Before being brilliantly portrayed by Michael C. Hall on the Showtime series, did you know that Dexter Morgan was initially a fictional character from Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter?
While Dexter is based on a book series, it differs from the likes of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones as only the first season was adapted for television; seasons 2-8 bear no resemblance to Lindsay’s work.
For those unfamiliar, Dexter became orphaned as a child when his mother was murdered and cut into pieces with a chainsaw. He was subsequently adopted by Harry Morgan, a Miami police officer, who moulded him into the man he would become. Dexter ended up working in law enforcement as a bloodstain pattern analyst and committed criminal acts on the side. The show follows Dexter as he hunts down and murders other murderers while remaining undetected – he literally served as judge, jury and executioner.
Dexter hit screens in 2006 and ran for 8 seasons and 96 episodes before concluding in 2013. In October 2020 it was announced that Dexter is set to return in late 2021 (much like Sex and the City) for a 10 episode limited series
If you enjoyed the television series it may interest you to read all eight Jeff Lindsay books and see his intentions for the Dexter character. Both the books and television series could serve as tattoo inspiration, as could the Dexter animated series, the limited comic books series, or even the various physical and digital games.
Keep scrolling to see our top 25 picks and think about the style, imagery, and artist you would select for your own Dexter tattoo.
Blood. Eyeless Dexter tattoo by @anrijsstraume
Neo trad Dexter tattoo by @millhaustattoo
Healed black and grey Dexter portrait tattoo by @perunov_dmitry
Colour realism Dexter themed sleeve tattoo by @hannah_tattoos
Dexter kewpie tattoo by @madi_octavia
Colour realism Dexter tattoo by @tattoosbygonzo
Neo trad Dexter themed tattoo by @alexrowntreetattoo
Dexter forearm tattoo by @rexys666
Black and grey (and red) traditional style Dexter tattoo by @moira.ramone
Blood splattered Dexter tattoo by @audie_tattoos 
Mixed style collaboration tattoo by @marchateaux and @porcalocatattoo
Dexter portrait tattoo by @paulackertattoo
Black and grey Dexter tattoo by @albaprietotattooart
Healed faceless Dexter tattoo by @jayjoree
Colour realism Dexter tattoo by @damienwickhamtattoo
Dissected Dexter head tattoo by @kylevanstattoo
Colour realism Dexter portrait tattoo by @markreedtattoos
Graphic mixed style Dexter tattoo by @jaredbent_tattoos 
Dark trash realism Dexter Morgan tattoo by @anrijsstraume
Neo trad Dexter tattoo by @sadee_glover
Painterly colour realism Dexter portrait tattoo by @thirtink
Neo trad Dexter inspired Trinity Killer hammer and blood splattered orchids tattoo by @coritattoos
Another dark trash realism Dexter tattoo by @anrijsstraume
Stylised neo trad Dexter themed tattoo by @timchildstattoo
Colour realism Dexter portrait tattoo by @chrismeighantattoo