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Dexter: Resurrection continues to blur the distinction between hallucination, memory, and reality as Dexter Morgan rides through a world of old adversaries and unnerving new ones. Episode 4 brought one of the strangest antagonists thus far: Lowell, more famously known as the Tattoo Collector, played by Neil Patrick Harris. His gruesome fixation on human skin instantly had fans wondering if his character could be linked to an earlier antagonist from Dexter's first run.
The speculation feels natural; after all, Dexter: Resurrection thrives on echoes of the past. But is Lowell truly tied to someone like George King (the Skinner) from Season 3, or is he a fresh addition with no roots in the original series?
Who exactly is the Tattoo Collector in Dexter: Resurrection?
In "Call Me Red," the fourth episode of Dexter: Resurrection, Lowell makes his debut at a party hosted by Leon Prater, a serial killer. His gruesome modus operandi is ripping tattooed patches of flesh from his victims, meticulously keeping them as personal souvenirs. This warped obsession makes him stand out among the other killers at the party.
Dexter soon realizes that Lowell has set his sights on a new victim. Confrontation ensues, and by the end of the show, Dexter kills Lowell to stop another homicide. That is the character's first and last appearance in the series, solidifying him as a one-episode villain with no further development in future episodes.
How does he compare to past killers?
Across the span of Dexter's existence, killers have been characterized by their rituals: the dismembering Ice Truck Killer, the cycle-driven family killer Trinity, and the Skinner with his torture, where he skinned bodies. Lowell's technique, removing tattoos, is revolting but unique. It doesn't overlap with those earlier methods.
Indeed, official sources repeatedly characterize Lowell as a fresh creation for Dexter: Resurrection, rather than a rebooting of the older threats. His appearance feels more like a thematic nod to Dexter’s own ritualistic collecting of blood slides than an actual reference to any previous villain.
Where speculation comes from
So why do some fans believe there could be a deeper link? Part of the answer lies in the tone of Dexter: Resurrection itself. The series intertwines visions of killers from Dexter’s past with brand-new figures, creating an atmosphere where echoes are everywhere. In that context, it’s easy to mistake Lowell as a deliberate nod to George King, the Skinner, from Season 3, another villain associated with skin.
CBR actually put forward this concept, proposing that Lowell might be retrospectively linked to cold cases or even recast as part of Skinner's legacy. But crucially, this is presented as a fan theory, rather than a canonical fact. The show never makes this connection, and no creator comments suggest any such backstory.
Evidence against a connection
All indications point in the opposite direction. Recaps of the episode, interviews, and cast lists all verify Lowell was constructed to be a one-time character. He’s killed off in the same episode he appears, and his history is sketched as deliberately nebulous as possible.
The Tattoo Collector's character is contained in Dexter: Resurrection. He isn't reused from previous story arcs, nor is he hiding as a member of an unfinished storyline from the original series. His unique M.O. confirms that.
What Lowell symbolizes in Dexter: Resurrection
Instead of being a secret throwback, Lowell serves as a symbolic opposite. His trophy-stealing fixation is echoed by Dexter's own ritualistic collecting of blood slides, but distorted into an even more repulsive shape. That makes him a good short-term opponent, drawing attention to both Dexter's discomfort at observing his own obsessions echoed and the ongoing diversity of killers that fill the world of the series.
In the larger story, the Tattoo Collector supports one of Dexter: Resurrection's basic premises: that there are new, unsettling menaces beyond ones already familiar to audiences. He embodies growth, not recycling.
Lowell, the Tattoo Collector, is brought in and whacked completely within Episode 4 of Dexter: Resurrection. His unsettling obsession with tattooed flesh is original, not a re-imagining of past killers' ways, and no canonical proof connects him to any character from Dexter's initial run.
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The fan theory linking him to Skinner is intriguing, but remains mere speculation. Official sources confirm Lowell as an independent creation conceived solely for the reboot. Finally, the Tattoo Collector is a new addition to Dexter's dark gallery, remembered, to be sure, but strictly limited to the here-and-now rather than the there-and-then.
Also read: Fans beg for early Dexter: Resurrection finale release, as it gets leaked online
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