🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, could 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 one of the only adults in Derry 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 don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the malice of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.