Played by Michael C. Hall, Dexter Morgan is the show's protagonist and anti-hero. A brilliant and charming forensic analyst working for the Miami-Dade Police Department, Dexter leads a double life. As a child, Dexter witnessed his mother's murder, which triggered his "Dark Passenger," an inner voice that compels him to kill. To satisfy his Dark Passenger, Dexter developed a code, a set of rules that guide his killing spree. He only targets individuals who have escaped justice, and he meticulously plans and executes his murders to avoid detection.