4 Horror Villains That Could Take Out Dexter

Throughout eight seasons and multiple spinoffs, Dexter established its main character as one of fiction’s most popular serial killers. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is essentially a serial killer who hunts and disposes of other serial killers while staying one step ahead of his family and the police. While the Bay Harbor Butcher has proven to be nigh unbeatable in his own series, we can’t help but wonder how he would fare against other fictional killers. Not the unkillable, supernatural variety like Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, but other humans like himself who have to rely on their cunning and wits to get by rather than brute strength and unnatural durability.

Of course, not everyone who fits this description would be a good match for Dexter. Someone like Patrick Bateman of American Psycho fame, whose fractured psyche could mean he’s never murdered anyone, would be no match for the Dark Passenger. Ditto the inexperienced kids from Scream. After a bit of digging, however, we’ve found some big and small screen killers that we think could give Mr. Morgan a run for his money. Here are our picks for the four horror villains that could take out Dexter.

1) John Doe – Se7en

John Doe (Kevin Spacey) and Dexter Morgan have a few things in common. They both seek to punish the wicked—often in a way that ties into their victims’ crimes—and they’re both meticulous when planning their murders. But that’s where the similarities end. While Dexter is smart, especially when it comes to his victims, John Doe is simply smarter.

First off, Dexter commits his murders according to a strict code invented by his adopted father, Harry Morgan. The Code of Harry insists that Dexter prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that a victim is guilty before he dispatches them, something that is almost impossible in John Doe’s case. Doe has no fingerprints, his real name is unknown, and most of his victims technically kill themselves. Dexter would be hard-pressed to find concrete evidence of Doe’s crimes.

Meanwhile, Doe plans so far ahead and with so much attention to detail that if and when Dexter did start investigating him, it would most likely be a result of Doe wanting him to. Once their game of cat and mouse begins, it would most likely play out exactly like it does in Se7en, with John Doe plotting his suicide via Dexter and making sure that it results in Morgan’s complete ruination. Sure, Dexter would end up physically killing John Doe, but only because Doe set him up to, and in the end, the Se7en killer would have the last laugh as Dexter’s life would be over as he knew it.

2) Annie Wilkes – Misery

Dexter isn’t the kind of victim Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) usually goes after, but we’re sure she’d make an exception given the proper motivation. The homicidal nurse can be cold and calculating when she needs to be, but can spiral into unbridled rage with the slightest provocation. It’s hard to imagine what kind of scenario would set Dexter on the path to challenging Annie, but once he did, it would be the beginning of the end for him.

Once again, The Code of Harry would cause problems for Dexter, as most of Wilkes’ victims were hospital patients that she disposed of in the line of duty. Getting concrete evidence of her crimes would require him to break into the Wilkes residence to search for clues, and that’s where he would encounter his downfall. Approaching Annie on her home turf is tantamount to suicide—and not the quick kind.

Given what we know about Annie Wilkes from Misery, it’s safe to say that she would make a meal out of Dexter, slowly torturing him until he begged for death. If she’s feeling especially sadistic, she might even hobble Dexter like she did Paul Sheldon in Misery.

3) Jigsaw – Saw

John Kramer (Tobin Bell), otherwise known as the infamous Jigsaw Killer, uses elaborate death traps to punish those he finds morally reprehensible. Much like John Doe, Jigsaw never actually kills anyone directly, preferring to let his traps do the dirty work. Unlike the Se7en killer, however, he presents these traps as “games” and allows his victims the chance to go free if they follow specific instructions usually involving bodily harm.

Jigsaw employs a number of accomplices to help him carry out his “games,” making it doubtful that Dexter would ever get his hands on the man himself. While we have no doubt that Dexter might take out one of Jigsaw’s apprentices, like Amanda or Doctor Gordon, eventually, he would end up in one of Kramer’s traps. Whether he would die there is another matter entirely.

Chances are Dexter would be smart enough to survive one of Jigsaw’s traps, unless, of course, the win condition required him to break one of his father’s rules. But let’s say he did beat the trap, what then? On one hand, Jigsaw’s contingency plans have contingency plans, so it’s possible he would just end up in another one, and who knows if he’ll be lucky enough to escape twice.

The other possibility is Dexter becoming one of John Kramer’s disciples, which we would still consider a win for Jigsaw. No matter how things shake out, Jigsaw has this one in the bag.

4) Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs

Admit it, you knew it was going to end this way. Dexter may be one of the most famous fictional killers, but even he can’t top Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is a criminal mastermind, proficient in forensic psychiatry, the arts, and pretty much any intellectual pursuit you can think of. In short, Lecter is simply on another level than Dexter.

Hannibal’s claim to fame is his ability to profile other serial killers and figure out how they operate. We can’t imagine it taking very long for Lecter to get inside Dexter’s head and turn his trauma against him. Whether it’s the Anthony Hopkins portrayal, Mads Mikkelson, or even Brian Cox, who originated the role in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, Hannibal Lecter has what it takes to run circles around Dexter Morgan and put the Bay Harbor Butcher down for good.

Do you agree with our picks, or is there an even better match for Dexter? Let us know in the comments.

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