🔗 Share this article

The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. 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 world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.