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Trigger warning: This article contains references to suicide.

For years Dexter Morgan thought he was responsible for his father’s death. But what if that wasn’t the case?

The first season of Dexter establishes that Dexter’s adoptive father Harry died of a heart attack, but we later learn that wasn’t the whole story. In the second season Dexter learns that his father’s conscience couldn’t handle the fact that he had trained Dexter to be a killer. Feeling guilty, Harry purposely overdosed on his heart medication, ending his life.

At least that’s what Dexter was told.

The Dexter prequel Original Sin revealed that Harry had been tracking down Dexter’s older brother Brian, who had begun acting as a serial killer. In order to protect his family secrets, Harry didn’t tell his colleagues at the Miami Police Department about Brian, instead confronting him in secret.

It wasn’t long before fans began developing theories - and asking the question, what if Brian had faked Harry’s suicide? The idea wasn’t so far-fetched as Brian had done that sort of thing before. In the original series, Dexter learns that Brian had drugged their biological father, injecting him with something that triggered a heart attack. The medical examiner didn’t suspect foul play, and only Dexter knew the truth.

Not only does Harry’s heart attack fit Brian’s MO, but it’s also something we’ve seen him do before. Original Sin certainly showed that Brian had a motive, as he resented Harry for the death of his mother, and blamed him for keeping Dexter out of his life.

According to Original Sin showrunner Clyde Phillips, this wasn’t the story they were planning, but he likes the fan theory so much that he thinks it’s worth considering. “It was never contemplated,” Phillips says during an appearance on the Dissecting Dexter podcast. “So, if [Original Sin] gets picked up, we’ll contemplate it. It’s a good idea.”

“Another thing we wanted to explore in the second season of Original Sin was Dexter’s relationship with Brian. We wanted to flesh that out until the seasons kind of merged into the original show, and then we would end it.”

This would be a major retcon to Dexter lore, but Paramount+ isn’t moving forward with another season of Dexter: Original Sin, so for now, it remains a theory. The idea could always be explored in Dexter: Resurrection, but with Harry and Brian both dead, it would be hard to build that narrative.

Dexter: Original Sin is available to stream on Paramount+.  

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