IT: Welcome to Derry: Pennywise’s Final Target Before Hibernation is Will Hanlon

The terrifying prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry builds toward a major confrontation in its seventh episode. The season one finale is set to air on December 14, and the most recent episode ended with a chilling cliffhanger. The ancient evil known as Pennywise made a direct move against one key character: a young boy named Will Hanlon.

Fans know Will will survive this attack, as he later becomes the father of Mike Hanlon from the main IT story. However, this new scene reveals that Pennywise’s attack on Will is not random. The show’s creators have explained it is a deliberate, time-bending strike against the future. The monster sees time differently than humans and knows that Will’s future son will lead the fight to destroy it decades later.

This personal vendetta from a cosmic horror raises major questions for the season finale. What happened when Pennywise hit Will with the Deadlights? How can a boy escape the grasp of a monster that can see his future?

The Attack at the End of Episode 7

The horror of Episode 7, titled “The Black Spot,” builds to a frightening peak in its final moments. The episode shows a historical tragedy where a nightclub is burned down by a racist mob, an event that feeds Pennywise with immense fear. The monster should then go into a 27-year hibernation, a cycle known as an “augury”.

Instead, a secret military operation connected to Will’s father, Leroy Hanlon, interrupts this cycle. General Francis Shaw, who believes the entity can be used as a weapon, orders the destruction of one of the ancient pillars that helps trap Pennywise. This act wakes the creature prematurely.

Pennywise then appears in the kitchen of the Hanlon home, targeting young Will Hanlon. The episode ends with the clown, its face painted with what looks like indigenous war paint, pouncing on the boy. It opens its mouth, and a blinding, orange-yellow light—the Deadlights—engulfs Will. The screen cuts to black, leaving his fate unknown until the finale.

Why Will? A Family Connection to the Future

Will Hanlon is not just another child in Derry. His family is deeply connected to the town’s dark secrets and military cover-ups. However, the main reason for Pennywise’s obsession goes far beyond the 1960s setting of the show.

The entity known as It is an ancient cosmic being from a dimension called the Macroverse. Its true form is the Deadlights, and it does not experience time in a straight line like humans do. It can see the past, present, and future as one continuous picture. From this viewpoint, Pennywise can see a crucial future event: Will Hanlon will grow up and have a son named Mike.

“Given that It is an entity that doesn’t experience time in a linear way like humans do,” explained show co-creator Andy Muschietti, “It’s only appropriate that he would go back and attack the kids, basically in other times before they do what they do.”

In the future timeline of the IT movies, Mike Hanlon is a core member of the Losers’ Club. As an adult, he is the one who stays in Derry, researches the monster, and brings his childhood friends back to finally defeat it for good. In IT: Chapter Two, Mike plays a key role in the monster’s destruction.

By attacking Will as a child, Pennywise is trying to change the future. If it can break Will’s mind or prevent him from ever having a son, it could erase Mike Hanlon from existence and save itself from defeat decades later.

The Power of the Deadlights: What Happened to Will?

The orange light that hits Will is the core of Pennywise’s power. The Deadlights are not just an attack; they are a glimpse of the monster’s true, universe-breaking form. Looking at them has devastating effects on the human mind.

In Stephen King’s stories and the previous adaptations, exposure to the Deadlights has led to different outcomes:

• It can trap a person’s soul.
• It can leave a victim in a catatonic, comatose state, as happened to Bill Denbrough’s wife Audra in the novel.
• It can shatter a person’s mind, leading to insanity.
• It can create a loyal servant for Pennywise, as it did with the bully Henry Bowers.

In the same episode, an adult woman named Ingrid Kersh is also hit by the Deadlights. She is later seen awake on a stretcher but turns her head to look at children with a menacing, unnatural glare, suggesting she is now under Pennywise’s control.

What this means for Will is the central mystery heading into the finale. Fans know he must survive to father Mike. However, survival does not mean he escapes unharmed. The experience could leave deep psychological scars that affect his entire life and his relationship with his future family.

Finale Details and Theories for What’s Next

The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry will end with Episode 8, titled “Winter Fire.” It is scheduled to air on Sunday, December 14.

• Release Time: The episode will be available at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO and will stream on HBO Max.
• What to Expect: The episode will resolve the cliffhanger with Will Hanlon and reveal the full consequences of his encounter with the Deadlights. It will also show the fate of Ingrid Kersh and conclude the military storyline involving General Shaw and Leroy Hanlon.

The finale will also set the stage for the already-confirmed Season 2. The next season is planned to jump back to the year 1935, exploring another cycle of Pennywise’s awakening in Derry’s past.

A popular fan theory suggests another connection to the future Losers’ Club. Some viewers believe a character in the show, Marge Truman, could grow up to become the mother of Richie Tozier. They share similar personalities and humor, and Marge’s full name, Margaret, matches the name of Richie’s mother in the books. This theory highlights the show’s theme of tragic legacies passed down through Derry’s families.

For Will Hanlon, his legacy is directly in the monster’s crosshairs. The season finale will reveal if a child can withstand an attack meant to rewrite destiny itself.

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