The Derry Chronicles Could Have Unraveled a Longstanding Pennywise Mystery

Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.