🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from broken homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, 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 receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of the town.