Jeff Lindsay’s Moloch Twist Might Be ‘Dexter: Resurrection’s Perfect Ending

The Dexter franchise is still in the throes of a long battle to find an ending to the crime saga that fans don’t hate, and depending on which route Dexter: Resurrection opts for, the wildest finale yet could be on the way. Loosely based on Jeff Lindsay’s book series, the Dexter TV franchise has tried and failed twice now when it comes to penning a satisfying ending to the story of Michael C. Hall’s beloved serial killer. Perhaps, if showrunner Clyde Phillips is feeling daring, he’ll turn back to the source material when the time comes for Resurrection to draw to a close.

Many Dexter fans may not even know that Hall’s character has literary origins. The live-action adaptation has eclipsed Lindsay’s eight-book series, and the story that made it to the small screen is significantly different from the source material. Although Dexter Season 1 is a fairly faithful version of 2004’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter, later runs essentially left the books behind and took the altered characters through a series of original storylines. One of the book twists shook the fandom in 2007, but the TV shows have never dared include it.

Jeff Lindsay’s Third Book Gave Dexter Morgan a Supernatural Twist

2007’s Dexter in the Dark was the third novel Lindsay penned in his literary series. Until this novel, the larger story had been relatively grounded and wasn’t all that dissimilar to the live-action adaptation. While Dexter is far more brutal and less emotionally sympathetic in the books, he’s still a figure who could exist in the real world. A big part of what gives the shows their appeal is the possibility of them happening in real life, so there’s a sense of dark voyeurism. Dexter in the Dark changed all that for fans of the books.

In the shows, Dexter’s “Dark Passenger” is an intangible emotional state that drives him to kill. In the books, Lindsay introduces a cult that worships a dark god named Moloch, who just loves death. Dexter’s Dark Passenger is revealed to be connected to this ancient supernatural being. Some readers tried to cling to the theory that Lindsay was being more poetic than he was literal, but Dexter in the Dark‘s surprisingly fantastical twist is far too prominent to ignore as anything other than part of the main story.

The reveal was so incredibly divisive that Lindsay softly walked it back in later books, starting with 2009’s Dexter by Design. For the rest of the series, Moloch and all the associated lore are left behind. It’s never solidly retconned, but Dexter’s Dark Passenger returns to being referred to as a state of mind or compulsion rather than anything supernatural. It’s left up to the readers to decide whether Moloch is real, although it’s pretty clear that Lindsay’s original intent was a permanent left turn.

‘Dexter in the Dark’s Moloch Twist Might Be the Extreme Measure Required for ‘Resurrection’s Eventual Ending

Paramount+ with Showtime

So far, the Dexter TV shows have tried to end the story twice. The Season 8 finale saw Hall’s character forced into exile, and New Blood ended with what was clearly supposed to be Dexter’s death. Neither instance was seen as acceptable to the fan base, which is why Resurrection has brought Dex back again for another round. At this point, the only other grounded endings would be for the franchise’s main character to be arrested for his various murders or that he just gets away with everything forever. The first option is a bit too boring, and the latter is very optimistic considering Dexter’s body count.

One thing is for sure: Dexter: Resurrection can’t go on forever, and another failed ending would likely tarnish the franchise’s legacy beyond repair. With so few options left to explore in this regard, maybe the nuclear option of embracing Lindsay’s Moloch twist is the only way to draw the story to a close. Just as Dexter temporarily loses his Dark Passenger in book 3, maybe Hall’s version of the character can be revealed as being under a supernatural influence the whole time. After shaking the dark presence loose from his soul, he’d be able to live a relatively normal life and leave the trail of blood far behind him. It’d be one of his only shots at a happy ending, which appears to be what fans are demanding, judging by their reactions to the finales we’ve seen so far.

Piggybacked onto this reveal would need to come a broader twist that other Dexter characters, like Harrison (Jack Atwell), also have a Dark Passenger that’s far more than just psychological. Just as Lindsay revealed that Dexter wasn’t the only one connected to Moloch, other serial killers in the show’s canon would need to be retroactively included in this explanation. If Dexter can escape Moloch’s influence, then so too can Harrison. This would also imply a surprisingly morose twist: that all the serial killers Dexter has killed were victims themselves, being driven to take lives against their will. It remains to be seen if Dexter: Resurrection will take such a game-changing, genre-altering risk.

Release Date

July 13, 2025

Network

Paramount+ with Showtime

Directors

Marcos Siega