Published in Monstrous Manifestations (eds) Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bieńkowska and Karen Graham, Inter-Disciplinary Press, Oxford, UK, 2013.
Presented at the 10th Global Conference Monsters and the Monstrous, Oxford, UK, September 10-12, 2012 (Presenter: Joanna Ioannidou).
Although we do not typically make heroes out of serial killers, as Paul Kooistra (1989) has argued, Dexter manages to have us root for the monster. The eponymous protagonist of this television show is a forensic blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police by day and a serial killer by night. Even though one would expect audiences to read the main character as antipathetic because of his monstrous tendencies, a sympathetic image of Dexter is possible. In fact, as this paper will argue, Dexter is sympathetic not despite his monstrous traits, but in spite of them.
Viewing Dexter in a sympathetic light is made possible by a series of elements in his character’s construction, but his choice of victims is the quintessence of his acceptance by audiences. By targeting murderers that have escaped punishment, Dexter is transformed from a typical serial killer into an enforcer of justice. As a result, his need to kill is no longer the irrational urge of a psychopath, but can be seen as a heroic action ridding the world of evil. This paper will explore Dexter’s elevation to a (vigilante) hero status, arguing that Dexter’s killings are presented as acceptable and even desirable by tapping into anxieties regarding un-punishment and fantasies of moral accountability. It will also discuss Dexter’s main “opponents” and their role in presenting his character as a new type of superhero. Finally, the paper aims to raise questions regarding the significance of a “new order of heroes” that manifest our ideas of “natural justice,” and the role of these dark heroes in the blurring of boundaries between the human/non-human, the humane and the in-humane.
