Actor Reveals Truth Behind Dexter Resurrection Episode 9's Shocking Death

Well, that was brutal. Dexter: Resurrection Episode 9 takes out a character who has literally been around since Day 1, and now the actor behind him is talking about why it had to go down that way.

Where this lands in the Dexter-verse

Quick refresher: Dexter ran on Showtime from October 2006 to September 2013 and has since spun out three follow-ups: Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin, and now Dexter: Resurrection. Angel Batista, played by David Zayas, has been part of this world since the pilot.

How Episode 9 deals the blow

• Angel Batista gets grabbed by Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), who misreads the situation and decides Batista is leverage. When Dexter shows up for a sit-down with Prater, he finds his old colleague strapped to a bed.
• Prater pitches Dexter a very Prater-ish deal: kill Batista and he will become Dexter’s benefactor, i.e., bankroll/protect the monster.
• Dexter refuses. Between their shared history and his kill code (Batista is not a fit), he frees him instead.
• Then it flips: Batista lunges and tries to strangle Dexter. Before Dexter goes out, Prater fires and kills Batista.

"Dexter Morgan... F--- you."

That is... bleak, even by Dexter standards.

David Zayas on why Batista knew the clock was ticking

Zayas (63) told Variety that Batista understood where this was heading as far back as the end of Episode 7, when Dexter essentially warned him that knowing the truth does not end well. In Zayas’s view, Batista had already blown past the point of no return: either he would bring Dexter down, or he’d die in the attempt. There was no third option.

"If you notice at the end of Episode 7, he's in the car and Dexter tells him, ‘If you know who I am, this is not going to end well for you,'" the actor told Variety. "Batista understands that. I understand that. But he's already passed the point of no return, and so that's where it ends up. Either he was going to get Dexter or he was going to go out like this."

Zayas also pointed out that this version of Batista is not the wide-eyed optimist from the early years. He has hardened over time. That loss of innocence matters for him, and it colors every decision he makes in Resurrection.

When to watch

Dexter: Resurrection drops new episodes every Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime.