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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from broken households — children who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.