Welcome to Derry Could Have Solved a Lingering It Enigma

The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when It starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events 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 stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.