The Benefactor is Meredith Walker. She was an unseen antagonist for most of Season 4 of MTV's Teen Wolf.
Origin
While she was unconscious, Meredith was in the same room as a badly burned and comatose Peter Hale. She was able to pick up his thoughts through some unexplained means. Peter was unconsciously ranting about wanting to kill all the supernaturals in Beacon Hills so he could start over with stronger stock (see Monstrous).
It was Peter's "ravings" that planted the idea of The Dead Pool and the means to fund the entire "Benefactor" plan.
He even provided the names of several assassins to carry out the killing.
Lydia's anguish over Allison's death prompted Meredith to set the plan in motion.
How it Worked
Meredith knew Brunski was a serial killer and used him to carry out her plans.
She had him create a cassette to lure Kate Argent to open the Hale Vault. Teasing her with the idea that a special talisman, The Triskelion, was inside. Brunski then stole the $117 million in bearer bonds from the safe there.
Meredith then used Lorraine Martin's old computer drives and code to run the Dead Pool. Brunski put it online and set up automated payments to the assassins.
He then recorded the instructions for each assassin on cassettes and distributed them per Meredith's instructions. One rule of which was the assassin needed to show proof of their kill before receiving a payment.
Video
The Benefactor: Simple Explanation
The Dead Pool
The list of potential victims known as "The Dead Pool" included 36 names spread over three coded lists.
Brunski and Meredith added a bounty ranging from $250,000 to $25,000,000 in US currency for a total bounty of $117,000,000. Scott McCall was the most valuable target.
The list was originally encrypted. Lydia Martin subconsciously wrote out her grandmother's entire code but was unable to read it until her banshee abilities (and Meredith's) revealed the keywords necessary to decrypt.
Stiles Stilinski and Malia Tate were able to stop the killing by turning off the old computer drives hidden in Lorraine's lake house, the machines that updated the Dead Pool and controlled communication with the assassins.
Keywords
Dead Pool Gallery
Known Assassins
The Benefactor acted through hired assassins.
There were many but we only have definite information about a few.
| Image | Assassin | Weapon | Episode | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Mute (Deceased) | Tomahawk | Muted | ||
| The Mute appeared human except that he had no mouth, just smooth skin from his nose to his chin. He was a trained military fighter and used tomahawks to hack up his victims. | |||||
|
Violet (Deceased) | Thermal-Cut Wire | The Benefactor | ||
| Violet appeared to be a high school freshman. She decapitated her victims with a thermal-cut wire she wore disguised as a necklace. She worked with her partner Garrett. Together, they were known as "The Orphans." | |||||
|
Garrett (Deceased) | Hidden Blade | I. E. D. | ||
| Garrett appeared to be a high school freshman. He cut and stabbbed his victims with a blade hidden inside his lacrosse stick. He was Violet's partner. Together, they were known as "The Orphans." | |||||
|
Simon A.K.A. The Chemist (Deceased) | Weaponized Virus | Weaponized | ||
| Simon (A.K.A. The Chemist) used a variant of the canine distemper virus to infect and kill the werewolves of Satomi's pack. He posed as the proctor for the PSAT at Beacon Hills High School in order to infect the students with an ink pad. | |||||
|
Deputy Haigh (Incarcerated) | Gasoline/Sound | Perishable | ||
| Deputy Haigh attempted to kill Jordan Parrish by tying him up in his car, pouring gasoline on him and lighting it up. Parrish survived. Later, a group of security guards working on his instructions used a sonic weapon embedded in music to incapacitate Scott, Liam, and Malia. They also planned to use gasoline to burn them to death. | |||||
After the initial attacks, the Dead Pool was sent to every computer with a printer in Beacon Hills, giving even non-professionals a chance to kill and claim the money.
Benefactor Victims
Several people fell victim to The Benefactor's assassins but only a few of the murders happened on screen.
Walcott Family
- Species - Wendigo
- Killed by - The Mute
- Price - $1 million
- Episode - Muted
Sean Walcott escapes after The Mute kills his mother, father, and brother in their home. The assassin catches and kills him on the roof at Beacon Hills Hospital.
Demarco Montana
- Species - Werewolf
- Killed by - Violet
- Price - $250 thousand
- Episode - The Benefactor
Demarco is lured by Violet and Garrett to Lydia Martin's lake house to deliver a keg of beer. Violet decapitates him.
Carrie Hudson
- Species - Werewolf
- Killed by - Garrett
- Price - $500 thousand
- Episode - I. E. D.
Carrie is chased by Violet and loses a hand to the thermal-cut wire. She is then tricked into getting into a vehicle with Garrett. He stabs her repeatedly.
Satomi's Pack
- Species - Werewolf
- Killed by - Simon The Chemist
- Price - Unknown
- Episode - Orphaned
Many members of Satomi Ito's Pack died from a weaponized distemper virus designed to target werewolves. It is unknown how many were killed. It appears between 7 and 10 pack members survived.
Additional Victims
These kills were not on screen but they are now marked off the list.
- Steve Grace (Unknown) $1 million
- Reed Schull (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Richard Benefield (Unknown) $250 thousand
Remaining Targets
As of Monstrous, these are the remaining targets of the Dead Pool whether they have died after this episode or not.
- Lydia Martin (Banshee) $20 million
- Scott McCall (Werewolf) $25 million
- Kaylen Bettcher (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Kira Yukimura (Kitsune) $6 million
- Elias Town (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Kate Argent (Werejaguar) $12 million
- Noshiko Yukimura (Kitsune) $5 million
- Joanne McLaughlin (Unknown) $1 million
- Tom Hill (Unknown) $1 million
- Brett Talbot (Werewolf) $1 million
- Jack Marsland (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Joy Waldrop (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Cheryl Calix (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Jordan Parrish (Hellhound) $5 million
- Satomi Ito (Werewolf) $10 million
- Malia Hale (Werecoyote) $4 million
- Liam Dunbar (Werewolf)
$3 million$18 million - Liz Moore (Unknown) $1 million
- Patrick Clark (Wendigo) $1 million
- Bree Leverett (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Kaitlyn Schaar (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Genevive Cary (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Angelique Fain (Unknown) $250 thousand
- Lorilee Rohr (Werewolf) $250 thousand
- Brittani Kegley (Unknown) $250 thousand
Changes to the Deadpool
Meredith Walker (The Benefactor) was on the Dead Pool originally for $1 million. Her name was crossed off after her "suicide."
Derek Hale was originally on the list for $15 million but was removed, presumably due to the loss of his werewolf abilities. After Derek's removal, Liam Dunbar's price was raised to $18 million.