Welcome to Derry May Have Solved a Lingering It Enigma

The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — children who frequently grow up to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, particularly when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the collective of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.