Rita Morgan stand beside them. “This is a lonely path, my friend,” Miguel says.
This relationship, and the message that Miguel gives Dexter, is also clearly important to the themes of Dexter: Resurrection. Dexter is alive again, resurrected. But can his life ever truly be normal? Can he repair the relationship with his son and have a family? Would his son even survive a reunion with Dexter? These are questions the show wants us to be thinking about.
Harry Morgan (James Remar)
The last person Dexter has a vision of is the man who has been ever present in his life: his father. As he lies in bed, he has yet another vision. This time, it’s his father who comforts him. Dexter thinks his dad came to say goodbye, but Harry reminds him that he has a son. The serial killer wonders if the whole world would be better off without him. Harry knows he’s made some mistakes in his life, but rescuing Dexter was not one of them. Dexter tried to mold Harrison in his image, but he’s not like his father. Harry tells Dexter that Harrison needs a father. “Your son needs you,” he says.
And with that, Harry is back to guide Dexter once again. A staple of the original series, James Remar did not appear in Dexter: New Blood.
Related: Neil Patrick Harris Joins Cast of Sequel Series ‘Dexter: Resurrection’
James Doakes (Erik King)
Surprise, motherf–kers! While Dexter faced off against various serial killers and monsters, nobody seemed quite as dangerous as his co-worker, Sergeant James Doakes (Erik King). He confronts him again in another hospital vision.
“This is my mind,” Dexter says, hoping he can get rid of Doakes. But Doakes insists the conversation needs to happen. Dexter admits Doakes was right all along and that he is a creepy motherf–ker. Still, Doakes argues that buried beneath all the Bay Harbor Butcher darkness is a kernel of good. He tells Dexter that Harrison needs that part of him now more than ever and that it’s time to go to his son.
This is perhaps the most fun of all the returning ghosts. Dexter’s act never fooled Doakes, and he always saw him as a threat. So it’s fitting that he’s the only one Dexter genuinely seems to hear when the idea of survival, of truly choosing life, is on the table.
New episodes of Dexter: Resurrection air Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.
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