Skip to main content

The serial killer drama Dexter is returning to TV in 2021, with fans eager to see what his life is like now. Many have even floated theories about what could happen in Dexter Season 9, including that he’s stopped killing but will be tracked down by someone from his past. But now we have a definitive answer. A new Dexter Season 9 teaser reveals that he’s returned to his “nature” and is killing again.

Michael C. Hall at an event
Actor Michael C. Hall at an event in July 2012 in San Diego, California | Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images

Several people ‘are going to die’ in ‘Dexter’ Season 9, says showrunner Clyde Phillips

The last time we saw Dexter Morgan, he had exiled himself to Oregon, vowing to stop killing. But as we know now, he was unable to sustain that.

“Dexter always has what we call ‘the dark passenger’ living inside him,” showrunner Clyde Phillips previously explained to TV Insider. “He is more grounded than he’s ever been, but that dark passenger is a voice he cannot deny. This is Dexter. People are going to die.”

Dexter seems to have relocated to the fictional small town of Iron Lake in New York, where he’ll face villain Kurt Caldwell.

Played by Clancy Brown of The Crown, Caldwell is described as a community figure who “realized the American dream by going from driving big rigs, just like his father did, to now owning several trucks and the local truck stop. Powerful, generous, loved by everyone — he’s a true man of the people. If he’s got your back, consider yourself blessed. But should you cross Kurt, or hurt anyone that he cares for, God help you (via TV Line).”

A ‘Dexter’ Season 9 teaser highlights his return to his old ways

On April 22, Showtime released a short video clip for the revival that teases what’s next. It shows an ax set into a tree trunk as a fire burns in the snowy background. Dexter (Michael C. Hall) says through a voiceover, “There really is nothing like getting back to nature…my nature.”

Related

‘Dexter’: New Cast Additions Offer Insight Into the Plot of the Revival Series

The image suggests Dexter still works in the lumber industry, which could explain how he wound up in a town like Iron Lake. But how and when he started killing again remains a mystery.

Whatever happens, Hall has said the revival features a really good story. “I think in this case, the story that’s being told is worth telling in a way that other proposals didn’t, and I think enough time has passed where it’s become intriguing in a way that it wasn’t before,” he told The Daily Beast, referencing past revival ideas.

“And let’s be real: people found the way that show left things pretty unsatisfying, and there’s always been a hope that a story would emerge that would be worth telling. I include myself in the group of people that wondered, ‘What the hell happened to that guy?’ So I’m excited to step back into it. I’ve never had that experience of playing a character this many years on,” he continued.

The show is expected to air in late 2021, but an exact date is unknown. For updates, be sure to check back in with us.