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- What Really Inspired Dexter?
- Theories About Real-Life Inspirations
- Dexter Is a Unique And Fictional Character
It is important to note that Dexter Morgan, the protagonist of the television series “Dexter,” is a fictional character created by author Jeff Lindsay and portrayed by Michael C. Hall in the Showtime adaptation. While there have been real-life individuals, such as Juan Bosch Filho and Walter Benitez Pardo, who share some similarities with Dexter, they did not inspire the creation of the character.
Passionate followers of the crime drama “Dexter” on Showtime believe they possess extensive knowledge about the intriguing series. They’re well-versed in details such as:
Have we reached an accurate understanding that throughout history, there have been individuals who acted as vigilante serial killers? Some people speculate that the character of Dexter in Lindsay’s novels may have been influenced by one or more such killers. However, Lindsay himself has never acknowledged any connection to these real-life figures. Instead, his inspiration for creating the character was more commonplace and less violent.
What Really Inspired Dexter?
In a YouTube conversation between Lindsay and Orion Publishing Group’s author, he shares his ideas behind the development of the show based on his novel “Darkly Dreaming Dexter,” as well as the motivations that led him to create the character Dexter Morgan and craft the story from the outset. It is essential to note that this discussion is unrelated to any real-life serial killers.
He shared an experience where he was invited to deliver a brief talk at a local business luncheon about the significance of engaging with art, emphasizing the need to read lengthy materials occasionally. As he sat at the head table observing the attendees, he noticed insincere smiles, exchanged business cards amidst eating, and overheard conversations muffled by food. Suddenly, an unexpected thought emerged: serial killing isn’t necessarily evil.
I didn’t intend to harm all those people, but an idea crossed my mind. In theory, there was a way to rationalize it. And so, I scribbled down my thoughts on the back of some napkins during the day. By the time I got home, I had sketched out the initial plot for the first book and conceived the character of Dexter.
According to Lindsay’s account, Dexter persisted in carrying out research, which is believed to be the origin of his Dark Passenger concept. However, there’s no information provided on the particular research methods he employed to formulate this notion. Moreover, Dexter acknowledged that for the storyline to be effective, it was essential that he targeted individuals who, based on his moral compass, merited death. “This is a code we can all relate to in some way,” he explained. “Deep down, many of us might think, ‘yes, that person deserved it.'”
As a huge fan of Dexter, I devised some truly despicable victims for him to eliminate, all in an effort to make the audience find this morally ambiguous anti-hero strangely endearing. I aimed to engage viewers so deeply in Dexter’s world that they might even find themselves cheering on a killer, momentarily questioning their own ethical compasses.
Theories About Real-Life Inspirations
At that event, Lindsay originally conceived the idea for Dexter. Contrary to popular belief, this origin story is less glamorous than many fans may have imagined. It’s possible that this discrepancy between reality and fantasy has led some enthusiasts to conduct their own independent investigations. They have uncovered striking similarities between the title character and certain real-life murderers.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho
In conversations and media reports, Pedro Rodrigues Filho is a frequently mentioned name. Following his conviction, this individual confessed to taking numerous lives yet insisted he had never harmed an innocent person, as stated in The Toronto Sun. Often referred to as Brazil’s “Dexter,” this moniker reflects his alleged penchant for violent acts.
The son mercilessly took the lives of numerous individuals during his prison tenure, exceeding forty among them, which included his own abusive father. Despite this brutal and seemingly random pattern of killing, he is frequently cited as a potential role model for characters like Dexter due to his choice of targets: drug dealers, rapists, and murderers.
In the year following Filho’s actual release from prison in Brazil, Darkly Dreaming Dexter was published. This coincidence has led some fans to speculate a connection between the two. It’s important to mention that Filho is also referred to as the “South American Punisher” by some, drawing comparisons to the Marvel character of the same name. Hence, Dexter isn’t the sole fictional character Filho shares similarities with.
Manuel Pardo
Another real-life serial killer fans have noticed has similarities to Dexter is Manuel Pardo. He was a police officer in Florida, the same state where Dexter is based (and in which Lindsay resides) who turned out to be moonlighting as a killer. Dexter Morgan, as fans know, also worked for the police department as a blood spatter pattern analyst. In 1986, long before Lindsay wrote Dexter as a character, he was convicted of killing nine people and sentenced to death. Like Dexter, he believed that he was helping rid the streets of awful people.
Pardo, like Dexter, had peculiar habits besides murdering, as reported by AskMen.com. Instead of creating blood slides, which were his preferred method in the ’80s, he utilized Polaroid photographs. Despite his heinous acts, Pardo maintained a likable demeanor and even received financial support from women during his time on death row. He viewed himself as a “soldier.”
There are some things about Pardo, however, that don’t track, such as that Nazi memorabilia was found in his home. At trial, this was presented as evidence that he was a Nazi sympathizer who held racist and antisemitic views. But Pardo was adamant that he just wanted to get rid of the drug culture in Florida by killing sellers and buyers. And his words in this respect have many recognizing parallels with Dexter.
What’s interesting about the show when it comes to Pardo is that a character was introduced in Season 3 with a similar name. Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) turned out to be a killer yet was a respected member of society who worked in law enforcement as an Assistant District Attorney. This may have been an intentional (and clever) Easter Egg from the show’s writers, paying fan service to those who had discovered Pardo and his striking similarities to Dexter. (Lindsay authored the books but he did not write the screenplay for the series.)
Dexter Is a Unique And Fictional Character
As a dedicated gamer, I’ve delved deep into the intriguing world of Dexter Morgan from “Dexter.” Contrary to some rumors that hint at his resemblance to real-life serial killers like Filho and Pardo, my exploration has uncovered striking differences between them. Moreover, Lindsay, the brilliant mind behind this captivating character, has never suggested any inspiration derived from these individuals.
At the age of 71 today, Lindsay was born in 1952. Consequently, he would have been around 30 years old during the 1980s when the Pardo case received widespread attention in Miami-Dade County, possibly even in Florida as a whole. It’s challenging to dismiss the possibility that Lindsay wasn’t at least somewhat familiar with this high-profile case, given its prevalence during that era. Even if the Pardo case didn’t directly influence Dexter’s creation, some of its facts may have unconsciously influenced Lindsay as he wrote the story. People often draw inspiration from a myriad of sources, both overt and subtle.
Essentially, Dexter Morgan is largely a creation of Lindsay’s imagination, while Hall brought him to life on screen. The boundary between art and reality can be blurred at times, and in this instance, Lindsay’s artistic work has taken on a life of its own, continuing to evolve beyond its original source.
In 2020, the hit series “Dexter” made a comeback under the title “Dexter: New Blood” as a limited revival. This installment explores Dexter Morgan’s new existence and encounter with his adolescent son. Additionally, prepare for another prequel series called “Dexter: Original Sin” where an entirely fresh cast portrays younger versions of the original characters. These characters draw inspiration solely from their counterparts in the initial show. Available to stream on Netflix.
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2024-07-14 04:02