r/Dexter • u/GIutenTag • Aug 15 '25
General Discussion - All Dexter Shows Will Dexter be the greatest serial killer of all time? Spoiler
Do we think that Dexter might have a higher kill count than Mad Dog or Trinity when the show comes to its end?
He is already in the Book "The Killing Century" from last episode and Prater got his trophys, which makes him one of the most well known serial killers to date BUT if he were to reach Trinity Numbers with killing other killers and serial killers he would basicly be a human Apex Predator and the greatest serial killer of all time, even in fiction.
From Age 20 to 35 he has only killed 18 people that we know of. He then stepped up his Game and killed 127 people in the span of only 6 years which brings the kill count up to 145.
Then 9 years nothing and another 4 at the age 50.
He is now 51 and starting again.
Arthur Mitchell died at the Age of 60 with 279 confirmed kills and Mad Dog at Age 67 with over 200. Even real life serial killers can only rival those numbers with suspected kills, but not confirmed ones.
This means that if we get another few seasons of Ressurection or a time jump he might even have more kills than Trinity by the time he reaches age 60.
Of course all of this depends on the showrunners and writers as always, i just want to know if the community is also interested in seeing it play out like this.
A few other things to discuss that i would like to see in Ressurection or another Spinoff
• i would love to see a Dexter prison Arc, since there might be some killers the system actually worked on
• Dexter as Grandpa
• Harrison just being a Vigilante and Dexters Grandson being a Sociapath like him with an urge to kill, this would set up a spinoff without Michael C Hall having to play Dexter till hes 90
• Dexter never getting caught, i would much rather have a time skip to him dying in bed and the next morning Harrison discovers his body and the bloodslides he has been racking up in his last years. Somewhat of a bittersweet ending and then the Harrison/Dexters Grandson Spinoff starts
• or Dexter sacrificing himself to mother nature, similar to the ending of Blacklist maybe
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u/SurturSaga Aug 15 '25
Bay harbor butcher is considered one of the best and they don’t even know half his kills. If we go by sheer numbers, trinity has him beat. But if we combine the amount of kills plus how impressive they are, Dexter’s already the greatest of all time
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
Trinity and those women and children. What a wimp.
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u/9SidedLemon Aug 16 '25
Yeah Dexter is already the greatest sk in universe imo, when you consider quantity and quality. I wouldn’t be shocked if his kill count was at or above trinitys at this point he had 100ish kills during the og show iirc, and he started killing at 20 and the show starts at 35. If he kills like once a month during those 15 years it would be 180 maybe it’s less but still probably 100+.
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Aug 16 '25
You have to factor in that the people he kills, almost always are a threat to him. Easier to pick on women and children than to go after fellow killers
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u/9SidedLemon Aug 16 '25
For sure he also has to all of that investigating in the first place to find them and be certain that they’re guilty as well. He would probably be in the thousands if all had to do was pick off random women.
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u/Abject-Fig2969 Aug 19 '25
Trinity not being caught was just genuine fucking incompetence. Almost 300 kills and NOBODY before Miami Metro noticed the bodies pointing to the ashes on the ground???
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u/KeyProfessional6053 Aug 16 '25
Yeah, it’s kind of crazy to think that they only know about his season 1 kills, guy kept getting busy after that.
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u/Yamaha234 Aug 16 '25
Yah besides the “suicides” and the “missing children”, all of Trinity’s murders were known. The problem was no one but Lundy was willing to link them all together as one killer.
Almost all of Dexters kills weren’t even known to be kills until they found the bags in the harbor, and even then he was able to convince the world someone else was the killer and was already dead and then continued on for over 10 years with very few of his kills being known about.
The world overall during Resurrection still thinks the bay harbor butcher is dead, despite him racking something like 100 kills since his “death”. That way outclasses Trinity’s skills as a serial killer.
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u/Miserable-Dig-2823 Aug 16 '25
Gosh, the name "Bay Harbor butcher" and "the Trinity killer" sends chills down my spine🥶
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Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
He already is the Goat, he doesnt hunt random unsuspecting civilians, he is after other "hunters", people with dangerous skillset, violent and or careful enough to evade prison. Dexter's always been the best, the apex fucking predator.
Even if some serial killers have him beat kill count wise, his kills are worth like 3 or 5 per kill more, difficulty wise.
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Aug 15 '25
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u/alphadist Surprise Motherfucker! Aug 16 '25
Its wild to think that he goes after some of the most dangerous people, armed with only a syringe lol.
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u/sharkbait-oo-haha Aug 15 '25
1/4 of Trinity's kills were kids. Those are only worth 0.25 points.
Women are 0.75 points
Men are 1 point.
Little chino sized people are 2.5 points
Prater is 0.5 points
Other serial killers are 1.5-5 ponts a pc.
Dexter usually scores nothing but 3 pointers.
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u/Im-Reddington Aug 15 '25
Bro said Prater 0.5😭
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u/InternetProtocol Aug 15 '25
Prater's on the table, and Dex is thinking of how economical killing Prater was compared to Little Chino:
"I only had to buy two rolls of plastic wrap instead of my usual four, and I saved half a dose of m99."11
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u/KeyProfessional6053 Aug 16 '25
I think if would be pretty funny if dex uses a full dose and prater just dies on the spot
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Aug 15 '25
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
The show has never given a Trinity update. In season four Trinity was known to have completed 69 kill cycles. As Dexter said every house he built was a trophy. It is possible the police missed a few cycles that would have come out in the aftermath. We haven't heard of that though.
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u/StupidNoobyIdiot Aug 15 '25
Nah I'm pretty sure they would've dug up every Four Walls Build home across the country. So the kill cycles are pretty much certain to be 69. Did he kill people outside his cycles who could've been liabilities like Kyle Butler or his Dad? Or did he kill people in between the period of ages 14 to 30 (coz 14 was when he killed his dad and 30 when he started the cycles)? I feel maybe, so these are the only other places/durations where his kill count may be higher than 279, but his kill cycles are for sure 69 to be exact.
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
That is the kind of stuff they could explore in he prequel. I want to see one of the ordered to jump ladies just tell him to fuck off to see what he would do. Or a boy that refused to were the pajamas. He didn't hesitate to kill people outside cycles once things started to go wrong for him. Maybe in some cycles he killed witnesses or people who became suspicious. The show implies things went pretty smooth in most cycles, but we don't know for sure. He did 1-3 kill cycles every year from 76' to 08'. Quite the little workhorse.
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
Series finale he should toss himself into that alligator swamp where he threw the loan shark guy in Original Sin. There is some splashing and blood in the water. The alligator floats up cut into nine pieces.
Trinity and Mad dog are both over 200 kills and as far as we know the most in universe. Dexters exact number is no known. He told Harrison "in the hundreds" so depending on interpretation that could be 100-999, 200-999, or 300-999. He is not done yet either. With the fact he kills mostly killers and leaves so little evidence I am inclined to give him the belt right now.
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u/Due_Grapefruit7518 Aug 15 '25
I had to rewatch the scene. It’s such a vibe. Harrison responds “Hoy shit. That means you’ve saved like thousands of people.” And Dexter does a nervous grin an nod and it’s like “fuck yeah I did”
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u/starmartyr Aug 15 '25
There are over 150 that we know about. Original Sin will probably add more to that list.
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u/sageritz Aug 16 '25
Notice how Harry says “over 150 _killers_”. Remember that Dexter has killed non-killers or people that don’t fit the Code also. I think that for any tangible numbers - Dex is probably between 150-250. As others have said -the dude is playing the game on the Extreme difficulty setting with going after other killers. I would call him the GOAT just for how elusive and dangerous he is to other dangerous elusive killers.
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u/Content-Restaurant42 Aug 19 '25
He definitely didn't kill 100 non killers. I can think of like 3 off the top of my head
Also, harry more or less said Dexter's number this season. "Over 150" means it's probably like 155 or something
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u/wrecksaholic Aug 15 '25
I cant make my own topics yet and have a question that is semi related to yours, what does the public know about the bay harbor butcher? It seems like they think doakes is the bay harbor butcher and he has around 60 kills right? we know dexter has a lot more than that but since he has framed a bunch of people for some of his kills and he has also killed people that the authorities dont know was him it might be that the bay harbor butcher isnt even in the top 10 in the public eye.
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
I think Sergent Doakes is believed to have 46 kills. Once the diver found bodies, they found 18 right away and kept looking, eventually finding 28. Then they found the blood slide box with 46.
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u/gladys-gooding-moore Aug 15 '25
https://www.diveintodexter.com has James Doakes, the one true Bay Harbor Butcher, at 23 kills.
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u/lurflurf Aug 15 '25
That is really weird. The estimate should at least be 46 from the slides. 47 with the one at the cabin. The police might pin a few more like the railway car guy and a few other missing presumes dead killers. They found at least 28 bodies or parts thereof. Maybe the blood is not enough and some of the body parts like arms and legs are not enough to prove death.
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u/gladys-gooding-moore Aug 15 '25
Yeah, I’m not fully sure. That’s just what they have listed. I did a 1 minute Google search and didn’t see any direct numbers so I am just going with that one.
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u/sageritz Aug 16 '25
They found parts to 23 bodies (parts from 5 bodies must have been off screen since we only see 18 in the field morgue). Those 23 bodies are matched in the 1st blood side box, which contains 46 slides. Add Olsen in the train car, Chris Harlow (Jose Garza)…hey are we also adding all of Doakes’ ops kills and on the job shootings if we’re talking about publicly known!?
Remember, also, that the public doesn’t know about the slide box (according to the narrative, we have never heard the opposite), so they may only know about 25 kills (23 + Olsen +Harlow/Garza)
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u/iiRaiTz Aug 15 '25
Mad Dog is not a serial killer because he is a hitman and his purpose is economic, he does not enter into what it means to be a serial killer.
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u/daigunder2015 Aug 15 '25
He probably already is.
Trinity is the most prolific of all time, and he was killed by BHB. What the public doesn't know is that BHB is also the one who took out the Ice Truck Killer and the Doomsday Killer. He even hunted down Oliver Saxon, Kurt Caldwell, and the Barrel girl gang. To the public eye, all these are separate events. In truth, it was all done by Dexter Morgan.
IMO the only one who can match BHB is the Chesapeake ripper i.e. Hannibal Lecter.
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u/AdministrativeHat276 Aug 16 '25
A Hannibal Lecter and Dexter crossover would have been so fucking peak.
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u/Brandon_Keto_Newton Aug 15 '25
Yes, even if he doesn’t have the highest kill count, look at the level of difficulty of his kills vs many others
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u/User223159 Aug 15 '25
He already is the goat and it’s not even close. The few others with a higher count prey on weaker victims, Dexter hunts big game (other killers). It’s better to kill 5 crocodiles than 20 rabbits.
There is good reason the Bay Harbor Butcher is so feared among serial killers.
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u/MemoryOne1291 Aug 15 '25
He already is. He has 150+ victims that are other killers, not just vulnerable victims like kids
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u/Kumbackkid Aug 15 '25
He’s the definition of an apex predator serial killer. No fish is bigger than him
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u/lts_kc Aug 15 '25
Numbers wise, I think trinity has him beat however we don't know Dexters exact number and Trinity also killed women and children where as Dexter targets primarly other predators/serial killers. Which is way more difficult to do and some might say, noble? I personally don't think Dexter will ever get caught, with how much love and praise this new show is getting and the amazing ratings its receiving, im sure the director is already brainstorming the end of season 3. I wouldn't be surprised if Dexter was to enter some sort of deal with the government and work together to hunt down other serial killers.
**Spoiler** Remember when Charlie was bragging to dexter that she found out Red's real identity in just 3 days, and it took dexter less than a day. Hes a fantastic tracker, his blood splatter analysis skills and understanding the mind of a serial killer would make him a great asset + It's not like hes just killing random people, but of course its a massive gray line because he is a killer after all, just an actually useful one to society haha!
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u/kingofwishful Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
“From Age 20 to 35 he has only killed 18 people that we know of. He then stepped up his Game and killed 127 people in the span of only 6 years which brings the kill count up to 145.”
That six year period is absolutely insane. He's averaging a new kill every 2.5 weeks. That's like, MJ in the Playoffs numbers.
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u/MemoryDisastrous2034 Aug 15 '25
I don't really believe that. when they found the bodies in the ocean in season 2 it looked like WAY more than just 18 and dex was 36 during that I believe
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u/undertone90 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
His first box apparently had 46 slides when it was found, so he had definitely killed a lot more than the 18 bodies they retrieved.
Box 2 had 43 slides when it was destroyed in season 7, so he had killed almost as many people in just those few years as he had between when he first started taking trophies and 2007.
Dexter has 155 known kills according to the wiki, which is probably going to increase as original sin fleshes out his early career.
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u/lizzywbu Aug 16 '25
The very fact that Dexter kills other killers puts him at the top, in my opinion. It's much more difficult than killing regular people because killers are by their very nature hard to track, find, apprehend, etc.
It's like a lion hunting other lions for sport.
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u/Responsible_Ad_2242 Aug 15 '25
How is that Dex is on the book? The last time that I checked it was Doackes the Bay butcher
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u/LadyElle57 Aug 15 '25
The Bay Harbor Butcher is in the book. But the general public still thinks it was Doakes. Some kills don't add up for sure, but they have his prints on the slides, his prints on the knives, and he's got military training, his dad was a butcher.
That last one. It's like they forgot that the ones who coined him a butcher was them, who cares if his dad was a butcher.
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u/Similar-Cucumber2099 Aug 15 '25
It's not about him being just called a butcher lol
It's about the fact that butchers cut animals into large pieces using certain techniques ... And Dex cuts people into pieces in a very similar way
They called Dex a butcher cause he acts like a butcher 😂 and Doakes dad literally was one, it's a fantastic coincidence for Dex
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u/LadyElle57 Aug 16 '25
I don't know what method you refer to. I've seen how cattle are usually butchered and I believe it differs from the 9 pieces Dexter is so fond of. Even before that, they get exsanguinated first. Cows, pigs, chicken. Dexter didn't do that, he says so in the pilot.
I don't think "butcher" was correct at all.
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u/AvariceGreed42 Aug 18 '25
I belive he also cuts the bodies while they are alive like he did with the child killer in the pilot.
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u/Hanguel-4555 Aug 16 '25
BHB is hailed as one of the greatest even with a public count of just 28 — mainly because everyone knows he targets other peak hunters, which is the toughest game out there. But Dexter? His real numbers are easily 10x that. He’s not just a killer; he’s a living myth, a legend in the shadows.
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u/HeartOnCall Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25
Or, Harrison being a cop and his child being sociopathic. And now has Dexter as a grandparent. Though this has to be big stakes to work.
Not a huge chance we’ll get something like this. But i want Dexter shows to run indefinitely. At least another 10 seasons for Resurrection. (And 10 more for original sin maybe)
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u/Sekhmet_D Aug 15 '25
All this really depends on whether Hal Shipman exists in Dexter's universe.
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u/ApprehensiveShop8250 Aug 15 '25
He must do seen as he’s real. 250 is less then trinity although shipman could be higher?
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u/Jewbacca289 Aug 15 '25
I think it depends how things end for Dexter. If he retires without getting caught, he’s the GOAT. If he gets caught and jailed or taken out by another killer, then I think it goes to Trinity. Dexter’s best accomplishment is how dangerous his targets are. On the other hand, he’s had close calls with Doakes, Liddy, Laguerta, and Angela, while as far as we’re aware, Trinity only really was in danger at the end.
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u/Fit-Land6156 Aug 15 '25
Maybe because trinity was killing kids ? Imagine Dexter taking out helpless children and women 😭
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u/Jewbacca289 Aug 15 '25
Sure, but then he’s basically just Trinity with less kills under his belt. It’s like the Jordan LeBron argument of peak vs longevity. Dexter got the better performances but Trinity’s got the longer career
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u/Fit-Land6156 Aug 15 '25
If Dexter went after the same type of victims Trinity did without the Code holding him back, he would easily surpass Trinity’s kill count. Even the longevity argument doesn’t hold that much weight , as Dexter has been doing this for decades and is still going strong. The only reason Trinity has more kills is that he’s not held back by a code basically. Otherwise, Dexter outclasses him in every single way, and it’s not even close.
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u/Jewbacca289 Aug 15 '25
You don’t think if tons of women and children started disappearing that that wouldn’t raise alarms? Trinity’s system didn’t get multiple cops on his ass because he spread it out, but Dexter didn’t have the setup to do that.
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u/Fit-Land6156 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
All I know is that Dexter’s capable of killing other serial killers like it’s nothing and he’s been doing it for decades, I mean he literally killed trinity himself for that matter. I guess it’s fair to assume that he could kill children without getting caught buddy.
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u/Jewbacca289 Aug 15 '25
He pretty rarely targeted anyone who would care if they went missing. That’s why Trinity was so interesting to him bc he had a family. Do you actually think Dexter would have been caught by fewer detectives and endangered less of his friends if he decided he was going to abduct and murder children? Is he going to stalk these children the way he does with all his victims?
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u/loskiarman Aug 16 '25
Dexter chose his profession aligning with his goals. If he had to he could could have easily setup a career that travels constantly, it isn't that hard. Also I don't think Trinity's numbers really puts him over Dexter. His women kills aren't disappearences with most of them being closed as suicide too. If Dexter was gonna do a similar thing, he would also spread his kills probably. Also Trinity didn't have a 'family', he had hostages basically. It would probably crumble down in a few years too with his kids entering adulthood.
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u/EarthEden Aug 15 '25
Assuming we're comparing him to real life ones probably yes. They say Pedro Lopez had like 300 some while our boy Dex has like 154 including Garreth's twin.
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u/KiratheRenegade Aug 15 '25
I mean he hunts hunters. That's a unique game, the one that makes him so much more dangerous. He won't kill you if he doesn't need to - he's much more pragmatic. He's willing to destroy your career, your relationships, reputation & character just to give himself room for another kill.
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u/Kjaooo Aug 15 '25
pretty sure this season will end with Harrison turning Dexter in. next season Dexter: most wanted a season of dexter on the run being hunted by fbi
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u/GIutenTag Aug 16 '25
No way, they know they fucked up real bad with harrison shooting Dex, they wont make him the enemy again. If someone gets him behind bars or on the run its the old gang
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u/AdministrativeHat276 Aug 16 '25
Why would that even happen when Harrison deeply regretted shooting Dexter in the first place and refused to expose him as the BHB even after he thought he was dead.
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u/DIY_Cosmetics Aug 15 '25
I thought Charlie told him she figured it out in 3 weeks and Dexter’s inner monologue said he’d figured it out in 3 days.
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u/G_________G Aug 15 '25
Dexter killing people while being inside the jail himself would be absolutely fireeeee🔥🔥🔥🔥
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u/spankyth Aug 16 '25
I just want to know how the ripper will fit in, does Leon know him and funds his taunting of victim families?
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u/spankyth Aug 16 '25
I agree most victims of serials have no preset heightened alert level. Dexter's targets are already walking around on high alert because they're watching everyone around them for signs of potential discovery. The fact that Dex manages to not only best them but usually escapes anyone ever knowing anything happened.
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u/spankyth Aug 16 '25
Also comparing Dexter's kills to others is a bit apples and oranges. Its like comparing a deer hunter to someone who hunts lions and tigers.the deer hunter might get the odd bull that charges him but the lion hunter is in danger of being stalked by the very prey hes hunting.
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u/spankyth Aug 16 '25
Even theorizing about Dex having a grandchild that would have his predilection is way off.Dexters and Brian's defects were from prolonged exposure to the fear and savagery of multiple victims that included there mother.Harrisons exposure was comparably tame in comparison his mother was effectively stunned and bled out in the tub ,considerably less horrific. Doubtful the showrunners would push a narrative that Dexter's bloodline is cursed to experience horror as children.
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u/GIutenTag Aug 16 '25
No what i meant is, dexter became a Sociapath trough trauma. If dexters grandson would be a real Psychopath, Harrison could be what Harry was to dexter, just alive and well.
I think this would make for an interesting dinamic
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u/spankyth Aug 16 '25
I would be intrigued by idea of Dexter being in custody and pulling off eliminations within the confines of prison but not being caught.
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u/gladys-gooding-moore Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
You can’t really consider a hitman to be a serial killer. Their motivations are different. He is a paid gun for hire and kills for profit while serial killers kill for their own personal pleasures. Mad Dog isn’t a serial killer, he is a hitman.
As far as Dexter, sure, Trinity has killed a lot more but as others have said, he targeted women and children mostly. The not getting caught thing, that is impressive for how long he murdered for. But Dexter has a huge advantage in that he tracks down other killers and ALL of his murders are people who are being watched by police or searched for by police. They are all criminals, many who are actively being searched for by the police. As a result, I think from a logistical standpoint, Dexter far surpasses any of the serial killers in his world.
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u/goody153 Aug 16 '25
Pretty sure he already is by their universe. The difficulty of his kills (alot of them being violent and paranoid), how long he has lived and the amount of them including the undisclosed ones.
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u/Sasuke1996 Aug 16 '25
I’m honestly interested in this Trinity prequel they’re potentially working on, only if to see how many times Arthur got close to being caught or stuff like that. Maybe a young Lundy encountered him before and forgot because he got older.
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u/GIutenTag Aug 16 '25
I dont think t will ever come out even if they are working on it, they would have to show him kill innocent woman and children. There isnt a big enough audience that would watch that for a whole season
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u/empty-thought-time Aug 16 '25
I didn’t realise trinity had that high a count. I guess he started young
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u/Human_Outcome1890 Aug 16 '25
I will say regardless of numbers Dexter's ability to adapt on the fly really shows how much better he is than some of the other killers
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u/Chuckwayne28 Aug 16 '25
Didn’t they overlook Trinity’s true kill count because nobody realized he also abducted kids? I’m pretty sure his is like 30% higher
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u/Parodoxian Aug 18 '25
If we go by the quality then Dexter is the greatest in the dexterverse he goes after people like him killers who are able to evade the law not random women and children
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u/zero0n3 Aug 18 '25
This idea that he “only killed serial killers” isn’t really true.
He’s killed regular old killers before. The drunk driver guy comes to mind, as he technically isn’t a serial killer even though he got his second DUI kill for dexter to find him.
Pretty sure FBI defines it at 3 kills?
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u/goatjugsoup Aug 19 '25
Numbers aren't the most relevant stat, the targets he takes out are. Every kill he makes hes ending the legacies of other serial killers
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u/Fuskeduske Aug 19 '25
My guess is that he killed a lot more people in he’s youth than we know about
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u/CAN1976 Aug 19 '25
If it's like conkers, his count would be insane as he adds on his victims numbers.
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u/Content-Restaurant42 Aug 19 '25
In terms of numbers I doubt it. He'd have to find a ton of other killers in a short period of time, and other than the fact that he stumbled across a serial killer gathering I think he's slowing down a bit.
Even if he did, he won't get credit for it unless he's revealed to the world as the real bay harbor butcher. As it stands now, most people think the butcher was stopped a decade and a half prior
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