Dexter: How Every Main Character Dies In The Series

It's hardly surprising that TV's most notorious serial killer thriller has such a high body count. The only thing that remained consistent about "Dexter" over the course of its original eight-season run on Showtime was the lethal ruthlessness of Michael C. Hall's character. There wasn't a murderer he couldn't empathize with — and not a single one of them he could let live.

Keeping such company regularly came at the cost of Dexter's closest relationships, most notably when his latest serial killer fixation would turn the knife on his loved ones. At the same time, you don't become Miami's premier psychopath without making a few waves — and leading a few good cops to drown in the wake of their own obsessive investigations.

Season 2, Episode 10, "There's Something About Harry"

Though he isn't the first major on-screen death in the series in terms of watch order, Harry Morgan is technically the first main cast member to be dead in the series chronologically speaking. Years before the show's timeline begins, Dexter's adoptive father-slash-benevolent-murder-mentor is dead, ostensibly of a heart attack when Dexter was in his early 20s. As Dexter eventually finds out, however, there's more to the story.

Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) learns while investigating the Bay Harbor Butcher that Harry died by suicide. The respected Miami Metro homicide detective intentionally overdosed on his own heart medication, a fact which was essentially covered up by his colleagues at the station. They believed he was simply overcome by the limits of the criminal justice system — deep down, Dexter knows better.

After Doakes taunts Dexter into confirming it for himself, completely disrupting his understanding of his own father, Dexter remembers that his father walked in on one of his kills just days before his death. Vividly recalling the fear and repulsion on Harry's face, Dexter comes to the conclusion that Harry was unable to live with the monster he'd created. Of course, Harry himself isn't around to confirm this, and there have long been theories (especially after the release of the prequel, "Dexter: Original Sin") that Dexter might be overemphasizing his own responsibility. Regardless, Dexter fully believes himself to be the cause of Harry's death, and that's the only interpretation the original series processes.

Season 1, Episode 12, "Born Free"

The first "Big Bad" Dexter Morgan and Miami Metro came up against was the "Ice Truck Killer," so named for his mode of transportation (and, to a lesser extent, his literally cold method of dismemberment and preservation). Dexter develops a personal relationship with the killer from a distance, but is disturbed when he learns that the killer has secretly been his sister's new boyfriend, "Rudy Cooper" (Christian Camargo).

In the Season 1 finale, Rudy has taken Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) captive and leads Dexter to find them both at the home of Dexter's long-deceased mother. It's there that he puts it all together and realizes "Rudy" is actually his estranged brother, Brian Moser. They're both strangely sentimental about the prospect of having a family once again — but to seal the deal, Brian wants Dexter to kill Deb. When Dexter refuses, Brian escapes and decides to kill her himself later.

When Brian breaks into Dexter's apartment, however, Dexter ambushes and subdues him. He moves Brian back to his home, where he uniquely stages Brian's death to look like a suicide. Dexter is so overcome with confusion and grief that investigators notice signs of hesitation in the knife wound on Brian's neck (ironically making the staging more compelling).

Season 2, Episode 1, "It's Alive!"

Paul Bennett (the abusive ex-husband of Dexter's girlfriend, played by Mark Pellegrino) was a persistent threat to Dexter's life throughout Season 1. He insisted on inserting himself into the lives of Rita (Julie Benz) and their children without changing his abusive and addictive behavior, and went so far as to press assault charges against Rita to manipulate her into giving him unsupervised visits. Dexter reacted by secretly knocking Paul out, drugging him, and sending the police to a motel room where he had staged Paul in the midst of a heroin binge.

Caught dead to rights (and on strike three of Florida's brutal three-strikes drug sentencing rules), Paul was sent back to prison presumably for upwards of a decade. Nobody knew at the time how short that would be. In the Season 2 premiere, Paul tries to convince Rita to look for evidence that Dexter was responsible, telling her that he fears for his survival on the inside. She finds what he was looking for but refuses to help him. The prison calls her days later to inform her that Paul was killed during a fight.

Season 2, Episode 12, "The British Invasion"

Inarguably the greatest "Dexter" antagonist of all time — and certainly the most meme-able — James Doakes spent the entire first season of the show thinking the quiet lab geek was a bit too weird for comfort. In Season 2, he put his life and career on the line to prove that Dexter Morgan was, in fact, the Bay Harbor Butcher the entire state was searching for.

He came painfully close, to the point that he forced a confession out of Dexter and (while in captivity) seemingly convinced him to turn himself in. All Dexter wants is a single day to enjoy life as a free man. Unfortunately, that was all the time it took for Dexter's obsessive, sociopathic ex-girlfriend Lila (Jaime Murray) to find the cabin where Doakes was being held. Quickly putting together the threat Doakes poses to her future with Dexter, she uses the gas stove and a nearby propane tank to blow up the cabin with Doakes inside. In death, Doakes' identity as the Bay Harbor Butcher is all but confirmed. Most law enforcement officers (including his own friends) believe the explosion was accidental or death by suicide.

Season 2, Episode 12, "The British Invasion"

Lila West never sees the future she killed for. When Dexter realizes what she's done, he tracks her down and attempts to convince her that they're going to run away together. In reality, he just wants to get her alone long enough to take her out.

Lila finds this out fairly soon, abducts Rita's young children, and uses them to lure Dexter to her apartment — the plan being to lock the three of them inside and burn it to the ground. Everyone escapes, including Lila, who flees to Paris, presumably to live under a new identity. Nevertheless, Dexter tracks her down and commits what might well be his first and only international murder.

Season 3, Episode 11, "I Had a Dream"

Throughout the following season, the marriage-bound Dexter Morgan deals with that age-old dilemma everyone in a couple must face — that is, making time for friends outside the relationship. Fortunately for Dexter, he lucks into Jimmy Smits' Miguel Prado, an assistant district attorney who's pretty stoked about becoming a vigilante serial killer. Unfortunately for Dexter, such excited murderers seldom make for stable relationships (see above), and Dexter has to stop him from killing other lawyers and police officers.

Dexter tracks him down to Maria LaGuerta's house (where Miguel plans to brazenly kill the Miami Metro lieutenant), sedates him, and takes him to secure a kill room at the house of Miguel's previous victim. He then strangles Miguel (an unusual kill method meant to emulate the method of the Skinner), but not before he finally reveals he also killed Miguel's brother earlier in the season.

Season 3, Episode 12, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?"

Though he was technically the main serial killer of Season 3, Jesse Borrego's George King (also known as Jorge Orozco and "The Skinner") is almost totally overshadowed by Miguel Prado. Even his death feels like something of a footnote to Dexter's wedding in the season finale.

Before his death, Miguel manages to convince King that Dexter has information on the missing drug money he'd been killing for all season. (It's a bit far-fetched, but the series strongly implies King is just looking for excuses to torture people anyway.) He manages to capture Dexter on his big day, only for the Butcher to break his own hand to escape his restraints. Dexter snaps his neck as police swarm the building, then somewhat incredibly manages to throw his body onto an arriving cruiser to stage the death as a suicide.

Season 4, Episode 4, "Dex Takes a Holiday"

After the major role he played throughout Season 2, "Dexter" fans were excited to see Keith Carradine return as FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy in the show's fourth outing. If only they had known what was in store for him.

Lundy comes back to Miami of his own accord, retired but privately continuing his years-long investigation of the elusive "Trinity Killer" (John Lithgow's memorable villain, who had begun his cycle of murder anew in the city). Working with his (so sorry to remind you) ex-lover Debra Morgan, Lundy gets a little too close to the truth. An assailant initially assumed to be Trinity himself shoots them both in a parking lot, killing Lundy. Of course, the killer's true identity is eventually revealed to be...

Season 4, Episode 11, "Hello, Dexter Morgan"

Christine Hill (Courtney Ford) is introduced oh so innocently at the beginning of Season 4 as an unscrupulous crime reporter dating the equally loathsome Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington). When she accidentally lets a detail about the shooting slip while interviewing Deb for a piece, Deb realizes Christine is the killer — not long after, they put it together that she's the Trinity Killer's daughter.

Christine is held at Miami Metro for multiple days and refuses to turn against her dad. They ultimately decide to release her as bait, but Arthur is too cautious and cruelly denies Christine any further contact. She then invites Deb to her home, confesses her crimes and her lineage, then abruptly ends her own life.

Season 4, Episode 12, "The Getaway"

As Arthur Mitchell, John Lithgow gave "Dexter" fans the best season of the franchise they'd ever see. He was at first something of a promise of hope for Dexter — a prolific serial killer who was also capable of managing a celebrated status in his community and a meaningful family life. Once Dexter discovered how empty, rotten, and toxic Mitchell's "perfect" life was, he became yet another dark mirror of his own potential future.

Arthur tracks Dexter down to Miami Metro with enough information about his double life to be a threat. Dexter hunts him down as Arthur frantically stages his escape — and, as we'll soon see, ends his last kill cycle. For now, the escape attempt is of no use. In his last moments on Dexter's table, Arthur reminds Dexter that he'll always be a danger to his family, then peacefully accepts his impending death via hammer claw.

Season 4, Episode 12, "The Getaway"

The death of Rita Morgan (formerly Bennett) is the horrifying tragedy that makes Season 4 a masterpiece. The entire series up to that point had explored whether or not a serial killer could live a normal life. With his final kill, Arthur Mitchell answered that question decisively.

After finding Dexter at the police station in "Hello, Dexter Morgan," Arthur initially begins amassing as much of his personal wealth as he possibly can to start his life over somewhere new. (He certainly isn't trying to bring his old family along, terrorizing them one last time as he basically robs them.) During his mania, he decides he also wants revenge and begins hunting for Dexter.

This eventually leads him to his home with Rita. Her children are safely at Disney World with their grandparents — save for baby Harrison Morgan. Arthur bleeds Rita in a bathtub, leaving Harrison alive in a pool of blood to be traumatized just like Dexter.

Season 5, Episode 11, "Hop a Freighter"

It's a point of conflict (and, occasionally, bleak humor) that Dexter struggles to express legible grief after Rita's death. He is, after all, a cold psychopath with limited emotional capabilities.

This sets off alarm bells for Joey Quinn, and — like Doakes before him — he starts independently investigating Dexter as a potential murderer. Except, because he's not nearly as competent or cool as Doakes, he hires a washed-up corrupt cop named Stan Liddy ("RoboCop" star Peter Weller) to do the dirty work for him.

Though Quinn quickly breaks off contact with Liddy, he manages to get Dexter's crimes on camera, and even captures him to secure a confession. Before this information gets out, Dexter breaks free and kills Liddy in his own van.

Season 5, Episode 12, "The Big One"

Stan Liddy was largely a distraction for Dexter in Season 5. He spent the vast majority of his time working with assault and kidnapping victim Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) to take revenge on the men who hurt her and several other women. The orchestrator of this vile crime spree is Jordan Chase, a motivational speaker played by future "Elementary" star Jonny Lee Miller.

Once he realizes Lumen has been picking off his cohorts, Jordan lures and captures her, then Dexter, attempting to kill them both. Of course, Dexter is far too clever to actually be caught off guard, using a concealed knife to get the jump on Jordan and subdue him. He wakes up on the table, where he is stabbed by Lumen. Deb arrives at the scene before Lumen and Dexter can escape — but allows them to do so anyway out of empathy for Lumen.

Season 6, Episode 12, "This Is the Way the World Ends"

Really, the only positively notable quality about Season 6 of "Dexter" is Colin Hanks' performance as Travis Marshall. The delusional religious studies student had spent the season believing he was being guided by his teacher (a hallucinated Edward James Olmos) down a murderous path toward bringing about the rapture. He ultimately becomes openly obsessed with Dexter (believing him to be a false prophet) and kidnaps Harrison as an apocalyptic sacrifice. It was a weird season.

Dexter is able to find Travis before he kills Harrison with a comically large sword. He then pretends to inject himself with his own sedative so that Travis will sacrifice him instead. Travis doesn't notice Dexter didn't actually inject anything and gets jumped the second he's within stabbing distance.

And where does he wake up? On the table, appropriately located in a church, where Dexter stabs him with the antique weapon. He's caught in the act by Deb, who realizes thereafter that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher.

Season 7, Episode 9, "Helter Skelter"

You know who never woke up "on the table?" That would be Isaak Sirko, the first seasonal killer who doesn't die because of Dexter. Ray Stevenson's character is the head of a Ukrainian organized crime family who starts hunting Dexter after the Butcher kills his lover. The two spend the season in conflict, only to become allies once the Koshka Brotherhood tries to have Isaak killed (ironically because he was putting too much at risk to kill Dexter).

Together, they lure a hitman targeting Isaak to a cargo ship and kill him, only to be blindsided by a last-minute ambush from George Novikov (Isaak's traitorous former underling, played by Jason Gedrick). George fatally shoots Isaak and escapes. As Isaak bleeds out, Dexter takes him on his boat to the spot where he dumped the body of Isaak's boyfriend so that they can be reunited at last.

Season 7, Episode 12, "Surprise, Motherf***er!"

After multiple seasons struggling with the idea that her closest friend and lover was the Bay Harbor Butcher, Lauren Vélez's Maria LaGuerta spends Season 7 trying to prove Doakes' innocence. The first step in her investigation is the discovery of a blood slide at Travis Marshall's crime scene (confirming the Butcher is still at large), which eventually leads her down the path of uncovering Dexter's secret.

She gets as close as having him formally arrested and booked at Miami Metro. Dexter had already framed her for framing him for being the Butcher, however, successfully undermining her credibility and destroying her career. Just like Doakes, she is only pushed further by the existential consequences of her failure.

Her continued investigation ends when she follows a planted lead out to the infamous shipping containers, where Dexter is waiting to stage her death. Deb arrives, sees them both, and chooses to kill LaGuerta to protect her brother.

Season 8, Episode 12, "Remember the Monsters?"

It's almost amusing that the major villain of the worst season of "Dexter" is obsessed with removing brains. Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingólfsson) is a truly empty villain who is supposed to represent the unbridled violence Dexter might have embraced if he hadn't been raised to be the "good" kind of murderer. Despite lacking in emotional impact, he puts Dexter through his paces throughout the season and hurts him more than any previous villain has. In retaliation, Dexter throws caution to the wind and viciously murders him on camera.

Under the pretense of collecting evidence, Dexter provokes Oliver into stabbing him with a pen in the interrogation room. Dexter absorbs the attack without much trouble, but uses it as an excuse to finish the job — on camera, in the middle of a full police department he had already quit. Joey Quinn and Ángel Batista are quick to point out how bad it looks, seemingly aware that Dexter walked into the room with murder on his mind. Either way, they decide to look the other way — largely because of what Oliver did to Deb.

Season 8, Episode 12, "Remember the Monsters?"

Before he was captured by police, Oliver Saxon had actually been caught by Dexter. Dexter chose not to kill him, realizing his compulsion to murder had been replaced by a desire to live a new life with Harrison and his partner, Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski). "Dexter" treats this moment of profound character growth as a lapse in judgment — because Oliver is allowed to live, he escapes and shoots Deb. She doesn't immediately die, instead suffering a stroke due to a blood clot. She is soon declared brain dead with no possibility of recovery.

In the series finale, Deb becomes Dexter's final kill. Ostensibly as an act of love and mercy, Dexter independently shuts off her life support and absconds to the sea — in the middle of a hurricane — with her body. They are both presumed dead as a result of their disappearance and the discovered wreckage of Dexter's boat. Fans were not pleased about either character's ending, with "Remember the Monsters?" regularly regarded as one of the worst series finales of all time.

"Dexter: New Blood" Episode 2, "Storm of F***"

Many years after the original series ended, "Dexter" producers sought to give the story the finale it actually deserved. The result was the miniseries "Dexter: New Blood," which reunited the titular killer with his now-teenage son, Harrison (played by Jack Alcott).

When Dexter decided to stage his own death at sea, he stood Hannah up for their escape plan and implicitly left her to raise Harrison on her own. Never mind the fact that she's a more dangerous psychopath than Dexter and was literally arrested for murder less than a season earlier. But we digress.

Miraculously, as is revealed in the second episode of "New Blood," Hannah actually gave being a single parent her all for the majority of the intervening years. Around the time Harrison was in middle school, however, she passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Harrison finds a note after her death revealing Dexter's survival.

"Dexter: Resurrection" Season 1, Episode 9, "Touched by an Ángel"

During the events of "Dexter: New Blood," Dexter is strongly suspected of being a murderer by a police officer in the small, rural upstate New York town he's been hiding in. This eventually leads David Zayas' Ángel Batista (at that point the captain of the Miami Metro PD) to realize that his old friend is still alive.

He confronts Dexter face-to-face in the first episode of the second sequel series "Dexter: Resurrection." From that moment onward, he begins his own obsessive investigation into Dexter's true nature, increasingly convinced that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Unfortunately, Batista's single-minded certainty leads him to destroy his credibility and career.

With nowhere else to turn, Batista goes to Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), a wealthy police benefactor who's secretly a serial killer superfan. Prater abducts Batista and shoots him to death after Dexter tries to set him free. As of writing, he's the final "Dexter" main cast member to meet his end.