🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film 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 youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. 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 the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent 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 couldn't resist the sickening allure of the town.