Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Dexter: Resurrection, Episode 9

Summary In an exclusive interview with Collider, David Zayas says Batista's tragic ending was "supposed to happen." Zayas admits his first gut reaction to Batista's death was, "Oh no!" before embracing it as a fitting conclusion. Filming Batista's final scene was "tough" for Zayas, who says Angel has been in his soul for 20 years.

After eight episodes of edge-of-your-seat tension, Dexter: Resurrection is hitting a nerve for what feels like the series' most devastating chapter yet. What begins as Dexter's (Michael C. Hall) attempt to corner Prater (Peter Dinklage) in Episode 9's "Touched by an Ángel" turns into a nightmare reunion when David Zayas' Angel Batista walks straight into the crosshairs. Prater's obsession with the Bay Harbor Butcher culminates in a horrifying spectacle: Dexter finding his longtime friend strapped to the kill table, forced to relive the ritual that defined him.

For longtime fans, the hour is nothing short of seismic. But it's those last few moments that are brutally shocking. Batista -- one of the franchise's most steadfast moral anchors, a man who always believed in justice even when surrounded by corruption -- is suddenly Prater's pawn. And just when it seems like he and Dexter might align to take down Prater, chaos erupts. In the struggle that follows, Batista is shot multiple times in the back by Prater and his bodyguard, Charley (Uma Thurman), and left to bleed out in front of the man he once trusted.

While Dexter tries to confess to old wounds, like how he never killed Maria LaGuerta (Luna Lauren Velez) or James Doakes (Erik King), Batista is still filled with rage and disgust. Instead of absolving Dexter of any sort of conflict before he passes, his final words are biting and sharp, and filled with condemnation: "Dexter Morgan, fuck you."

It's a farewell that is both tragic and cathartic, leaving Dexter more broken and furious than ever. But it's one that Zayas tells Collider exclusively is necessary for the series to do what it does best. "The fact that his reaction after what happens... it made sense for the moment," he says.

As the episode wraps the end of an era, Zayas digs into it with Collider on what it was like revisiting Angel and closing the chapter in such a brutal, emotional way, the collaboration with his co-star, Hall, and the weight of Angel's final words going into the finale.

David Zayas Reacts to Angel Batista's Death on 'Dexter: Resurrection' Filming Angel's death was "tough," but a necessary goodbye.

COLLIDER: This is something I was so sad about, but I'm wondering your reaction as the actor reading that script back. What was your gut reaction to reading about Angel's fate and what happens at the end?

ZAYAS: My gut reaction was like, "Oh no!" [Laughs] But then, if you think about it artistically and as an actor, as a character in a show, what a great way to finish that arc. Because it's an arc that went from A to Z. Not many actors can say that. Not many shows stick around or come back after 20 years, so I feel very lucky. I feel very fortunate. I'm kind of glad that there wasn't a copout. What happens is supposed to happen. That's how they wrote it. That's how I knew about it before I even started, you know? And I agreed with it. I thought that was a good idea. I think it would make that story pop even more with the ending that they have.

I do agree. It'll take me a couple more days to digest because I'm such a big fan. But yes, I see where you're coming from. I will say that Angel and Dexter's relationship has been built on loyalty, but it has progressed to buried truths and suspicion. How did you and Michael [C. Hall] play out that confrontation with Prater and Charlie? Because it is a very explosive scene. It happened so quickly. I'm wondering what the vibe was that day on set with everybody knowing what was going to happen.

ZAYAS: Well, when you do a show like this, you kind of become close to the crew, close to the camera guys, the DP, all the producers, all the writers, and leading up to that day we shot that scene, it was tough. I'm not gonna lie about it. It was difficult because I understood what the assignment was, I understood what the story they're trying to tell is, but I've been with this character for a long time. It's something that will never leave me. It's in my soul. But when you start shooting, you've got to do your job, and they did what they're supposed to do. I couldn't find another way it could have ended that was better.

Can I tell you my dream? It was that the two of you would be best friends again, and you would understand where he's coming from. [Laughs]

ZAYAS: Oh, would he? Would people understand? [Laughs] I don't know. This is a specific character who was always honest, and then in Season 1 with Doakes, I was struggling to tell him the truth, and I finally did. So, I mean, that's the kind of person he is. He's flawed, and he's made his mistakes, but his heart is always on his sleeve, and he's always honest and straightforward. It's a wonderful character because he's a good guy.

He's an angel of a person, and that's why I think it's going to be really hard for a lot of fans like me to digest.

ZAYAS: That's understandable. I'm ready for the comments. [Laughs]

What Batista's Last 4 Words in 'Dexter: Resurrection' Really Meant for Dexter Zayas says Batista's last words came from "his genuine soul."

You're going to get a lot of love in the comment section of your social media with everyone saying how much they love you. You're going to hear a lot of praise, I'm sure, after this performance -- people will love it and miss you. But there's no denying that that was a huge moment for you and Michael to share. What were some of the choices or conversations you both had to make sure that the full weight of that history translated in those last moments?

ZAYAS: Basically, it boils down to the writing. When I first read the final version of the scene that they wrote, sometimes even the actor, if you're saying something, you're like, "I don't know if I should say this." Then I have to stop and go back and just look at the overall story. There's a reason why they wrote that one line in between that scene. You just have to accept it. I think the writing was so good that Michael and I read it, and we briefly talked about it, but it was there. It's there. The action dictates the momentum of that moment. So, no, we didn't have any deep conversation. We just knew that, "Okay, this is the story today, and this is how we're going to handle that." Everybody was professional. Everybody was great. What an amazing line for Angel Batista.

That moment where Dexter tells him whatever he has to say, and then Angel says, "Dexter Morgan, F you," before dying, I feel like that's so devastating. It's not really forgiveness. He's not absolving him of anything. It's kind of like a final judgment thing. How did you approach delivering that line with so much history behind it? Because again, the writing is one thing. It's great. The delivery is another. Because sometimes I feel like there's a lot of different takes you'd have to do to make sure it's right.

ZAYAS: I don't remember too many takes. We were both pretty clear as to what I meant with what I said. Also, I think when you know that it's the end, the honesty comes out sometimes. So, I feel like everything that Batista said to Dexter in that moment was coming out of his genuine soul, his feelings about what was going on. There's nothing to lay back and be uncomfortable about it. It's a bad situation, and the one thing Batista always acknowledged was the reality of the situation that he's in.

How Batista's Death Impacts Dexter in the 'Dexter: Resurrection' Finale "I don't look at a character as a hero or a villain. I look at how deep that character is."

Looking at that scene after Angel has passed, Dexter shouts, and you can see he's full of rage. There's a little bit of grief there too. How do you think those final words changed Dexter in ways that no killer ever could? Because I feel like something has changed in him.

ZAYAS: I think it's pretty obvious that Dexter had an affection for Angel Batista. He doesn't fit his code. So, the fact that his reaction after what happens, me as the actor, I don't know he's going to react that way. That's what I mean about magic in the moment, you know? I remember thinking, "Oh, that's a good reaction!" [Laughs] "Ooh, Michael, that was a good reaction." It made sense for the moment. But, no, everything that I said is just coming out of a man who's about to... Everything is about to end, and he wants to be clear as to, "This is why I did this."

You did say that he's a very meticulous sort of cop over the years, but did Batista never notice that there was a pattern through all the Bay Harbor Butcher deaths that may have been leading to something? They were all bad people that Dexter killed, so did he not put two and two together, that maybe this was not a terrible human being? Well, he is still terrible because he's killing people, but you know what I mean... [Laughs]

ZAYAS: He has inklings as to what kind of people the Bay Harbor Butcher has killed. But when you don't know what that code is, you don't know if he's killed other people without that code. To me, it's just, okay, he kills certain people, just like Angel Batista knew that that wasn't the MO that Lady Vengeance had when she committed her crime. As the wonderful Kadia Saraf said as Claudette, people change their ways all the time. So, as we investigate crimes in the past, like Bay Harbor Butcher or the Ice Truck Killer, you do research and you do your job as to what kind of people he's killing, but it really doesn't matter with Angel Batista, because he's trying to just do the right thing in his heart and in his soul. There's not going to be excuses for murdering and all that for him.

I do feel that Angel's death is like the end of an era for not just audiences, but for Dexter. He was, I feel, like the last moral anchor, the last good person that he really trusted and cared about. There aren't a lot of people in Dexter's circle that he cares for. As an actor who has carried him since the beginning, what do you hope audiences carry with them about Batista's legacy after this episode?

ZAYAS: You know what? Something that I really want to express is that Batista is not a super cop. He's made many mistakes. I try to represent real characters that have flaws. I don't look at a character as a hero or a villain. I look at how deep that character is, you know? I guess I want everyone to feel how deep Angel Batista was about truth, about his job, about his duty, about his unapologetic way of loving people. Also, he's very protective. He's protective of his friends, which is why he didn't tell nobody. He just went to New York to try and bring out the truth before anyone else involved. So, I think just how deep he is and how honest he is. Then, some of the mistakes he made cost him.

Dexter: Resurrection streams Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime, and every Sunday on Showtime.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Dexter: Resurrection TV-MA Crime Drama Mystery 20 9.9/10 Release Date July 13, 2025 Network Paramount+ with Showtime Directors Marcos Siega Writers Scott Buck Cast See All Michael C. Hall Dexter Morgan Uma Thurman Charley Main Genre Crime Seasons 1 Creator(s) Clyde Phillips Executive Producer(s) Clyde Phillips Powered by Expand Collapse