WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 1!The premiere of original characters’ returns in Dexter: Original Sin, there was no indication that Harry had any children other than Dexter and Deb.

The timeline of Dexter: Original Sin brings the Morgan family back to 1991, with Dexter being a 20-year-old college graduate, Deb still in high school, and Harry still alive and working at Miami Metro Police Department. While exploring the early days of Dexter’s first kills and implementation of the Code of Harry, the prequel also dives deeper into the Morgan family’s hidden dark history. As it turns out, there were some secrets that Dexter and Deb might not have even known about themselves, as a flashback from Harry’s perspective reveals another sibling in Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 1.

Dexter: Original Sin Flashback Reveals Harry Had A Son Who Died By Drowning

Harry's Son Junior Died By Drowning In Their Backyard Pool

Patrick Gibson as Dexter and Christian Slater as Harry talking in the kitchen in Dexter Original Sin

In Dexter: Original Sin’s premiere episode, Dexter and Harry come to with the idea that Dexter is getting closer and closer to being unable to resist his killing urge any longer. After Dexter fights a guy who was preparing to assault teenage Debra Morgan at a college party, he tells Harry that he reached for a knife, but was only stopped when Deb pushed him. Feeling nervous about Dexter’s confession while contemplating what this means about his own ability to protect his children and be a good father, Harry has a flashback to an undisclosed time before the prequel.

Harry Morgan is portrayed by Christian Slater in Original Sin after being played by James Remar throughout the original Dexter series.

In the flashback, a much younger Harry is watching a Miami Dolphins football game on TV. With the backdoor open, Harry excitedly calls the name “Junior” to come watch with him, becoming nervous when he gets no response. Harry then rushes outside and sees that the boy, Junior, has drowned in their pool, and begins frantically screaming for help as he tries to revive him with R. The boy is pronounced dead, and when Harry’s wife, Doris, returns home, she screams “my baby” as his body is carted away.

Why Michael C. Hall Still Narrates For Young Dexter In Original Sin Prequel Show

Dexter: Original Sin will feature Michael C. Hall's iconic Dark enger voice-over from the original series, adding authenticity to the prequel.

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The implication here is that Harry and Doris Morgan had a son named Harry Morgan, Jr, who was their first child but tragically died by drowning. Oddly, Junior was never once mentioned by Harry (in flashbacks), Dexter, or Deb throughout the original Dexter show’s eight seasons, despite the fact that the Morgans’ tragic family history has always had a strong bearing on their stories. However, the implied timeline of Harry’s flashback suggests that Dexter and Deb never even knew their older brother.

When Did Junior Die In The Show's Timeline?

Junior Died Before Harry Adopted Dexter In 1973

Christian Slater as Harry Confronting Patrick Gibson as Dexter Next to a Building in Dexter Original Sin

Dexter: Original Sin’s premiere doesn’t explicitly state when Harry’s flashback takes place, but it seemingly takes place in late 1972 or early 1973. There’s no sign of young Dexter or Deb in the flashback, indicating that it’s set before Dexter was adopted and Deb was born. Dexter was born in 1971 and adopted by Harry following his mother’s death in October 1973, with Deb seemingly being born about a year after Dexter’s adoption.

The announcer of the Dolphins game notes that the team had lost to Dallas about two years ago in the Super Bowl, referring to the January 1971 game.

Therefore, Junior Morgan’s death had to have occurred in or prior to 1973. On the TV during the flashback, the announcer of the Dolphins game notes that the team had lost to Dallas about two years ago in the Super Bowl, referring to the January 1971 game. It's unclear who exactly the Dolphins are playing in the game that Christian Slater's Harry Morgan is watching, but it seems likely that it took place in the fall of 1972 or during the 1973 Super Bowl, suggesting Junior died about a year before Dexter was adopted.

Why Dexter's Original Show Never Mentioned Harry's First Son

Did Deb & Dexter Even Know About Junior?

It comes as a major shock that Harry had another child before Dexter and Deb because they never mentioned having another sibling. However, it’s possible that Harry never told Dexter and Deb about Junior, as he clearly still harbors guilt about the accident more than two decades later. Both Doris and Harry’s reactions in the flashback reveal that they struggled to respond to this traumatic, life-changing event, so they may have decided it was easier to remove any memory of Junior, move forward with Dexter and Deb, and act like it never happened.

Major Returning Original Characters In Dexter: Original Sin
Character	Actor In Dexter	Actor In Original Sin
Dexter Morgan	Michael C. Hall	Patrick Gibson
Debra Morgan	Jennifer Carpenter	Molly Brown
Harry Morgan	James Remar	Christian Slater
Angel Batista	David Zayas	James Martinez
Vince Masuka	C. S. Lee	Alex Shimizu
Maria Laguerta	Lauren Vélez	Christina Milian

The memories of Junior are finally coming back to Harry in Dexter: Original Sin because he feels guilty about failing as a father. Not only does he feel responsible for not being able to save Junior, but he also feels responsible for not being able to save Dexter from becoming a serial killer. With this new context, it seems that Harry adopted Dexter as a way to redeem his failure with Junior, rescuing the toddler from the pool of his mother’s blood and raising him as his own son.

New episodes of Dexter: Original Sin release Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.