Dexter Morgan’s Complicated Family Tree Explained

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 5.Dexter Morgan’s family tree is one of the most complicated parts of Dexter and its spinoff shows, but it’s also central to the entire franchise’s story and important to understand. Dexter’s origins and his various families are some of the most important parts of the four Dexter shows. The Mosers, the Morgans, and the Bennetts all play important parts in the eponymous serial killer’s life.

Important as they are, Dexter’s various family members are also difficult to keep track of. The original Dexter made a mystery of Dexter’s biological family and his adoptive one, and the more recent Dexter spinoffs have focused heavily on his relationship with his son, Harrison. Here’s everyone who can be called part of Dexter’s family and how they relate to him.

Laura Moser

Dexter’s Biological Mother & The Source Of His Dark Passenger

Dexter’s biological mother was a woman named Laura Moser. As Dexter: Original Sin explored in-depth, Laura was arrested on drug charges by Harry Morgan when Dexter was about four years old. Harry then coerced Laura to become a criminal informant for Miami Metro, and the two began an affair while Laura investigated Hector Estrada’s drug cartel.

Eventually, Laura’s investigation put her in Estrada’s crosshairs. Laura and her sons were abducted by the cartel and held in a shipping container where Estrada’s men killed her and a few other people with chainsaws. Dexter and his brother were forced to sit in a pool of their mother’s blood for days, and Laura Moser’s death gave Dexter his Dark Passenger.

Joe Driscoll

Dexter’s Biological Father & Former Drug Dealer

Dexter’s biological father, Joe Driscoll, is one of the more mysterious parts of the serial killer’s early life. We don’t know much about Joe other than the fact that he had some distinctive tattoos, was a drug dealer who went to prison, and never contacted either of his sons when they were adults. Brian Moser killed Joe in Dexter season 1, and Joe left his house to Dexter.

Brian Moser

Dexter’s Biological Brother & The Ice Truck Killer

Brian Moser was the oldest son of Laura Moser and Joe Driscoll and Dexter’s older brother. Like Dexter, Brian was also in the shipping container when Laura was killed, though he had psychopathic tendencies long before then. Brian and Dexter briefly lived together at the Morgan household until Brian was rehomed due to his mental health struggles.

As an adult, Brian began stalking Dexter, hoping to reconnect with his younger brother who didn’t remember him. Harry eventually convinced him to leave Dexter alone, but Brian would later try again in Dexter season 1. In the interim years, Brian became a serial killer known as the Ice Truck Killer, and Dexter eventually killed him to save Deb’s life.

Harry Morgan

Dexter’s Adoptive Father & Conscience

After Laura Moser was murdered, Harry Morgan adopted Dexter and (briefly) Brian, her sons. Harry felt guilty for getting Laura killed, and he decided to raise Dexter as his own. Harry quickly realized that Dexter had homicidal tendencies as a child, and with the help of neuropsychologist Dr. Evelyn Vogel, Harry developed “the Code”: a system to help Dexter channel his need to kill into vigilantism.

Using his experience as a police officer, Harry instilled Dexter with the skills he needed to avoid capture. He also gave Dexter a set of morals to follow in his killings, and demanded that Dexter only kill people he could prove had murdered innocents. Harry also had a heart condition, and after surviving a heart attack, he died by suicide after witnessing one of Dexter’s murders.

After his death, Harry lived on in Dexter’s subconscious. Dexter would often reminisce on his childhood or outright hallucinate Harry appearing to him to offer advice and guidance. As an apparition, Harry acted as Dexter’s conscience and urged him to exercise caution and try to maintain his familial relationship with Deb and later Harrison.

Doris Morgan

Dexter’s Adoptive Mother & Deb’s Biological Mother

Dexter’s adoptive mother, Doris Morgan, wasn’t as involved in his life as Harry was. Doris never knew that Dexter was a serial killer, largely because she died of cancer before his first kill. Doris also knew about Harry and Laura’s affair but decided to adopt Dexter anyway. She later gave birth to Debra. Dexter remembered Doris fondly and valued the fact that she could see good in him.

Debra Morgan

Dexter’s Adoptive Sister & Best Friend

Debra Morgan was Dexter’s adoptive sister and best friend for almost his entire life. Though not related by blood, Deb and Dexter were exceptionally close for years, and they often acted as confidants and supporters for one another. Debra briefly fell in romantic love with Dexter, though her feelings faded quickly after she learned he was the Bay Harbor Butcher.

Once Debra knew Dexter was a serial killer, she grew more distant from him and even tried to kill both herself and him at one point. They eventually reconciled and were nearly back to their original level of connection when Deb was shot by the Brain Surgeon and was put into a vegetative state. Dexter then mercy killed Deb and buried her at sea during a hurricane.

In Dexter: New Blood, Deb briefly took over for Harry as the manifestation of Dexter’s conscience and guilt. Unlike Harry, Deb constantly berated Dexter and reinforced his self-loathing. After Harrison shot Dexter in the heart, however, Deb’s memory was again replaced by Harry in Dexter: Resurrection.

Rita Bennett

Dexter’s Wife & Harrison’s Mother

Dexter has had several romantic interests across the four Dexter shows, but he was only married once: to Rita Bennett. Dexter initially began dating Rita because Deb set them up. Deb had responded to a domestic violence call and rescued Rita from her then-husband Paul. Rita wasn’t interested in sex due to the trauma of her last relationship, and Dexter decided that she made him appear more normal.

As their relationship progressed, however, Rita and Dexter ended up getting pregnant with Harrison. Rita already had two children, and Dexter ended up adopting them after marrying Rita in Dexter season 3. After Rita gave birth to Harrison, she was murdered by the Trinity Killer as revenge against Dexter. Dexter never forgave himself for Rita’s death.

Astor Bennett

Rita’s Daughter & Dexter’s Stepdaughter

As previously mentioned, Rita Bennett had two children with Paul before she met Dexter. Rita’s daughter, Astor, became Dexter’s stepdaughter when he married Rita. As Dexter progressed, Astor essentially went through the typical growth stages of a young girl, though she struggled to accept Rita’s murder and acted out because of it. Dexter hasn’t had contact with Astor since Dexter season 7.

Cody Bennett

Rita’s Son & Dexter’s Stepson

Rita Bennett’s other child with Paul was a son named Cody. Like Astor, Cody became Dexter’s stepson after he married Rita. Also like Astor, Cody was a fairly typical boy growing up. He was more infatuated by Paul than Astor was, but he eventually accepted Dexter as a father figure. Cody and Astor lived with Paul’s parents in Orlando after Rita’s death.

Harrison Morgan

Dexter & Rita’s Son

Dexter’s only surviving blood relative is his son, Harrison. Harrison was born in roughly 2010 to Dexter and Rita, and his upbringing was almost as complicated as Dexter’s. Harrison was named after Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry. He was also in the bathroom with Rita when the Trinity Killer murdered her, and he had repressed memories of her death despite being just a year old at the time.

Unlike Astor and Cody, Harrison lived with Dexter after Rita’s death. He was briefly raised by an assortment of women, including his nanny, Jamie Batista, Dexter’s brief girlfriend Lumen Pierce, and eventually Hannah McKay. Hannah and Harrison eventually fled to Argentina, and when Dexter didn’t follow, she raised him as her own son until her death.

In New Blood, Harrison tracked Dexter down and found him in Iron Lake, New York. Dexter mistakenly believed that Harrison had his own Dark Passenger that was “born in blood” due to witnessing Rita’s murder. Harrison did exhibit some violent tendencies and even tried to kill one of his classmates, but he ultimately rejected Dexter’s attempts to make him a killer and shot his father.

In Dexter: Resurrection, Harrison killed Ryan Foster, a guest at the hotel he worked at in New York who was trying to drug and rape a woman. Harrison disposed of the body and narrowly avoids the NYPD before reconnecting with Dexter. In a heart-to-heart, Harrison then revealed that he doesn’t have an urge to kill, and Dexter agreed not to try to instill the Code of Harry anymore.

Hannah McKay

Dexter’s Girlfriend & Harrison’s Adoptive Mother

The final member of Dexter Morgan’s family tree is loosely connected to the trunk, at best. Hannah McKay was Dexter’s love interest in Dexter seasons 7 and 8. Dexter discovered that Hannah had killed a woman when she was 15, though they began a romance when Dexter failed to kill her. Hannah was, however, a wanted criminal in Dexter season 8.

Hannah and Dexter had a plan to evade capture by U.S. Marshals by fleeing to Argentina to live a life together with Dexter’s son, Harrison. After Deb was shot, however, Dexter never joined them, and Hannah ended up taking Harrison to Argentina alone. Believing Dexter was dead, Hannah raised Harrison for the next several years before dying of pancreatic cancer, effectively making her Harrison’s adoptive mother.

As you can see, Dexter Morgan’s family tree is more like a tangled knot of connections, and it features only a few people who are genetically related to him. Despite the fact that Harrison is Dexter’s only surviving blood relative, the Dexter franchise has always had a huge emphasis on the value and power of family. Thus, getting to know Dexter’s family is quite important.

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  Dexter

  
  

  8/10

  Release Date

  2006 – 2013-00-00

  Showrunner

  Clyde Phillips

  Directors

  John Dahl, Steve Shill, Keith Gordon, Marcos Siega, Michael Cuesta, Romeo Tirone, Ernest R. Dickerson, Tony Goldwyn, Nick Gomez, Rob Lieberman, Tim Hunter, Adam Davidson, Alik Sakharov, Brian Kirk, Holly Dale, Jeremy Podeswa, Michael Lehmann, Milan Cheylov, Seith Mann

  Writers

  Scott Reynolds, Jace Richdale, James Manos, Jr., Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Leonard, Karen Campbell

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  Dexter: New Blood

  
  

  7/10

  Release Date

  2021 – 2022-00-00

  Showrunner

  Clyde Phillips

  Directors

  Marcos Siega

  Writers

  Alexandra Franklin, Jeff Lindsay, Marc Muszynski, Clyde Phillips, Kirsa Rein, Alexandra Salerno, Scott Reynolds, Veronica West, Tony Saltzman, David McMillan, Warren Hsu Leonard

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  Dexter: Original Sin

  
  

  6/10

  Release Date

  December 15, 2024
  

  Network

  Paramount+ with Showtime

  Directors

  Michael Lehmann

  Writers

  Alexandra Franklin, Tanner Bean, Marc Muszynski, Safura Fadavi

  
  

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    Patrick Gibson

    Dexter Morgan

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    Christian Slater

    Harry Morgan

  
  

  
  

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  Dexter: Resurrection

  
  

  9/10

  Release Date

  July 13, 2025
  

  Network

  Paramount+ with Showtime

  Directors

  Marcos Siega

  Writers

  Scott Buck