Showtime’s upcoming sequel seriesDexter: Resurrectionhasconfirmed that David Zayas is returning as Angel Batista, fixing one of the biggest complaints about the character’s appearance in the limited revival seriesNew Blood. Three years afterDexter: New Blood’s divisive endingseemingly killed off the titular character and saw Harrison Morgan flee after shooting his father, Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan is officially alive and back inDexter: Resurrection. Showtime’s prequelDexter: Original Sinconfirmed that Dexter was miraculously revived by doctors after being shot, meaning a major fallout is coming after he was exposed as the Bay Harbor Butcher.
After bringing Dexter Morgan back to life, the sequel series is also bringing back some important characters from the original show toexplore the aftermath of Dexter being shot, outed as a serial killer, and facing severe consequences for his crimes. In addition to Michael C. Hall, the confirmedreturning cast members inDexter: Resurrectionso far include James Remar as Harry Morgan, Jack Alcott as Harrison Morgan, and David Zayas as Angel Batista, the latter two having also appeared inNew Blood. With Batista’s return inResurrection, the new sequel is expanding on some missed opportunities fromNew Blood.
David Zayas Being A Series Regular In Dexter: Resurrection Means Batista & Dexter’s Confrontation Will Finally Happen
Batista’s Return In New Blood Felt Unfinished
While it was incredibly exciting to see David Zayas back as Angel Batista inDexter: New Blood, the revival series didn’t do much to pay off his return. Batista appeared at a conference that was attended by Angela, and the two even discussed the missing women in Iron Lake,Dexter’s Trinity Killer case, the death of Debra Morgan, the supposed death of Dexter Morgan, and Angel not knowing what happened to Dexter’s son, Harrison.Ultimately, his return confirmed that Miami Metro was still unaware that Dexter was the real Bay Harbor ButcherafterDexter’s original series ending.
Why Dexter: New Blood’s Finale Completely Wasted Angel Batista’s Return
Angel Batista returns in another cameo for Dexter: New Blood’s finale, though his appearance is wasted with an unfulfilled teaser moment.
Zayas then brieflyreturned as Batista at the end ofDexter: New Blood, as Angela had called him for more information on the Bay Harbor Butcher, having already suspected Dexter as a killer. In that scene, Batista found out that Dexter had faked his death, and began to suspect that Dexter may have been responsible for Maria LaGuerta’s death. Batista said he would be coming to Iron Lake with files about LaGuerta’s death the next morning, butNew Bloodnever followed up on this. Rather,the show ended without a reunion between Angel and Dexter or a confrontation regarding the Bay Harbor Butcher.
For a more satisfying conclusion, Dexter needed to be confronted by someone like Batista, who he had been lying to for decades, was close friends with, and was deeply, forever impacted by his crimes in Miami.
Therefore,New Bloodbringing back Angel felt disappointing and unfulfilling, simply concluding with the suggestion that Miami Metro would finally learn the truthabout Dexter being the Bay Harbor Butcher – not James Doakes. For a more satisfying conclusion, Dexter needed to be confronted by someone like Batista, who he had been lying to for decades, was close friends with, and was deeply, forever impacted by his crimes in Miami, rather than Angela, who had only known “Jim Lindsay” for a short time. Now thatBatista is back inDexter: Resurrection, that confrontation and fallout between the former friends will finally happen.
Angel Batista’s Return Means He’ll Finally Get Revenge For LaGuerta’s Death
New Blood Revealed That Batista Suspected Something Wrong With Maria LaGuerta’s Murder
Having previously been married to the accomplished Captain of Miami Metro Homicide, Batista was heartbroken afterLaGuerta’s death inDexter’s season 7 finale. WhileLaGuerta’s death was blamed on Hector Estrada, she was actually reluctantly killed by Debra Morgan. At the end ofDexterseason 7, her suspicions about Dexter being the Bay Harbor Butcher were proven correct, and Dexter set up a trap to try to kill LaGuerta before she could expose him.
Dexter: Resurrectionis confirmed to premiere in summer 2025.
Deb ended up walking in on Dexter as he was about to kill LaGuerta, with the latter then waking up and trying to convince Deb to shoot Dexter instead. Ultimately, Deb made the difficult decision to kill LaGuerta to keep Dexter’s secret, which haunted her until her own death inDexter’s season 8 finale. WhileDeb and Dexter’s role in LaGuerta’s murder was covered up, Batista’s return inNew Bloodrevealed that he long had suspicions about something being wrong with the circumstances of her death. AfterNew Blood, Batista now must confirm that Dexter was involved.
When Dexter and Batista reunite inDexter: Resurrection, the latter will finally be able to figure out the truth about how and why LaGuerta was killed. If he admits the truth, Dexter will likely protect Deb’s memory by explaining that he was the one who shot and murdered LaGuerta, which will only increase Batista’s desire to bring Dexter to justice. If Dexter lies and denies any role, then Batista’s story inDexter: Resurrectionwill likely be centered around gathering more evidence to charge Dexter with LaGuerta’s murder.
Will Dexter Finally Be Imprisoned As The Bay Harbor Butcher?
It Wouldn’t Be A Proper Dexter Revival If He Was Simply In Prison
ThoughDexter is alive after being shot inNew Blood, it’s unclear what the context of his return will be inDexter: Resurrection. Dexter has already escaped jail after being wanted for Matt Caldwell’s murder in Iron Lake, and will likely be under police supervision while recovering in the hospital.It’s possible that Dexter will then try to escape the hospital, perhaps sending Batista and other authorities on a manhuntto apprehend Dexter, confirm his identity as the Bay Harbor Butcher, and imprison him for his crimes.
Harrison Morgan
Jack Alcott
However, it’s unlikely that Dexter Morgan would be in jail throughout most ofDexter: Resurrection’s story. He could potentially be imprisoned, let go due to insufficient evidence, and flee under a new alias to continue his serial killing instead, as it wouldn’t beDexterif the titular character was never actually able to operate as a vigilante killer.Dexter: Resurrectionstill needs to verify that Batista fully resolves the Bay Harbor Butcher case and Maria LaGuerta’s murder, butit’s unlikely that Dexter would be imprisoned long-term unless it happened in the series finale.
Dexter’s New Sequel Admits A Harsh Truth About New Blood, 2 Years Later
Dexter: New Blood continued the events of the original show, but now that the franchise is set to expand again, the sequel show reveals a weakness.
ForDexterto beDexter, the show would need to see Michael C. Hall’s character hunting down other serial killers while evading capture.It’ll be thrilling to see Dexter being hunted again by his colleagues at Miami Metro, similar toSergeant James Doakestrying to expose him inDexterseason 2, but the point of the series is that he’s never permanently done killing. There’s little room for longevity inDexter: Resurrectionif Batista imprisons Dexter and tries to have him executed, so putting the Bay Harbor Butcher in jail for his crimes would have to be a brief fate.
Dexter
Cast
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
