Dexter: Resurrection Season 2’s Big Villain Is Already Being Set Up (And You Didn’t Notice)

Dexter: Resurrection seems to be priming fans for the villain of Season 2 already. Dexter: Resurrection is one of the biggest TV shows of the year and it has made great use of the weekly release format. While a lot of shows these days are released in bulk for maximum binging, Paramount has released the Dexter sequel series just like it did in the old days. Every week, fans speculate, theorize, and debate about what could happen next in the show and it has created a ton of wild (and outlandish) theories about the series. Still, it’s fun to be part of a conversation and ensures that Dexter: Resurrection doesn’t vanish from the zeitgeist in a week.

With that said, there’s usually a bit of mystery in a season of Dexter. Within the first four episodes, you know who all of Dexter’s villains are, even if they have some secrets that still need to be unfurled. However, there’s been something going on in the background of the show that is absolutely titillating and keeping fans speculating. Throughout the bulk of Dexter: Resurrection, the show has made references to a serial killer known as the New York Ripper. The case has been one that has haunted Dexter: Resurrection‘s new detective, Claudette Wallace, but she’s no closer to solving it.

Spoilers for Dexter: Resurrection follow below.

Dexter: Resurrection Season 2’s Villain May Be the New York Ripper

With that said, Dexter: Resurrection Episode 7 finally began to put the New York Ripper case more in the foreground. The information regarding this case was previously unknown to Dexter outside of a brief mention in Leon Prater’s vault of serial killer trophies. However, he visited a college that specializes in criminal justice with Harrison that allowed him to see what the New York Ripper has done first hand. The killer rips out his victim’s intestines and then taunts the families with ominous phone calls that the police haven’t been able to trace. It’s pretty disturbing and is easily one of the darkest Dexter villains yet… granted, the Ripper isn’t really a villain yet since Dexter isn’t actively investigating him.

With just three episodes left, it seems somewhat unlikely it is a threat that Dexter will deal with before the end of the first season. Batista’s hot on Dexter’s trail, Prater and the rest of his crew will likely have to be dealt with, and Dexter is still developing a relationship with Harrison. It would be too jarring to cram in either a new killer at the last minute or reveal that someone from this season has been the killer all along. It seems far more likely that the New York Ripper is the villain of Season 2 and maybe, we’ll find out who they are before the end of the season to tease them as someone who returns.

In an interview with USA Today ahead of the series premiere of Dexter: Resurrection, showrunner Clyde Phillips teased that there would be villains who escape Dexter’s blade and return for later seasons. Is it possible that’s the New York Ripper? Either way, it seems like a very juicy character and it would be a waste to throw them away with a rushed conclusion to that character. Given Prater has a trophy from the New York Ripper, one that isn’t the result of acquiring something from a police evidence locker since Claudette didn’t know the murder weapon, it’s possible that Dexter will be able to get more information about the killer from Prater by the end of the season.

Who Is the New York Ripper?

It’s entirely possible the true identity of the New York Ripper will be an entirely new character and someone we’ve never seen. However, fans have speculated that it could be just about every character under the sun. Some think it could be OG Dexter character Joey Quinn, something that feels pretty outlandish and absurd. However, the most interesting theory is that the New York Ripper is Jonah Mitchell, the son of the Trinity Killer.

The last time we saw Jonah was in Dexter Season 6 in an episode titled “Nebraska”. In that episode, Dexter learns that the Trinity Killer has struck again in Nebraska, killing his own family. Having killer Trinity himself, Dexter goes to investigate and meets Jonah, who is now working at a hardware store and is wielding a hook of some kind when we meet him. Jonah claims he saw his father kill his family, but Dexter reveals the true fate of the Trinity Killer. This eventually culminates in a confrontation where Jonah attacks Dexter with a hook and begs to be killed, as he killed his mother after she drove his sister to suicide. He feels remorse and wants to be put out of his misery, but Dexter leaves him to live with the guilt.

Given the hook-like weapon used by the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection, fans think this could be Jonah. After all, Clyde Phillips loves a good story about the sins of the father being passed on to their children and it could create some great drama between Dexter and Jonah, especially after he was left all alone for years to soak in his guilt and dark thoughts. Maybe it’s all a red herring, maybe it all has an unsatisfying answer, or maybe this is one long game. Dexter: Resurrection has three seasons mapped out already, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the writers are planting seeds for the future.

What do you think about the New York Ripper? Let me know in the comments below.