Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 4.A newDexter: Resurrectionfan theory argues that one of the show’s new serial killers was actually inDexterseason 3, 17 years before appearing on screen. All ofDexter: Resurrection’s new killershave some tie to the original show. Al Jolly is a family man like the Trinity Killer, while Lady Vengeance was (seemingly) a vigilante targeting sexual predators like Lumen Pierce.
One ofResurrection’s new killers, however, may have a much more overt tie to the originalDexterthan his peers. In fact, a new fan theory may have pointed out that one of Leon Prater’s killers was originally supposed to show up inDexter. We may have even seen his handiwork already, and there’s a very good chance you didn’t even notice.
Lowell Killed Dlana Nelson In Dexter Season 3 – Fan Theory Explained
Dexterseason 3 has two main villains: Miguel Prado and “The Skinner,” also known as George King. Dexter and Miami Metro spend most of the season investigating the Skinner’s victims, including one victim named Dlana Nelson, who had a patch of skin carved off her body. As Vince Masuka pointed out inDexterseason 3, episode 5, however, Dlana wasn’t actually killed by the Skinner.
Masuka realized that Dlana was smothered to death, whereas the other victims were strangled. He also realized that the patch of skin taken from Dlana was actually a tattoo, whereas the Skinner only took unmarked skins. AReddit userthen came up with a theory after the release ofDexter: Resurrectionepisode 4:Dlana Nelson’s real killer is Lowell, AKA the Tattoo Collector.
We don’t know much about Lowell’s modus operandi, but the little information we have seemingly fits perfectly with Dlana’s death. Lowell knocked out his victims with anesthesia, but we don’t know how he actually killed them. He easily could have smothered them, just as Dlana’s killer did to her. Removing tattoos from victims is also Lowell’s entire namesake, which is exactly what happened to Dlana.
The theory goes even further. We know that Lowell was ready to kill even while visiting New York. It’s possible that Lowell killed people while he was on vacation to confuse law enforcement. Lowell could have vacationed in Miami and killed Dlana, just as he was planning to do in New York inResurrection.
Clyde Phillips, the creator ofDexter: Resurrection, also worked as an executive producer ofDexterseason 3 before departing the show after season 4.It’s possible that Phillips had been planning on revealing Lowell as Dlana’s killer in the originalDexter. Now that he’s makingResurrection- which already feels like a return to the first four seasons ofDexter- he revived his idea for Dlana’s unsolved murder.
Dexter Never Revealed Who Killed Dlana Nelson If Not The Skinner
Since the Sheriff’s Department was investigating Dlana’s murder,Dexternever revealed who actually killed Dlana Nelson. Masuka proved it wasn’t the Skinner - neither the manner of death nor the removal of the skin matched the Skinner’s M.O. - but the show never gave an alternative. The Sheriff’s Department investigated on its own, andDexternever even revealed if they solved it.
That fact alone lends a lot of credence to the fan theory.Dextervery rarely leaves a murder unsolved, even if it’s by revealing that Dexter killed the perpetrator before Miami Metro could figure it out. Dlana Nelson is one of very fewDextervictims whose killer was never caught.It’s not likeDexterto leave a massive loose end like that, and it makes the theory about Lowell seem more likely.
It also lends credence to the idea that Clyde Phillips was planning on revisiting Dlana Nelson’s murder later on inDexter, and thatResurrectionis just his first chance to do so. Phillips is a meticulous writer with an eye for details. There’s a chance he left Dlana’s murder unsolved simply because it didn’t tie into the Skinner case, but it’s also plausible that he was thinking of the Tattoo Collector years ago.
Lowell Being The Killer Would Be A Genius Way To Tie Him Into The OG Show’s Story
Dexter: Resurrectionalready has major ties to the original series. It’s obviously a continuation of Dexter and Harrison’s story, and it features a few majorDextercharacters, like Angel Batista. Still, ifDexter: Resurrectiondoes somehow find a way to confirm that Lowell really did kill Dlana Nelson, it would be the perfect way to tieResurrectionto the original series.
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As previously mentioned,Resurrection’s serial killers already resemble some ofDexter’s best killers. Al “Rapunzel” Jolly is like the Trinity Killer, while Lady Vengeance is (at first) just like Lumen Pierce. Lowell was already like the Skinner, but this theory makes that comparison even more overt.Resurrection’s killers feel likeDexter’s killers, and this theory solidifies that.
Lowell being the killer would also fit perfectly withResurrection’s more meta goals.Resurrectionis basically a re-do of the controversialendings ofDexterandNew Blood. Dexter is finally dealing with his baggage, cutting his old life away, and starting anew. What better way forDexter: Resurrectionto get rid of the old and focus on the new than finally solving one ofDexter’s few unsolved mysteries?
Dexter: Resurrection
Cast
Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro’s Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.
Dexter
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.
