The identity of the Ice Truck Killer is one of the biggest mysteries of best villains of the entire Dexter series in the first season.

The Ice Truck Killer gives Dexter plenty of signs that ultimately lure him into an unbelievable truth. He was first introduced in Dexter's pilot episode with the discovery of one of his victims completely drained of blood and divided into perfectly cut parts. From there, the Ice Truck Killer became a terrific target for Dexter in the first season only for this role to be made a lot more interesting through the revelation of who the killer really was.

Brian Moser Is The Real Ice Truck Killer In Dexter

Brian Had Been Using The Alias Rudy Cooper Throughout Season 1

The identity of The Ice Truck Killer is revealed to be none other than Rudy Cooper, which is the alias of Brian Moser, Dexter's biological brother. The first big twist in Dexter arrives in the season 1 finale titled "Born Free." The episode ties in the classic song "Born Free" from 1966 by Matt Morno, which acts as an extended metaphor and clue that the Ice Truck Killer uses to lure Dexter in.

Rudy had ironically been dating Debra, Dexter's adoptive sibling and Harry Morgan's daughter, throughout the first season, which is revealed to be all part of Brian Moser's plan to tell Dexter that he existed. Brian Moser proves that Dexter was not alone on that fateful night in the Shipping Yard Massacre in which their mother, Laura Moser, was brutally murdered to death with a chainsaw. Harry Morgan found Dexter and Brian in the shipping container in a pool of blood, taking Dexter out and yelling out "Someone get in there!" to his fellow officers to retrieve Brian.

While Harry took Dexter under his own wing and legally adopted him, Brian had a much more unfortunate fate, being sent to a psychiatric hospital and not getting adopted by Harry to live with his younger brother Dexter. Brian helps Dexter him through his murders as the Ice Truck Killer.

Brian's Rudy Alias In Dexter Explained

Brian Used Debra To Lure Dexter In

Brian explains to Debra after he kidnaps her in Dexter season 1, episode 11 "Truth Be Told" that it had all been a part of his master plan to get close to Dexter through her and lure him in for the big reveal in the season 1 finale. Brian was convinced that upon the revelation that Dexter had a biological brother he would betray Debra and help Brian kill her so that they could live the rest of their lives as close brothers. Brian seemingly did not consider that Dexter had learned to love Debra as his own sister and would not betray her.

When Brian tries to murder Debra, Dexter stops him just in time. Despite both Brian and Dexter being murderous psychopaths, that commonality wasn't enough for the two brothers to connect nearly three decades after they were separated in the Shipping Yard Massacre. It's evident that Brian did care deeply for Dexter and had high hopes that Dexter would accept him as his one true sibling.

Brian underestimated the strength of Dexter's bond with Debra, however, which ended up being his downfall. In the end, Brian murdered innocent people and had to be taken out due to Dexter's allegiance to Harry's code. Dexter killed his brother by slicing his jugular and bleeding him out.

Was The Ice Truck Killer Dexter's Brother?

Brian And Dexter Were Connected By Blood

Brian Moser was in fact Dexter's true biological brother. While Harry and Debra Morgan have had the biggest impact on Dexter's life, they are his adoptive family who are not connected to Dexter by blood. Dexter's real name is Dexter Moser and he is the younger brother of Brian.

It is certainly tragic what happened to both Brian and Dexter in the Shipping Yard Massacre, but Dexter could not allow Brian to continue living knowing that he killed innocent people. Dexter sobs after killing Brian in the Dexter season 1 finale, letting go of his last known blood relative for the greater good.

Rudy Should've Been A Recurring Villain In Dexter

Dexter Needed An Overarching Nemesis

The Ice Truck Killer was a terrific villain to kick off the series with, but there was so much potential the character had to continue on. Dexter followed a formula of having a "big bad" each season of the show — a main villain for Dexter to go up against. While there were some great ones over the course of Dexter's run, it would have been interesting to see Brian Moser become an overarching villain in the series.

Dexter season 1 ends with Dexter choosing one family over another when he kills Brian to save Debra. While it is a thematically important moment, it could have been even more interesting if Brian survived this. He would have seen that Dexter rejected him and betrayed him in his own mind, which would have turned him into an even greater threat, as he would no longer hope to reunite with Dexter, but rather get revenge.

There is a terrific dynamic between Dexter and Brian that could have been explored in so many interesting ways. Brian could have continued to tempt Dexter over to his "dark side" of serial killing while also threatening the life that he had built as Dexter Morgan. Similar to Blofeld or Moriarty, Brian could have been an overarching villain while Dexter still dealt with the other memorable antagonists in the series. This would have also helped spare the show from some of the lackluster villains, like the Doomsday Killer and the Brain Surgeon, who came later.

Where The Ice Truck Killer Ranks Among Dexter Villains

Did Dexter Ever Top Its First Killer?

Despite it feeling like the Ice Truck Killer still had a lot of potential left, he still ranks as one of the best villains in Dexter. Brian Moser gets a boost as a memorable villain as he is connected in an intimate way to Dexter. At the center of the series, there has always been Dexter's dilemma of whether he is a monster at heart and whether he can control these impulses forever. Brian served as the personification of these worries, which made him a fascinating foe for Dexter to come face to face with.

Many of the other great villains of the series highlight the show's understanding that a clear connection to Dexter is key to making them important. Lila West is the villain in Dexter season 2, becoming Dexter's romantic partner and someone who knows and accepts his "Dark enger." Likewise, Miguel Prado becomes Dexter's partner in crime, only to warp Dexter's code for his own murderous desires.

John Lithgow won the "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" Emmy in 2010 for his role as The Trinity Killer in Dexter.

However, many Dexter fans would agree that the best villain in the series was Arthur Mitchell, aka The Trinity Killer. Once again, there is a connection to Dexter that makes Mitchell so effective. He is a ruthless killer who maintains a seemingly normal life with a family and is a strong member of the community. Dexter begins to see him as someone he can learn from. Of course, the Trinity Killer is elevated thanks to John Lithgow's amazing performance and the fact that Mitchell kills Dexter's wife Rita.

The Ice Truck Killer Was A Huge Reason Why Season 1 Is So Great

The Season 1 Killer Elevated The Show's Intriguing Premise

While Dexter's controversial finale has tainted the show's legacy in the eyes of some fans, looking back on the first season of the series is a reminder of how great it was. The premise, following a serial killer who targets other killers, was an instantly exciting setup that pushed the boundaries of the era's more challenging television storytelling. However, it was the inclusion of the Ice Truck Killer that helped make Dexter an even more layered thriller.

It was fun seeing Dexter go after the villains of the week in those early episodes, but that would have gotten old quickly had something more interesting not been promised. The idea of another serial killer on the scene not only set up a villain for the season but made for some of Dexter's most memorable moments. The scene where Dexter tails the Ice Truck Killer only for him to throw a decapitated head at Dexter's car to tell him he knows he's being followed made it clear this was a whole different type of villain for Dexter.

The reveals behind the characters only made the season more exciting. The moment it is revealed that Debra's seemingly romantic boyfriend, Rudy, is actually the Ice Truck Killer remains one of the most shocking moments in the series. The final revelation that he is Dexter's brother could have come off as a cheesy melodramatic twist in other shows, but for Dexter, it became a brilliant way of examining the protagonist of the series and having him question so much about himself.

While there may have been other memorable villains on Dexter, the Ice Truck Killer helped to ensure season 1 of the series was the best.