Benoit Blanc does it again, solving a murder no one else could. Wake Up Dead Man ending explained: Who killed Jefferson Wicks? Benoit Blanc does it again, solving a murder no one else could. By Allison DeGrushe :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/allisondegrusheEWbiophotoe5f8e89253c84b7085a43c502a3051a4.jpg) Allison DeGrushe Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at . She has been working at since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify. EW's editorial guidelines December 12, 2025 8:00 a.m.

Benoit Blanc does it again, solving a murder no one else could.

*Wake Up Dead Man *ending explained: Who killed Jefferson Wicks?

Benoit Blanc does it again, solving a murder no one else could.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

EW's editorial guidelines

December 12, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET

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(Left to right) Andrew Scott as Lee, Jeremy Renner as Nat, Cailee Spaeny as Simone, Kerry Washington as Vera, Thomas Haden Church as Samson, Glenn Close as Martha, and Daryl McCormack as Cy in 'Wake Up Dead Man'. Credit:

John Wilson/Netflix

- *Wake Up Dead Man *sees Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc take on a baffling murder case at a small-town church in New York.

- The third film in the *Knives Out *franchise has not one, but *three* guilty parties.

- *Wake Up Dead Man *is now streaming on Netflix.

Get your *Knives Out* because Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back for what may be the franchise's darkest (and twistiest) mystery yet.

In Rian Johnson's *Wake Up Dead Man*, a tranquil church becomes the scene of a shocking (and seemingly impossible) murder. All eyes are on Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor), Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude's new associate pastor. After all, he came to the parish with a violent past.

But as Blanc digs deeper, he comes to realize the murder is part of a tangled plot that's not so easily unspooled. So, who really killed Monsignor Jefferson Wicks? Read on as we reveal the answer.

What is *Wake Up Dead Man *about?

Mila Kunis as Geraldine, Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, and Josh O'Connor as Jud in 'Wake Up Dead Man'.

Courtesy of Netflix

In the third *Knives Out *film, *Wake Up Dead Man*, Detective Benoit Blanc is called to a small church in upstate New York after a puzzling murder shakes the congregation. The victim? Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), a controversial figure whose increasingly intense preaching has alienated many former parishioners.

After a heated sermon, Jefferson slips into a side closet to take a breather. O'Connor's Jud takes over, but stops when he hears a thud. Jefferson is found face down with a strange knife in his back, blood pooled around him.

It seems like an impossible crime. The closet has no other exits, and no one was seen entering it after Jefferson.

Still, suspicion falls on Jud. Why? Well, there's a lot of reasons.

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First, he he has a history of sorts with the weapon used to kill Wicks. The knife was created from a devil's head trinket, which Jud previously stole from a bar and chucked through one of the church's windows. Plus, aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack) caught a heated exchange between Jud and Jefferson on video. And let's not forget that Jud is a former boxer who once killed an opponent in the ring.

On the surface, it seems like Jud did it. Blanc, however, believes he's innocent. Together, they work with police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to figure out how the murder really went down.

Who killed Jefferson Wicks?

Josh Brolin as Msgr. Jefferson Wicks in 'Wake Up Dead Man'.

John Wilson/Netflix

As Blanc comes to deduce, Jefferson's death is the result of a botched plan involving three people close to the monsignor: Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church). The trio hatched a scheme to fake Jefferson's resurrection and protect a decades-old secret.

We'll talk more about the resurrection in a moment, but first let's dive into the past. The story goes back to Jefferson's grandfather, Reverend Prentice Wicks (James Faulkner), who had a fortune that his daughter, Jefferson's mother Grace (Annie Hamilton), hoped to inherit one day. But Prentice refused her claim, leaving Grace with nothing. Furious, she ransacked the church and destroyed its crucifix, which Jefferson refused to replace.

Prentice had hidden his wealth in a single jewel, Eve's Apple, which he swallowed before his death. Martha, Jefferson's associate, knew the secret for years. When Jefferson learned of it, he plotted to steal the jewel. However, Martha stepped in to stop him.

How did Martha's plan work?

Josh O'Connor as Jud in 'Wake Up Dead Man'.

Courtesy of Netflix

After learning of Jefferson's plan, Martha teamed up with Nat and her lover, Samuel Holt, to stop him from retrieving Eve's Apple.

They first poisoned Jefferson, slipping a toxin into a flask he kept in the closet during services. On top of that, they rigged a remote-controlled device that released fake blood and revealed the metal devil's head in his robe. This made it appear that he'd been stabbed when his body was discovered.

Then, while everyone was distracted, Nat *really* stabbed Jefferson with an identical devil's head knife. (There were *two* devil's head trinkets at the aforementioned bar.) This approach, they reasoned, made solving the murder impossible.

The next part of the plan — here's where we get into the resurrection bit — involved Martha and Nat dressing Samson like Jefferson and sneaking him into Prentice's tomb to grab Eve's Apple. Not only does this get them the jewel, but it also offers them an opportunity to stage a miracle. The plan is to film Samson (as Jefferson) walking out with the hopes that people will believe the monsignor's risen from the dead. (Martha hopes this will inspire more people to attend the church).

But Jud witnesses Samson (as Jefferson) emerge from the tomb and hug Nat. Suspicious, he follows Nat and Samson into the woods. There, Nat knocks Jud out and kills Samson.

When Martha learns of Samson's murder, she realizes Nat plans to keep Eve's Apple for himself. She confronts him at his house, where he attempts to poison her. But Martha ends up switching their mugs, resulting in Nat's death.

Martha then stages a scene to make it seem as if a resurrected Jefferson is strangling Nat in an acid bath she prepared in his basement.

What happens to Martha?

Josh O'Connor as Jud and Glenn Close as Martha in 'Wake Up Dead Man'.

Courtesy of Netflix

After confessing the conspiracy to Jud and Blanc, Martha falls to the ground. Devastated by the death of Samson, she willingly drank the rest of the poison.

In her final moments, she asks for forgiveness from everyone involved, including Grace (at Jud's request). She then lets go of Eve's Apple and dies in Jud's arms at the front of the church.

What happens at the end of Wake Up Dead Man?

Josh O'Connor as Jud and Josh Brolin as Msgr. Jefferson Wicks in 'Wake Up Dead Man'.

John Wilson/Netflix

A year later, Jud reopens the church under a new name: Our Lady of Perpetual Grace. Cy, revealed to be Jefferson's illegitimate son, tries to threaten Jud for Eve's Apple, but Jud stands his ground.

As new churchgoers file in for Jud's first service as head priest, Eve's Apple can be seen hidden inside a new crucifix he built.

Where can I watch Wake Up Dead Man?

*Wake Up Dead Man *is now streaming on Netflix.

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