Dexter’s worst enemies – ranked

After a long hiatus – Dexter S8 ended in 2013 – serial killer and blood splatter analyst Dexter Morgan is coming back for Season 9. The teaser tells us that he’s been living in a remote town, hiding from his past and anyone who knew him. But he can’t hide forever …

In eight seasons, Dexter racked up a list of enemies longer than his kill list. But how do they rank from bad to best?

Ahead of the new season, binge S1-8 only on Showmax.

Here’s our ranking of the best of the worst villains and enemies Dexter faced.

8. The Brain Surgeon (Season 8)

The final (up til now!) season of Dexter wasn’t the favourite for many fans, and one of the reasons may have been his foe: the Brain Surgeon, a killer who enjoys a bit of creative carving. Oliver Saxon comes to represent who Dexter may have been without his father’s code, which taught him only to kill for good. The Brain Surgeon is coldly played by Darri Ingolfsson.

7. The Ice Truck Killer (Season 1)

Played by Christian Camargo, Brian Moser is the show’s first antagonist and he’s brutal – he dismembers his victims and leaves a bloody mess for Dexter and the rest of the homicide squad to investigate. What drives his killings and his style? He’s obsessed with prosthetic limbs, how the body works. And there’s a delightful twist to the story too …

6. Miguel Prado (Season 3)

Jimmy Smits’s character isn’t a killer, but he’s definitely one of the thorns in Dexter’s side as the Assistant District Attorney and his chief antagonist in Season 3. He has some idea that Dexter is the vigilante killer going around Miami killing off violent criminals, yet he isn’t certain and he certainly doesn’t have evidence. He does, however, swear publicly that he’ll “find this brutal killer and bring him to justice”, setting up a series of obstacles designed to catch Dexter.

4. Jordan Chase (Season 5)

Jonny Lee Miller’s character comes across as a posh socialite and respected businessman in the local community. What no one knows, though, is that behind closed doors, Jordan is part of the Barrel Girl Gang and a master of psychological torture – he’s bordering on being a cult leader and convinces his followers to commit every crime from rape and kidnapping, to murder and worse. He loves being in control and is one step ahead of Dexter.

3. The Doomsday Killer (Season 6)

Played by Colin Hanks, Travis Marshall, aka The Doomsday Killer, has a masters in Art History and commits Biblical-themed killings. He’s stronger than he appears and feels no remorse for his victims because he’s on a “holy crusade” – he believes that his sacrifices will appease God and bring about The End Of Days. He picks the wrong enemy when he targets Dexter’s son Harrison.

2. Hannah McKay (Season 7-8)

As Hannah McKay, Yvonne Strahovski doesn’t look like a stone-cold killer – but looks can be deceiving. The former teen accomplice of a spree killer, Hannah goes on to dispatch anyone who stands in her way, until she meets a certain charming forensics expert. And while she stirs Dexter’s heart, she also put his sister on her kill list …

1. The Trinity Killer (Season 4)

There’s only one real character that Dexter feared, says Michael C Hall, who’s now reprising his role for the follow-up limited series this year: “The Trinity Killer is the most formidable foe that Dexter has faced. Played by John Lithgow, the Trinity Killer from season 4 is hands down the most evil foe in the series, ever.”

Played by John Lithgow, the Trinity Killer, aka Arthur Mitchell, hid in plain sight in the suburbs for 30 years and was so elusive that even the FBI considered him a myth. He never left clues, nor did he leave evidence connecting Arthur to the Killer. As far as Dexter is concerned, the Trinity Killer is a ghost who kills in cycles and patterns – often ending with the live burial of a young boy.

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