It Would Be Great If Dexter: Original Sin Featured This…

Summary

Sgt James Doakes likely won't appear in Dexter: Original Sin, but his surprise return could still happen.
Doakes suspiciously tails Dexter in the original series, leading to a climactic confrontation and his demise.
Doakes' backstory hints at a potential appearance in Dexter: Original Sin later on, adding intrigue for fans.

The Dexter prequel series is currently in production, and it'll star Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan, as he embarks on an internship in the forensics department of Miami Metro Homicide. Dexter: Original Sin will also star Christian Slater as Dexter's adoptive father, Harry Morgan, Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, Christina Milian as Maria LaGuerta, James Martinez as Angel Batista and Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka, but that leaves one key character from the main cast of the original series who hasn't been cast.

Erik King played Detective James Doakes in Dexter between 2006-2008, but he wasn't expected to be re-cast in Dexter: Original Sin, as his character was most likely in the special forces during the timeline of the upcoming prequel series. However, it doesn't mean Doakes won't show up at some point, and it would be great if he did. Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar will also be appearing in the prequel series as new characters.

What happened to James Doakes in Dexter?

Sgt James Doakes was the one character in Dexter who got the creeps from Dexter Morgan. He would constantly stare at him in a menacing way, trying to figure out what it was that made him feel so uncomfortable, but he was always met with calls to back off from Maria LaGuerta.

During Dexter season 2, Doakes began tailing Dexter as his suspicions grew over the blood spatter analyst's true nature. This coincided with an FBI task force turning up at Miami Metro Homicide to investigate the Bay Harbor Butcher serial killer case. The pressure mounts on Dexter as he desperately tries to evade capture for the butcher murders, while trying to break Doakes' tail, so he can satisfy his urge to kill.

Surprise motherf*****!!!!!

Doakes gives Dexter the night off after growing tired of following him, and Dexter uses this opportunity to kill a criminal called Jimmy Sensio. However, Doakes is soon back on Dexter's case, and the pair have a physical altercation, which results in Doakes being suspended, but this just fuels him even more to dig into Dexter's past.

Doakes breaks into Dexter's apartment and finds the blood slides hidden in the air conditioner. Doakes puts the box of blood slides in the trunk of his car, and flies to Haiti where he meets with an old associate to make arrangements to have the slides analyzed in a local lab. Unfortunately for Doakes, the blood slides are found and seized by the FBI, pointing the finger at Doakes as the prime suspect in the Bay Harbor butcher case.

Back in Miami, Doakes puts a GPS tracker on Dexter's boat, which leads him to the cabin in the Everglades, where Dexter is carrying out a kill. Doakes catches him in the act of disposing of body parts and confronts him. After a fight, Dexter apprehends him and locks him in a cage in the cabin. Dexter debates what to do with Doakes, as he can't kill him because he doesn't fit Harry's code. He decides to frame him as the Bay Harbor Butcher instead, but things take a drastic turn when Dexter's lover, Lila Tournay, finds Doakes and causes an explosion in the cabin, resulting in Doakes' death.

Doakes was probably not in Miami Metro Homicide during the timeline of Dexter: Original Sin, but he could still appear

Dexter: Original Sin
Starring	Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, Molly Brown, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu, Reno Wilson, Patrick Dempsey, Joe Pantoliano and Sarah Michelle Gellar
Created by	Clyde Phillips
Directed By	Michael Lehmann

James Doakes' life before joining Miami Metro was as an Operative in the United States Army Rangers. He was involved in several sensitive assignments during his time in the unit, and this is referenced in the original Dexter series. However, it isn't made clear when Doakes joined Miami Metro Homicide, but the fact that nobody has been cast to play Doakes in Dexter's new spin-off, suggests he hadn't joined the department at the start of the prequel series, which is set in 1991.

Despite his absence in Dexter: Original Sin season 1, Doakes could still feasibly turn up at some point during the events of the prequel series. If the show is a success, it could run for many seasons, like its predecessor, making it more likely the audience will see a younger version of James Doakes at some point.

Doakes was a popular character in the original series, despite being an adversary to the anti-hero, Dexter Morgan. He only appeared in two seasons of Dexter, which just increases the fans' interest in seeing more of the character. If Dexter: Original Sin does cast an actor to portray Doakes in a future season of the show, it'll be fascinating to see his origins in Miami Metro explored in more depth.

It would be interesting to see what initially led to Doakes' intuition that something wasn't quite right about Dexter. Also, it would be a worthy storyline to explore the origins of Doakes' romantic relationship with Maria LaGuerta. It would be great to see Doakes in Dexter: Original Sin, but the show is in a position where it doesn't have to feature him, with the ambiguity of his backstory leaving options open to the creative team.