The Derry Chronicles Could Have Solved a Longstanding Pennywise Enigma
Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.
Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school 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 haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, 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 infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.
Leroy's Transformation
This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.