History Main / TheTeamBenefactor

* Tony Stark/Iron Man in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse''. Just like in the comics, he becomes this for the Avengers; Steve is the leader, while he provides the expensive tech and a skyscraper headquarters. Tony pretty much summed it up in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'':
-->'''Maria Hill:''' All set up, boss.\\
'''Tony Stark:''' Actually, [Steve]'s the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and... make everyone look cooler.
** This actually becomes a plot point in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', as it turns out Tony's benefactor status also extends to paying for the housing of those rooming at the Avengers Compound (Wanda Maximoff, Vision and Sam Wilson). And between Tony's death in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', and Sam getting blipped for five years at the end of ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', he's forced to work as a military contractor with an inconsistent paycheck and has to unsuccessfully attempt to take out a bank loan to shore up his family's struggling fishing business, and eventually has to take up Cap's mantle himself with a Wakandan supplied vibranium suit.
*** Averted with Vision, who didn't have many needs due to being a vibranium synthezoid, and in fact had enough savings to buy a plot of land in suburban New Jersey for himself and Wanda.
* Ruben in ''Film/OceansEleven''. All he does is provide the initial investment and snark.

* ''Film/FightClub'': The narrator is an example of this, since he blackmails his boss at a large automobile company into funding Fight Club, and presumably later Project Mayhem. [[spoiler: Of course, also being Tyler, the same person provides all the leadership and creative force behind those operations too, but he is not aware of that at the time.]]
* Eduardo Saverin in ''Film/TheSocialNetwork''. He's the team member who repeatedly steps in with the cheque book before the money starts rolling in.
* In ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', Ripley is this from the perspective of the soldiers (since she's just a civilian who happened to have seen what they've been sent in to investigate).
* Batman, unsurprisingly, takes on this role in ''Film/JusticeLeague2017''. Besides providing the team with their tech and a personnel carrier, the movie ends with him planning to turn Wayne Manor into this universe's Hall of Justice. He also helps his teammates in their civilian lives, getting Barry Allen a job in a crime lab and taking care of Martha Kent's financial problems.
-->'''Clark:''' How did you get the house back from the bank?\\
'''Bruce:''' I bought the bank.\\
'''Clark:'''...The ''whole'' bank?\\
'''Bruce:''' It's like a reflex with me, I dunno...

* In ''VisualNovel/DramaticalMurder'', this is Mink's role -- he is the main reason why Aoba and the rest of the main cast can even begin to look for Tae and Morphine near the end of the Common Route. He can be "upgraded" into one of Aoba's {{love interest}}s if the player pursues his... [[BastardBoyfriend very polemic]] route.

* ''[[Anime/ProjectAko Project A-ko]]'': Mr. Daitokuji uses his wealth to supply Graviton City's defense force with advanced aircraft and mecha, in exchange for their help in trying to stop [[ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl his daughter]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction and A-ko]] from demolishing the city during their fights.

* R. J. Brande funded the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes''. In the current version (based mostly on the original one) he gained his fortune by making suns.

* [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] funded the ComicBook/JusticeLeague in their early days, and [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] has also given them money to ensure they [[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham keep their massive supervillain battles away from Gotham.]]

* Maxwell Lord was this to the original incarnation of ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational, before his FaceHeelTurn and the Flashpoint reboot.

This trope is a good way to justify TheFriendNobodyLikes, since it allows the writer to include a character that is at odds with the rest but they can't get rid of. Even if they're not, it's likely that what they provide is the [[NonActionGuy only thing they can provide]] (at first), making them TheLoad. The expertise variant is the most likely to avoid this, since their knowledge might allow them to double as TheMedic or a GadgeteerGenius even if they aren't a BadassBookworm.

A supertrope to BeleaguredBenefactor.

* R. J. Brande funded the ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}''. In the current version (based mostly on the original one) he gained his fortune by making suns.

* The ''ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist'' would sometimes fund the ''ComicBook/HeroesForHire'' group if ''ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}}'' was hardup for cash.

* ''Film/TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou'' has the "bond company stooge" who (if I remember correctly) is an accountant who joins the crew to report back to their benefactors and make sure they stay within budget.

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* In ''Film/PrisonBreak'' one character invokes this trope to keep himself useful by memorising and destroying a map the rest of the cast are following.

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* In the metagame of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', healers were like this (they were hard to level up so there weren't many about, but they were needed to survive in most of the endgame instances). This lead to the stereotype of a JerkAss who played a priest so other players would have no choice but to put up with them.

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* ''IronMan'''s civilian identity, Tony Stark, originally funded ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'', setting them up in his mansion and giving them the use of his butler Jarvis. This later was replaced by a foundation named after Stark's mother.
** Other equipment, most notably the Quinjets, was produced in Wakanda and provided to the team by the Black Panther.

Characters who provide money might be an example of UnclePennybags or SpoiledSweet. A [[TheChosenOne character with some sort of destiny]] in this position might be TheChosenZero if they don't provide anything but their status as such. A character who merely gives the heroes what they need and sends them on their way (without joining them) is some form of BigGood rather than this trope. If this character joins the group as the SixthRanger then they might be a MysteriousBacker or an AnonymousBenefactor. They often appear in a CaperCrew. Compare PlotTailoredToTheParty where it is contrived so each character can overcome an obstacle. See also CrimefightingWithCash (for when this trope is a superpower).

The Team Benefactor is the member of the team who allows the adventure to continue by supplying some sort of resource they (and only they) have access to rather than their own talents (unless said talents are something very narrow). The resource in question might be;

* [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] funded the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica in their early days, and [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] has also given them money to ensure they [[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham keep their massive supervillain battles away from Gotham.]]

* Kate Bishop (the Hawkeye of ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'') provides funding for the team using her father's wealth, and converts one of his old buildings into a base for their operations. Unlike most examples, not only is she a fully fledged member of the group, she sometimes also acts as their unofficial leader.

* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} ends up being this to [[Comicbook/UncannyAvengers the second incarnation of the Uncanny Avengers.]] His being an In-universe CashCowFranchise provides the team with funds to carry out their missions.