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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by It, It eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.