John Lithgow's terrifying Trinity Killer is probably Dexter's most popular and important adversary, making a spin-off exploring his origins an exciting possibility. With rumors circulating about the future of the Dexter franchise, some have suggested that an origin story centered on the titular homicidal blood spatter analyst himself would be a worthy follow-up to both the original series and its successor Dexter: New Blood. However, while Trinity was only ever an ominous supporting character, such was his impact that he would be the ideal subject for a prequel series.
The Trinity Killer entered the limelight in Dexter season 4 – a 12-episode arc that many fans and critics consider to be the strongest in the show's history. Unlike earlier Dexter seasons, which saw the antihero invariably outsmart and outlast everyone from his own brother to Sergeant Doakes, the Trinity Killer proved that he was more than a match for the Bay Harbor Butcher. Although Dexter eventually managed to murder Arthur Mitchell, his nemesis succeeded in unearthing his secret identity and killing his wife Rita in one of Dexter's most brutal and nihilistic scenes. This, coupled with his impressive body count, makes Trinity one of Dexter's most iconic characters.
A Trinity Killer Spinoff Is Better Than Dexter Origins
A prequel series focused on the Trinity Killer would not only be a compelling watch in its own right, but would be far preferable to one centered on Dexter Morgan himself. Since the original series excelled in slowly unearthing details of Dexter's past, making both he and the audience question his history and reliability as a narrator, any project that provides a definitive account of previous events would be fundamentally flawed. Not only have viewers already learned how Dexter inherited his Dark Passenger and how his adoptive father taught him to survive, but removing the ambiguity that ran throughout Dexter would tarnish the original series.
By contrast, Arthur Mitchell remains a character shrouded in mystery. While Dexter season 4 revealed that Trinity's murderous cycles were rooted in childhood trauma, key details from his past remain a mystery. How he started his family, what happened in his earliest sprees, and how he balanced his double life for so many years are all unanswered questions. His popularity as a character and potential for a compelling narrative means that Trinity would far better suit an origin story than Dexter.
What Dexter's Trinity Killer Spinoff Could Be About
There are plenty of potential avenues for a Trinity Killer spin-off. The series could explore some of his misadventures in other cities, as well as examine the familial facade that Arthur Mitchell managed to construct for himself as perfect social camouflage. The show could potentially go even further back, excavating the family trauma that created one of TV's most notorious criminals. That said, one potential problem for a Trinity Killer spin-off is that the character is inherently less likable than Dexter. While both commit heinous crimes, Dexter Morgan is a much more sympathetic leading presence than Arthur Mitchell could ever be, possibly compromising any sense of empathy.
A possible workaround for this would be to focus the Trinity spin-off on Agent Frank Lundy's pursuit, thereby maintaining Mitchell's status as an arch-villain while simultaneously unearthing more details about the character. By depicting the early days of Lundy's investigation and his efforts to convince the FBI, a Trinity prequel could both explore the dark recesses of its main character and create an oppressive sense of paranoia, akin to Jake Gyllenhaal's ultimately fruitless obsession in Zodiac. Adopting such a tone would not only be engaging in its own right, but would clearly differentiate a Trinity project from Dexter. These possibilities all mean that a Trinity Killer spin-off is far preferable to a new Dexter prequel.