Does Lilly Die in the Finale of IT: Welcome to Derry?

The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry wrapped up with its eighth and final episode, “Winter Fire,” on HBO Max. The episode delivered a climactic battle on a frozen river as the young heroes raced to stop Pennywise from escaping Derry. Fans of the show have been particularly concerned about the fate of Lilly Bainbridge, played by Clara Stack, after the intense events of the previous episode.

What Happens to Lilly Bainbridge in the Finale?

Lilly Bainbridge survives the season finale.

In the climactic sequence, Lilly, along with her friends Marge and Ronnie, faces Pennywise on the frozen Penobscot River. While in great danger, all three girls make it through the ordeal alive. The finale focuses on their collective effort to save their friend Will Hanlon and stop the clown’s reign of terror, not on killing off another main character.

Lilly’s journey in the episode is emotionally charged. She carries the ancient dagger needed to re-cage Pennywise, but the artifact has a corrupting influence. The further it is taken from its origin, the more it attacks the mind of its bearer. This causes Lilly to become paranoid and frantic, leading to a conflict with Marge and Ronnie. The girls reconcile, understanding the dagger’s power is affecting her, and agree to share the burden of carrying it.

In the end, Lilly is a key part of the group that successfully plunges the dagger into the earth at the base of the great deadwood pine. This act restores the magical cage around Derry and forces Pennywise back into hibernation.

The Final Battle on the Ice

The episode begins with a supernatural fog and deep freeze descending on Derry after the military destroys one of the 13 pillars containing Pennywise. Seizing his chance to break free, Pennywise uses his deadlights to hypnotize the entire student body of Derry High School and leads them in a ghostly parade toward the town’s border.

Lilly, Marge, and Ronnie, who avoided the mass hypnosis, steal a milk truck and follow Pennywise’s trail to save Will. The adults—Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon, Dick Hallorann, Rose, and her nephew Taniel—pursue them, planning to use the dagger as a replacement for the destroyed pillar.

The confrontation takes place on the suddenly frozen river. Pennywise separates Marge from the group and reveals a shocking secret: she will grow up to become Margaret “Maggie” Tozier, the mother of Richie Tozier from the original IT films. He explains that he experiences all of time at once, seeing his own future death at the hands of the Losers’ Club.

“The seed of your stinking loins and his filthy friends bring me my death. Or is it birth? I get confused. Tomorrow, yesterday? It’s all the same for little Pennywise!”

Dick Hallorann uses his psychic “shine” to freeze Pennywise momentarily, freeing the hypnotized children. A race ensues to bury the dagger before the clown breaks free. The military, under General Shaw, intervenes and Taniel is killed. Leroy, wounded, passes the task to Will, Lilly, Marge, and Ronnie.

As Pennywise breaks free and advances on the kids, he is helped by an unexpected ally: the spirit of their friend Rich Santos, who died in the Black Spot fire. With Rich’s ghostly assistance, the group overcomes the dagger’s resistance and seals it into the ground. Pennywise is pulled back into his cage, and the unnatural winter ends.

Aftermath and Character Endings

Following the battle, the show checks in on its characters in the spring of 1963.

• Lilly Bainbridge and Marge Truman remain in Derry. In a conversation at their hideout, Marge shares her fears that Pennywise could try to change the future by targeting their ancestors in the past. Lilly replies, “I guess it’ll be someone else’s fight,” hinting at the show’s potential direction.
• Will Hanlon and his family decide to stay in Derry after Rose asks them to help her watch over the town, taking over her farm. This sets up the future home of Mike Hanlon, Will’s son and a future member of the Losers’ Club.
• Ronnie Grogan leaves Derry with her father, Hank. She shares a goodbye kiss with Will, who promises to write to her to help her remember, as those who leave Derry tend to forget its horrors.
• Dick Hallorann departs for a new job as a chef at a hotel in London, telling Leroy, “How much trouble can a hotel be?” This is a direct nod to his future at the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining.

Post-Credits Scene: A Connection to the IT Films

The season includes a post-credits scene set in October 1988. It takes place at Juniper Hill Asylum, where an elderly Ingrid Kersh (formerly Ingrid Grayson) encounters a young Beverly Marsh (played by Sophia Lillis, reprising her role from the films). Beverly is there after her mother, Elfrida Marsh, has died by suicide.

Ingrid approaches the grieving Beverly and says, “You know what they say about Derry. No one who dies here ever really dies”. This scene connects directly to IT: Chapter Two, where Pennywise torments an adult Beverly by taking the form of an old woman named Mrs. Kersh—revealing that this was the same Ingrid from 1962.

This scene appears to dispel a popular fan theory that Lilly Bainbridge would grow up to become Beverly Marsh’s mother.

Also Read: It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 Possibilities: Story, Cast & Renewal Status

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