Isaak Sirko



Isaak Sirko (also known as Volk, Russian for "The Wolf") was a character on DEXTER. Isaak was the leader of the Koshka Brotherhood and a businessman who ran various strips, especially one in Miami called the Foxhole.

Isaak was the Main Antagonist of Season Seven and the Seventh Main Antagonist in the series. He is the second antagonist to be from a foreign country with a British accent (the first one being Lila West). Isaak had excellent martial arts training. He was also highly influential. He was later killed by mobster when the Koshkas turned against him.

Early Life
Isaak was born on May 25, 1964, sometime after the death of Nadezhda Obukhova, in Kiev, Ukraine. In his childhood, he pushed his music teacher, Mr. Chillich, down a flight of stairs for giving him an F, remarking: “Isaak, you think you’re strong, but you are not strong if you don’t feel.” Isaak's father then sent him to a disciplinary school in England, which why he got his British accent. Isaak claims that opera is all the remains of his softness.

Before he was born, Isaak had a great-uncle who served in the Red Army and was loved and cherished by his people in Kiev. A Soviet Party Official became jealous of his fame and attempted to make an example of him by taking away his house. After protesting, Isaak's great-uncle was executed by hanging. Isaak's grandfather (who was just a teenager at the time) developed an intense desire for revenge, which the official saw in his eyes. The official had him arrested and sent to Siberia until the Soviet Union fell and Isaak's grandfather was released to celebrate with all the others in Kiev. It was there that he found the party official and, after waiting many years, killed him by stabbing him in the kidney with a six-inch knife.

Plot
Isaak comes to Miami to investigate the disappearance of his associate Viktor Baskov, his secret lover and a man in charge of operations there. When Isaak discovers Viktor was murdered by Dexter Morgan during his investigation, he becomes obsessed with killing Dexter in revenge. Isaak attempts to kill Dexter so many times that it sends him to prison when Dexter lures him into a shootout with the Columbian mob, who are rivals to the Ukrainians.

While in jail, Dexter visits Isaak since he wishes to know why he wanted to kill him so badly. Isaak laconically answers, "You killed Viktor. I liked Viktor." He then questions Dexter's motive for killing Viktor, and Dexter says that it was revenge for Mike, but Isaak notices a brief hesitation in his voice and knows he's lying. Dexter asks Isaak if this is now over, but Isaak warns him that it isn't and that they will see each other again. Later, Isaak is accosted by a fellow prisoner—a Colombian gang leader—who threatens him for killing three of their men. But Isaak easily incapacitates him with his martial arts training. Breaking the leader's hand, Isaak takes his cell phone and calls George to visit him, wanting an update on Quinn. George arrives and reveals that Quinn has returned the money, but Isaak tells George to keep trying.

George later confronts Quinn and threatens to deport Nadia to much harsher working conditions in Dubai. Quinn gives in, and George tells him to take the evidence against Isaak out of Miami Metro's lockup. Reluctantly, Quinn goes into evidence and steals the blood samples. Because of the circumstances, Isaak was set free only for Debra Morgan to put a police detail on him due to her status as a police lieutenant.

George turns the Koshka Bratva against Isaak feeling that his obsession with Dexter is bad for business. This forces Isaak and Dexter to team up with Isaak kidnapping Hannah McKay and threatening to kill her unless Dexter kills the thugs sent after him. Unfortunately, George tracks Isaak down at a boat where he and Dexter are disposing a dead body and kills him.

Sailing on Dexter's boat, the two men discuss how Dexter is "absolutely fearless in the face of death and yet so afraid to live." Dexter explains that death's predictability and inevitability calms him, but ever since he met Hannah, he feels like he has no control over his life. Isaak replies that he was the same in the past, detached from the world, hiding a secret—it wasn't until he met Viktor that he finally felt alive. With his last breath, Isaak says that there is still hope for Dexter.

Genuinely saddened by Isaak's death and regretting that they didn't become friends, Dexter honors Isaak's final wish and presumably throws his body into the ocean, allowing him to rest in peace and be together with Viktor again.

Legacy
Isaak has motivated Dexter to become a better boyfriend to Hannah. George was later killed by Quinn to protect Nadia and the Koshka Bratva became severely weakened.

Physical Appearance
Isaak is a tall, handsome, Caucasian man in his late forties with graying hair. which is why he was referred to as 'The Wolf'. He also enjoyed wearing expensive suits presumably from Russia and Ukraine.

Personality
Isaak is a lethally dangerous yet sophisticated man with a calm demeanor. He is the leader of the Koshka Bratva. Despite his status as a mafia leader, Isaak had no issue about getting his own hands dirty, and will usually opt to perform a murder himself rather than having one of his men do it. An example of this is when he murdered Tony Rush by stabbing him in the eye with a screwdriver, despite being accompanied by bodyguard Jurg Yeliashkevych. Isaak is also honorable.

However, Isaak can also be cruel to his men, as shown when he forced Alex Dubrozny to confess to Mike Anderson's murder and then kill himself or he would harm his family. Isaak appears to be a rather easygoing individual and will often talk to those around him in a lighthearted manner, regardless of the situation. He has a clear sense of humor, as shown when, for example, he first speaks to Dexter on the phone. He informs Dexter that Louis called him a "douchebag" with a small laugh.

Isaak is also portrayed as romantic, admitting that his desire to kill Dexter is entirely fueled by the love he had for Viktor. When George shot him, Isaak realized that the wound is fatal, and tasked Dexter to bury him with Viktor.

Trivia

 * He is similar to the Arrowverse version of Anatoly Kynavez where he is an honorable mobster and a highly talented martial artist. Isaak is also similar to the Batman villains Penguin where he is a polite and honorable individual as well as mobster and Dead Shot due to being a skilled marksman.
 * Isaak Sirko is the wealthiest and most powerful main antagonist in the series. The other antagonist is Jordan Chase. Unlike Isaak, Jordan's thugs are not loyal to him and Jordan is not a skilled fighter as well as a marksman.
 * According to a podcast interview with Michael C. Hall, Isaak was initially meant to be killed by Dexter (presumably by beating him to death with a fire extinguisher like Viktor Baskov) and used as bait to lure LaGuerta in the season finale, however, the script needed to be changed because of conflicts in Ray Stevenson's schedule.
 * He is the fourth main antagonist who is not a serial killer.
 * Isaak has a love of opera, stating that Nadezhda Obukhova is a singer to whom he often listened in his youth.
 * Isaak's favorite drinks are small coffees, as he's seen drinking at least one in every episode.