History Characters / Dexter

The CharacterSheet for Showtime's ''Series/{{Dexter}}''.

* [[Characters/DexterIronLakeResidents Iron Lake Residents]][[note]]Angela Bishop, Audrey Bishop, Kurt Caldwell, Sergeant Logan, Edward Olsen[[/note]]

* [[Characters/DexterIronLakeResidents Iron Lake Residents]]

[[Characters/DexterIronLakeResidents Iron Lake Residents]]

* [[Characters/DexterAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Rudy Cooper/Brian Moser, a.k.a. Ice Truck Killer, Lila West/Lila Tourney, Miguel Prado, Arthur Mitchell, a.k.a. Trinity Killer, The "Brain Surgeon"[[/note]]
* [[Characters/DexterSupportingAntagonists Supporting Antagonists]][[note]]Christine Hill, Paul Bennett, Stan Liddy, Jorge Orozco AKA George Washington King AKA The Skinner, Nick, Alfonso "Little Chino" Concepcion, Santos Jimenez, Neil Perry, Carlos Guerrero, Johnny Rose & Nikki Wald AKA The Vacation Murderers, Zoey Kruger, Raymond "Ray" Speltzer, Hector Estrada, Carlos & Marco Fuentes, El Sapo, Albert "AJ" Yates, Clint [=McKay=], Phantom Arsonist, Miles Castner[[/note]]

* [[Characters/DexterMainCharacters Main Characters]][[note]]Debra Morgan, Harry Morgan, Ángel Batista, Vince Masuka, María LaGuerta, Joseph "Joey" Quinn, Rita Bennett, Tom Matthews, Jamie Batista, James Doakes[[/note]]
* [[Characters/DexterLawEnforcement Law Enforcement]][[note]]Frank Lundy, Det. Angie Miller, Dr. Evelyn Vogel, Det. Michael "Mike" Anderson, Louis Greene, Barbara Gianna, Ramon Prado, Cira Manzon, Francis, Lt. Esme Pascal, Camilla Figg, Yuki Amado, Ryan Chambers, Jim McCourt, Det. "Mack" McNamara, Deputy Director Max Adams[[/note]]

* [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]][[note]][[CaptainObvious The main character, himself.]][[/note]]

* [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]]

* [[Characters/DexterRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]][[note]]Anton Briggs, Hannah McKay, Jacob Elway, Lumen Ann Pierce, Sylvia Prado, Elliott, Sonya, Jonah Mitchell, Rebecca Mitchell, Ellen Wolf, Brother Sam AKA Samuel Wright, Sally Mitchell, Gabriel, Tony Tucci, Lisa Marshall, Valerie Hodges, Sal Price, Jeremy Downs, Clarissa Porter, Wayne Randall, Cassie Jollenston, Zach Hamilton, Niki Walters[[/note]]
* [[Characters/DexterAntagonists Antagonists]]
* [[Characters/DexterSupportingAntagonists Supporting Antagonists]]
* [[Characters/DexterDextersVictims Dexter’s Victims]]
* [[Characters/DexterBarrelGirlGang Barrel Girl Gang]]
* [[Characters/DexterTheDoomsdayKillers The Doomsday Killers]]
* [[Characters/DexterTheKoshkaBrotherhood The Koshka Brotherhood]]

* [[Characters/DexterMainCharacters Main Characters]]
* [[Characters/DexterLawEnforcement Law Enforcement]]
* [[Characters/DexterDextersFamily Dexter’s Family]]
* [[Characters/DexterRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]]

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%% MOD NOTE: Zero Context Example entries are NOT allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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%% Explaining a trope is more than just saying "In season two" or "Alice is this for Bob." It means actually going into detail about how the trope is used in the series.
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%% Removing comments without adding context or adding new Zero Context Examples will result in banning.
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The CharacterSheet for Showtime's ''Series/{{Dexter}}''. '''Beware of spoilers''', only spoilers from the '''seventh and eighth seasons''' are meant to be blacked out. All character sheets contain major spoilers. Proceed reading at your own risk.[[note]]As per wiki's policy, all trope names should be visible which may indicate if the character died or if they are deceiving.[[/note]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Dexter Morgan]]
!!Dexter Morgan
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dextervwx2014_1898.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I'm Dexter, and... I'm not sure what I am. I just know there's something dark in me."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/MichaelCHall

->''"I'm not the monster he wants me to be. So I'm neither man nor beast. I'm something new entirely, with my own set of rules. I'm Dexter."''

The show's protagonist. Dexter was adopted into his foster-family as a three-year old after his mother was murdered in front of him. Growing up with bloodthirsty tendencies, Dexter was trained by his father to direct his urges to kill at those who "deserve it", and to never get caught. Works as a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro PD.

* AffablyEvil: He actively cultivates a friendly persona. Bordering sometimes on FauxAffablyEvil.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the books, Dexter views Rita as more like a pet and he doesn't really care about anyone except for maybe Debra and children in general. In the TV series, he grows to love Rita and cares a great deal for the people around him.
* {{Adorkable}} : When Hannah drops by and Dexter tries to fix his hair while looking at his reflection in a photo frame. Also a few examples when he's trying to fit in and getting it wrong, the bemused look on his face is charming.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He's said to be sociopathic, but he is far too restrained and can calculate too well into the future to be one. He was never diagnosed as such, as he deliberately messed with the diagnosis under Harry's request which leaves us with yet inexplicable violent urges and lack of ability to socialise and feel empathy. Overall, the safest diagnosis for him is a psychopath. Not in the common [[AxeCrazy Hollywood definition]] of the term, but in the actual clinical definition; antisocial behavior, diminished empathy and remorse, high self confidence, social assertiveness, fearlessness, poor impulse control, and disinhibited or bold behavior. Still, even that doesn't fit him entirely.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Zigzagged; he considers himself NecessarilyEvil while in-universe opinions (and even out of universe) regarding his work as the BHB range from 'ByronicHero' to 'AxCrazy and in it ForTheEvulz'. It should be noted that for him necessary evil doesn't mean "small evil in order to do great good." It means 'small evil in order to control myself so I don't do [[EvilMeScaresMe even greater evil.]]' Which is just [[UnreliableNarrator according to what he says]].
* AnimalsHateHim: Rita's neighbour has a dog that hates him utterly.
* AntiHero (NominalHero): While Dexter may be the protagonist of the series, and his actions are mostly directed at those who could be considered morally worse than himself, he only does it because of his own urges to kill.
* AntiVillain (Type I or Type II): Despite being a serial killer, Dexter does have redeeming qualities and virtues that make him a character who can be rooted for and sympathized with. The Code of Harry and Dexter's personal inhibitions, such as being incapable of harming children or his family, are one of many things that ultimately assist in demonstrating that Dexter is not as monstrous as he thinks he is. And his traumatic experience as a child, which provoked his compulsion to kill, is an event that is shown to have deeply affected Dexter and continues to do so even years later.
* {{Asexuality}}: Subverted. In the pilot, Dexter says, 'I don't understand sex. Not that I have anything against women, and I certainly have an appropriate sensibility about men, but when it comes to the actual act of sex, it's always just seemed so undignified.' Later on, it turns out he is pretty sexual, but he's aversive towards sex because somehow his partners get a glimpse of [[BeneathTheMask what he's really like]]. He sticks with Rita because somehow she doesn't.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He's a blood spatter analyst who can reconstruct a crime scene in seconds.
* {{Badass}}: If there's a dirty cop, ex-special forces soldier, gigantic gangster, Nicaraguan death squad leader or [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking fucking Jock]] Dexter can't kill, he hasn't met them and killed them yet.
* BadassBaritone: Bordering on EvilSoundsDeep while he's enjoying his rituals.
* BadassBookworm: To the point he's almost a GeniusBruiser, capable of going toe to toe in a fight with the bulky Doakes.
--->'''Doakes:''' Lab geek my ass!
* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:He tells Oliver Saxon he will kill him with the pen on his desk when he comes to perform a GSR test on him. Oliver grabs the pen and stabs him with it, but misses and lodges it in his shoulder; Dexter seizes the opportunity to overpower him, grab the pen, and lodge it in his neck, thereby allowing Dexter to argue for self defence.]]
* BattleTrophy: Dexter takes a blood sample from every killer he's killed. [[spoiler:Until season 7, when he stops after Deb confronts him for it, and destroys them all.]]
* BecomingTheMask: The fake life co-created with Harry as a cover to kill gradually becomes real.
%%* BewareTheNiceOnes
* [[BreakHisHeartToSaveHim Break Their Heart to Save Them]]: [[spoiler:Dexter fakes his own death to leave Hannah's and Harrison's life for good, as he believes he will destroy their lives too if he stays with them.]]
* ButNotTooGay: In the series premier, Dexter says, 'I don't have anything against women, and I certainly have an appropriate sensibility about men [...]' However, he never so much as checks another man out throughout the whole series. Then again, this could be chalked up to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Though this view relies on what one thinks an "appropriate sensibility about men" is.
* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Dexter jokingly remarks "Can't live with her, can't kill her" about his sister Debra. He doesn't actually dislike her though, just hates the fact she inhibits his possibility of killing. He makes huge efforts to defend her.
* CombatPragmatist: When in doubt, if Dexter isn't able to murder his victim in his Kill Room, he will find ways to kill them. Best seen when he takes out [[spoiler:Oliver Saxon, the Brain Surgeon]] with a '''fucking''' pen.
* ConsummateLiar: A given when one has to master a dual life.
* ControlFreak: He keeps everything tightly organized, and rarely trusts others to do things right. He does not react well when people interfere with his stuff, be it his computer or his shed or...anything, really.
* CreatureOfHabit: He's obsessed with daily rituals and routines of his and other peoples.
* CreepyMonotone: His inner monologue is smooth and constantly calm.
* CreepySouvenir: He collects blood samples from his victims. [[spoiler:Deb made him stop doing so once she found out that he was the Bay Harbor Butcher.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: When he was three, his mother was murdered right in front of him.
* DatingCatwoman: First with Lila (a pyromaniac {{Yandere}}), then with Hannah [=McKay=] (a MasterPoisoner). [[spoiler:He doesn't end up with either of them.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Mostly in his inner monologue, but in the present as well, quietly snarking to others.
-->'''Doakes''': ''"You trying to be smart?"''
-->'''Dexter''': ''"Not 'trying', no."''
* DetectiveMole: He uses his position within Miami Metro to manipulate the police.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: He blurts out that [[spoiler:[=LaGuerta=] died]] because [[spoiler:she]] 'wouldn't leave things alone'...to Angel.
* DisposingOfABody: Wraps the bodies in plastics, hacks'em good and then drops'em to the bottom of the sea.
* DoesNotLikeGuns: He prefers to kill with knives, since they leave less evidence behind.
* DoomMagnet: By the end of the series, Dexter has killed over a hundred people and caused the deaths of many people around him, including relatively innocent people such as Doakes, Rita, [[spoiler:Laguerta]], and ultimately is forced to mercy kill [[spoiler:Debra]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Dexter kills only killers and pedophiles.
** He brags of being a "very neat monster" and doesn't look too well on those who don't tidy their playground, whatever it may be.
** He despises anyone who hurts kids in any shape or form.
** When a copycat killer of the Bay Harbor Butcher shows up, he's very unhappy about it. He doesn't exactly consider himself a ''role model'' to be emulated, but someone who has to harness his dark urges into something productive.
** He also doesn't like to tamper with evidence unless it's his own hide on the rope, and even then he half-heartedly does it. Makes you wonder why he went into forensics if he wasn't prepared to someday use the position to tamper with some incriminating evidence against himself.
* {{Expy}}: Dexter is similar to Creator/TimDorsey's Serge A. Storms: both are south Florida-based serial killers who only target bad guys, with the first Serge novel ''Florida Roadkill'' published in 1999 and the first Dexter novel ''Darkly Dreaming Dexter'' published in 2001. Per Tim during his 2013 book tour for ''The Riptide Ultra-Glide'', Showtime was even offered a Serge TV show two years before they were offered ''Dexter''.
%%* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:In the series finale.]]
* TheFettered: He has a "Code of Harry" that guides who he kills, how he kills and why he kills. It's purpose is to keep him on the "man" side of "man-monster".
%% * FirstPersonSmartass
* {{Flanderization}} In the beginning of the series his social facade is actually believable, as intended with Harry's lessons in blending in. He smiles, cracks jokes, flirts and offers insightful comments, is only entirely clueless about some of the deeper emotional issues pertaining to relationships and makes up for his lack of empathy by being incredibly observant, an expert liar and thinking on his feet, and his inner monologue is mostly cynical comments, snarkery and exposition. By the third season he seems to have no idea how to act in any situation whatsoever, comes off as incredibly slow-witted in general conversation, and his inner monologue is 90% self-centered poetic imagery.
* {{Foil}}: Dexter gets a few in the series.
** Perhaps the most notable is Debra, his sister. Dexter is very much in control of his life and [[DarkSecret is also a serial killer]]. Debra's personal life is a constant mess, but she's a brilliant detective and believes in the strength of the legal process. Both of them also have amazing natural intuition, which helps them both track down serial killers.
** The Ice Truck Killer, a.k.a. [[spoiler:Rudy Cooper, a.k.a. Brian, his brother]]. Both have an instinctual need to kill and enjoy their respective rituals. However, Dexter is [[TheFettered bound by his code]] and has loved ones he doesn't want to hurt, whilst [[spoiler:Brian]] is AxCrazy and only cares about fulfilling his need.
** Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity Killer. Like Brian, both Dexter and Trinity have a ritualistic need to kill that stems from a FreudianExcuse. They're also both family men with a wife and children to look after. The difference is Dexter actually cares about his family and treats them with respect, while Trinity is an [[AbusiveParents Abusive Parent]] with control issues.
** The Brain Surgeon, a.k.a. [[spoiler: Oliver Saxon, a.k.a. Daniel Vogel]]. He is even viewed as mirroring the Ice Truck Killer in almost all of his tendencies, but his desire is to harm Dexter while [[spoiler:Brian]]'s was to be in Dexter's life and free him from the Code. In addition, as opposed to [[spoiler:Brian]], the Brain Surgeon shared Dexter's ultimate goal of living a normal life.
* FreudianExcuse: Witnessing the murder of his mother and be left in the ensuing blood pool.
* HappilyAdopted: Finds a new and caring family, but his darkness can't be erased.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Batista. He's one of the few people Dexter genuinely likes.
* HiredToHuntYourself: His hobby often collides with his work for the Miami PD, leading to a lot of evidence tampering and misdirection.
%%* HollywoodAtheist
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: His modus operandi is killing other killers.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Dexter often monologues that he wishes he could feel like everyone else, stripped of his own drives to slaughter. He even uses this to get closer to Rita after asking a couple about the secret of a successful relationship right before he kills them.
* ItsAllMyFault: Dexter frequently believes he's the cause of all the horrible things people around him go through and struggles to stop it from happening. Debra [[DefiedTrope defies it]] in the series finale, saying she's an adult who's responsible for her own choices, but [[spoiler:she develops a blood clot during her operation that would not let her reason or even eat on her own. When the doctor says it would take a miracle for her to really recover,]] Dexter says he's never seen a miracle, implying that being saved in the ocean by a boat ''named'' 'Miracle'[[note]]Well, it was named 'Milagro', which is Spanish for 'miracle’[[/note]] was not a miracle―it was a ''disaster''.
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
%%* KarmaHoudini:
* KnifeNut: Has an [[DoesNotLikeGuns aversion for guns]] so his evidence-free routine involves a knife, but he sometimes chooses a more exotic weapon - axe, chainsaw, hammer...
%%* KnightTemplarParent: Boarders on this at times.
* LackofEmpathy: He thinks he is this, and for the first two seasons, he's mostly right. However, come season three and beyond, Dexter begins to realize he truly does care about others around him, especially Debra and his family. [[spoiler: And ultimately, his progress was [[ShootTheShaggyDog all for nothing]], as his sense of empathy and emotional development hinders his abilities to kill his targets, causing the death of Rita, the dissolution of his family, nearly kills him when he's facing Travis Marshall, and leads to Vogel being killed and Debra being shot. He is ultimately forced to abandon his son and girlfriend and ends the series a devastated shell, capable of feeling emotions and all the pain that comes with it.]]
%% * TheLabRat
* ManipulativeBastard: He successfully plays the Miami Metro staff several times, such as leading them to believe [[spoiler:Brian Moser]] killed himself or that Hector Estrada and [[spoiler:Maria [=LaGuerta=]]] killed each other.
* MrFanservice: Particularly in season 2, Dexter is frequently shown half-naked and Michael C. Hall sure isn't bad looking...
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: His first thought when someone gets in his way is "can I kill them?"
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Several times, especially in later seasons when he begins to start breaking the code with some regularity by going after people who the police were about to catch, instead of people who were slipping through the cracks like he's supposed to. As a result of his bloodlust, his wife is killed by Trinity.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat:
** Travis Marshall makes that fatal mistake near the end of season 6.
** [[spoiler:Dexter somehow survives sailing into a violent storm in the series finale.]]
%%* NobleDemon
* NotSoDifferent: From Hector Estrada, the man who ordered the murder of his mother, of all people.
* PapaWolf: People who even mildly threaten his kids meet a very bad end. A paedophile that targets Astor, Lila West, Travis Marshall...all dead.
** [[spoiler:He's also this to others, as well. When Arthur Mitchell tried to strangle his son to death, Dexter responds by garrotting him and nearly stabbing him to death on the spot.]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The whole premise behind the code isn't justice, it's to focus his own evil urges in a way that is 'productive', targeting only criminals that have escaped punishment.
* PoeticSerialKiller: When particularly disgusted or angered by a killer, or when it's necessary, he kills them with a method that's relevant to their crime, such as bludgeoning Arthur Mitchell with a hammer, or drowning Nick at the same beach he had been baptized at by the man he killed, Brother Sam.
* PrinciplesZealot: He knows without the Code he'd slip into the darkness completely and become like his brother.
* PsychoticSmirk: Fantastic things are done with lighting to make Michael C. Hall look as much like [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]] as possible when he turns on the evil grin.
%%* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* SerialKillerKiller: His whole schtick is that he kills other killers. He isn't limited to serial killers, but he's certainly taken them out. Brian Moser, Miguel Prado, Arthur Mitchell, Walter Kenney, Travis Marshall, Raymond Speltzer...
%%* SlasherSmile:
* TheSociopath: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] throughout the series. During the first two seasons, this trope is played straight with Dexter given his general portrayal as a completely self-absorbed individual who is only capable of feeling alive when killing. However, in Seasons 3-6, Dexter steadily becomes more conscious of the needs and feelings of those in his life and [[BecomingTheMask begins to take a personal interest in their well-being]]. [[spoiler: However, throughout Season 7 and the first half of Season 8, the legitimacy of Dexter's newfound humanity is brought into doubt after he realizes that he kills others merely because he enjoys it and begins to suspect that his attachment towards others may be nothing more than a self-serving front for possessive feelings characteristic of all sociopaths. Nevertheless, by the end of the series, Dexter ultimately subverts this trope when he learns at a terrible cost that he has grown to value those in his life far more than his own bloodlust and happiness.]]
* SociopathicHero: Particularly in the first two seasons, where Dexter is doing relatively 'heroic' things, but has yet to develop[[spoiler: the burgeoning sense of empathy and emotions that would later define his [[CharacterDevelopment Character Development]]]].
%%* StepfordSmiler: He can be types A, B, and C ''all at the same time''.
* SympatheticMurderer: He only kills abominable people who deserve to die because they got away. His justice system is extremely solid. Plus he's a charming guy.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Polite, charming, good-looking, and he even works for the police. You'd never know he was a calculating serial killer-killer.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Seems to have a fondness for steak. Pork sandwiches and bananas are his favourite "driving" food.
%%* TragicHero/TragicVillain
* {{Ubermensch}}: Dexter becomes this when he starts ignoring his "Dark Passenger" and the Code of Harry to start picking his own targets.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Many underestimate the lab geek.
* UnreliableNarrator: Dexter often talks about how he doesn't have any emotions. While his emotions are definitely subdued, it's made pretty clear that he cares for the people close to him and have a conscience, that although quiet most of the time, still occasionally haunts him. He's pretty reliable regarding everything but himself.
* VigilanteMan: Part of his trademark is that he only goes after other bad guys (with a few exceptions). He's explicitly referred to as this, when a comic book writer bases his work on him and makes him into a Batman/Punisher/Spawn hybrid called 'The Dark Defender'.
* VillainProtagonist: At least during the final episodes of seasons 2 and 7. Season 2 has him going on to try and frame Doakes, while the end of season 7 has him trying to kill Laguerta.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Double subverted. His methods certainly are extreme and his target selection ensures that he's probably a net positive force in the universe, but he doesn't do it to make the world a better place, he does it because he needs to. However, as time passes by, he begins to kill people for their moral reprehensibility, as [[spoiler:his urges seem to lessen somewhat.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: After witnessing his mother being murdered, he grew up with sociopathic tendencies.
* WouldntHurtAChild: Dexter is fond of children, finding them to be more interesting and easier to understand than adults, and he tends to drop his normally calm attitude around those of his victims that preys on them. He even broke his code of only killing murderers to get rid of a paedophile who was stalking Astor.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Dexter often projects his own experiences and motivations onto other killers and thus misinterprets their motivations and reactions. He expects the killer to play out one of the usual stereotypes and is blindsided when the killer actually does something completely different. This gets him in a lot of trouble and gets a lot of people killed.
* XanatosSpeedChess: He often has to work on his own crime scenes, and has to play merry hell with the chain of evidence.
* YourCheatingHeart: He cheated on Rita with Lila in season two. However, they had a big fight and Dexter interpreted it as a break-up.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Main Characters]]
!!Debra Morgan
[[quoteright:338:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dm2014_5744.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:338: ''"You say anything more about my brother and I will kick your fucking nuts down your throat."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JenniferCarpenter

->''"Me in a dress. I feel like a transvestite."''

Dexter's foul-mouthed, tomboyish foster-sister. Deb is a detective in Miami Metro's Homicide division. Debra believes she truly knew her father, but is in reality completely unaware of the secrets he kept'especially concerning Dexter (who she sees as a true brother). Inspired by their fathers' legendary police career, Debra joined the police and desperately yearned to become a Homicide Detective, which she achieves during the series.

* TenMinuteRetirement: [[spoiler:Season 8. She's not really cut out for the private sector.]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: After she's promoted to Maria's position as lieutenant.
* {{Badass}}: Perfectly capable of kicking major amounts of ass, such as the most psychotic of the Fuentes brothers.
* BadassInDistress: She was kidnapped by the Ice Truck Killer in the season 1 finale.
%% ** TookALevelInBadass
* BornDetective: The only one in the department apart from Doakes. [[LampshadeHanging Dexter makes it very clear]] that he is mainly free because his sister has a "blind spot" on him.
* BrokenBird: She's broken in-series at the hands of the Ice Truck Killer, and by getting shot and seeing her lover killed in series 4. This is lampshaded heavily in her therapy sessions in series 6. Being ignored by her father in favor of her adopted brother probably didn't help things. In series 7, she finds out Dexter's secret. She doesn't take it well.
* BrokenPedestal: In season 7, Dexter's anchorage and high-concept gets broken for her after the reveal.
* CartwrightCurse: Her love interests tend to either leave, die or turn out to be dicks.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Soons learns that with greater power comes greater and unpleasant responsability.
* ClusterFBomb: Hoo boy. Deb really likes swearing, legendarily so. Most characters have at one point or another referred to her as a "potty-mouth" or in some way referred to her impressive swearing skills.
* CoolAunt: To Rita's kids after Dexter and Rita got married, and she absolutely adores little Harrison.
* CoolBigSis: She loves Dexter a lot. They are really close and she gets pissed whenever she feels he shuts her out, which is fairly often.
* DefectiveDetective: A competent detective whose personal life is a wreck, when it exists.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: She tends to have the second important plot after Dexter, usually solving the crime that connects to one of Dexter's victims
* DirtyCop: Though a more sympathetic example. In season 7 after finding out Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. She does dirty things like [[spoiler:hiding/manipulating evidence and then killing [=LaGuerta=] to protect Dexter.]]
* DirtyHarriet: Made pretty fun in the book, noted at least twice that victims' relatives expect a DirtyHarry, not Film/LegallyBlonde.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: [[spoiler:A particularly infuriating example; after she's shot by the Brain Surgeon, it's almost a given she'll bounce back, especially since this isn't the first time she's been shot. And then, ''random blood clot, and she's brain dead''.]]
* FairCop: She's absolutely hot and lots of her colleagues fancy her. Especially Masuka keeps mentioning she's hot and keeps hitting on her.
* {{Foil}}:
** To Dexter. Dexter is cool, calm, collected, and very much in control of his life. He's also secretly a serial killer. Deb is insecure and constantly losing control of her personal life. She's also a brilliant detective and has a strong faith in the legal system.
** Takes a whole new slant in season 7 when she finds out Dexter's secret. An entire episode is spent discussing the pros and cons of Dexter's vigilantism to Debra's following the law to the letter.
*** She and LaGuerta , as the only women in a [[TheSmurfettePrinciple predominantly-male]] workplace, act as foils to each other as well as to the men in the group. LaGuerta was a [[InformedAbility good cop]] but is better at playing the politics she needs to climb the ranks. Deb is too honest and emotionally driven to politic very well, and ends up being LaGuerta's ButtMonkey after the Fuentes case.
** Deb is also a comedic version of a foil to Masuka's pervy jokes. Every time he hits on her, she [[DeadpanSnarker one-ups him]] but neither takes the razzing seriously.
* GenreBlind: In the novels, but even moreso in the television series. To the point where some viewers would block their ear-holes. Lampshaded in series 7 when she finds out Dexter is a serial killer.
--->'''Debra''': I am the worst fucking detective in the world.
%%* GoodIsNotNice:
* HopeSpot: Gets one from Brian, her fiancee and future killer if it were up to him and hangs on to it in desperation, while he's not even trying that hard to pretend anymore. It bombs, of course.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight:
** She loses this with Brian.
** In series 7, this is her reason for not turning Dexter in after finding out his secret.
--->'''Debra''': I still believe that there is good in you.
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: During Season 7, [[spoiler:goes from grudgingly [[SiblingsInCrime aiding and abetting Dexter]] to killing [=LaGuerta=] when Dexter is cornered]] in the finale.
%%%
%%%* Killed Off for Real is a trope for paranormal/supernatural shows in which resurrection is possible. Don't add it here please. Dexter doesn't qualify because nobody comes back among the living.
%%%
%% * KnightInSourArmor
%% * TheLadette
* LadySwearsALot: She hardly ever avoids swearing and filthy language. She justifies it by saying it's a cop mouth. Sometimes it's even adorable.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: At the end of Season 7 she kills [=LaGuerta=] in order to protect Dexter. In Season 8 [[spoiler:Vogel even comments that it was an act of selfless love.]]
* MarriedToTheJob: Increasingly so, as times goes by she finds herself with a bigger commitment to the job and without a stable relationship outside the one with Dexter.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:In the series finale, Dexter unplugs her from her life support, as the doctor says she will never be able to reason or eat on her own, and probably not even breathe without life support, due to the blood clot she suffered.]]
* NotBloodSiblings: In season 6, she realizes she's in love with Dexter. [[spoiler:In season 7, she tells him during a fight. Later on Dexter gets her to check how she feels again and realise her close connection him was only natural and not that kind of love.]]
* NotSoDifferent: She chooses to let the "vigilantes" go in Season 5, and previously made very clear what her thoughts about the case were.
* OfficeRomance: She starts sleeping with and falls in love with Agent Lundy, their task force leader in season 2. In season 5, she starts a casual relationship with her colleague Quinn. There is also the implication that she has dated coworkers in the past, and even as far back as season 1 there's subtext indicating she and Sgt Doakes might have romantic interest in each other.
* RankUp: Gradually promoted from Officer to Detective and Lieutenant.
* ReallyGetsAround: She's quite the serial monogamist.
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: As illustrated by her presiding quote up there. She's the [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl tomboy girl to Rita's girly]].
* SecretKeeper: In Season 7 she finally learns the truth about her brother and helps him keep it a secret.
* SexForSolace: How her "relationship" with Quinn starts after Rita's death.
* ShipperOnDeck: For Dexter/Rita. She's the one that introduces them in the first place! In season 2, when Dexter was having an affair with Lila and Deb finds out, she calls him out on it and states that Rita was perfect for him, not that - as defined by Deb - "English titty vampire".
* [[ThatManIsDead That Woman Is Dead]]: Says so after the events of season 7; [[spoiler:she goes to the private sector and doesn't want anything to do with Dexter]].
* ThickerThanWater: Sticks her neck out for her brother time and again, despite not being blood related in the traditional sense.
%% * {{Tomboy}}
%% * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The tomboy to Rita's girly girl.
* TomboyishPonytail: Her usual hair style when she's not working in Vice Squad.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In Season 8, she outright hates Dexter and has become addicted to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with [[spoiler:killing [=LaGuerta=]]], which she considers her MoralEventHorizon. Then, there is her [[spoiler:killing El Sapo in a fit of rage]].
* TheUnfavorite: Craved Harry's attention and envied Dexter for all the time that her father spent with him. She assumed the special relationship was due to favoritism, as the real reason was well hidden.

!!Harry Morgan
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morgan_harry_1256.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Killing must serve a purpose. Otherwise, it's just plain murder."'']]
->'''Played by''': James Remar

->''"Never underestimate the capacity of other people to let you down."''

Adoptive father of Dexter and father of Deb, Harry Morgan is ten years deceased when the series begins. A renowned detective in his day, Morgan became frustrated at the perceived lack of justice in the system. Attempting to channel Dexter's sociopathy into a useful outlet - and to avoid him getting caught - he trains Dexter to become the perfect killer. Initially portrayed in flashbacks, he later manifests in Dexter's imagination, reminding Dexter what Harry taught him.

* TheAce: He was a legend on the force from the seventies to the nineties. People still talk about him.
* BrokenAce: He had issues with the injustice of the legal system, especially how some criminals manage to get away. It troubled him deeply and made him traumatize his kids. It ultimately drove him to decide that the best way to deal with his adoptive son's dark urges is to train him and turn him in serial killer who would hunt criminals.
* BrokenPedestal: He's got a lot of darkness in him. Debra and Dexter saw him as a great father and the best cop there ever was, but both came to realize he was far from it.
* CommanderContrarian: The ImaginaryFriend version of Harry always seems to be against whatever Dexter's currently up to.
* DeadPersonConversation: He frequently shows up to Dexter.
* DirtyCop: Like Deb does in season 7, he keeps Dexter's secret from the police. Also, there's the fact that he slept with his informant.
* DoWrongRight: He teached Dexter how to be "a very neat monster" living by the code.
* DrivenToSuicide: Upon walking in on Dexter sawing up the body of a pimp he had been hunting and seeing that his training had GoneHorriblyRight.
%% * GoodIsNotNice
* ImaginaryFriend: Most of his appearances (when they aren't flashbacks) are as this, to his son Dexter.
* TheMentor: To Dexter when he was alive. He's the Harry in "Code of Harry".
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Seeing his son to bring home his kill... yeah, that can't be pretty. It made him violently sick and drove him to suicide.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Part of his motive for training Dexter, especially after his ArchEnemy, a drug-pushing cop-killer, gets OffOnATechnicality.
%%* PosthumousCharacter
* ReallyGetsAround: He liked to sleep with his female informants.
* ScareEmStraight: He brings Dexter to a live execution to instill in him the danger of getting caught.
* YourCheatingHeart: He cheated on his wife with Laura Moser and possibly with other attractive informants.

!!Ángel Batista
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batista_angel_5007.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't go down that emotion road, just go down on her. She'll be distracted."'']]
->'''Played by''': David Zayas

Angelo "Ángel" Batista is a Detective in Miami Metro Police Department's Homicide Division. Batista works closely with Dexter during cases, often teaming up with him for his expert advice on serial killers, and considers himself Dexter's best friend. Batista is basically good-natured, with a dry sense of humor. He is also totally honest, at the request of his beloved father on his deathbed. Angel is also shown wearing a [[NiceHat Trilby Hat]] almost all the time.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Well on his way out in Season 7, [[spoiler:the demise of [=LaGuerta=] makes him come back to the force.]]
* AmicablyDivorced: With Maria, following their OffScreenBreakup between seasons 5 and 6.
* {{Badass}}: Everytime he gets in a fight, he always has the upperhand. Can often knock people out in one punch, like he did with Quinn when he drunkenly kept harrassing Batista's sister.
%%* [[BadassBeard Badass Goatee]]: Sports one of these.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's a nice guy, but he's got a mean punch.
* BigBrotherInstinct: For his little sister, Jamie. And Debra.
%% * TheBigGuy
%% * GratuitousSpanish
* AFatherToHisMen: A protective and fair lieutenant
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Seems to view Dexter as his and has a much greater claim to it than probably anyone else on the series. He's one of the few people Dexter really likes and wishes he could be like him.
* KnightInSourArmor: Gradually becomes this, especially in season 7 when he [[spoiler:considers retiring]].
* LifeOfTheParty: According to [=LaGuerta=], at least. He never saves his money and likes to have a drink with friends all the time.
* MadeOfIron: He recovers very well from getting knifed by Brian Moser.
* MarriedToTheJob: In his own words, he's so focused on the work that he forgot to have a life.
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Regarding his younger sister Jamie.
* NiceGuy: Probably the nicest person in the show. He even supports Deb after she gets promoted above him.
* NiceHat: His trademark Trilby hat which he is almost never seen without.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: He is honest with his wife about cheating which leads to his divorce.
* OverlyLongName: Ángel Juan Marcos Batista.
* PassedOverPromotion: Several cops openly think he should have been the next lieutenant on account of his seniority, but Batista is content with the choice of [[spoiler:Debra]].
* StepfordSmiler: In the first season. He and his wife were separated while he pretended that they are as happy and passionate as ever.
%% * TeamDad
* WorkingWithTheEx: Until season 7, he works for his ex-wife Maria [=LaGuerta=].
* YourCheatingHeart: Why his marriage collapsed.

!!Vince Masuka
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/masuka_vince_3656.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Now you're dealing with science and science is one cold-hearted bitch with a fourteen inch strap-on."'']]
->'''Played by''': CS Lee

->''"I got a reputation to live up to. I mean, if my show does not make people vomit and have an erection at the same time, then I've let my audience down."''

Vince is the Miami Metro Police lead forensic investigator and works alongside Dexter in the lab and in crime scenes. He often cracks innuendo to the rest of the team, and harbors decidedly unrequited feelings for Debra. He is portrayed as obsessed with sex'the kinkier the better'and is not shy about propositioning every woman he meets.

%%* AnnoyingLaugh: His signature sound.
* AsianAndNerdy: Frequently referred to as lab-geek.
* BaldOfAwesome: He complete dismantles Ramon Prado with his memorable little lecture about the state of a crime scene. And of course, he's bald.
* BromanticFoil: In many ways he's the opposite of Dexter, romantically and otherwise; an extroverted, sleazy guy contrasted with the quieter, more polite lab geek with the stable relationship.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He might be an unbelievable sleaze, but Vince is also an extremely talented investigator, which might help explain why he hasn't been fired for conduct.
%% * ButtMonkey
%% * CasanovaWannabe
* ChivalrousPervert: Despite his dirty jokes and weird fetishes, Vince is a loyal friend who does adore women (he seems to actually go for tough women) and has even consoled Debra successfully.
%%* ExtravertedNerd: A grown-up version of this trope.
%% * HiddenDepths
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a genuinely caring and loyal friend despite his attitude and wants their respect.
* KavorkaMan: He actually ''does'' get women, and often they're quite gorgeous, despite how pathetic his game seems in the workplace.
* LifeOfTheParty: Proclaims to be this. Whether it's true or not is relatively unknown.
* LovableSexManiac: Probably why he hasn't been hit with sexual harassment complaints.
%% * PluckyComicRelief
* VitriolicBestBuds: With just about everyone, but mostly Debra. They enjoy trading insults as she pretends to be overly offended by his flirting.

!!María [=LaGuerta=]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/laguerta_maria_1588.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"The operative word is "boss". Show some respect."'']]
->'''Played by''': Lauren Velez

Captain María [=LaGuerta=] is a tough, ambitious woman in command of the Homicide division who is not above bullying her subordinates and manipulating those around her in order to climb the law enforcement hierarchy. She and Isaak Sirko serve as the [[BigBadEnsemble main antagonists]] in Season 7.

* AdaptationExpansion: In comparison to her book counterpart, Maria's character gets a lot more expanded, specially since her book counterpart was killed by Brian and Dexter quite early.
%% * AmbitionIsEvil
%% * AmicablyDivorced: To Angel.
* BadBoss: At first, she's tough but fair. As she sees her ambitions begin to fall apart, however, she resorts to increasingly desperate measures to keep her power. This includes throwing her employees under the bus and taking credit for cases.
* {{Blackmail}}: She reaches the top by blackmailing Matthews with a prostitute's client book.
* BigBad: Of Season 7 along with Isaak Sirko. While initially beginning the story arc as a HeroAntagonist trying to clear Doakes's name, she ultimately becomes a KnightTemplar willing to [[RabidCop endanger others and bend the rule of law to the breaking point]] for the sake of incriminating Dexter.[[spoiler: After [[DiscOneFinalBoss Sirko's death]],she eclipses him entirely as the story arc's preeminent BigBad.]]
%% * TheCaptain: Switches between this and DaChief.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: She has the hots for Dexter in the pilot episode, a trait from the books which was [[AbortedArc soon dropped in the series]].
%% * TheChessmaster
* DirtyCop: She is not above blackmail or any other dirty strategy to get what she wants.
* ExiledToTheCouch: A RareFemaleExample. Angel, disgusted with her using Debra as a {{scapegoat}} for an operation she botched, sends her to sleep on the couch.
%% * FairCop
%% * GratuitousSpanish
%%* HeroAntagonist: In Season 7.
* ItsAllAboutMe: She's willing to send anyone, even her friends, up the river for her own benefit.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Until season 5, when she TookALevelInJerkass.
* KnightTemplar: In Season 7, she becomes [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute James Doakes reincarnated]].
* ManipulativeBitch: What she did to Pascal. She often shows more interest in politics than in case solving.
%% * MarriedToTheJob
* NeverMyFault: One of her defining characteristics. She genuinely believes her misdeeds, failed plans, or cruel actions are not her fault.
* OfficeRomance: It's revealed that Doakes and she were lovers when they were partners. She also dated Batista while being his direct superior.
* OverlyLongName: María Esperanza del Alma [=LaGuerta=].
* RabidCop: After she TookALevelInJerkass.
* RankUp: Starts the series as lieutenant, gets promoted to Captain in season 6 after blackmailing Matthews.
%% * SmugSnake
* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the original books, she is killed by Dexter and Brian, but in the series, she doesn't even get into the situation her book counterpart did. [[spoiler:However, this is subverted in Season 7, when Debra kills her in the finale.]]
%% * TookALevelInJerkass
* VetinariJobSecurity: Invoked when she gets briefly demoted by Matthews, as she makes Esmee Pascal fail to recover the job.
* WorkingWithTheEx: With Doakes and Batista. She's their boss, too.

!!Joseph "Joey" Quinn
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/quinn_joseph_8708.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"This Dexter guy. First of all who the fuck is named Dexter? Did his parents know he was going to be a fucking egghead?"'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/DesmondHarrington

Joseph "Joey" Quinn is a detective who transferred to the Homicide division after being in narcotics before Season 3. He has a bad habit of leaping to conclusions from first impressions of the crime scene, as well as becoming hostile towards anyone who tries to correct him. Quinn takes a liking to Debra Morgan but, like Doakes before him, mistrusts Dexter.

%% * AntiHero
* {{Badass}}: He's kicked a fair amount of ass, such as the very-deserving George Novikov.
%% * BaldOfAwesome: For a while.
%% * BookDumb
%% * BrooklynRage
* ChickMagnet: Two hours undercover in a latino night club, six girls. [[{{Bishonen}} One can understand why]].
* CowboyCop: And a DirtyCop. He isn't massively corrupt, but does bend the rules when he thinks he can get away with it.
* DespairEventHorizon: When Debra dumps him he falls into an escapable pit of despair.
* DirtyCop:
** In season 4, he steals some money from a crime scene.
** Also, when he was in narcotics, he took money from the Koshkas to look the other way. In season 7, he steals the proof against Isaak from the precint in exchange for Nadia's passport, but George double-crosses him and uses a recording of the deal to get him to keep helping the brotherhood. Then he kills George after he pushes him too far.
%% * FairCop
* GoodIsNotNice: He's insensitive and takes offense easily, but at the end of the day he'll at least try to do the right thing.
* HeroAntagonist: In Season 5, when he works to uncover who Dexter really is and unleashes Stan Liddy.
%% * HotBlooded
* IdiotHero: Prone to LoveMakesYouDumb related mistakes.
* {{Jerkass}}: Mildly at first, but after Debra broke up with him in season 6 he becomes aggressive, crude, unreliable and very petty.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Before he TookALevelInJerkass and he returns to this in season 7 thanks to [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Nadia]].
%% * JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: See DirtyCop.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: Could be 'lust makes you dumb', since he has a habit of sleeping with people he shouldn't. For example, a reporter pumping him for information, a key witness in the Doomsday Murders, his boss, and a stripper working for the Russian mafia.
* RabidCop: He really starts to lose his sense of morality after Debra break up with him.
* SexEqualsLove: Quinn falls in love and proposes to Deb, while their relationship pretty much consisted of nothing more than sex. Deb even chews him out about the sudden proposal. In season 7, he falls quite quickly into a relationship with Nadia, too.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He's brought in to replace Doakes, and as of mid-season 5, is following the exact same path.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He went from JerkWithAHeartOfGold to just simply jerk in Season 6. List including bringing a stripper to his Ex's party, sleeping during work, sleeping with a potential witness, blaming others for his screw ups, drunkenly proposing to strippers, and telling Batista that he wants to have sex with his younger sister. How he isn't fired yet is a complete mystery. In season 7 he got better.

!!Rita Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bennett_rita_4200.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I can't believe I found the one good, truly decent man left on the planet."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JulieBenz

->''"Deb must be a mess. I mean, [[DramaticIrony falling for a serial killer?]]"''

Dexter's girlfriend and later wife, who meets him through Deb. Rita is introduced as a damaged woman who received abuse from her ex-husband Paul, and is grateful for Dexter to give her support. Dexter also helps to look after her children, Astor and Cody. She is kind-hearted and nice to just about anyone, and Dexter ends up truly falling for her. [[spoiler:She is horribly murdered by Arthur Mitchell in the season four finale.]]

* AbortedArc: Dexter discovers on the third season that she was married once, before marrying Paul. However, he decides to respect her privacy and the issue is never mentioned again.
* AbusiveParents: Her mother was overly judgmental, as well as verbally and emotionally abusive.
%%* AnyoneCanDie:
* AttemptedRape: After Paul leaves prison, he arrives to his house and tries to rape her, but she is able to fight back.
* BatterUp: Uses a bat to defend herself from Paul.
* TheBeard: Unknowingly started off as this for Dexter so that he could blend into society, although he was asexual rather than gay. It no longer applies after he grows to genuinely care for her and the kids.
* BettyAndVeronica: For Dexter, she's a Betty to Lila's Veronica. She's the good and wholesome one.
* BreakTheCutie: Breaking of this particular Cutie happened mainly off-screen before the beginning. When her ex Paul appears, she starts breaking again. In season 2, she suffers mostly when her mother tries to control her life and causes her break-up with Dexter.
* BrokenBird: She's a woman who was badly abused -- severely beaten and repeatedly raped by her asshole of a husband. She was very fragile especially in season 1, and then kept getting better and stronger.
* CallingTheOldManOut: She calls out her emotionally abusive mother.
* {{Cosplay}}: Does one of Lara Croft in season 1.
* DeathByAdaptation: She's still alive in the book series.
* DramaticIrony: Just look at both her quotes! There's quite a bit like those in the first season.
* EroticEating : With chocolate pudding, but apparently only [[spoiler: when she's pregnant]].
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl : In her youth, Rita was a self-described "dress over the head party girl."
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She's a sweet, wholesome and very feminine blond woman. She takes a very good care of her children and she's also a sweet and caring girlfriend.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: She first marries Paul, an abusive drug addict, and later Dexter, the SerialKiller. However, very few people see Dexter for who he really is, so she can't be faulted for that.
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Naively expresses this to Dexter during marriage counseling, indicating that she's failed to learn that this doesn't work even after multiple husbands.
* IgnoranceIsBliss: She's at her happiest when she believes Dexter is the perfect man. She never finds out he's a killer, thankfully. (That is, unless [[FridgeHorror Trinity said something to her.)]]
* TheIngenue: She's a fairly naive woman, for a mother of three.
* KillTheCutie: In the TV-series only. She wasn't killed in the novels.
* MoralityPet: To Dexter. He behaved wonderful to her for most of the time.
* NiceGirl: She is very nice and very sweet to everybody to the point of being a pushover.
* ThePollyanna: With all the crap that has happened in her life, she stays relatively upbeat.
* RapeAsBackstory: Her ex-husband was a crack addict who repeatedly beat and raped her.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Rita fell for Dexter because he was a kind man who loved kids, and was nothing like her ex.
%%* StuffedIntoTheFridge: [[spoiler:At the end of Season 4.]]
%%* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The girly girl to Debra's tomboy.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: She was sweet, kind, a little broken and a little naive but with nothing but good intentions...and she died needlessly.
* TookALevelInBadAss:
** Beating up Paul with a baseball bat after he tries to rape her following his release from prison.
** Finally standing up to her overly judgmental, bordering on abusive, mother and kicking her out of Rita's house.

!!Tom Matthews
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matthews_thomas_3017.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"...you haven't seen my true colors, Maria. But you're about to."'']]
->'''Played by''': Geoff Pierson

->''"The great creature arose from the depths. Tokyo's that way, Maria."''

A high-ranking Miami Metro PD police official and [=LaGuerta=]'s immediate superior. He was an old friend of Harry Morgan, and therefore has a soft spot for Debra. He's also a political animal not unlike [=LaGuerta=]; however, he frequently clashes with her.

%% * AmbitionIsEvil
* BitchInSheepsClothing: To [=LaGuerta=] at least. He is protective of Debra and Dexter.
* {{Blackmail}}: How Maria gets him to step down.
%% * CoolOldGuy: At first.
* DaChief: Mostly in season 1, but still remains this until [=LaGuerta=] topples him with a choice piece of blackmail. He returns in season 8.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldMan: In secret, he uses prostitutes.
* AFatherToHisMen: In contrast to Maria, he often appears friendly, professional and fatherly to the Miami Metro cops...except it's merely an act and he's more than willing to throw them under the bus to advance his own interests.
* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: Batista pays the price when he needs to put pressure on [=LaGuerta=].
* NotSoDifferent: From [=LaGuerta=]. He claims she's a ManipulativeBitch who'd do anything to hold on to her power, but he's not above using the same tactics as her to get what he wants.
%% * PetTheDog
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Refers to Maria as a 'spic detective'.
%% * PutOnABus
* TheBusCameBack: In season 7, he came back to the series to help Maria...in a way.
%% * ObstructiveBureaucrat: To people he dislikes.
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Like Jamie, he's an Ascended Extra on the eighth season.
%% * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: To people he likes.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivers them regularly to Maria [=LaGuerta=].
* SmugSnake: Whenever he has the upper hand over [=LaGuerta=] he is very smug about it.
%% * TookALevelInJerkass
* WhatTheHellHero: Hands them out frequently to [=LaGuerta=], and sometimes to Debra, Batista or whoever else messes up.

!!Jamie Batista
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batista_jaime_4143.png]]
->'''Played by''': Aimee Garcia

Angel's younger sister, who becomes Harrison's new nanny in the sixth season.

* AscendedExtra: She was promoted to main character status on the eighth season.
* TheCutie: She's downright adorable with a positive, bright smile.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: She states that Dexter "wouldn't kill a fly" and begins a relationship with Louis.
* IgnoranceIsBliss: She's one of the happiest characters on the show, mostly because she isn't on the Police Force.
* LongLostRelative: It's mentioned on one of their dinners together that Angel and Jamie did not grow up together, implying they didn't know about each other until they were older.
* MagicalNanny: To Harrison, taking the role left by Sonya on the fifth season after she was PutOnABus.
* MsFanservice: One episode has her take Harrison to the beach. While Hannah and Dexter are talking, the camara focuses on Jamie for a moment as she takes off her shirt, revealing a bikini top. Then Dexter quickly explains to Hannah that Jamie was Harrison's nanny. By season 8, she is seen fully nude in explicit sex scenes.
* NiceGirl: She is a genuinely nice, cute girl who cares deeply about Harrison and even works late at night watching over him when Dexter has to leave, without hesitation.
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: For season 8.
* PuppyDogEyes: She has huge, expressive eyes that contribute to her role as TheCutie.
* ShipperOnDeck: Plays matchmaker for Dexter and Cassie.
* ShipTease: With Quinn in the season 7 finale. They share a drink at the restaurant opening and Quinn apologizes for his actions last season (he hits on her drunk and starts a g=fight with Angel and Louis at Deb's house inauguration). It's implied by this conversation Quinn might be interested in her. [[spoiler:Six months later, they're dating in secret.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Louis cheated on her with a hooker while they were still going out. With the shirt she got him for his birthday still on.

!!James Doakes
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doakes_james_8697.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Surprise, motherfucker!"'']]
->'''Played by''': Erik King

->''"Stop grinning like a fucking psycho and get back to work!"''

James Doakes is a police detective with the rank of Sergeant serving as lead case investigator to Miami Metro PD's Homicide. Doakes had a killer's impulses which drove him to divorce his wife, confessing that if he had stayed with her he would have killed her. Holds a permanent grudge against Dexter, believing him to be suspicious and "creepy", which eventually leads to his downfall.

%% * AntiHero: Type III or IV
* {{Badass}}: The second most badass character, after Dexter.
%% * BaldBlackLeaderGuy
%% * BaldOfAwesome
%% * TheBigGuy
* ButtMonkey: Poor guy has all kinds of crap happen to him.
* BornDetective: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Dexter, who doesn't know why Doakes is the ''only'' cop not to like him.
%%* ClearMyName: It doesn't end well.
* ClusterFBomb: Got to be about once a sentence.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He worked for special ops before coming to Miami Metro, and he claims that he's pretty messed up because of this.
** Evident in his obsession with exposing Dexter for what he really is.
* DeathByAdaptation: Killed by Lila in order to protect Dexter.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: In Season 2. While quickly establishing himself as a major threat at the beginning of the story arc, Doakes' efforts to single-handedly incriminate Dexter end prematurely after the latter imprisons him within Jiminez's Cabin in " Resistance is Futile."
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He was a member of the U.S. Army's special ops.
* {{Foil}}: Ostensibly, he's the complete opposite of Dexter. Doakes is the abrasive Jerkass who is driven to anything to do good, while Dexter is the unassuming, kind lab geek who does everything to keep himself from doing greater evil.
* HairTriggerTemper: Literally at times. It ends up harming him as his high level of on-the-job kills make it easier to see him as a killer.
* HeroAntagonist: Until his death near the end of Season 2, he was Dexter's main foe on the good side.
%% * HotBlooded
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%% * JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* JerkassHasAPoint: Dexter makes sure the point is buried under the obnoxiousness of a public antagonism.
* KillItWithFire: How he meets his demise.
* TheLostLenore: His relation with [=LaGuerta=] was brief, but she hasn't forgotten him and in season 7 [[spoiler:she resumes his aborted ClearMyName quest]].
* NotSoDifferent: Dexter notes that the only way Doakes could be so astute regarding him was that he had some of his own killing urges. In the book series, he even has his own Dark Passenger.
* OnlySaneMan: A rare example. He's the only one to notice something strange about Dexter, yet this only makes him looks as the total opposite of this trope in the eyes of everyone else.
* PosthumousCharacter: A remarkable one time flashback reapparition in the season 7 finale, incidentally named after his SignatureLine "Surprise, motherfucker"
* ProperlyParanoid: He's the only person who thinks Dexter is suspicious. He's oh-so right.
* SirSwearsALot" Constantly throwing profanity at characters, especially Dexter
* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: The sympathetic angle is usually cancelled by his abrasiveness, he would be an InspectorJavert if only Dexter were not actually guilty.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Law Enforcement]]
!!Frank Lundy
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LundyFrank_4906.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"People like us don't really belong, we just pass through."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/KeithCarradine

->''"I track killers. That's what I do. They tend to move around."''

A high-ranking and illustrious FBI Special Agent recruited by Captain Thomas Matthews to lead the task force dedicated to identifying and arresting the Bay Harbor Butcher. He and Lila West serve as the main antagonists in Season 2.

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He is not fooled by Dexter's letter full of fake hints and false leads, and quickly deduces it was fabricated by a person knowledgeable of police prodedures.
* BackForTheDead: He returns in season 4 after being absent for season 3, only to be killed a quarter of the way through the season.
* {{Badass}}: He's spent his life capturing serial killers.
* BadassInANiceSuit: During his tenure with the FBI.
* BadassGrandpa: He's the right age, at least. But he still doesn't ''look'' grandpa.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He eats animal crackers during interviews, he maintains odd habits and is generally a bit off. But there's a reason he's a renowned serial killer hunting badass.
%%* ButNowIMustGo
* CloudCuckooLander: He has several weird habits. For instance, he's obsessed with food and keeps making food and cooking references. He has to eat his lunch at one o'clock.
%% * CoolOldGuy
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* FamedInStory: He's considered a 'Rock Star' among law enforcement.
* FBIAgent: A well-regarded and famous one.
* HeroAntagonist: Unlike the [[AxCrazy violently unstable]] Lila West who is [[BigBad a major antagonist AND villain in Season 2]], Lundy is a thoroughly professional and ethical man. Nevertheless, he, like Lila, poses a preeminent threat to Dexter Morgan right up until the end of the second season.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the much younger Deb. He even points this out to her.
* MarriedToTheJob: His place is wherever there is a major crime to be solved. After a case is concluded [[ButNowIMustGo he moves on.]]
* NiceGuy: He's quite tactful, smiling and friendly. He also avoids confrontation when he doesn't see a benefit to it.
* TheProfiler: His job at the FBI. And he rocks at this game, breaking several extremely hard cases.
* PutOnABus: He leaves after the Bay Harbour Butcher case is solved at the end of season 2. TheBusCameBack: He returns in the fourth season as the cast investigates the Trinity Killer, who Lundy has been searching for his entire career.
* ScheduleFanatic: Always has his sandwich at the exact same time every day.
* WorthyOpponent: Dexter explicitly calls him one, after he is killed. Even Trinity considers him one and refuses to harm him since he ''wants'' [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou to be caught by him]].

!!Det. Angie Miller
->'''Played by''': Dana L. Wilson

A no-BS African-American divorcee with two kids who joins the Homicide division.

* AscendedExtra: She was only a background character in season 7, but as of season 8, she has plenty of speaking lines.

!!Dr. Evelyn Vogel
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/evelynvogel_8592.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Charlotte Rampling

-->''"I believe that psychopaths are not a mistake of Nature, they're a gift. They're alpha wolves, who helped the human race survive long enough to become civilized. An indispensable demographic. Psychopathic traits can be found in the most successful [=CEOs=], in the most effective politicians. Without psychopaths, Mankind wouldn't exist today."''

An intelligent neuro-psychiatrist specializing in profiling psychopaths who acts as a consultant for various law enforcement agencies assisting in their investigations.

Vogel arrives in Miami to aide in the investigation of a serial killer known as The Brain Surgeon, helping profile and instruct Miami Metro Homicide as a consultant. She meets with Dexter Morgan here and in time reveals that she knows about the Code of Harry, as well as that Dexter is a psychopath and serial killer.

* AdmiringTheAbomination: She's more than fascinated by psychopaths and praises them as a force of Nature.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: She has some rather creepy mannerisms and believes that psychopaths are needed for humanity to develop, but she hasn't been anything but helpful. Even with the revelation of her [[spoiler:new book about Dexter, she doesn't have any truly evil intentions.]]
* AndThatWouldBeWrong: When Dexter tells her about Debra's downward spiral, she asks why Dexter didn't kill her when she found out the truth about him... Not that she would ever advocate such a thing.
* TheManBehindTheMan: She was the one who [[spoiler:created Harry's code.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Treated as Dexter's mother in more than a symbolic sense.
-->When Harry and I came up with the Code, he insisted that you only kill bad people, and ''I'' insisted that the first rule of the Code be, "Don't get caught."
* TheProfiler: She acts as a consultant for various law enforcement agencies, assisting in their investigations profiling serial killers.
* RedBaron: She is referred and called the Psychopath Whisper.
* TheShrink: A neuropsychiatrist who has treated dozens of psychopaths.
* SlashedThroat: [[spoiler:Courtesy of her dearly deranged son]].
* TheSocialDarwinist: Views psychopaths as a necessary evil to cull mankind's weaknesses, as illustrated by her presiding quote up there.
* UnscrupulousHero: Despite being amoral and calculating, the Code she developed proved pivotal in helping Dexter control his bloodlust and eliminate [[BlackandGrayMorality far more dangerous and sinister serial murderers]] like the Ice Truck Killer, Trinity and Jordan Chase. Additionally, in order to protect Dexter from "unnecessary distractions", she does more than anyone else to rescue Debra from her suicidal downward spiral.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She developed Dexter's Code primarily as a means to guide psychopaths like her son to advance the interests of society and humanity itself.

!!Det. Michael 'Mike' Anderson
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anderson_mike_8473.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Billy Brown

A transfer from Chicago who has an astounding solve rate and according to Deb, "had recommendations coming out the ass".

* {{Badass}}: "astounding solve rate" translates into "scourge of criminals".
* BadassInANiceSuit: Always dressed very sharp.
* BaldOfAwesome: He's one of the most to-the-point and competent characters. And he's bald.
* BornDetective: Much like Debra, he has a natural gift for
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: After being introduced and having some importance in Season 6, he is very unceremoniously shot and killed in the first episode of Season 7. It can probably be chalked up to Billy Brown [[RealLifeWritesThePlot getting a recurring role]] on ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' between seasons.
%% * GeniusBruiser
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Stopping to help some poor guy with car troubles gets him killed.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At first he dismisses Debra because of her gender and youth, but quickly apologises and proves to be a competent, trustworthy man.
* NumberTwo: He quickly becomes Debra's trusted right-hand man.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: A somewhat aggressive, no-nonsense black cop who doubted Dexter.

!!Louis Greene
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greene_louis_8616.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Josh Cooke

A newly-hired tech-savvy intern.

* AbortedArc: In a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Josh Cooke got a role in a major Broadway production, and therefore Louis' arc had to be cut short. See Dropped a Bridge On Him for the in-universe details.
* BigBadWannabe: He wants to ruin Dexter's life, but he's pretty pathetic and is quickly ousted by more serious villains.
%%* BitchInSheepsClothing
* BrokenPedestal: He gets quite shaken when Dexter calls his serial killer simulation "tasteless".
* DisproportionateRetribution:
** After Dexter shuts down the premise of his game, Louis dedicates an unreasonable amount of effort to get back at Dexter, including [[spoiler:mailing him the Ice Truck Killer hand, and cancelling all his credit cards]].
** He also did this to a former co-worker for equally petty reasons by [[spoiler:putting a bunch of child pornography on his computer and getting him arrested for it]].
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Season 6 hinted strongly that he knew Dexter was a serial killer and would become the next big threat to him. In Season 7, he's a nuisance to Dexter at best, he doesn't actually know about Dexter being a serial killer, and he is killed in the third episode by TheMafiya.
* EvilIsPetty: His masterplan involves sinking Dexter's boat very gradually.
* {{Fanboy}}: He's in total awe every time he watches Dexter decipher a crime scene.
%% * HollywoodNerd
* HumiliationConga: Fired, dumped and then murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thats a humiliation parade.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* {{Otaku}}: It's hinted that his interest in famous serial killers borders on unhealthy obsession and admiration.
%% * TheSmartGuy
* SmugSnake: After Dexter threatens him, he still walks right into Miami Metro with a shit-eating smirk as if he's a king.
* TechnoWizard: He basically does magic with computers whenever Masuka needs him to.
* YourCheatingHeart: Paid for sex with a hooker while going out with Jamie. When Dexter sends Jamie a copy of the video, she breaks off the relationship.

!!Barbara Gianna
->'''Played by''': Kristen Dattilo

A detective within Miami Metro's Vice Division. She meets Angel while working undercover, and later dates him.

%% * {{Badass}}
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* EmbarrassingNickname: She says she had one at school. It was a "giant..." Well, look at her name.
* FairCop: She has to be one. She works at Vice and goes undercover as a hooker to bust customers.
* HoneyTrap: She was working undercover as a hooker.
* PutOnABus: As from season 4, Angel and Gianna stop seeing each other, and we don't get to see her ever again.
%% * TheLadette

!!Ramon Prado
->'''Played by''': Jason Manuel Olazabal

The hotheaded detective brother of Miguel Prado.

%% * ButtMonkey
* ColdBloodedTorture: Puts a random mook through it while trying to find his brother's killer.
* GoodIsNotNice: He may be an asshole, but he's far from an evil character. He just wants his brother's killer to face justice.
%% * HairTriggerTemper
%% * HotBlooded
* {{Jerkass}}: Majorly. He's aggressive, rude and insults the abilities of the Miami Metro department to their faces.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He really just wants to find closure for the death of his brothers.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He goes off the rails trying to find his brother's murderer, resorting to abduction and torture.

!!Cira Manzon
->'''Played by''': April L. Hernandez

A competent young officer who Debra takes under her wing.

* AmbitionIsEvil: She's convinced to pin the blame on Debra for a botched sting operation.
%% * BitchInSheepsClothing
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She doesn't appear after season 5, and her absence is not explained.
%% * FairCop
%% * NaiveNewcomer
* PutOnABus: Despite her promotion, she isn't seen again after her arc.
%% * WideEyedIdealist

!!Francis
->'''Played by''': Tasia Sherel

A files clerk and friend of the Morgans.

* BlackBestFriend: She seems to be Debra's only friend who isn't connected to Dexter in some way.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
%% * SassyBlackWoman

!!Lt. Esme Pascal
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pascal_esme_5388.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Judith Scott

A temporary replacement for [=LaGuerta=] brought in by Matthews to gain political points and punish [=LaGuerta=].

* BadBoss: She quickly grows paranoid, makes poor decisions, makes her workforce carry out personal tasks for her and basically becomes a mess.
* ProperlyParanoid: She suspects her fiancée is cheating on her. She's completely right. If only she could deal with it without acting like a crazy bitch.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Matthews replaces [=LaGuerta=] with her, mostly just to get the support of the Latino and African-American community.
* SanitySlippage: She steadily unravels as she begins to suspect her fiancee of cheating on her.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: She replaces [=LaGuerta=], who's hardly a nice boss, but Pascal's lack of professionalism and incompetence make her brief reign a major inconvenience for Miami Metro.
* YourCheatingHeart: Her fiancé cheated on her and she wasn't prepared for it. It was all invoked by Maria [=LaGuerta=].

!!Camilla Figg
->'''Played by''': Creator/MargoMartindale

A files clerk with a long history of helping out the Morgan family.

%% * DeadpanSnarker: She has her smartass moments.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: She would like to commit suicide, but can't because of her religious faith.
* MercyKill: She begs Dexter to kill her when she's in the final phase of lung cancer and suffers horribly.
* SecretKeeper: She knew Dexter's background story, but never told anyone and obliged when Harry asked her to destroy the case file. She also knew that Brian Moser was Dexter's brother.

!!Yuki Amado
->'''Played by''': Liza Lapira

An Internal Affairs investigator who tries to recruit Debra to help take down Quinn.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She, and her entire subplot, disappear without resolution.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
%% * FairCop
* GoodIsNotSoft: She's a smug jerk, but she's trying to root out corruption.
%% * InternalAffairs

!!Ryan Chambers
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ryan_Chambers_3631.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I've always been fascinated by people who do bad things."'']]
->'''Played by''': Brea Grant

A sexy new intern in the Forensics Department.

* AbortedArc: There seemed to be a lot more going on with her at first: her budding romance with Masuka, her theft of the Ice Truck Killer evidence...but she's abruptly revealed to only be after money and is fired with nary a mention of her since.
* DistractedByTheSexy: Everyone's reaction to her.
* HelloNurse: Everybody (Masuka, Quinn, Angel) has this reaction upon seeing her.
* HotScientist: She was second in Masuka's interns, so she certainly has smarts. She's also ridiculously attractive, as is noted.
* MsFanservice: There are many loving shots of her ass, and she wears tight revealing clothes.
* NightmareFetishist: Although it's possible this was only just an act in order to get pieces of evidence from famous cases to sell online.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: She gets herself fired after stealing from the evidence locker, selling an item from the Ice Truck Killer case online.
* PutOnABus: After Masuka finds out what she did (she broke the chain of custody and screwed him over), he fires her.

!!Jim [=McCourt=]
->'''Played by''': Creator/RaphaelSbarge

An abrasive internal affairs agent investigating Angel's altercation with a fellow officer.

%% * GoodIsNotNice
%% * InternalAffairs
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%% * SmugSnake
%% * {{Slimeball}}

!!Det. 'Mack' [=McNamara=]
->'''Played by''': Scott William Winters

A detective who loses his sister and police officer brother-in-law to gang retaliation.

%% * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome
%% * GoodIsNotNice
%% * GoodIsNotSoft
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%% * RevengeBeforeReason
%% * WellIntentionedExtremist

!!Deputy Director Max Adams
->'''Played by''': Creator/JonathanBanks

The FBI Deputy Director who swoops in to take credit for the Bay Harbour Butcher case.

%% * DeadpanSnarker
%% * ObstructiveBureaucrat
* SmugSnake: He's extremely condescending to Lundy and Debra.
%% * StupidBoss
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dexter's Family]]
!!Astor Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bennett_astor_4890.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Christina Robinson

Rita's oldest child and later stepdaughter of Dexter.

* AbusiveParents: Her father. He was kind to his kids and Rita claims he's a family man, but it must be something horrible to see your father break your mother's head off a wall.
%%* BrattyTeenageDaughter: During season four.
* CallingTheOldManOut: To Dexter in "My Bad" and "Teenage Wasteland".
* CheerfulChild: In the first seasons she was bright and happy. She soon grows out of it as she becomes a teenager.
* DemotedToExtra: With Rita's death, she and Cody move to Orlando with her grandparents.
* DrugsAreBad: Almost [[LampshadedTrope said word for word]] by her in season 7, after she is lectured about her pot habits.
* HeroicBSOD: After she learns her mother's dead.
* LittleMissSnarker: The older she gets, the more sarcastic she gets.
* MoralityPet: Dexter behaves wonderfully to her and her brother. He's especially great with them when they are small.
* NotSoDifferent: From Dexter, it turns out. She did a pretty bad thing, but to save her friend.
* OutOfFocus: In season 6 especially, continuing into season 7. It's a little odd considering Dexter is still the legal guardian.
* PutOnABus: After the Season 5 finale. She decides she wants to live with her paternal grandparents. TheBusCameBack in the seventh season when they visit Dexter for one episode.
* TheStoner: In Season 7, Cody reveals that she's been doing drugs, although Astor claims she only does it to relieve her of the stress. She does admit that she knows they are bad.
* TookALevelInKindness: After Dexter saves Olivia from her mother's abusive boyfriend, Astor becomes a lot kinder to Dexter, and eventually started liking him again.

!!Cody Bennett
->'''Played by''': Daniel Goldman & Preston Bailey

Rita's middle child and eventual stepson to Dexter.

* AbusiveParents: Paul was abusive, although Rita got the worst part of it, Cody and Astor suffered his abuse as well.
* CheerfulChild: He's a happy fellow, lacking none of Astor's angst.
* DemotedToExtra: He moves to Orlando with Astor to stay with his grandparents.
* MoralityPet: Dexter is at his best when he plays with Astor and Cody.
* OutOfFocus: In season 6 he has few scenes.
* PutOnABus: On the sixth season. [[TheBusCameBack He returns]] on the seventh season along with his siblings.

!!Harrison Morgan
->'''Played by''': Luke & Evan Kruntchev

Dexter and Rita's son.

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: In the season 4 finale, sitting in Rita's blood.
* CheerfulChild: He's a normal, pretty happy kid.
* DeadGuyJunior: Harrison is a family name -- he was named after Dexter's foster father.
* EnfanteTerrible: Dexter worries (needlessly) that he will become this due to witnessing a traumatic event, but he's far too young to be affected. Dexter is merely paranoid.
* MoralityPet: Dexter has his issues, but he loves his son dearly.
* PutOnABus: Early in Season 7, Dexter is afraid for his life (specially after what happened with Travis last season), and with [[spoiler:Isaak]] chasing after him, he decides to send Harrison to Orlando for some time with Astor and Cody. He returns soon, though.

!!Laura Moser
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Laura_Moser_5269.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Sage Kirkpatrick

Dexter and Brian's deceased mother, killed in front of them by drug dealers after agreeing to be a ReverseMole for Harry.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: She was chain-sawed to death in a shipping yard container. Her two young sons had to watch it. Poor woman, poor drug dealing and snitching woman. She had her death coming in that cruel universe, but this was awful.
* DeadPersonConversation: She talks to Dexter briefly in season 3.
* DeathByOriginStory: She was killed by drug dealers, who then left Dexter and Brian sitting in her blood and body parts, serving as an origin story for both of them.
* TheInformant: She was Harry Morgan's Confidential Informant. Her drug-dealing friends called her that bitch who was a fucking snitch and who fucked a cop.
* PosthumousCharacter: She appears only in some flashbacks. However, they are very important, especially in season 1.
* ReverseMole: For Harry, who liked to sleep with his female [=CIs=].

!!Gail Brandon
->'''Played by''': [=JoBeth=] Williams

Rita's judgemental, controlling mother.

* AbusiveParent: She's emotionally abusive to Rita, and she also puts too much pressure on her grandchildren. Rita even says she ran away with Paul, the abusive asshole, becuase she wanted to get away from ''her''.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She looks like a dedicated mother and grandmother, and she in fact is, but she's also suffocating and very controlling in her love.
* ControlFreak: She needs and demands control over her daughter's life, which prompted Rita to run away from her.
* EvilMatriarch: She seems more interested in controlling Rita than loving her, and refuses to even show up for Rita's funeral.
* MyBelovedSmother: To Rita, and also to Astor and Cody. In this case, it meant a great deal of personal control.
* NeverMyFault: After she's fired, she places blame on the school as opposed to her own harsh methods.
* SternTeacher: She was fired because she had a disagreement about current teaching methods. She doesn't approve of all children getting a medal when they are not first etc. She's just that tough and she was never accused of being a SadistTeacher.

!!Doris Morgan
->'''Played by''': Kathrin Middleton

Harry's wife and mother to Dexter and Debra.

* FlatCharacter: She's never shown in other context than spending time with young Dexter and Debra. She's usually worried about strange, uncomfortable vibes she gets from Dexter.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died of cancer when Dera was a teenager. She sometimes appears in flashbacks.
* SatelliteCharacter: She only exists in relation to Harry, Debra and Dexter.

!!Joe Driscoll
->'''Played by''': N/A

Dexter and Brian's biological father.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was in prison for a long time, as indicated by his tattoo.
%% * DisappearedDad: To Dexter.
* MysteriousPast: We never find out who he really was, why he was in prison or why he left Laura.
* PetTheDog: At some point, he gave Dexter a life-saving blood transfusion. He also kept the thank-you card Dexter made him.
* PosthumousCharacter: Brian kills him before he gets a chance to make any kind of appearance in-show.
* TattooedCrook: Dexter recognizes that his tattoo of a spider web was made in prison. He also has a flashback memory of him driving a car, while he -- a really small Dexter -- is watching him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Recurring Characters]]
!!Anton Briggs
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anton_Briggs_1922.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': David Ramsey

A criminal informant who develops a romantic interest in Debra.

* ButtMonkey: Nothing ever goes right for him. He's manipulated by Quinn, tortured by a maniac, neglected by his girlfriend who then cheats on him and dumps him.
* ChewToy: Really, all he ever got from working the crew was a flayed back and a broken heart.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* TheInformant: He's a genuinely NiceGuy who just got in some trouble, so he's helping.
* NiceGuy: When hearing about Deb's infidelity, his first reaction is talking about how to mend the relationship, rather than walking away.
* PutOnABus: As with most relationships on the show, shortly after the next season they quickly broke up and he was never heard from again

!!Hannah [=McKay=]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mckay_hannah_4008.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Sometimes a life has to be taken. There's no need to dress it up."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/YvonneStrahovski

A woman who went on a killing spree with her boyfriend as a young girl, before gaining immunity after it was discovered he kept her in line with fear. [[spoiler:This was later revealed to be a lie, with Dexter and Debra finding out she took an active role and tends to poison her problems away.]]

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She has a thing for dangerous men. First Wayne Randall, and then Dexter.
* AbusiveParents: Her father almost drowned her as a child to make her 'sink or swim'. He's gotten no better, fully ready to send her to prison just to gain a slight benefit for himself.
%% * BitchInSheepsClothing
* ConsummateLiar: She lies easily to the likes of Sal Price, even squeezing out some tears for his benefit.
* DatingCatwoman: Hooks up with Dexter, much to Debra's chagrin.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* EasilyForgiven: In Season 8 [[spoiler:Dexter forgives her for trying to kill Debra extremely quickly once she shows up again, and Hannah in turn forgives him for turning her in to the police. This allows them to resume their relationship. Even Debra ends up forgiving her shortly afterwards.]]
* FemmeFatale: Isn't afraid to kill anyone who gets in her way, though she claims that she doesn't enjoy killing'she only does it when she thinks it's necessary (addressed below).
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Her reason for killing a man who molested her.
* KarmaHoudini: Played with. [[spoiler:She dodged being punished for her actions, but as soon as she did she learned Dexter was dead. Of course, it turns out in the next scene he's just faking it, but she will probably never know.]]
* MasterPoisoner: She has killed at least 3 people with poison without leaving any traceable evidence.
* NotSoDifferent: Bonds with Dexter on account of their mutual killing agendas.
* OutlawCouple: With Wayne Randall, and later with Dexter; relationships with other killers
* SerialKiller: With Wayne Randall, and later kills several people.
%% * SocialDarwinist
* StatuesqueStunner: She's a very beautiful tall blonde.

!!Jacob Elway
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elway_jacob_4239.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Sean Patrick Flanery

A former Miami Metro detective who now owns his own private investigation company. [[spoiler:Deb]] ends up working for him after quitting Miami Metro.

* FakeGuestStar: Appears in every episode of the final season, and accomplishes quite a bit more than expected. He even manages to get his own story arc toward the end of the season.
* {{Jerkass}}: By the end of the season, he's blows off [[spoiler:Debra]] and basically smug about catching [[spoiler:Hannah [=McKay=]]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Tolerates [[spoiler:Deb's]] unprofessionalism partly out of concern for her and because she does get results.
* SharpDressedMan: He favors awesome suits, even when doing footwork for the job.
* WakingUpElsewhere: [[spoiler:In the series finale and fate in the show, after Hannah drugged him.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: He had a very tense relationship with his father; he was expected to go into the family business, and he rebelled by going into law enforcement.


!!Lumen Ann Pierce
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pierce_lumen_a_3648.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"If you had something horrible happen to you, could you just forget about it and move on?"'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JuliaStiles

->''"I look different, don't I? Without my hands tied behind my back."''

A woman whom Dexter inadvertently rescues from the house of one of his victims in season 5 after she sees him in the act. At first frightened and mistrustful of Dexter and traumatized by her brutal kidnapping and torture, Lumen later convinces Dexter to aid her in tracking down and killing what remains of the group of men who brutalized her.

* BirdsOfAFeather: With Dexter. "It is a law of nature that elements will want to unify. Single cells thrash about in a petri dish until they coalesce."
* BrokenBird: She's traumatised after undergoing a horrific gang-rape and torture.
* ButNowIMustGo: Her departure. She says she's done with her revenge and cannot continue living with Dexter when her darkness is gone.
* CombatPragmatist: When you're a slight women with no combat training, you have to be pragmatic.
* GutFeeling: She's accurate about Dan Mendell the dentist. He just smelled like her rapist.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Before she was turn into an angel of revenge, she was just an angel.
* KnifeNut: "Lookit ''those''!" Dexter buys her one, and it's like a boyfriend buying his g-friend jewellery or a box of chocolate.
* MeaningfulName: Lumen is connected with light.
* OutlawCouple: Lampshaded by Masuka in 5x11, who compares her and Dexter to Bonnie and Clyde. This does not sit well with Dexter.
* PutOnABus: After her 'darkness' leaves, Lumen decides to go back to the life she used to have.
* RelationshipUpgrade: From stranger to lover for Dexter.
* RunawayBride: Why she moved to Miami; unwanted wedding.
* ScarsAreForever: Her back has several horrible scars from her torture. They don't look like they'll ever heal.
* ShrinkingViolet: Her initial reaction after she's freed by Dexter. Then, she decides to [[TookALevelInBadass take revenge]].
%% * TookALevelInBadass

!!Sylvia Prado
->'''Played by''': Valerie Cruz

Miguel Prado's real estate agent wife. Usually called "Syl".

* PutOnABus: Although she befriends Rita and Dexter in season 3, yet she's not seen again afterward. TheBusCameBack for the penultimate episode in the series when she helps Dexter sell his place.

!!Elliott
->'''Played by''': Rick Peters

The Morgan-Bennett family's overly-friendly neighbour.

* FlatCharacter: He has absolutely no character whatsoever other than providing an obstacle for Rita and Dexter's relationship. And not even a big obstacle.
* PutOnABus: He drops out of the show entirely after Rita's death. It makes sense, since the Morgan family remains move away.
* YourCheatingHeart: He kisses Rita while she's still with Dexter.

!!Sonya
->'''Played by''': Maria Doyle Kennedy

An Irish nanny hired by Dexter.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: It was not explained why Harrison's nanny was changed.
%% * MagicalNanny
%% * PutOnABus

!!Jonah Mitchell
->'''Played by''': Brando Eaton

The abused teenage son of Arthur Mitchell.

* AbusiveParents: Arthur, who beats him and later almost kills him. Sally becomes psychologically abusive after Arthur's death.
%% * ButtMonkey
* CallingTheOldManOut: At Thanksgiving, he goes on a rant against Arthur.
* {{Matricide}}: He killed his mother after her attitude and behaviour led to Rebecca's suicide.
* NearDeathExperience: Was almost killed by Dexter, but in the end he lets him go.
%% * NotSoDifferent
%% * PutOnABus
* TheBusCameBack: In Season 6, he is visited by Dexter after he learns of Rebecca and Sarah's deaths.
%% * StepfordSmiler

!!Rebecca Mitchell
->'''Played by''': Vanessa Marano

The young daughter of Arthur Mitchell.

* AbusiveParents: Her father, who locks her in her room and controls every aspect of her life.
%% * BrokenBird
* DrivenToSuicide: She killed herself in a bathtub after her mother's verbal abuse ended up being too much.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: A fairly prominent supporting character in season 4, she dies off-screen in season 6, appearing only as a photograph.
* FilleFatale: She clumsily tries to seduce Dexter, just so she can escape her father.
%% * PutOnABus
%% ** BusCrash
* ShrinkingViolet: Jonah describes her as being this, which led to her suicide.
* StepfordSmiler: Like the rest of the Mitchell family, she puts on a cheerful facade to hide the abuse.

!!Ellen Wolf
->'''Played by''': Anne Ramsey

A defense attorney and Miguel Prado's main rival.

* AmoralAttorney: Averted. She's not as straight-up charming as Miguel, but she has the integrity and morals that Miguel makes such a show of pretending to have.
* GoodIsNotNice: She works by the book, and claims to truly believe that she thinks her clients are innocents who deserve a fair trial. Though it's ambiguous as to whether she means it or if she does this for the money.
%% * HelloAttorney
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%% * JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* MrsRobinson: She flirts heavily with a young bartender.
* SacrificialLion: Miguel killing a principled character underscores that he means business.

!!Brother Sam AKA Samuel Wright
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wright_samuel_8402.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm not afraid of you son...and damn sure ain't afraid to die. I know what's waiting for me on the other side, do you?"'']]
->'''Played by''': Mos Def

Once on Death Row, Samuel Wright is now a reformed man of God... or so he says. Miami Metro are still highly suspicious of him, and don't know if he's honestly changed or has different intentions.

%% * AbusiveParents
* TheAtoner: He helps criminals and gang members reform themselves to atone for his own violent past.
* {{Badass}}: He faces down three men who all intend to kill him with not a trace of fear.
* BadassPacifist: He stands still and simply tells the above attackers that he's not afraid to die.
* BadassPreacher: He's gone from a criminal to a man of God, but still retains all his toughness.
* BloodstainedGlassWindows: Had his life-changing epiphany while beating the crap out of a guy in the chapel of a prison.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Certainly not all of the time. He once killed a man and outlets his violent tendencies on a punching bag.
* GoodShepherd: This man of God has set up a garage where he employs ex-cons, and tries to help them better themselves.
%% * DroppedABridgeOnHim
* HeelFaithTurn: He had a conversion experience that led him to becoming a man of God, surprising even Dexter who had plans for him.
%% * MagicalNegro
* MessianicArchetype: [[IncrediblyLamePun Mos Definitely]]. He cares for the weak, tries to inspire them to be good people, sees the good in everyone, and his last act is to forgive his killer. In a twist on the usual trope, he was not always this way.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: See BloodstainedGlassWindows. When he saw the sun shine in through the stained glass windows, he began to regret his life of crime.
* NotAfraidToDie: [[{{Heaven}} He knows what's waiting for him]] so why should he be afraid?
* NotSoDifferent: Dexter recognizes that Brother Sam had a Dark Passenger. It's Sam's ability to find the [[HeelFaceTurn light within his own Darkness that intrigues him]].
* ReformedButRejected: The police don't trust him in the slightest, but his small community respect him and rely on him heavily.
* ReformedCriminal: He found God while in prison.
* OddFriendship: To the rest of Dexter's social circle, his friendship with a former legendary gangbanger known for his body count would seem .. Odd. Unknown to them the two have a lot more in common then they know.
* TurntheOtherCheek: Tries to get Dexter to do this in regards to Nick who had betrayed Brother Sam and fatally shot him. Dexter tried to respect his friends wishes, then Nick had to start [[{{KicktheDog}} laughing about getting away with it.]]
* TheObiWan: He tries to help Dexter put aside his Dark Passenger and bring out his good instead.
* ObiWanMoment: On his deathbed, he asks Dexter to forgive his murderer.

!!Sally Mitchell
->'''Played by''': Julia Campbell

The controlled and meek wife of Arthur Mitchell.

* DroppedABridgeOnHer: She's killed off-screen by Jonah during season 6.
* MayDecemberRomance: Could be with Arthur. She's noticeably younger than him, although this may not be the intention of the writers.
%% * PutOnABus
%% ** BusCrash
%% * ShrinkingViolet
* StepfordSmiler: She plasters a big smile on her face to disguise the awful truth of her marriage.
* StockholmSyndrome: She's come to rely on Arthur, making excuses for him and obeying him unquestioningly.

!!Gabriel
->'''Played By''':

An aspiring writer who dates Debra.

!!Niki
->'''Played By''':

Vince Masuka's daughter.

!!Tony Tucci
->'''Played by''': Creator/BradWilliamHenke

An initial suspect and later almost-victim of the Ice Truck Killer.

* AnArmAndALeg: Rudy cuts off his hand and foot to leave as messages for Miami Metro.
* BigFun: He's a larger man with a ridiculously upbeat attitude.
%% * ButtMonkey
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* NiceGuy: Despite being held for days and mutilated, he's friendly, upbeat, extremely affable and even apologises to Deb and Doakes for not being able to remember more. Even then, he goes the extra length to recall a very traumatic memory just to help them.

!!Lisa Marshall
->'''Played by''': Creator/MollyParker

The sister of Travis Marshall.

%% * BigSisterInstinct
* CainAndAbel: Killed by her brother Travis in a gruesome way.
%%* MoralityPet:
* PromotionToParent: She took care of Travis after their parents died.

!!Valerie Hodges
->'''Played By''':

An old informant of Harry.

!!Sal Price
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SalPrice_5151.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Santiago Cabrera

->''"It's not in my nature to keep quiet about anything."''

A TrueCrime fiction writer doing a follow-up to his earlier book about the killings by Wayne Randall.

%% * DeadpanSnarker
* GoingForTheBigScoop: Played with, he is smart enough to avoid the usual methods of Hannah [=McKay=], but he bites the dust anyway.
* GoodIsNotNice: He isn't above engaging in bribery in order to expose those who have fallen through the cracks of the Miami justice system.
%% * HandsomeLech
%%* HeroAntagonist:
%% * HotScoop
* ItsAllAboutMe: His goals only extended to furthering his own success as a novel writer.
* IntrepidReporter: He's very determined to push out another book based around Wayne and Hannah, even putting himself in danger.
* OralFixation: Has a fondness for biting things. [[ExploitedTrope This is used to poison him]].
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He dies fairly quickly after his introduction, poisoned by Hannah.
%% * WrongGenreSavvy


!!
!!Jeremy Downs
->'''Played By''': Mark L. Young

A young man who was an intended victim of Dexter.

* DrivenToSuicide: He slices his wrists open while in holding.
* RapeAsBackstory: Jeremy was raped, and killed the boy who did it. Out of shame, he never told anyone which led Dexter to hunt him down.

!!Clarissa Porter
->'''Played By''': Mariana Klaveno

A professor who was having an affair with James Geller.

* TheApprentice: She was an intern of Professor Gellar and also his lover.


!!Wayne Randall
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wayne_Randall_748.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Dan Buran

A prisoner who embarked on a several-day killing spree with his teenage girlfriend, Hannah McKay.

* BeardOfEvil: A Van Dyke beard.
* DrivenToSuicide: Decides to end his prison sentence by running in front of a speeding truck.
* FriendlyEnemy: He's pretty decent to Dexter.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's unsurprisingly ill-tempered when dealing with his jailors.
* ManipulativeBastard: He manages to sneak his way into the sun for a few days, before opting out of his sentence via roadkill.
* OutlawCouple: With Hannah he went on a killing spree.

!!
!!Cassie Jollenston
->'''Played By''': Bethany Joy Lenz

A former finance executive who moves in next to Dexter Morgan looking for a quieter life.

* GirlNextDoor: Literally, as in she moves in next door to Dexter. However it's subverted in the sense that "average normal wholesome girl" is not compatible with Dexter.
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler:A sweet girl who quickly falls victim of the Brain Surgeon.]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Exits the story after just a few episodes.

!!Zach Hamilton
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zachface1_4809.png]]
->'''Played By''': Sam Underwood

The son of Ed Hamilton, a rich "friend" of the Miami Metro Police Department. A young budding Serial Killer, he killed a woman named Norma Rivera in an attempt to stop his father's affairs, which were ultimately hurting his own mother. Troubled by the continuing urges, Dexter Morgan takes Zach under his wing and begins teaching him the Code of Harry in hopes that he can provide the necessary lessons that can make Zach like he is, and prevent him from being caught.

* AbusiveParents: A unique example in the form of his father, Ed Hamilton. While Ed spoils his son rotten with the best luxuries money can buy, he is also [[ParentalNeglect emotionally distant]] and [[ImpliedTrope implied]] to be [[DomesticAbuser abusive towards Zach's mother]].
* TheApprentice: Dexter teaches him the Code of Harry so he can be a "neat monster" too.
* AntiHero: A [[NominalHero nominal example]] given that he begins follows Dexter's lead by [[SerialKillerKiller murdering serial killers]] in order to contain his sadistic urges. [[spoiler: However, the Brain Surgeon kills him before he can fully internalize the Code of Harry.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: His image as a handsome, charming young man serves as a convenient disguise for his true nature as a bloodthirsty SerialKiller in the making. [[spoiler: Partially subverted in later episodes when he is revealed to be little more than a less disciplined version of Dexter Morgan given that he [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas genuinely loves his mother]] and [[WellDoneSonGuy looks up to Dexter]] much the same way that Dexter himself once looked up to Harry.]]
* CreepySouvenir: He takes photographs of his victims.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: The Brain Surgeon uses a bonesaw to cut into his cranium ''while he is still alive.'']]
* IdleRich: The fact that his father is filthy rich gives him a lot of free time to pursue his....''"hobbies."''
* LonelyRichKid: Ultimately revealed to be this in "This Little Piggy". This is one of the primary reasons that Dexter decides to take him on as an apprentice instead of killing him.
* MoralityPet: His mother for whom he genuinely seems to care about despite his bloodlust.
%%* NotSoDifferent: From Dexter.
%%* PrettyBoy
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: [[spoiler:Dexter fears this is the case but it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when it turns out he's not the one who killed Cassie.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: His family's wealth is the primary reason he has been able to evade arrest or suspicion for his behavior prior to meeting Dexter.
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Is suddenly killed by the [[BigBad Brain Surgeon]] in "Are We There Yet?"]]
* StuffedIntoTheFridge: [[spoiler:His partially brainless corpse is left sitting in Dexter's house.]]

!!Niki Walters
->'''Played by''': Dora Madison Budge

The daughter of Vince Masuka, who donated sperm in college, resulting in her conception. After the death of her mother, Niki tracks Vince down and the two meet for the first time.

%%* AnnoyingLaugh: Exactly the same as Masuka's.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Antagonists]]
!!Rudy Cooper/ Brian Moser AKA The Ice Truck Killer
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rudycooper1_109.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You can't be a killer and a hero. It doesn't work that way!"'']]
->'''Played by''': Christian Camargo

The BigBad and Dexter's main nemesis of the first season. The Ice Truck Killer murders prostitutes before placing them in a freezer (starting with an ice truck, hence the name), draining their blood and chopping them into pieces before displaying them for all to see. Through the entirety of the first season [[CriminalMindGames he leaves clues and hidden messages that he knows only Dexter will find]] at his crime scenes. He's eventually revealed to be Dexter's older brother, Brian Moser, who seeks to coerce Dexter into discarding all semblance of morality to embrace a life of bloodshed and depravity.

* AxCrazy: The scarier part is that he represents what Dexter would be ''without'' the Code of Harry.
* {{Badass}}: He kicks his brother's ass and evades the police seconds before they're able to catch him. All in the same scene.
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: See the quote under his picture.
* BigBad: He's the main antagonist of season one, which [[ArcVillain revolves around the hunt for the Ice Truck Killer]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He poses as Rudy Cooper, compassionate doctor and ardent boyfriend. In reality, he's a homicidal psychopath who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself and Dexter, manipulating everyone—including Dexter—in order to bring his plan into fruition.
* TheBusCameBack: For one episode, as Dexter's temporary Dark Passenger.
* CainAndAbel: It isn't difficult to figure out which brother is which.
* ChekhovsGunman: For a while there, it seemed like he was just Debra's innocent prosthetist boyfriend.
* ChekhovsSkill: By day, he makes prosthetic limbs. By night, he severs ''real'' limbs. His implicit basic medical training must help him cut so cleanly.
* ConsummateLiar: How else could he convince Debra that he was in love with her?
* CriminalMindGames: Plays these with Dexter for the entire season.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: From the murder of his mother, the separation from his brother, and his eventual institutionalization, Brian Moser had it rough. This is mostly revealed in Dexter's TroubledBackstoryFlashback triggered by Brian in "Born Free," and the events proceeding.
* DeadpanSnarker: Somewhat when he was alive, but he takes it UpToEleven as Dexter's [[ImaginaryFriend Dark Passenger]].
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Stole the identity of Rudy Cooper, a plumber he killed in the late '90s.
* DeathByAdaptation: He survives in the books, but is killed by Dexter in the season one finale.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His impetus the entire season is to win over his long lost little brother.
* EvilCounterpart: To Dexter Morgan more so than most characters. It comes with being brothers.
* FanDisservice: When he knocks out and later kills a hooker clad in nothing but his underwear.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The fact that he was so convincingly kind to even the most perceptive and naturally suspicious of individuals (i.e. Dexter, a SerialKillerKiller) is a testament to his villainy.
** He even sarcastically pretends to care about Debra's comfort while he has her duct-taped to a boat.
* {{Fetish}}: He has an amputee fetish [[{{Squick}} as a result of watching his mother get dismembered by drug lords]].
* FreudianExcuse: Witnessing the dismemberment of his mother in a shipping container and being left in the ensuing blood pool for two days.
** And ''then'' being forcibly separated from his brother by Harry Morgan.
** And ''THEN'' being committed to a mental institution until he was twenty-one.
* HiddenVillain: The first of the series. In fact, the entire plot of the first season revolves around learning who he is, and the audience learns ([[DramaticIrony before any character in the show]]) over halfway through the season.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Dexter slashes Brian's throat on the same inversion table Brian uses to drain his victims' blood.
** Additionally, Dexter fools Brian into believing that a set of prosthetic limbs Brian made himself are really a sleeping Debra when he tries to kill her a second time. This allows Dexter to choke him from behind, leading to his death as described above.
* HopeSpot: To Debra. Worst thing is, ''he's not even trying to pretend anymore''. He's just fucking with her.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: His M.O. in general, but ''especially'' when he reveals his true nature to Debra and subsequently strangles her.
* KilledMidSentence: Dexter slices his throat while he's halfway through a small speech.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Or pseudo-love. As far as the viewer knows, this is the first and only kill Dexter has ever cried over, as he killed the only person who fully embraced who he is.
* LackOfEmpathy: Dexter notes that he's "a killer without reason or regret."
* LeanAndMean: He's the skinniest male adversary Dexter has ever faced, but [[StrongerThanTheyLook he still beat him in a fight]].
* LukeIAmYourFather: "Rudy Cooper" reveals himself as Brian Moser, Dexter's biological older brother.
* MadArtist: In Dexter's words, "The killer is an artist." Right before Brian strangles a hooker named Monique in bed, he also refers to his kills as his artwork.
* ManipulativeBastard: He plays everyone, even Dexter, to fit into his plans. This includes being the doctor for one of his own victims and successfully getting Debra to fall in love with him.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Christian Camargo is typically regarded as gracious and kind by those who have met him. A far cry from the Ice Truck Killer.
* MrFanservice: He's half-naked in almost all of his scenes with Debra.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His modus operandi is primarily based off of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper Jack the Ripper]], a serial killer in Britain near the dawn of the 20th century who brutally murdered female prostitutes and left their mutilated bodies on display for the public.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: When the aforementioned Monique recalls her first sexual encounter with Brian, she mentions that he was very violent in bed. This makes him an anger-excitation (sadistic) rapist.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: He wears black pants and a red shirt in "Born Free." In the episode prior, he wears the same black pants and red shirt ''with'' a black blazer while he proposes to Debra and subsequently strangles her.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Killed his own father to expose one of Harry's lies to Dexter (and meet Dexter face-to-face for the first time in over thirty years).
* ShadowArchetype: He represents what Dexter would be without Harry's Code.
* SingleTear: Just before Dexter kills him.
* SlashedThroat: How Dexter dispatches him.
* SlasherSmile: Only once or twice, but when it happens, ''you know''.
* StepfordSmiler: Type C. Underneath all that deliberate sweetness and dorkiness is a psychopathic monster.
* TheSociopath: Kills without remorse and without a code.
* VillainousCheekbones: This is pretty apparent throughout, but especially when he's doing something [[http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma072sRwOe1rfukgso5_400.gif particularly]] [[http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maenasZsOv1rfukgso1_500.gif disturbing]].

!!!Content exclusive to the books

In the books Dexter spares him and even gives him a head start after being shot by [=LaGuerta=].

%%* TheBusCameBack: In ''Dexter is Delicious''.
* CriminalMindGames: The fifth book. It turns out it was just his way of showing affection and having fun with Dexter and the kids.
* FamilyValuesVillain: He constantly reminds Dexter about the importance of family.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Dexter was suspicious of Brian's motives when he inserted himself into the Morgan family, but it became clear after a while that Brian just wanted to have a family.
* MercyLead: Dexter permits him this after he's shot by [=LaGuerta=].
* UnexplainedRecovery: He's back in the fifth book, after having been shot, with no obvious aches or pains regarding that.
* VillainousRescue: Yes, ''him''. He saves Dexter, Deborah, and Chutsky from vampiric cannibals in the fifth book.

!!Lila West/ Lila Tourney
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WestLila_4101.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Dexter, meet Dexter. I'm gonna help the two of you get to know each other."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JaimeMurray

->''"You're going to tell me all your deepest, darkest secrets."''

Dexter's temporary LoveInterest in Season 2 who eventually joins Frank Lundy as one of the story arc's main antagonists. Lila become Dexter's sponsor when he enrols in NA meetings as his alibi. She learns of his "addiction" early on, finds a connection between herself and Dexter and later professes to be his soulmate. [[spoiler:Dexter finally kills her after she murders Doakes "for him", believing that Dexter will run away with her, and tried to kill Astor and Cody when he goes back to Rita.]]

%% * AxCrazy
%% * BettyAndVeronica
* BigBadFriend: In Season 2. After befriending Dexter, she acts as a [[ToxicFriendInfluence corrupting influence towards him]] before ultimately posing a direct threat to his loved ones.
%% * BigDamnVillains
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She seems like a caring Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, right? Well, she might be, but she's also a psychotic pyromaniac.
* CuteAndPsycho: She's fun, kooky and extremely sexy...she's also unpredictable, obsessive and psychotic.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She's an attractive woman, but her pale skin is a weird sight in sun-kissed Miami. Deb refers to her as Elvira or vampire, and lastly describes her as "pale as a fucking corpse". She really is a dangerous woman.
* EvilBrit: Deb even comments on her being a 'English titty vampire' which is...not an inaccurate description.
* FemmeFatale: She once killed an abusive boyfriend by burning his house down while he was in it. She initially didn't know he was in the house, but she doesn't seem to have many regrets about the outcome.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Killed by Dexter when she spirals out of control.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: A deliberate deconstruction of this trope. She has all the hallmarks of the crazy girl who encourages the buttoned-up hero to let his wild side out, but she's seriously and dangerously mentally disturbed and Dexter's wild side shouldn't be let any further off the hook than it usually is.
%% * ManipulativeBitch
* MonsterFangirl: She's still madly in love with Dexter when she finds out that he's secretly a SerialKiller, and even calls him a "poor creature" who just needs someone to understand him.
* MsFanservice: Besides being played by the very attractive Jaime Murray, she's frequently shown in sexy and nude scenes.
* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: Her opinion of Dexter's secret hobby.
* PyroManiac: Fire is her weapon of choice, which she uses to burn her apartment, kill her ex-boyfriend and kill Doakes. It also works as an allusion to her wild, uncontrollable and destructive personality.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: She's a great beauty with pale skin and black hair. Angel absolutely admires her looks and calls her a pretty porcelain doll.
* TheSociopath: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Dexter correctly identifies her as one of these despite Lila's claim that she's madly in love with Dexter. Her shallow affect and reduced empathy actually means that she's desperately tried to experience them somewhere. It's why she started counseling drug addicts in the first place and deludes herself into thinking that she and Dexter are soul mates.
* SophisticatedAsHell: "Pardon my tits."
* {{Yandere}}: She quickly becomes obsessed with Dexter, to the point of adoring him even after she finds out he's a notorious SerialKiller.

!!Miguel Prado
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PradoMiguel_8007.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''" I am the last person you wanna fuck with because I will '''fuck you BACK''' in ways you never even '''imagined!'''"'']]
->'''Played by''': Jimmy Smits

->''"I'll do what I want to whom I want, to whoever I want! Count on it!"''

Assistant District Attorney who befriends Dexter in season 3 after Dexter accidentally kills his brother in self defense, and Miguel later catches Dexter with blood on his hands after Dexter kills the man who Miguel believes is responsible for his brother's death. This leads to an odd partnership; however Miguel becomes increasingly unstable and eventually murders an innocent defense attorney, and Dexter is forced to kill him after realizing that Miguel has been manipulating him all along.

* AbusiveParents: His father really messed up him and his brothers.
* AmoralAttorney: Apparently he often tampered with evidence and did other shady things to get the results he wanted in court. Also [[BreadEggsMilkSquick became a serial killer]].
* BigBadFriend: In Season 3, he turns out to be manipulating Dexter throughout pretending to be his friend. When his facade crumbles, he stops pretending.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He cultivates the perception that he is the most level-headed and upstanding of his siblings in stark contrast to his hot-headed younger brother, Ramon. However, he is ultimately revealed to be a corrupt narcissist whose destructive wake is the primary cause of Ramon's HairTriggerTemper.
%% * BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord
* TheCharmer: He's done so well politically as a result.
* ConsummateLiar: He is a wonderful monument of bullcrap.
* DeceptiveDisciple: Dexter teaches him the ways of murder, and he acts like a disciple of his. As it turns out, he planned to use Dexter's teachings for his own selfish purposes, behind Dexter's back.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He seems to genuinely care for his brothers and also values Dexter's friendship in his own narcissistic way. [[spoiler: This is made apparent at the moment of his death when he expresses sincere anguish after Dexter admits to killing his younger brother, Oscar.]]
* {{Expy}}: He bears more than a few similarities with another [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Aceveda fictional handsome, idealistic law enforcement official of Latino ethnicity who grows increasingly corrupted by his lust for power]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Acts polite to a fault, but it's eventually revealed that it's all a facade, and he does it purely to manipulate people more easily.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Starts out genuinely interested in killing criminals who escaped justice to give them what they deserve, but soon develops his own personal agenda and becomes no better than some of them...
* KnightTemplar: He is genuinely committed to cleaning up crime and corruption in Miami....''even'' if it means subverting the legal process to those whom he believes to be guilty.
* ManipulativeBastard: Gave Dexter his blood-stained shirt to gain his trust; this fools Dexter for almost an entire season before he discovers the stain is just animal blood.
%% * {{Narcissist}}
%%* LargeHam: During his confrontation with Dexter, on the rooftop.
%%* TheOneThatGotAway: For Maria.
* SanitySlippage: Most apparant when he goes utterly crazy at Dexter on the Miami Metro roof, ranting about doing whatever he wants.
* VillainousBreakdown: He's got quite a temper, culminating in him blowing his top at Dexter on the Miami Metro roof.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He's a beloved hero of Miami.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: At first, he wants to take out the trash like Dexter. He quickly graduates to killing his personal enemies.

!!Arthur Mitchell AKA The Trinity Killer
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/467327-arthur_mitchell_02_6123.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"It's already over....."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JohnLithgow

->''"You're like a child......You dream of a heaven you'll never see."''

The BigBad of season 4, a mysterious, malevolent figure who kills in threes, referred to by Dexter as "the most successful serial killer to ever get away with it". Dexter tracks down Trinity only to find that Arthur has a family and hides within his community, just like Dexter himself and realizes that he may be able to learn a thing or two from him.

%%* AbusiveParents: Had them and becomes one.
%% * AxCrazy
* BaitTheDog: Despite being revealed as a serial killer early on in Season 4, he initially appears to be a loving husband and father who is otherwise [[FreudianExcuse tortured by a tragic past and a compulsive need to kill]]. At one point, Dexter even views him as a possible role model and decides to delay killing him long enough to learn how he has successfully led a double life for so long. However, as the season progresses, he is ultimately revealed to be a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorbed]] and unrepentantly cruel StrawHypocrite who [[DomesticAbuser dominates every aspect of his family's lives through fear and brutality while viewing them little more as a cover for his true nature]].
* BadassGrandpa: Despite being at least 60 years old, Arthur's decades of experience as a killer coupled with his large size endow him with a substantial physical edge over most opponents. This is demonstrated when he subdues a strong individual like Dexter in a chokehold and overpowers his extremely athletic and muscular son, Jonah, with startling ease. Similarly, during the course of searching for Dexter in Miami, he brutally beats to death a far younger man with little more than his bare hands.
* BerserkerTears: During the fourth kill in his cycle, [[DropTheHammer beating a father of two to death]].
* BigBad: Of Season 4 which revolves around the hunt for the Trinity Killer.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: See BaitTheDog above.
* BrokenPedestal: Dexter initially views him as a role model for liking a dual life. However, in the latter half of the season, he comes to realize that Arthur is no different (if not worse) than the serial killer he has previously encountered and ultimately pays a heavy price for wasting several opportunities in the past to put him out of commission permanently.
* ConsummateLiar: An uncannily adept one whose skills surpass even Dexter. He reveals himself to be capable of effortlessly cultivating an affable and kindly public persona, lulling potential victims into a false sense of security, as well as feigning affection for his family whom he has little regard for (if any).
* ControlFreak: He has small rituals for literally every occasion, and he tends to get ''very'' unpleasant if they aren't followed to the letter.
* CreatureOfHabit: To a much, much higher degree than Dexter. He is obsessed to a psychotic degree that all his habits and rituals are carried out the "right" way every time.
* DeathSeeker: Tries to kill himself, and minutes before being killed by Dexter, says that he had prayed to be stopped and sees his impending death as getting what he prayed for.
* DomesticAbuser: Horribly abuses his family, both psychologically and physically.
* DrivenToSuicide: He tries to kill himself, but [[InterruptedSuicide Dexter saves him.]]
* DropTheHammer: One of his kills is to murder a man with a hammer. Dexter kills him with a hammer as well.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: ''Don't'' call him a pedophile.
* EvilCounterpart: To Dexter Morgan insofar as he represents everything Dexter fears becoming by leading a double life as a serial killer and family man.
* EvilMentor: At first, Dexter sees him as this when grappling how to apportion his time between tending to his family and satisfying his bloodlust. This changes when he finds out that Arthur keeps his family in line through fear.
* FamilyValuesVillain: In his public life, as a teacher, charity worker and church deacon. In actuality, a terrifying DomesticAbuser.
* FreudianExcuse: He scared his sister in the shower as a child, causing her to fall and slice open an artery which kills her. His mother kills herself, and he's left alone with a drunken, abusive father who blames him for everything.
* InterruptedSuicide: Tries to commit suicide but is saved by Dexter who wants to kill him instead.
* ItsAllAboutMe: While [[MonsterSobStory his enduring guilt over causing his sister's death]] and his [[EvenEvilHasStandards indignation over being called a pedophile]] indicate he is not entirely devoid of principles, it is ultimately made clear by the end of the season that he cares about no one but himself.
* KnightofCerebus: While the storyline was always dark, it was always counterbalanced by a darkly comic tone for the first three seasons as Dexter tried with mixed success to appear "normal" while moonlighting as a serial killer. However, with the onset of the Trinity Killer story arc, the dark comedy that characterized earlier seasons is increasingly diminished after Trinity destroys one of the biggest sources of emotional stability in Dexter's life and ultimately forces him to question whether someone with his bloodlust can ever live a happy life with others.
* LackOfEmpathy: Aside from grieving over his long-dead sister, he exhibits little (if any) genuine concern for the well-being of others including his own family whom he routinely abuses when they displease him and ultimately abandons.
* {{Leitmotif}}: He's given "Introducing Trinity" and "Trinity Suite", both eerie, haunting pieces of music used to underscore Trinity's dark nature. It reappears in season 6 when the cops think they may have found him (in reality, Dexter killed him), but it is instead his son who did the murder.
* MadnessMantra: "It's already over... it's already over..."
%% * LargeHam
* ManipulativeBastard: Due to decades of experience, he's become an expert at lulling his victims into a false sense of security before killing them. Similarly, he deludes his wife (and to a lesser extent) his daughter, Rebecca, into believing that he loves them when in fact he views them as little more than camouflauge for his true nature.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: One of the sweetest actors you'll ever meet and a dedicated author and singer for children playing a serial killer who buries kids alive.
* {{Narcissist}}: A [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism "malignant"]] example (i.e: one who displays both [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] and [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] characteristics) . While perpetually cold and abusive to his family, he secretly wallows in self-pity over [[MonsterSobStory memories of his unhappy childhood]] and actively seeks to cancel them out by fostering a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respectable public image as an upstanding family man and "community hero"]] . Additionally, he is extremely conceited given that [[SurroundedByIdiots he treats all those who don't meet his excessively high standards of meticulousness with contempt]] and derives [[{{Pride}} smug satisfaction]] from his "success" as a serial killer (as evidenced when he smirks and even chuckles over photos of his victims at Miami Metro). By the end of the "Trinity Killer" story arc, the sheer extent of his [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centeredness]] and LackofEmpathy is made glaringly apparent when he robs his wife and children and leaves them at the mercy of federal authorities while he makes his getaway.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His character is loosely based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy John Wayne Gacy]], a respectable construction entrepreneur who was widely renowned for his image as a family man and pillar of community service prior to being exposed as a serial killer and rapist who buried his victims beneath his home's crawl space.
* NonindicativeName: Is called the Trinity killer for his pattern of killing in threes, but he actually kills in fours.
* NotSoDifferent: Played with. Much of season 4 is Dexter wondering how different he really is from Arthur, and if he'll end up like him in his old age.
* SanitySlippage: After successfully getting away with hundreds of murders over many decades, it seems he's finally starting to crack under the strain of covering his tracks while simultaneously maintaining his public persona as a "community hero". When Dexter meets up, he's suicidal and begins blurting out his horrible past to complete strangers.
* SelfMadeOrphan: At some point after his mother's suicide, he killed his father with a hammer.
* ShadowArchetype: Of Dexter. He is a very good picture of what Dexter can become if he allows himself to be completely overtaken by his habits and obsession with rituals.
* ThemeSerialKiller: He kills in fours, choosing victims who represent his family members in the order they died: a young boy, symbolizing the death of his own innocence; his sister, killed in the shower; his mother, throwing herself from a great height; his father, bludgeoned to death.
%% * VillainWithGoodPublicity
%%* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: This trope is used to make the character more disturbing, rather than more human (the usual utilization of this trope).

!!The "Brain Surgeon"
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote: Click here to see "The Brain Surgeon"]][[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saxonface10vwx20141_6485.jpg]]]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[spoiler: '''Oliver Saxon'''(AKA '''Daniel Vogel''')]]]]
->'''Played by''': [[spoiler: Darri Ingolfsson]]

->''"You have a lot more to lose than I do. Cute little son, your sister....a girlfriend.....All very lovely and all very easy to remove from your life."''

* BigBad: Of the final season. His targeting of Dr. Evelyn Vogel along with Dexter and his loved ones serves as the story arc's primary source of conflict.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: His image is that of a handsome, charming young bachelor who is a productive and upstanding member of society. In reality, he is brutal and sadistic SerialKiller with a [[JerkAss highly unpleasant personality]]. [[spoiler: In addition to being insufferably [[{{Pride}} vain]] and [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], he displays an ''extremely'' twisted sense of humor as can be seen when he [[KicktheDog jokes about how he murdered his mother]].]]
* CainAndAbel: Killed his younger brother Richard at the age of 14.
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Turns out that the boyfriend to Dexter's next door neighbor is actually the final season's BigBad.]]
* ConsummateLiar: One far superior to Dexter Morgan. His skills for deception and faking emotions are among the best seen in the series.
* CreatureOfHabit: He plays Mama Cass's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" during all of his kills. [[spoiler: It is later revealed that he played the same song whenever he visited the King's Bay Cafe while he was a child.]].
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Uses the identity of one of the children he killed.
* DoggedNiceGuy: [[spoiler: Based on the times she met him, Jamie considered him to be this due to his repeated attempts to persuade her friend, Cassie, into going to the Bahamas with him after dating for only a few weeks. Subverted when he is confirmed to be the Brain Surgeon as well as Cassie's murderer.]]
* EnfantTerrible: He murdered his first victim at the age of 12.
* EvilCounterpart: To Dexter Morgan more so than any other character encountered in the series. Both characters are bloodthirsty serial killers who are at their peak in terms of physical prowess and sensory acuity (unlike the experienced but aged Arthur Mitchell). Additionally, unlike most of the series' antagonists, the "Brain Surgeon" is '''at least''' just as skilled ''and'' experienced a killer as Dexter given the ease with which he outmaneuvers the latter on several occasions. Moreover, unlike Brian Moser, he (like Dexter) aspires to settle down and lead a "normal" existence on his own terms [[spoiler: as evidenced by [[TheBluebeard his long line of fatal attempts to establish long-term intimate relationships]] ]] . Thus, he represents what Dexter could be without being held back by a Code or emotional attachments.
* FinalBoss: The final serial killer Dexter plans on killing in the series [[spoiler:so he can retire and start a new life with Hannah and Harrison in Argentina]].
* GoOutWithaSmile: [[spoiler: If ''this'' [[http://images.wikia.com/dexter/images/0/0d/SaxonDeathSmirk.png image]] serves as any indication]], then he was happy about it.
* GreenEyedMonster: Of all the Seven Deadly Sins, envy is his most defining personality trait.
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Of all the series' major antagonists, the Brain Surgeon is ultimately responsible for the deaths of more people close to Dexter than any other character. During the latter half of the season, he murders Dexter's protegé, Zach Hamilton, as well as his "spiritual mother", Evelyn Vogel. Finally, towards the end of the series, he ultimately places Deborah in a vegetative state after grievously wounding her (thereby setting in motion a chain of events that leads to her death.)]]
* HiddenVillain: [[spoiler:The Brain Surgeon's identity is kept secret until the ninth episode of the season]].
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:After being presumed dead for two episodes, the Surgeon returns at the end of "Are We There Yet?"]]
* IAmSong: He adopts Mama Cass's " Make Your Own Kind of Music" as this. [[spoiler: Initially, it appears that he is fond of the song because it reminds him of happier times he spent with his mother, Dr. Evelyn Vogel. However, considering that he later brutally murders Dr. Vogel without hesitation or remorse, it is more likely that the lyrics appeal to his own [[{{Pride}} grandiosity]] and [[StrawNihilist nihilistic worldview]].]]
-->"''[[AboveGoodAndEvil Nobody can tell ya/ there's only one song worth singing.]]''\\
''They may try and sell ya/because it hangs them up to see someone like you.''\\
''[[{{Ubermensch}} But you've gotta make your own kind of music/ Sing your own special song.]]''\\
''Make your own kind of music / even if nobody else sings along.''"
%%* ItsAllAboutMe
* LackOfEmpathy:[[spoiler:He shows no remorse for murdering his victims including his own brother, Richard. Likewise, he reveals that the sole reason for his desire to reconnect with his mother, Dr. Vogel, is so she can help him become a more efficient serial killer. Upon realizing that Dr. Vogel intends to hand him over to Dexter, he brutally murders her without hesitation. After the fact, he shows sadistic amusement over her death and smugly admits he found killing her to be a highly refreshing experience.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: After his identity is revealed, the Brain Surgeon's subsequent appearances are often accompanied by music rendered most distinguishable by an eerie, hollow ringing which reflect his complete lack of normal human emotions such as empathy and remorse along with how dangerously unpredictable he is as a result.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* {{Matricide}}: [[spoiler:He kills his mother, Dr Vogel.]]
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler: When confronting his mother about having him institutionalized, she explains that he left her with no other choice after he murdered his younger brother, Richard. Without skipping a beat, he pins Richard's death squarely on her.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Saxon:''' ''"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!! [[ItsAllAboutMe You ignored me]]! All you ever cared about was Richard!'']]
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: [[spoiler:Dr. Vogel believes the Brain Surgeon to be an old patient of hers. Ultimately it turns out to be her ''son''.]]
* PrettyBoy: Probably one of the most androgynous adversaries Dexter has ever encountered in addition to being one of the most evil. See [[http://images.wikia.com/dexter/images/4/45/SaxonFace3.png image]]. [[spoiler: As mentioned above, many fans of the series have half-jokingly referred to him as a doppelganger of Ryan Gosling.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: Type C. Despite appearing to be a well-adjusted young man on the surface, his emotional maturity remains stunted at a very childlike level given that he clings to the same petty grudges and possessive attitudes that drove him to murder his brother, Richard, when he was only 14. [[spoiler: In "Goodbye Miami", he angrily confront his mother, Dr. Vogel, for providing Dexter with maternal attention and affection that is "owed" to him ''alone''.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Saxon:'''"Don't make the same mistake you did with Richard. Choose right this time. Choose me."]]
* StepfordSmiler: Type C. [[http://allmommywants.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SaxonFace1.png Case-in-point.]]
* ThemeSerialKiller: As the name suggests, the Brain Surgeon cuts into victims' skulls and takes out the part of the brain that produces empathy.
* TheSociopath: [[spoiler: The vast majority of the final season revolves around Dexter pondering whether he is genuinely a psychopath incapable of experiencing love and forming meaningful relationships with those around him. Due to the fact that he is a clinically diagnosed psychopath, the Brain Surgeon unknowingly ends up convincing Dexter that he is NOT one by committing acts of depravity which leave the latter shocked and disgusted.]]
* TheUnfavorite: Resentful towards his brother and mother for what he perceived as a lack of attention.
* TongueTrauma: In the series finale, [[spoiler:he forces a man to take him to the hospital where Debra is at gunpoint, then cuts off his tongue to make sure he doesn't talk. Since his victim can still write, this seems to be an act of mere horrific sadism.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Supporting Antagonists]]
!!Christine Hill
[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/christinehill_9339.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Courtney Ford

An [[HotScoop attractive young reporter]] who forms a relationship with Quinn while pumping him for information. She's later revealed to be Arthur Mitchell's daughter from a previous relationship, and Lundy's killer.

* AteHerGun: She commits suicide by sticking her gun into her mouth and blows her brains out.
* BrokenBird: She's consumed with guilt over killing Lundy and obsessed with earning her father's approval. By the time she dies, Christine has become a shuddering, teary-eyed wreck.
* DaddysLittleVillain: Everything she does is for her father, Arthur. He would prefer is she didn't meddle, because she puts ''his'' cover in danger. He gets furious when she tells him she tries to protect him.
* DrivenToSuicide: With the police closing in and Arthur having abandoned her, she shoots herself.
* HotScoop: She uses her good looks to get Quinn in her pocket. She gets a few hot news and exclusive articles.
* ManipulativeBitch: She uses her sex appeal to seduce Quinn into divulging important details regarding police investigations in order to protect her father, Arthur Mitchell.
* MsFanservice: She has plenty of nude moments and explicit sex scenes.
* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: Nobody guessed she could be the daughter of Arthur.
* SmugSnake: She puts this on for her police interview, mocking Debra and staying impassive.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Towards Arthur, AKA The Trinity Killer. She protects because she wants his serial killer approval.
%%* {{Yandere}}: For her father.

!!Paul Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BennettPaul_6574.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I'm Paul Bennett. Father on parole."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/MarkPellegrino

->''"Just making sure dear Dexter is dealing decently with his dead dad."''

Rita's abusive, violent ex-husband and father of Astor and Cody.

%% * AssholeVictim
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Tries to act nice and welcoming, but doesn't take long for him to get angry with Dexter and Rita.
%% * BlondeGuysAreEvil
* CassandraTruth: Tells Rita about Dexter being a bad guy. She doesn't believe him obviously.
%% * DeadpanSnarker
* DomesticAbuser: He beat and raped Rita while they were married, often coming close to killing her.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His single redeeming quality is his love for his children.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts like a 'Disney Dad', all friendly and smiling. It's an act that Rita and Dexter don't buy.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: Paul blocks all attempts to finalize the divorce from Rita until she starts getting tough.
%% * HairTriggerTemper
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* MoralityPet: Astor and Cody, his children whom he genuinely loves. They are both basically the only good thing he ever did.
* MuggingTheMonster: Tries to intimidate Dexter. Doesn't work.
* NotSoDifferent: With Dexter, occasionally. Both exhibit a harmless facade (which Dexter is better at maintaining) but have violent impulses. Both of them care for the children.
%% * SmugSnake

!!Stan Liddy
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/liddy_stan_4800.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You fuck with the bull, you get the horn."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/PeterWeller

A DirtyCop who is recruited by Quinn to investigate Dexter. However, he quickly gets out of control...

* AssholeVictim: Dexter kills him partly out of self-defence, as Liddy is preparing to torture him to extract a confession.
* BadassGrandpa: Despite his age, he still outwitted and tased the hell out of Dexter. He was close to retirement when he was fired for corruption.
* DeadpanSnarker: With great frequency, spouting off one-liners in his appearances.
* DirtyCop: He was fired from the force for corruption, ruining his pension in the process.
* TheDragon: To Quinn, at first, who hires him to dig up dirt on Dexter.
* DragonAscendant: After Quinn tries to back out, he decides to use Dexter to get his job back, make a name for himself and embarass his ex-employers.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: He's sometimes seen with a pair of reading glasses.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a crude, snarky and corrupt old bastard who looks out for himself.
* ShaggyDogStory: After a season spent watching Dexter [[spoiler:Dexter kills him while he tries to torture a confession out of him and nothing comes of Quinn being accused of the murder.]]
* SmugSnake: When he's nabbed Dexter, he's utterly thinks he's won, taunting him.
* WildCard: Quinn very quickly realizes he can't be controlled. He soon stops following Quinn's orders once he starts to think that Dexter could be a big catch.

!!Jorge Orozco AKA George Washington King AKA The Skinner
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KingGeorge_33.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jesse Borrego

A Nicaraguan SerialKiller and supporting antagonist in season three.

* AffectionateNickname: A twisted example. His bloodthirsty comrades back in Nicaragua referred to him as "the Blade."
%% * BeardofEvil
* ChekhovsGunman: Turns out that the innocuous tree-trimmer encountered by Deb at the first crime scene in "The Skinner" case has been is none other than the Skinner himself.
%% * ColdBloodedTorture: What he's well-known for.
%% * DeathGlare
* TheDreaded: Everyone who knows his reputation is utterly terrified of him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Makes a point of being polite. Certainly didn't fool Dexter.
* KickTheDog: In order to "send a message" to those daring enough to speak with authorities about his killings, he skins a 14-year old potential witness '''alive'''.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After Dexter kills him, he throws him in front of a car that hits him, ripping off some of his skin.
* NeckSnap: How Dexter kills him.
* PsychoForHire: He ends up being hired by Miguel.
* TheSociopath: A reputation-defending example (i.e. one with characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder).
* TortureTechnician: His official role when he was in the Nicaraguan military, and what he continues doing in Miami.
* WouldHurtAChild: He brutally murders a young boy to prevent him from providing crucial information to the Miami PD regarding his activities

!!Nick
->'''Played by''': Germaine De Leon

A drug-addicted ex-convict who Brother Sam attempts to redeem. It doesn't work.

%% * AssholeVictim
* DeathByIrony: Dexter drowns him at the same beach where Brother Sam had him baptized.
* KickTheDog: He first appears to be a SympatheticMurderer, and it looks like Dexter will spare him at Brother Sam's request. Then he starts laughing about how he got away with everything.
* RedemptionRejection: Twice. First when Brother Sam tries to turn him into a good man, and again when Dexter offers him forgiveness for killing Sam. The second time gets him killed.
%% * SympatheticMurderer: Subverted.
* TemptingFate: "I can't believe how well this worked out!"
* UngratefulBastard: Brother Sam only tries to help him, and Nick shoots him for his trouble.

!!Alfonso "Little Chino" Concepcion
[[quoteright:314:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chinovwx2013_2047.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Matthew Willig

* AuthenticationByNewspaper: Blatantly uses this to create an alibi.
* BeardOfEvil: A thin goatee.
* {{Badass}}: He's the largest and most physically dangerous killer Dexter has ever faced and works as a hitman for the Miami gangs. His massive size even allowed to escape from Dexter's restraints once, prompting another capture later on.
* TheBrute: He's the chief enforcer for a Hispanic gang. While he's [[DumbMuscle not as dumb as his size would indicate]] his value to them stems largely from his strength and willingness to commti violent acts.
* CutHimselfShaving: The excuse he gives Doakes for his wound caused by Dexter.
* DeadpanSnarker: Snarks at the police, knowing they don't have evidence on him.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Inverted. He makes a point to mention to never have killed a kid like the one in one of the photos Dexter shows him, Dexter points out the kid was still one of his victims because he ruined his life by killing his mother. (Not too mention when Dexter caught him he was about to brutally murder a kid for snitching.)
* IronicNickname: "Little" Chino is quite massive.
* KarmicDeath: Stabbed with his own trademark machete.
* MacheteMayhem: Machetes are his weapon of choice.
* SmugSnake: During his police interview. They know he's guilty, he knows they know, and delights in knowing they can't prove anything.
* TattooedCrook: He gets tattoos for all his victims.
* WouldHurtAChild: He tries to kill a young witness.


!![[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/santos_jiminez_7605_3_9598.jpg]]
!!Santos Jimenez
->'''Played by''': Tony Amendola

A violent drug dealer who also killed Dexter's mom. Dexter makes his end extra gruesome.

%% * BaldOfEvil
* TheBartender: Of a small bar where Dexter finds him.
%% * BeardOfEvil
%% * ButForMeItWasTuesday
* KarmicDeath: Killed in his drug cabin by the son of his victim with the weapon that killed said victim's mother.
* RetiredMonster: A violent drug dealer who still moves a little coke on the side.


!!
!!Neil Perry
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neil_perry_20471_7336.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': SamWitwer

A computer analyst who is arrested as a likely suspect in the Ice Truck Killer case. He later turns out to be a fake, hungry for fame.

* BigBadWannabe: In order to make a name for himself, he consciously obstructs a murder investigation by claiming to be the Ice Truck Killer.
%% * DirtyCoward
%%* FourEyesZeroSoul
%%*HollywoodNerd
* MommyIssues: As a child, he was regularly abused by his mother but did not retaliate. Considering that he mutilated her corpse immediately following her death, it is apparent that his relationship with her was not beneficial to his psyche.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He views himself as a [[MagnificentBastard sinister mastermind]] destined for fame when in fact he's little more than an unscrupulous poseur ([[NotSoHarmless albeit a violently unstable one]])
* VillainousBreakdown: Once [=LaGuerta=] shows him a severed head, he starts crying like a baby and owns up that he is not the Ice Truck Killer.
%% * SmugSnake

!!Carlos Guerrero
->'''Played by''': Rudolf Martin

* TheDon: He's this for his drug ring in Miami.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His daughter.



!!Johnny Rose & Nikki Wald AKA The Vacation Murderers
->'''Played by''': Alicia Lagano (Nikki Wald) / Unknown (Johnny Rose)

A pair of meth-addicts who began robbing and killing tourists.

%% * AssholeVictim: Johnny Rose.
%% * AxCrazy
%% * OutlawCouple
* SanitySlippage: Nikki is arrested while out of her mind on meth, ranting at Johnny's corpse about going to Bermuda.
* YourCheatingHeart: Johnny cheated on Nikki, contracting syphillis in the process. Angel leaks this information to the press, leading to Nikki finding out and subsequently killing Johnny in a rage.

!!Zoey Kruger
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zoey_Kruger_2177.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Christina Cox

A highly skilled cop who killed her daughter, husband and the crook she framed for the job.

* {{Badass}}: Zoey always hits her target.
%% * DarkActionGirl
%% * DirtyCop
%% * FairCop
* FauxAffablyEvil: She's friendly to Dexter during the house opening, but it's clear to both Dexter and the audience that this is just a façade.
%% * ImprobableAimingSkills
* ItsAllAboutMe: Murdered her husband and daughter because she simply grew tired of them and wanted her own space.
* KarmicDeath: Killed in her daughter's room.
* KillerCop: She's a police officer who resorted to murdering her own family after she got bored with them. Her professional experience made her considerable more difficult to take down for Dexter.
* MuggingTheMonster: She finds out Dexter is investigating her and assumes he is a harmless lab geek in over his head, thinking she can kill him. Needless to say, she is ''very'' wrong.
* OffingTheOffspring: She murdered her young daughter.
* TheSociopath: Manipulative and charming with no regard for anyone but herself. When Dexter asks her why she killed her husband and daughter in their own beds, she explains that it was so she could be free of care again.
* WouldHurtAChild: See OffingTheOffspring above.
* WorthyOpponent: To Dexter. He really enjoys hunting her in a little cat-and-mouse game.

!!Raymond 'Ray' Speltzer
[[quoteright:316:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rayface1_9051.png]]
[[caption-width-right:316:"''You look strong. I like 'em when they're strong.''"]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/MattGerald

A groundskeeper at a cemetery who kills women and keeps their earrings as trophies. Likes to hunt his victims in some sort of a ''Franchise/{{Saw}}''-like maze using a bullhorned helmet before killing them.

%% * AxCrazy
* {{Badass}}: His extensive steroid usage makes him one of the most formidable ''physical'' adversaries Dexter faces in the series in addition to Little Chino and Isaak Sirko.
* CreepySouvenir: He keeps the earrings of his victims.
* DisposableSexWorker: His usual victims are prostitutes, partly because they're easier to lure into his home but also because they disgust him as much as his mother did when she brought over customers.
* DumbMuscle: He's a steroid popping body builder strong enough and tough enough that it takes four cops to bring him down... but he's considerably lacking in the brains department compared to Dexter's previous adversaries (Brian Moser, Trinity, Jordan Chase, etc.).
-->''"Speltzer may have a lizard brain like me, but his shortcoming is he doesn't have much of a ''human'' brain."''
* FreudianExcuse: As a child, he was traumatized by the experience of having his mother bring "customers" home while she earned money as a prostitute. So, every time he invites a girl home and she complies, he is reminded of his mother.
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: With a bullhorned helmet no less.
%% * TheHunterBecomesTheHunted
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%%* MommyIssues
%% * NotSoHarmlessVillain
%% * SlasherSmile
* SmugSnake: He attends the funeral of his own victim.
* SonOfAWhore: His mother was a prostitute who brought men over while he was in another room. This fueled his rage to prostitutes in general.
* WickedCultured: Has an affinity for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur certain]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth aspects]] of Greek mythology.


!![[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hector_Estrada_8050.jpg]]
!!Hector Estrada

->'''Played by''': Nester Serrano

A Drug Kingpin and the man who ordered the death of Dexter's mother.

%% * {{Badass}}
* TheBait: Used several times as an unwitting lure in Season 7.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Recalls the killing of Laura Moser but doesn't remember Dexter's name, referring to him as 'Dickie Moser'.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's still in contact with his wife, who wears her wedding ring decades after he went to prison.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
%% * NotSoHarmlessVillain
* YouKilledMyFather: Dexter's life goes full circle when he finally avenged his mother.


!!
!!Carlos & Marco Fuentes
->'''Played by''': Joseph Julian Soria (Carlos Fuentes) & Josue Aguirre (Marco Fuentes)

A pair of criminal brothers, known for murdering their enemies with machetes.

%% * [[AxCrazy Machete Crazy]]
%% * BoomHeadshot: Carlos.
%% * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome
%% * HotBlooded: Carlos.
* KarmaHoudini: Marco escapes following Carlos' death.
%%* MacheteMayhem
* PutOnABus: After Carlos is killed, Marco disappears from the series and is yet to be seen again.
* TheQuietOne: Marco, who has no speaking role.
%%* SmugSnake: Carlos.
%% * TheSociopath
* TemptingFate: Carlos, who takes a hostage and taunts Debra to shoot him. This is after he succeeded in taunting Debra in the same situation before.
%% * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Marco.

!!El Sapo
->'''Played By''': Nick Gomez

* ProfessionalKiller: [[spoiler:Deb thinks he is a Fence when he turns out to be this]].
* PunchClockVillain: [[spoiler:Won't kill unless he is assigned a target. He even looks annoyed at Deb constantly trying to attack him and is forced to hit her.]]
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: [[spoiler:Killed by Deb in a fit of rage by shooting him once in the head and twice in the chest.]]

!!Albert 'AJ' Yates
->'''Played By''': Aaron [=McCusker=]

* AbusiveParent: His mother; he hid under the bed to get away from her, but she'd always find him.
* CrazyPrepared: His home is wired with security cameras.
%%* DiscOneFinalBoss
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:With a curtain rod.]]
%%* MommyIssues:
* RedHerring: Is not the Brain Surgeon.
%% * SerialKiller

!!Clint [=McKay=]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Clint_McKay_8166.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's sink or swim, sonny-boy."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JimBeaver

Hannah's cruel and abusive father.

%%* AintTooProudToBeg
%%* AssholeVictim
* TheAtoner: Subverted as he says he's trying to atone for his past mistakes, but really he's just after more money.
%% * BaldOfEvil
%% * BitchInSheepsClothing:
* {{Blackmail}}: What he tries against Hannah.
* DomesticAbuser: He was quite abusive of Hannah. No wonder she ran away at an early age.
* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler: He shamelessly abuses his own daughter for purposes of extortion and/or [[ForTheEvulz for his own amusement]]. However, he pleads for his life when he realizes Dexter is about to kill him.]]
* DirtyOldMan: He shamelessly leers over Jaime, making her uncomfortable.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Very polite and affable at the start until Hannah refuses to give him money.
* TheGamblingAddict: One of Hannah's earliest memories of him is how he left her in a hotel room for at least 3 days while going on a gambling binge. Additionally, the sole reason he tries to reconnect with Hannah in "The Dark....Whatever" is to obtain money to pay his gambling debts (presumably so he can repeat the cycle all over again).
%% * ItsAllAboutMe
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* KickTheDog: A lot, anything that have to do with Hannah.
* LackofEmpathy: It becomes clear that he has [[ItsAllAboutMe no regard for any one or anything aside from himself]] and harbors no shame for the pain and suffering he's left in his wake. He even tries to extort money from his own daughter without the slightest hint of remorse.
* ManipulativeBastard: He callously exploits any lingering affection his daughter has towards him for all it's worth.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: The entire reason he seeks out Hannah is to get cash from her; he's spent a long time making money off her 'fame'.
%% * SmugSnake
* TheSociopath: His "talents" as a con man are due in large part to his complete indifference to the well-being of those around him including his own daughter, Hannah, whom he routinely manipulates and abuses to get what he wants. Additionally, he has a pronounced lack of impulse control as evidenced when he almost immediately drops his kindly demeanor and explodes into a rage when Hannah expresses reluctance over giving him money. Furthermore, he shows a highly pronounced [[{{Sadist}} sadistic streak]] if [[DomesticAbuse his abusive treatment of Hannah as a child]] and [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty undisguised ogling of Jaime]] is any indication.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appears in one episode before being dispatched by Dexter.

!!Phantom Arsonist[[spoiler:/Joe Jensen]]
[[quoteright:306:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phantomarsonistvwx2013_7227.jpg]]
->[[spoiler:'''Played by''': Mike Foy]]

A serial killer who burns people alive before leaving behind the name 'Bobby' at the crime scene.

* AxCrazy: Repeat; serial killer who ''burns people alive''.
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: He is introduced as an unsuspecting janitor called in for questioning merely to ascertain whether he witnessed any suspicious behavior at the scene of the crime where he worked.]]
* CreatureofHabit: Leaves the scrawled message , " It was Bobby" at all the scenes of his crimes.
* EnfanteTerrible:[[spoiler: He nearly burned down his school when he was only 12 years old.]]
* InsaneTrollLogic:[[spoiler: He attributes blame for all his murders to his childhood friend, Bobby, who died 14 years ago.]]
%% * FreudianExcuse
%% * NeverMyFault
* {{Pyromaniac}}: His whole schtick is killing the hell out of everyone with fire.
* WouldHurtAChild: He burns a 6 year-old girl alive in a public restroom.

!!Miles Castner
[[quoteright:236:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milescastervwx2013_5835.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Julian Sands

A wealthy international casino owner who is married to Hannah McKay in Season 8.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: At the beginning of their marriage, Hannah initially believed him to be a very generous man after he provides her with a false identity to elude authorities and lavishes her with all the luxuries his money can buy. However, he ultimately reveals himself to be a violently possessive egomaniac hellbent on dominating every aspect of her life.
* CrazyJealousGuy: He is extremely possessive of Hannah to the point of having her followed wherever she goes and having Dexter brutally beaten after learning that they met with one another in secret.
* ControlFreak: He has Hannah followed and wants to control every aspect of her life.
%%* EvilBrit
* Fiction500: His wealth is revealed to be '''at least''' in the millions.
%%* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice
* MayDecemberRomance: With the much younger Hannah.
%%* VillainWithGoodPublicity:
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:He only appears in one episode before being killed by Hannah.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dexter's Victims]]
!!Mary AKA First Nurse
->'''Played by''': Denise Crosby

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed

Dexter's very first victim, although not the first seen in the series or the books. She was a nurse who killed her patients via overdose, and almost did the same to Harry until Dexter got to her.

%% * BitchInSheepsClothing
* CreepySouvenir: Likes to collect her victim's obituaries.
* DeadlyDoctor: A nurse who deliberately overdoses her patients.
%% * PosthumousCharacter
* StarterVillain: Dexter's first victim.

!!Father Mike Donovan
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mike_Donovan_4886.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I couldn't help myself, I just couldn't... please you have to understand."'']]
->'''Played by''': Jim Abele

->'''Murder Method''': Neck sliced open with a power saw
->'''Murder Location''': House where Donovan rented to bury the bodies

The first victim we see Dexter claim in both the TV and novels, though not his actual first victim. A PedophilePriest, he raped and murder three young boys.

* AintTooProudToBeg: He cries and begs when faced with Dexter's brand of 'justice'.
%% * AssholeVictim
%% * DirtyCoward
* PedophilePriest: The reason Dexter selected him. He abducts, rapes and murder young boys.
* SerialKiller: Three victims makes him one.
* SinisterMinister: He's a priest who enjoys some rape and murder on the side.
* TearsOfFear: He cries when Dexter nabs him.
* WouldHurtAChild: He's a child rapist and murderer.

!!Jamie Jaworski
->'''Played by''': Ethan Smith

->'''Murder Method''': Decapitated with a cleaver
->'''Murder Location''': Construction site

A sadistic valet who raped and murdered a woman in order to make a snuff film.

* BondageIsBad: His home has plenty of bondage/rape porn, although it's the snuff that makes him a target for Dexter.
* DefiantToTheEnd: He tells Dexter he's not sorry just before the cleaver comes down.
* FatBastard: He's an overweight rapist and killer.
* {{Jerkass}}: As if the rape and murder wasn't bad enough, he steals copper pipe! What a jerk!

!!Matt Chambers
->'''Played by''': Sam Trammell

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the heart
->'''Murder Location''': Abandoned liquor store

A drunk driver who frequently caused traffic accidents, only to put on a convincing show in court. After escaping justice, he would move to a new town with a new name.

* TheAlcoholic: He's constantly mowing down people in a drunken state.
* AssholeVictim: Shows absolutely no remorse for his crimes so the audience doesn't feel any when he's killed.
%% * BitchInSheepsClothing
* CrocodileTears: He puts these on for court, and Dexter even refers to this technique explicitly.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* ManipulativeBastard: At his hearing, where he manipulates the jury into believing he's a remorseful innocent.
%% * TheSociopath

!!Jorge & Valerie Castillo
->'''Played by''': Jose Zuniga & Valerie Dillman

->'''Murder Method''': Jorge's neck was cut with a power saw, Valerie's jugular was sliced with a knife
->'''Murder Location''': Their boat

A rich couple who made their living smuggling immigrants across the border before bringing up unexpected 'charges'. When the families couldn't pay, Jorge & Valerie would then drown their hapless victims.

%% * AssholeVictim
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Their last acts are to tell each other how much they love each other.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* PosthumousCharacter: Valerie returns as a corpse to concern Dexter.
* RichBitch: Valerie, who's in on her husband's business.
* UnholyMatrimony: A happily married pair of human smugglers.

!!Emmett Meridian
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MeridianEmmett_5339.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Well, for starters, you accept the fact that we all have a big bad wolf hiding inside of us."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/TonyGoldwyn

->'''Murder Method''': Power saw to the neck
->'''Murder Location''': His office

->'''Dexter''': ''"I can't kill Meridian yet. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness I need another therapy session]]."''

A psychiatrist who manipulates the patients of his that are powerful women into taking their own lives.

* AffablyEvil: He's a competent, friendly psychiatrist who seems to actually want to help Dexter.
* CreatorCameo: Tony Goldwyn is both an actor and director. He's directed several episodes, including the one he guest starred in.
* HeManWomanHater: He only targets powerful women.
* ManipulativeBastard: He's one of the best seen in the series. He gets women to kill themselves by prescribing them medication, watches them go through withdrawal when he abruptly takes them off it, and all the while gently needles them with thoughts of suicide. It would be admirable if it wasn't so vile.
%% * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate
* NonActionGuy: He kills indirectly by manipulating his patients into committing suicide. Dexter easily overpowers him after revealing that he himself is a SerialKiller.
* PsychoPsychologist: He's a professional psychologist who secretly films the sessions where he convinces his distraught patients to commit suicide.
* OhCrap: When he realizes Dexter is telling the truth about being a SerialKiller.
* SerialKiller: In a way. He doesn't take any physical action, but he's absolutely responsible for the deaths of several powerful women.
%% * TheShrink

!!Roger Hicks
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Roger_Hicks_7320.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Don [=McManus=]

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the chest
->'''Murder Location''': The home of one of his victims

A used car salesman known to have raped and killed at least two women.

%%* AssholeVictim
* ConsummateLiar: Dexter is impressed with his ability to lie fluently.
* CountryMatters: He calls Rita this, which is what prompts Dexter to break from his usual BreakingSpeech and angrily kill him.
%%* HonestJohnsDealership: The dealership he runs is this.
%% * KarmicDeath
* LackofEmpathy: The secret behind his talents for deception is that he has no regard for anyone or anything.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* SexistUsedCarSalesman: Hatred of women seems to be his motivation for killing them.

!!Ken Olsen
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OlsenKen_5317.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Silas Weir Mitchell

->'''Murder Method''': Decapitated with a cleaver
->'''Murder Location''': An abandoned train wagon where Olsen had previously attempted to kill a man

A half-cocked vigilante trying to mimic the Bay Harbor Butcher.

%% * AssholeVictim
%%* AxCrazy
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* JackTheRipoff: Tries to emulate the Bay Harbor Butcher, but he sucks at it.
%% * KarmicDeath
* VigilanteMan: What he sees himself as, but he's half-assed about it.
%%* SmallNameBigEgo
%% * SmugSnake
%%* StupidEvil
%% * TooDumbToLive
* YourCheatingHeart: Has an affair with a married woman.



!!
!!Fred 'Freebo' Bowman
->'''Played by''': Mike Erwin

->'''Murder Method''': Oscar Prado's knife
->'''Murder Location''': The home of his victim

A petty drug dealer who killed two coeds but got off the hook due to a bad warrant.

%%* AssholeVictim
%%* {{Jerkass}}
* OffOnATechnicality: A bad warrant is the reason he wasn't put in jail.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He dies quickly, but everyone continues pursuit of him for the rest of the season.

!!Ethan Turner
->'''Played by''': Larry Sullivan

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the heart
->'''Murder Location''': Cruise ship

A budding SerialKiller who marries frequently and kills his wives for their money.

%% * AssholeVictim
* TheBluebeard: He marries women, then kills them soon after to claim their money.

!!Clemson Gault
->'''Played by''': Blake Gibbons

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the chest
->'''Murder Location''': The house of his victim

An imprisoned Neo-Nazi on Dexter's 'Top Ten' list.

%% * BeardOfEvil
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: What with being a Nazi and all.
* ThoseWackyNazis: He's a high-ranking member of a Neo-Nazi gang.

!!Benito 'Benny' Gomez
->'''Played by''': Gino Aquino

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the heart
->'''Murder Location''': An old boxing ring

A former boxer who beat several people to death.

%%* AssholeVictim
%% * HairTriggerTemper
* PosthumousCharacter: He causes more problems for Dexter dead than alive.
* SmugSnake: Lets out a big, stupid grin when he realizes how badly Dexter has messed up his trial.

!!Jonathan Farrow
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jonathan_Farrow_1929.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Greg Ellis

->'''Murder Method''': Decapitated with a cleaver
->'''Murder Location''': His photography studio

A sleazy photographer suspected of killing one of his models.

* AssholeVictim: Even if he's innocent of the killing he's still an asshole.
%% * EvilBrit
%%* TheHedonist: A very twisted example.
* {{Jerkass}}: His crass and smug personality is what makes him such a suspect.
* ObviouslyEvil: He acts like this, and gets killed for it.
%%* RedHerring

!!Stan Beaudry
->'''Played by''': Ian Patrick Williams

->'''Murder Method''': Neck power sawed
->'''Murder Location''': The back of his own truck

A truck driver believed to have killed a prostitute many years back. Dexter kills him to throw the police off Trinity's trail.

* AssholeVictim: As per all Dexter's victims due to the COde of Harry.
* DefiantToTheEnd: He yells and curses Dexter in his last moment, under the impression that he'll get free and exact vengeance. He doesn't.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's aggressive and violent.

!!Joe Walker
->'''Played by''': John Brotherton

->'''Murder Method''':
->'''Murder Location''': Skull smashed with a sledgehammer

A former high school classmate of Dexter's who killed his wife to spare himself the expense of a divorce.

* TheBully: What he was in high school, and continues to be.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Despite being a Christian with a tattoo of Jesus, he still kills his wife to avoid a divorce.
* JerkJock: In high school he was an arrogant, popular football player. He's lost the football player aspect as an adult (and most of the fawning popularity), but he's still arrogant.
* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: He's still acting like a JerkJock when he's long out of high school.

!!Walter Kenney
->'''Played by''': Ronny Cox

->'''Murder Method''': Smothered with a pillow
->'''Murder Location''': Walter's own storage facility

A retired man from Oregon who was also the serial killer called the Tooth Fairy whom Dexter admired as a teen.

* BrokenPedestal: Dexter admired him as a teenager, considering him an EvilGenius. He's disappointed to discover that Kenney has not only become a disgusting, crass, bitter old bastard, but even in his day he wasn't much. He admits to Dexter that he was drunk off his ass half the time and escaped justice by sheer luck.
%% * EvilIsPetty
%% * DeadpanSnarker
%% * DefiantToTheEnd
* DirtyOldMan: Asks Dexter to buy him a copy of Barely Legal.
* EvilOldFolks: In his old age, he's still just as cruel as he once was.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He might seem like a pathetic, witless old grump, but he does manage to trick Dexter after guessing he was a danger.
* SerialKiller: Known as the Tooth Fairy back in the day.

!!Andrew Briggs
->'''Played by''': Rhys Coiro

->'''Murder Method''': Stabbed in the torso
->'''Murder Location''': His motel room

A small-time crook and fence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Barrel Girl Gang]]
!!Jordan Chase AKA Eugene Greer
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chasevwx2014_9020.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"[[{{Catchphrase}} Tick, tick, tick...that´s the sound of your life running out.]]"'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/JonnyLeeMiller

->''"It's time to tap into your primal selves and seize the power of instinct. We're gonna cast off those shackles that bind us to jobs we hate, people we don't love, lives that aren't worth living. We are going to... [[{{Catchphrase}} Take It!]]"''

A charismatic and popular motivational speaker, known for his 'Take It!' approach to life. He's also a demented sociopath and ringleader of the Barrel Girl Gang.

* BigBad: Of Season 5. His cult's brutal rape and torture of Lumen ultimately sets in motion the conflict underlying the story arc.
* CatchPhrase: "Tick, tick, tick. That's the sound of your life running out."
%% * TheChessmaster
* ControlFreak: He must absolutely keep control of a situation at all times, and he freaks out pretty viciously when anything goes wrong.
%% * CriminalMindGames
* DevilInPlainSight: One hundred times more evil ''and'' famous than Dexter.
* EnfanteTerrible: If Emily Birch's story serves as any indication, Chase's depravity and grandiose sense of entitlement cannot be traced to any DarkAndTroubledPast or StartofDarkness. Rather, even as a child, Chase seems to have disdained social interaction in general let alone any level of emotional intimacy. It was only when [[ItAmusedMe he experienced the thrill of manipulating others to do his bidding]] that he went from being an [[ItsAllAboutMe egocentric]] introvert into a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity charismatic]] ControlFreak.
* FauxAffablyEvil: His public image is that of an extremely charismatic and polite self-help guru who is genuinely committed to turning his clients' lives around for the better. In reality, he is a sociopathic megalomaniac who uses his program as a means to completely dominate other people's lives for his own gratification.
* FormerlyFat: Dexter tries to taunt him over his fatness. Jordan merely remarks that he is proud of that phase since he managed to come out of it and lose so much weight and become so successful.
%% * ForTheEvulz
* FreudianExcuse: Downplayed; it's vaguely hinted that his actions have something to do with him being overweight as a kid, but it's oddly never brought up again.
* {{From Nobody to Nightmare}}: He was just a fat kid at a summer camp who others felt sorry for. Fast-forward and he's a rich, popular motivational speaker with a side project in kidnapping, rape, torture and murder.
* GoOutWithASmile: Or more like cackling after his facade has crumbled completely.
* HatesBeingTouched: Chase is portrayed as being averse to emotional or physical intimacy of '''any''' kind. When Emily Birch places her hand on his, he coldly disregards this sign of affection by irritably pulling his hand away. Similarly, rather than touch his victims himself, he manipulates others to do it for his own voyeuristic gratification.
* ItsAllAboutMe: As a consummate megalomaniac, he views himself as a god deserving of unwavering praise and obedience from others without [[AllTakeAndNoGive returning any of their loyalty]].
* KarmicDeath: Stabbed by the woman he victimized and tortured, in the place where he did it.
* KicktheDog: As an adolescent, he organized the gang-rape of a young camp counselor named Emily Birch whose only crime was trying to befriend him because she thought he seemed lonely. By the time he has become an adult, he is revealed to have completely brainwashed her since then and reduced her to being a slave for his ego.
* LackofEmpathy: Despite clearly [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans deriving amusement from dominating others' lives]], Jordan shows no signs of emotional attachment or gratitude towards his "friends" regardless of their affection or loyalty towards him. This is most clearly evidenced by his relationship with his right-hand man, Cole, [[UngratefulBastard whose unwavering devotion he repays with barely concealed contempt and annoyance]]. Additionally, when the Miami P.D. begins to close in on his cult's activities, he doesn't show the slightest trace of hesitation or remorse when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness sacrificing his followers to facilitate his getaway]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Jordan is one of the uber-examples in the entire series. He controls an entire group of men since they were children, reduces a former rape victim into becoming a virtual slave, and manipulates Lumen's movements.
* MeaningfulRename: The site of the first time he manipulated the Gang into raping a woman, where he developed his Take It philosophy? Camp River ''Jordan''. We don't find this out till the season finale, when he drives past the camp's entrance sign... and then past an old ''Case'' backhoe*
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Chase's character is an amalgam of many famous cult leaders throughout history who attracted countless followers through appeals of self-empowerment and carpe diem. His megalomaniacal and deranged personality is based primarily on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley Aleister Crowley]], a self-proclaimed sorcerer who indoctrinated his "disciples" to discard all their inhibitions while performing sacrifices and sadomasochistic rituals in order to discover their "True Will."
* PoisonousFriend: Without his influence, the others (with the possible exception of Cole) probably wouldn't have gone on to become rapist superfriends. Of course, this doesn't mean they're any less monstrous. Not to mention that Jordan doesn't seem to care about any of them, being perfectly willing to sell them out to save himself. More than likely, he retains their company solely to derive gratification from wielding total control over their lives and being a figure of unquestioned idolization.
* RousingSpeech: He's made a career out of rousing speeches.
* SharpDressedMan: Always extremely well-dressed as befitting a man of his self-assigned importance.
%% * SmugSnake
* TheSociopath: A high-functioning case yet one of the more textbook examples seen in the series. (See EnfanteTerrible, ItsAllAboutMe, and LackofEmpathy above).
* StartOfDarkness: Emily Birch recounts this. She tells Lumen about how he convinced the other members to gang-rape her, and describes momentarily seeing a 'look' on his face...and goes on the say it's the same look he has all the time as an adult.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Has the creepy and funny habit of finishing Dexter's mental sentances.
* VillainousBreakdown: When he gets angry and kills Emily Birch with a fireplace poker.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He's a well-known public figure and motivational speaker. Subverted in a realistic way, where he has legions of fans but it's clear he isn't well-thought of by most normal people. Still, they hardly think he's evil, just another run-of-the-mill motivators.


!!Cole Harmon
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HarmonCole_8427.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Chris Vance

The loyal head of security for Jordan Chase.

* {{Badass}}: He's well-trained and extremely dangerous, posing a great threat to Dexter. As such, he's the most physically powerful of the group, having had a background in the marines.
* ColdBloodedTorture: It was his fetish when hurting Lumen.
* DefiantToTheEnd: He spits insults at Dexter and Lumen when they try to interrogate him.
* TheDragon: He's Jordan's most trusted bodyguard.
%% * KarmicDeath
* SharpDressedMan: Lumen nicknamed him 'Suit-And-Tie' since he carefully folded his clothes before raping her.
%% * SmugSnake
* UndyingLoyalty: Even though Jordan doesn't seem to like him much, he's crazily loyal to the guy. He almost seems to worship him, considering the fact he has framed pictures of Chase in his hotel room.

!!Boyd Fowler
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FowlerBoyd_5695.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Sean Hatosy

The 'cleaner' for the Barrel Girl Gang, he works in dead animal pick-up and is responsible for disposing of the gang's victims.

* {{Badass}}: One of the few non-{{Big Bad}}s to give Dexter a great deal of trouble.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He's pretty affable and cool until his whole murder, rape and torture hobby is revealed.
* CleanUpCrew: His role within the Group.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Dexter underestimates him, thinking of him as just an ill-educated victim. He's not.
%% * FourEyesZeroSoul
* NiceHat: Always sports a baseball cap.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Dexter thinks he's just another slide-in-waiting, but Boyd thwarts him and causes plenty of trouble before and after his death.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Dexter mistakes him for a poorly-educated dead animal scooper, but he's actually quite cunning and observant.

!!Dan Mendell AKA "Dan the Dentist"
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dan_Mendell_9265.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Sean O'Bryan

A dentist and scout for the group.

* AlliterativeName: Not actually, but once it's revealed he's a dentist, Dexter, Lumen, and Debra all call him "Dan the Dentist."
%% * AssholeVictim
* CountryMatters: Calls Lumen this. It gets his neck broken.
* DepravedDentist: He was a dentist in his everyday life.
* GoOutWithASmile: Realizing he's about to die, Dan smirks at Lumen and taunts her, saying the others will get her.
* HoneyTrap: His role in the group... a little odd, since he's a schlubby middle-aged guy.
%% * {{Jerkass}}
* NeckSnap: Courtesy of Dexter, after he called Lumen a cunt.

!!Alex Tilden
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TildenAlex_9270.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I-I never wanted to do any of it!"'']]
->'''Played by''': Scott Grimes

A banker and weak-willed flunky of Jordan Chase.

* AintTooProudToBeg: He begs and cries for his life.
* AssholeVictim: For all his insistence that Jordan pushed him into it, he nevertheless took part in the torture, rape and murder of young women.
* CreepySouvenir: He collects pieces of jewelry from his victims. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Lumen is able to identify him as one of her attackers by recognizing a piece of her jewelry that he has.]]
* DirtyCoward: He panicks at the first sign of trouble, instantly calling Jordan after being interviewed by Deb and Quinn.
%% * EvilRedhead
* KarmicDeath: Murdered by one of his victims.
* NervousWreck: He's constantly terrified that he'll be caught.
* UnwittingPawn: In the end, this was all he amounted to as far as Jordan was concerned.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: His appearance is very brief, since he only turns up in person when Lumen and Dexter shorten the list.

!!Emily Birch
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Emily_Birch_2322.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/AngelaBettis

The first victim of Jordan Chase and the rest of the group. She's been kept alive by Jordan, living a solitary, damaged existence while still manipulated by Jordan.

* TheAlcoholic: She has a history of drunk driving.
* BrokenBird: She lives alone, drunk and submissive and eager to please Jordan.
%% * DisposableWoman
* RapeAsBackstory: She was gang-raped at Jordan's command when she was a camp counsellor.
%% * ShrinkingViolet
* SixthRanger: Sort of, since she assists the group, she can be considered this.
* StockholmSyndrome: She comes to see Jordan as a protector, believing they have a 'bond'.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: The reason why Jordan kills her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Doomsday Killers]]
!!Travis Marshall
[[quoteright:271:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colin-hanks-as-travis-marshall_8314.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:271:''"I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the Beginning and the End."'']]
->'''Played by''': Colin Hanks

->''"You're not going anywhere until you've repented for your sins."''

A student of Professor James Gellar and his serial killer protege. It's later revealed that he has a SplitPersonality and Gellar has been in his mind the entire time, representing his 'Dark Passenger'.

* AntiVillain: Played with and ultimately subverted. At first, he merely appears to be a weak-willed individual who is being pressured by his former professor, James Gellar, into performing ritualistic sacrifices under the belief they are demanded by God. However, Gellar is ultimately revealed to be a product of Travis's subconscious embodying narcissistic and violent personality traits exhibited by him since childhood.
* AxCrazy: May not be the most evil Dexter villain, but is definitely the most insane.
* BastardUnderstudy: Played straight at first, when he seems to be doing the bidding of Gellar. Eventually it's revealed that he was solo the whole time.
* BigBad: The main antagonist of season 6.
* CainAndAbel: He ''killed'' his sister, though he was under the delusion that 'Gellar' had done it.
* HeelFaceTurn: After an encounter with Dexter forces him to realize that Gellar is manipulating him, he begins having doubts. After an episode of trying to deal with his conscience, he makes the turn and frees the woman who would have been their next victim.
** And then things went bad for him. Though he promises to help Dexter kill Gellar as a result.
** But then he goes back to "serving" Gellar, or at least his interpretation of him.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Travis has to face the fact that Gellar had been DeadAllAlong: Gellar reminds him how he tried convincing him that they were supposed to be the Two Witnesses, then stabbed him with that sword he stole to show him he won't die; Travis said he didn't die, but [[CaptainObvious he did]], and Travis [[DirtyCoward pinned the theft on Gellar]]. Then he denies he did it, and somehow concludes that 'it was the False Prophet’ (that is, Dexter) who did it. Then [[OhCrap he completely embraces his role as the killer in his insane plan]].
* KnightTemplar: His desire to purify what he sees as a thoroughly corrupt and vile world drives him to commit a series of brutal ritualistic murders that he hopes will bring about the Apocalypse.
* LackOfEmpathy: As said in his psych evaluation file.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. It turns out he's not even a minion.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: David Berkowitz (a.k.a. "Son of Sam"), and Charles Manson. [[spoiler:Travis resembles Berkowitz in the first half of the season, when he believes that he is being compelled to commit others by orders from God Himself. In the second half of the season, he begins to more closely resemble Manson after embracing his Dark Passenger as a product of his own twisted psyche and makes the transition from a reluctant killer to a megalomaniacal fanatic who gathers a small cult of "disciples" to assist him in his murderous crusade to bring about the apocalypse.]]
* PetTheDog: He genuinely loves his sister. [[spoiler:Too bad his [[SplitPersonality other personality]] doesn't much care for her]].
* SanitySlippage: Not that he was all there to begin with.
* TheSociopath: [[spoiler: Lampshaded by his psych evaluation. However, this trope is subverted by his depiction in earlier episodes where his ''good'' side exhibits visible discomfort over the torture of another human being and desperately attempts to protect his sister from his Dark Passenger embodied by Professor Gellar. Consequently, his delusions of grandeur along with the manipulative behavior seem far more consistent with [[{{Narcissist}} narcissistic personality disorder]]]].
* SplitPersonality: He has an alternate personality in the form of his 'Dark Passenger'.
* TomatoInTheMirror: As Travis learns in the season's tenth episode, it isn't Gellar who's been doing the killings...
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He wants to end the world because of how corrupt it is. When he tells Gellar he wants out, Gellar responds by telling him about horrific murders and the like to talk him back in.

!!Professor James Gellar
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7429_7502.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Is that what you want, Travis? To hurt me? You see how I suffer for your sins!"'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/EdwardJamesOlmos

->''"We were given free will for a reason, Travis."''

A Professor of Religious Studies believed to be the dominant Doomsday Killer. [[spoiler:He is later revealed to have been DeadAllAlong, murdered by his student Travis and kept in a freezer below an abandoned church. However, he continues to play a role in the Sixth Season as the personification of Travis Marshall's Dark Passenger.]]

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Revealed as such in 'Get Gellar'.]]
* DirtyOldMan: Had a habit of sleeping with younger women.
* EvilCounterpart: To Dexter's own ghost guide, Harry. He takes a more active role than Harry, though.
* EvilMentor: To Travis, whom he encourages and disciplines.
* EvilTeacher: His basis was Travis' Professor of Religious Studies.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's easy-spoken and gives Travis the illusion of freedom, but kills frequently and brutally.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: He wears a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and no ethics.
* TheHeartless: [[spoiler:As Travis Marshall's "Dark Passenger", he is the distilled form of Travis's more violent and megalomaniacal character traits. However, in 'Ricochet Rabbit', this [[SplitPersonality malevolent "Gellar personality"]] is reabsorbed into Travis's consciousness.]]
* KnightTemplar: He seems to be this, but an episode had a teacher assistant of his reveal that he just likes to stir up trouble, so whether he really believes it or not is up in the air.
* ManipulativeBastard: He harms ''himself'' when Travis doesn't follow orders, to better emotionally manipulate him.
* TheMentor: To Travis when he was at college.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His characters is based on American bible prophecy "experts" like Tim Lehaye.
* OmnicidalManiac: He hopes to bring about the end of days by following a series of rituals.
* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler:Travis kills him prior to season 6.]]
* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:He's a separate personality manufactured by Travis's subconscious in order to cope with the guilt of murdering the ''real'' Gellar.]]

!!Steve Dorsey
->'''Played by''': Kyle Davis

* TheFundamentalist: Willing to die for Travis' religious cause.
* GoOutWithASmile: He grins at Dexter as he dies.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Beth Dorsey, a fellow dangerous cultist.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: His appearance is brief before dying.

!!Beth Dorsey
->'''Played by''': Jordana Spiro

* BloodFromTheMouth: She spews it after getting trapped in a room with deadly gas.
* TheFundamentalist: Willing to die for Travis' religious cause.
* SuicideAttack: Attempted on Miami Metro, but failed.
* UnholyMatrimony: With her husband Steve, a fellow dangerous cultist.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Her appearance is brief before dying.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Koshka Brotherhood]]
!!Isaak Sirko
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/isaak_sirko_74101_3472.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"A shame really, under different circumstances, I think we could have been great friends."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/RayStevenson

-->''"We're outsiders, you and I. On the periphery. Watching everybody else. Pretending we're just like them, but knowing we're not. Best we can hope for is to find a place where we don't have to pretend."''

A high-ranking member of the Ukrainian Mob who comes to Miami to survey his business interests there and avenge the loss of one of his most loyal subordinates. He and Marie [=LaGuerta=] serve as the [[BigBadEnsemble principal antagonists]] in Season 7.

* AffablyEvil: Incredibly polite and charming most of the time. Steers towards FauxAffablyEvil when he starts to rack up the body count, as when he politely threatens to drill a guy's eyes in and then kills him anyway or rams a screwdriver inside a guy's eye while soothing him. He even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] his status in a discussion with Nadia the stripper.
* AlasPoorVillain: Even Dexter feels sorry for him.
%%* AntiVillain: Type I / Type II.
* AnyoneCanDie: A notable example in that unlike the average big bad, he kicks the bucket well before the season finale.
* {{Badass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Dexter dumps him in a room with mortal enemies that outnumber him, but he takes out every single one. Miami Metro are in awe of this.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Always dressed well.
* BadassGay: He's hidden it from the Koshkas, who aren't exactly a forward-thinking gang of thugs.
* BestServedCold: His grandfather, but he seems to imply that a couple of decades aren't gonna weaken his resolve to get his vengeance.
* BigBad: In Season 7 [[BigBadEnsemble along with Marie [=LaGuerta=]]]. After arriving in Miami, he becomes the greatest threat to Dexter and his loved ones.[[spoiler: However, [=LaGuerta=] eclipses him as the story arc's preeminent antagonist after [[DiscOneFinalBoss he meets his end three episodes before the season finale.]]]]
* TheChessmaster: Aside from getting clues against Dexter ''very'' quickly, he is a cunning psychologist.
* ColdBloodedTorture: The tools he brings to Dexter's house show he was ready to inflict one, but his plans are thwarted.
* CulturedBadass: He has a love of music and opera.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Ultimately revealed to be this after he is killed off three episodes before the finale.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Uses Series/{{CSI}}-like tech to trace Dexter's boat.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Against his old music teacher who he pushed down some stairs for giving him a failing grade.
* DissonantSerenity: Always keeps his cool, especially when he murders people.
* EnemyMine: Sides with Dexter to kill the hitmen chasing him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Genuinely loved Victor. Was quite shaken up when Dexter [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims lovingly described]] [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied how he killed Victor]].
* EvilGenius: Clearly the brains of his operation.
* EyeScream: Gives one to an ex-employee...with a screwdriver.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: After being shot, he gently requests that Dexter take him out on the water so he can die quietly and be with Victor. He even gives Dexter some last advice.
* {{Gayngster}}: He eventually comes out of the closet to Dexter. While in a gay bar.
%%* GeniusBruiser
* GoKartingWithBowser: Shares a deep NotSoDifferent life exploration with Dexter in a bar.
* HeartbrokenBadass: His actions are motivated by his grief at Viktor's death.
* IGaveMyWord: He didn't shoot Dexter when he had him at his mercy, once the hitmen are dead.
* IHaveYourWife: Invokes this to force Dexter into [[EnemyCivilWar his side against two hitmen.]]
* ImplacableMan: The cops compare him to [[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]] when they discover the crime scene.
* ItsPersonal: His reason for chasing Victor's murderer, a.k.a. Dexter.
* LivingLieDetector: Instantly spots when [[ConsummateLiar Dexter]] lies.
* TheMafiya: He's a high-ranking member of the Koshka Brotherhood, a Russian crime syndicate that has a few operations in the USA.
* NobleDemon: He has a sense of honor, usually keeping his word.
* NotSoDifferent: From Dexter, whom he considers a TragicVillain equal.
* PetTheDog: After telling a barman to commit suicide, he promises that he will make sure the barman's family gets anything they want.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: To a Colombian who threatened him in jail. Doubles with EvilerThanThou.
* RevengeBeforeReason: His vendetta is not good for the business. Also gets him killed. Surprisingly not by Dexter.
* SharpDressedMan: Aside from his brief stint in prison, Isaak is always well turned-out in nice suits.
* ShootTheDog: Forces a loyal barman to commit suicide to make the Police stop its investigation regarding Mike Anderson's death.
* StraightGay: He has no gay stereotypes about him, being a pretty rugged yet well-dressed ace who kicks copious amounts of ass.
* TheSociopath: At first he gives off this impression, killing with no hesitation or remorse and relating a horrible story about almost killing his piano teacher as a child. Ultimately subverted: everything he does, he does out of love, grief and a sense of personal guilt.
* TragicVillain: Towards the last two episodes, when he's revealed as a lonely, closeted man who's lost the love of his life and is hunted by his own people.
* WorthyOpponent: Isaak and Dexter slowly gain a growing respect for each other, acknowledging the other as having very formidable skills.
* WickedCultured: He's a fan of opera.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: After the bosses back home put a hit on him.

!!George Novikov
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/novikov_george_415.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jason Gedrick

The manager of Isaak's US strip clubs.

* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: He drunkenly threatens Quinn and Nadia with a gun.
* BadBoss: He treats his strippers like cattle and has no problem offering up his employees to die.
* {{Big Bad Wannabe}}: He's not entirely pleased when Isaak, the bigger fish, comes to America and casually orders him about. He eventually shoots Isaak, with a view to one day taking his place.
* {{Blackmail}}: How he manages to play Quinn like a fiddle.
* BullyingADragon: Gets killed by Quinn after pushing him to far. You'd expect him to be smarter than that.
* DeadpanSnarker: He enjoys making snide remarks at Quinn's expense.
* HonestAdvisor: He tells Isaak what he doesn't want to hear: that Viktor was impulsive and hot-headed.
%%* {{Jerkass}}: Especially to Quinn and other cops.
* KickTheDog: Shoots Isaak in the stomach and is about to shoot him in the head when he stops and goes away electing him to suffer and die slowly from bleeding out.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Quinn finally snaps and beats the ever loving shit out of him.
* PragmaticVillainy: Opposes Isaak's vendetta against Dexter because it's bad for business, as it would bring even more attention from the law.
* {{Slimeball}}: He's horribly sleazy, making his strippers sleep with him.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as charming or smart as he thinks he is.
* TheStarscream: He convinces the Koshka higher-ups to put a hit out on Isaak, and when that ends badly, George kills Isaak himself.
* TooDumbToLive: Foolishly confronts an enraged Quinn, death ensues, in no small part thanks to AlcoholInducedIdiocy.

!!Jurg Yeliashkevych
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yeliashkevych_jurg_7785.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Andrew Kirsanov

Isaak's bodyguard and aide.

* AssholeVictim: Hannah takes him out with food.
* BaldOfEvil: He's coolly professional in his work, which includes kidnapping Hannah.
* TheDragon: He's Isaak's bodyguard and stays by his side.
* TheQuietOne: He doesn't speak unless he's spoken to, and is pretty terse with Hannah.
* SharpDressedMan: Always clad in a sharp suit.
* TheStoic: He rarely changes his expression.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Isaak, sticking by him even after the Koshka's put out a hit on him.

!!Nadia (Nadezhda)
->'''Played by''': Katia Winter

A stripper and prostitute who works in George Novikov's bar. She enters a romantic relationship with Quinn.

* ButNowIMustGo: After George dies, she leaves Miami and Quinn.
* MoralityPet: For Quinn, considering his numerous levels in jerkass in season 6.
%% * NiceGirl
* PutOnABus: She suddenly drops away from the show without so much as a goodbye.

!!Viktor Baskov
->'''Played by''': Creator/EnverGjokaj

A Ukrainian gangster who killed a stripper and [[spoiler:Mike Anderson]].

* AssholeVictim: He impulsively killed a stripper and [[spoiler:Mike Anderson.]]
* DefiantToTheEnd: When faced with Dexter, he's angry and shows no fear.
* {{Gayngster}}]]: [[spoiler:He was in a relationship with [[spoiler:Isaak.]]
* GetItOverWith: What he says to Dexter.
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:For Isaak, who mourns him deeply and wants to be reunited with him in death.]]
* TheMafiya: A member of the Koshka Brotherhood.

!!Oleg Mickic
->'''Played by''': Karl Herlinger

An assassin for the Koshka Brotherhood.

* AffablyEvil: He doesn't want to kill Isaak, and is pretty well-mannered. He just has a job to do.
* TheDreaded: Isaak notes him as one of the best.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He has an ill mother, who he briefly speaks of with some resigned sadness.
* FriendlyEnemy: To Isaak, who politely inquires about his mother.
* ProfessionalKiller: He's hired by the Koshka's to take out Isaak.

!!Benjamin Caffrey
->'''Played by''': Sherman Augustus

An assassin for the Koshka Brotherhood.

* TheDreaded: Isaak notes that he's one of the best.
* ProfessionalKiller: He's hired by the Koshkas to take out Isaak.
* ScaryBlackMan: Being a ProfessionalKiller means you tend to be pretty scary.
[[/folder]]
----

->'''Played by''': PeterWeller

** His anger isn't subdued at all, though it does require fairly substantial provocation (usually.)