IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7 Deaths: Rich Santos Dies and Will Hanlon’s Fate Revealed

IT: Welcome to Derry’s Episode 7 delivers major shocks with the deaths of two central characters. The penultimate episode titled “The Black Spot” features a tragic fire and the return of Pennywise. Young hero Rich Santos dies saving his friend, while an adult character is left in a coma after a terrifying encounter. The episode also reveals a military conspiracy to unleash the monster on America.

The story shifts between 1962 and a flashback to 1908, filling in crucial gaps about the monster’s origins and setting up a dangerous finale.

Rich Santos’s Heroic Death in The Black Spot Fire

One of the show’s main young characters, Rich Santos, played by Arian S. Cartaya, dies in Episode 7. His death occurs during a horrific event at a local bar called The Black Spot.

A racist mob, led by former police chief Clint Bowers, locks the bar’s patrons inside and sets it on fire. Trapped inside with his friend Marge Truman, Rich finds a large metal cooler. Knowing it can only save one person, he insists Marge get inside.

He closes the box on her and climbs on top to keep her in. They have a conversation where he admits that he’s always liked her, and they even tell each other ‘I love you.’

Rich stays on top of the cooler, protecting Marge from the flames, and dies from smoke inhalation. Firefighters find his body beside the cooler the next morning. His death is a direct result of the mob’s attack and not Pennywise’s actions.

This death is particularly significant for fans who speculated Rich was the father of Richie Tozier from the main IT films, due to his similar nickname and personality. His death confirms this theory is false within the show’s storyline.

Pennywise Attacks Ingrid Kersh and Will Hanlon

While Rich dies from human violence, Pennywise directly attacks two other characters with his most dangerous power: the Deadlights.

First, he targets Ingrid Kersh, an adult woman played by Madeleine Stowe. Ingrid had been searching for her father, the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown, whose identity the monster stole. When she finally confronts the creature, it pretends to be her father before revealing its true nature.

“He still lives inside of me. I can feel him right now. He’s reaching out for his baby girl.”

After saying this, Pennywise hits Ingrid with the Deadlights, leaving her in a nearly comatose state. However, she shows brief signs of movement, suggesting she may become a tool for Pennywise in the future.

The episode ends with a second Deadlights attack. After the U.S. military deliberately breaks a magical shard that was helping to contain the monster, Pennywise reawakens. He then attacks young Will Hanlon, the father of the future character Mike Hanlon. The last scene shows Pennywise, wearing war paint, pouncing on Will and exposing him to the same orange light.

What Are the Deadlights and What Do They Do?

The Deadlights are not just an attack; they represent Pennywise’s true, cosmic form. According to Stephen King lore, seeing the Deadlights can destroy a person’s mind.

Their effects vary. They can cause insanity, create a loyal servant for Pennywise, or put a person in a catatonic state—a living coma. In the original novel and films, characters like Henry Bowers and Audra Denbrough were victims, with some being saved later by friends.

The fate of Will Hanlon is now a major question. In the IT novel, Will survives to raise Mike on a farm. However, in the 2017 film, Mike’s parents die in a fire. The show must now explain how Will recovers from the Deadlights attack, or if his experience changes his relationship with his own father, Leroy Hanlon.

General Shaw’s Plan to Weaponize Pennywise

A major plot reveal in Episode 7 involves General Francis Shaw and the U.S. military. After securing one of the ancient shards containing Pennywise, Shaw orders it destroyed.

When Leroy Hanlon confronts him, Shaw explains his true plan. He is not worried about external nuclear threats but about internal crime and disorder in America. Shaw believes that by freeing Pennywise to terrorize the country every 27 years, he can use fear to control the population and prevent a civil war.

Shaw wants to use Pennywise as a weapon to enforce authoritarian rule in America.

This conspiracy makes Shaw a primary antagonist, actively working to unleash the monster the others are trying to contain.

The 1908 Flashback: How Pennywise Got His Form

Episode 7 opens with a flashback to 1908 that finally shows how the entity It came to look like a clown. It reveals the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown was a real man named Bob Gray, who performed a sad comedy routine about missing his wife.

Bob had a young daughter named Ingrid who adored him. The cosmic entity, appearing as a creepy boy, observed that children were drawn to the clown. It then lured Bob Gray into the woods, killed him, and took his form and name permanently. This moment established the monster’s preferred method of luring children as a clown.

Release Schedule and How to Watch

IT: Welcome to Derry releases new episodes weekly on HBO and HBO Max. Episode 7, “The Black Spot,” became available on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

The Season 1 finale, Episode 8, is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, December 14, 2025. All previous episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.

Also Read: The Staircase Owl Theory: The Bizarre, Plausible Idea That Changed a Case

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