What Clyde Phillips said will actually make some fans stop questioning whether they’re coming back.
The first season of Dexter: Resurrection made a strong impression by bringing back a wide range of characters from the original series, including several who had been dead for years. From the very first episode, we were greeted by familiar faces such as Arthur Mitchell, Miguel Prado, and James Doakes, while Brian Moser was deliberately saved for the finale, which was eight weeks later.
This creative choice definitely leaned into nostalgia and actually reinforced the idea that Season 1 was in a big way, connected to Dexter’s past. But the returns were not limited to deceased characters, as the season also reintroduced living fan favorites.
Angel Batista came back as a series regular, while Joey Quinn and Vince Masuka made short but welcome appearances that of course restored a sense of familiarity. Seeing these characters again after so many years, actually felt good.
Yet despite all this fan service, some absences remain impossible to ignore. Astor and Cody, Rita’s children, have not appeared on screen in more than a decade, and neither Dexter: New Blood nor Dexter: Resurrection has acknowledged their existence in a big way. This omission is particularly noticeable given that Harrison is their brother. The last time Astor and Cody Bennett appeared was in Season 7’s fan-favorite episode “Argentina” back in 2012, and since then, the two revival shows barely mentioned them.
This was recently addressed in an interview that may finally put the speculation to rest. During a conversation on Love It Film, executive producer and showrunner Clyde Phillips was asked directly by host James Lovett about the possibility of Astor and Cody appearing in Season 2 of Dexter: Resurrection or in future seasons. The question actually caught Phillips off guard, but his answer was clear. “In all honesty, we don’t even think about them,” he said. “And they’re not part of our internal conversation in the writers room.”
Phillips also addressed the...weird online theories surrounding Cody, some of which suggest he could return as a major character or even a villain. “I know online everybody has all these theories that Cody’s going to come back and he is really that whatever bad guy you want to think of or he’s going to kill Dexter or whatever it is,” Phillips explained, before firmly adding, “They’re not in our thoughts.”
With those comments, it is definitely evident that Astor and Cody are not expected to make a physical appearance in Season 2 of Dexter: Resurrection, and likely not beyond that either. For many fans, this is understandably frustrating. Both characters could definitely have a connection to the current story through Harrison, and the idea that none of the siblings have contacted one another feels unusual, even if it aligns with hte show’s current creative priorities.
What makes their absence even more significant is the role Astor and Cody played in the original series. From the very beginning, they were essential to humanizing Dexter Morgan, representing the part of him that was capable of love, protection, and of course, emotional connection.
In the revival era especially, that role has been passed on to Harrison. Whether people actually agree with that decision or not, it appears that this is the direction the series is committed to, and it is not likely to change anytime soon.