Welcome to Derry May Have Unraveled a Longstanding It Mystery
The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured homes — youngsters who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.
The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience
In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
The boy is part of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail 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 town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed within.
Historical Context
Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry 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 adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the last laugh on him.
The Father's Evolution
These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told 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 Derry.
