Dexter Morgan Is Officially Back This Week With His Most Dangerous Competition Yet

Published Oct 28, 2026, 6:15 PM EDT

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

Beyond the new serial-killer foes, Dexter faces another major conflict in Dexter: Resurrection season 2: a midlife crisis that creates plenty of problems of its own. Part of Dexter's existential crisis has to do with the fact that, perhaps for the first time in franchise history, he's not always going to be the smartest and deadliest killer in any room. While Dexter: Resurrection season 1 posed a slate of worthy opponents in Leon Prater's serial killer society, season 2 pits Dexter against murderers who have not only been at it longer than him, such as The New York Ripper, but also ones who may actually be able to outsmart him, like The Five Borough Killer.

Dexter Faces His Fiercest Threats Yet In Resurrection Season 2

Matt Infante/Paramount+

Dexter's primary antagonists in Dexter: Resurrection season 2 are set to challenge the vigilante serial killer like never before. The New York Ripper, who was introduced as Detective Claudette Wallace's white whale, has successfully evaded law enforcement for decades, which essentially makes Dexter the last line of defense in terms of finally serving him justice. Given the skill and acclaim of Brian Cox as an actor, as seen in movies like Manhunter and series like Succession, his portrayal of the New York Ripper is expected to be even more sophisticated than Dexter. Because of this, Dexter could actually learn a thing or two from the veteran slayer.

If The New York Ripper represents Dexter's potential future as an undetected serial killer, The Five Borough Killer could represent Dexter's past as an ambitious murderer trying to firmly establish his MO. While Dexter's code, as governed by his adoptive father Harry, forbids him from ever getting caught, The Five Borough Killer is said to be determined to make a name for himself in the general public, which will naturally draw mass attention that Dexter will have to carefully navigate and avoid. Each of these newDexter: Resurrection season 2 killers is not only deadly – they are somewhat inaccessible to Dexter's quiet killing approach due to their notoriety, which should force Dexter to be more cautious and calculated than ever before.

Dexter Sets Franchise-High Stakes 20 Years After Its Premiere

Credit: Matt Infante/Paramount+.

Dexter Morgan’s return in Resurrection season 2 will not only present him with new dangerous targets but also increased personal problems, including repairing his relationship with his adult son Harrison and dealing with his inevitable aging process, which collectively sets new franchise high stakes for his character. Knowing Dexter from the previous ten seasons (eleven if you count Original Sin), he will likely be able to handle these challenges by the end of the season, but these contributing factors are setting him up to potentially be at his most vulnerable point yet – so much so that they may alter his strategies and motivations moving forward.

With the Dexter franchise aging itself, as Resurrection season 2 will mark the 20-year mark since the groundbreaking 2006 debut season, Dexter will inevitably be forced to adapt in unprecedented ways, starting with his worsening eyesight. It will be interesting to discover how exactly Dexter will make the necessary adjustments to the modern circumstances, and both The New York Ripper and The Five Borough Killer have the capability to push him to a new breaking point.Overall, it's quite remarkable that the Dexter franchise is able to up the ante two decades later. If we know anything about Dexter Morgan, he'll continue to deliver justice on his own terms in Dexter: Resurrection season 2. That said, he'll have to do so against his fiercest competition yet.

Dexter: Resurrection - Season 2

9/10

Release Date November 1, 2026

Network Paramount+ with Showtime

Episodes 10