Summary

• Michael C. Hall announced involvement in two new Dexter series at the Comic-Con panel.
• Dexter: New Blood left fans wondering if the serial killer actually survived the finale.
• Dexter: Resurrection picks up right after New Blood, with potential for multiple seasons.

Exciting news emerged at the Dexter panel at the San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend when Michael C. Hall turned up unexpectedly to join fellow stars of Dexter: Original Sin. The star of the original Dexter series announced his involvement in the new prequel series as the titular serial killer's inner voice. In addition to this news, the actor revealed he would also be starring in a new sequel series titled Dexter: Resurrection, which is set to premiere in Summer 2025.

This revelation was met with a mixture of confusion and excitement, as fans were led to believe the titular serial killer died after a brutal gunshot wound inflicted by his son, Harrison, in the finale of Dexter: New Blood. Did Dexter Morgan actually survive the shooting, or is there some other explanation for his return in a sequel series?

What happened at the end of Dexter: New Blood?

After discovering who Dexter Morgan really was in his previous life in Miami, Chief Angela Bishop (Julia Jones) arrested him and put him in jail, and contacted Angel Batista (David Zayas) to inform him that his former friend was very much alive, and she believed he was the Bay Harbor Butcher. With Batista on his way to Iron Lake, Dexter was left to consider his fate alone in his jail cell. However, when Sgt Logan (Alano Miller) brought him some food, Dexter was able to restrain him, kill him, and escape from his jail cell.

Dexter meets up with Harrison, and tries to convince him to leave town with him, but he figures out that Dexter has killed Logan, as he called him from his phone. Harrison points a gun at his father, and Dexter tells him to go ahead and do it. After thinking about the potential consequences of his actions, Harrison shoots Dexter in the chest. Angela arrives on the scene, and instead of arresting Harrison, she gives him money and tells him to leave Iron Lake and never come back. Angela makes the crime scene look like she shot Dexter in self-defense. Dexter lies on the freezing ground, bleeding out from his gunshot wound, as Dexter: New Blood episode 10 ends.

What did Michael C. Hall say about his return in Dexter; Resurrection?

Details about the new sequel series, Dexter: Resurrection, were very limited during the panel at Comic-Con, with the announcement arriving towards the end of Dexter: Original Sin's allotted time on stage. The news left fans wondering how exactly Michael C. Hall could be returning to his most famous role. Dexter: New Blood was a limited series that was designed to give fans a definitive ending to Dexter's story after the disastrous finale to the original Dexter series back in 2013. In an interview with Deadline in early 2022, showrunner Clyde Phillips discussed Dexter's fate at the end of Dexter: New Blood.

I have three words for you: Dexter is dead. I wouldn’t do that to the audience. It would be dishonest. Here, there is no question that this is the finale of Dexter. Dexter is dead.

Luckily for fans, Michael C. Hall provided more information about Dexter: Resurrection in an interview with Variety, and it appears to all but confirm that Dexter is actually alive.

I don’t know what I am authorized to say other than, it’s really cold out there.

As much as Dexter surviving New Blood's ending will be a relief to many fans who were left unsatisfied with his supposed fate at the end of Dexter: New Blood, it is a significant U-turn from the initial plan to end the series with Dexter's death. Clyde Phillips was adamant that the intention was to kill Dexter, with plans emerging that a Harrison spin-off series was in development. The series was set to focus on Dexter's son as he battles with his own dark passenger. However, Dexter New Blood Season 2 was scrapped, and Phillips and the rest of the creative team appear to have developed Dexter: Resurrection instead.

In the same interview with Variety, Michael C. Hall confirmed that Dexter: Resurrection would pick up immediately after the events of Dexter: New Blood, and when he was quizzed on why exactly Dexter was coming back, he explained in a little bit more detail:

We just felt like there was more story to explore and i think we've all been really amazed at how fertile the soil of Dexter remains, and with the new partnership with Paramount +, and the desire to expand the universe of Dexter, I was enticed by the idea that maybe there was more story to tell.

The Dexter universe is a huge money spinner, and there is clearly a desire from the fans to see more stories within the universe, and this appears to be the reason for the U-turn on Dexter's fate. Michael C. Hall also confirmed that Dexter: Resurrection wouldn't be a limited series and could go on for multiple seasons. So, fans can expect to see the serial killer with a code very much alive and well for a long time to come.