Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dexter: Original Sin season 1.With the announcement of James Remar’s return as Harry Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection, the presence of Christian Slater playing the same character in Dexter: Original Sin is something of an eyebrow-raiser, but there is logic behind the complex casting decision. After appearing as part of the original Dexter cast, Remar hasn’t been involved with the franchise since Dexter ended in 2013. So, his return for the follow-up to the Dexter: New Blood miniseries will mark the first time he’ll have played Harry in over a decade.
The Dexter: Original Sin cast replaced Remar with Christian Slater for the simple reason that the original actor is now too old to play Harry in the show’s 1991 setting. So, Slater was required to step in and inherit the role. However, because of when Dexter: Original Sin is set within the franchise when compared to Resurrection, the door is open for Remar to reprise the role of Dexter’s late father – even if it does leave a few meta loose ends that tap quite aggressively on the fourth wall.
James Remar Is Michael C. Hall’s Harry Morgan – Christian Slater Is Patrick Gibson’s
Both Dexter actors have respective versions of their father
Now there are so many eras and moving parts within the Dexter franchise, there are some very careful considerations that need to be made when various aspects of the story are being addressed. Although it wouldn’t have made any sense for Remar to reprise his role in Original Sin, he has still been established to be the face of Harry Morgan in the eyes of Michael C. Hall’s version of the series’ title character. Similarly, Patrick Gibson’s Dexter knows his father as the Christian Slater version. It’s not a perfect formula, but it at least allows for more consistency.
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There’s also the matter of each version of Harry Morgan fulfilling very different roles in their respective eras. In the original show, Remar’s Harry is primarily shown in flashbacks, but also as a psychological manifestation of Dexter’s voice of reason. In other words, Hall’s character has essentially outsourced his conscience to the memory of his father that only he can see and speak with. Harry is already dead before the events of Dexter‘s first episode and has been for roughly a decade. By comparison, Slater’s Harry is the real and “present-day” version of the character.
Dexter: Resurrection Could Have Used Either Remar Or Slater To Play Harry Morgan
Both Harry Morgans had equal claim to the role
The order in which the four Dexter shows were made doesn’t necessarily reflect the franchise’s in-universe timeline. Although Dexter and Dexter: New Blood do form a chronological sequence of events, Dexter Original Sin‘s debut in 2024 is the first time the series has gone back in time to witness Dex’s younger years in any real detail. When Dexter: Resurrection airs in 2025, the story will dart around again and land after the events of Dexter: New Blood. The best viewing order of the shows is a debatable topic, but there is arguably more benefit in following the order of release.
If someone were to start with Original Sin, Slater would be present and then suddenly transform into Remar in Dexter and Resurrection.
Although Dexter: Original Sin doesn’t necessarily require prior knowledge of the franchise going in, there are several references and nods to Dex’s future that would be missed if viewed in isolation. However, this doesn’t really support either stance regarding which order is best when viewing the Dexter shows. Therefore, choosing either Remar or Slater to play Harry in Dexter: Resurrection would still have made perfect sense. If someone were to start with Original Sin, Slater would be present and then suddenly transform into Remar in Dexter and Resurrection, but the behind-the-scenes change between would still provide a salient explanation.
Why Harry Would Be Replacing Deb Again After New Blood
It wasn’t really Deb in Dexter: New Blood (& it won’t really be Harry in Resurrection)
Dexter’s need to kill is referred to in the show as his “dark passenger.” Harry helped his adoptive son develop a system to channel these urges into taking the lives of only those he thought deserved it. This often meant hunting down fellow serial killers and other unsavory individuals. When Harry died, one of Dexter’s coping mechanisms was to manifest an image of his late father who would help him abide by the code he laid out for him. In Dexter: New Blood, this role went to Jennifer Carpenter’s Deb Morgan, who died at the end of Dexter‘s final season.
Deb discovers her brother’s true nature during Dexter, so Hall’s character eventually replaces the image of his father with his sister in New Blood.
Although she could return, Carpenter hasn’t yet been announced as part of the Dexter: Resurrection cast So, Remar’s comeback as Harry will likely have him reclaim his place as Dexter’s imagined support system. Because Original Sin‘s opening episode reveals Hall’s character survived being shot by his own son at the end of New Blood, there will be some complex thoughts and feelings swirling through Dex’s mind about fatherhood. Therefore, it would make perfect that he would once more summon Harry in Dexter: Resurrection to help process the trauma that Dexter: Original Sin proves he needs to live through.
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Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime’s Dexter follows Miami Metro Police Department’s most skilled blood spatter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he attempts to satisfy his Dark Passenger’s need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; with every problem solved by his Dark Passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes things personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his co-workers. Dexter aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Blood, which picked up ten years after the show’s events. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day.
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Set a decade after his disappearance, Dexter: New Blood follows Dexter Morgan living under a new identity in Iron Lake, New York. Despite his attempts to embrace a peaceful life, unforeseen events in the tight-knit community reignite his Dark Passenger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.
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Dexter: Original Sin explores the origins of Dexter Morgan as he transitions from student to serial killer in 1991 Miami. Guided by his father, Dexter channels his dark urges through a moral code while starting a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
