Pennywise’s Finale Reveal Alters the Future of ‘It’

A single clip from the It: Welcome to Derry season finale has viewers frozen with fear. HBO Max shared the chilling moment, and fans online say it changes everything they thought they knew about Pennywise. The scene focuses on a quiet, unsettling conversation that reveals the clown’s terrifying power and a direct link to the future Losers’ Club.

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The prequel series follows a new group of children in 1962 Derry as they encounter the ancient evil later known as Pennywise. The first season concluded with the episode “Winter Fire,” which wrapped up this chapter but left the door wide open for more horror. The shared clip zeroes in on the monster’s calm and knowing expression as he speaks to a young girl named Marge, hinting at secrets that span decades.

The Clip That Has Everyone Talking

HBO Max posted the short video on its official social media account. It shows Pennywise, again played by Bill Skarsgård, in a close-up shot from the finale. The scene is not filled with loud jumpscares or gore. Instead, its power comes from a quiet, disturbing conversation.

In the clip, Pennywise confronts the character Marge, portrayed by Matilda Lawler. He speaks to her with a strange calmness, revealing that he perceives time differently than humans. For the monster, the past, present, and future all exist at once. This means the Pennywise terrorizing Derry in 1962 is fully aware of his eventual defeat at the hands of the Losers’ Club in 2016.

“The seed of your stinking loins and his friends bring me my death. Or is it birth?” Pennywise says to Marge in the finale.

This revelation shifts the entire understanding of the creature’s motives. His attacks may not be random feeding frenzies but targeted attempts to alter a future he already knows.

Beep beep, Margie. #ITWelcomeToDerry pic.twitter.com/RNjgBFmcq0

— HBO Max (@hbomax) December 15, 2025

Marge’s Shocking Connection to Richie Tozier

The conversation in the viral clip contains a major spoiler that connects the prequel directly to the original It films. Pennywise refers to Marge as “Margaret Tozier,” a name she does not yet have. He tells her that one day she will have a son named Richie Tozier.

This confirms that Marge will grow up to become the mother of Richie Tozier, the loud-mouthed member of the Losers’ Club played by Finn Wolfhard (and later Bill Hader). The show also gives new meaning to Richie’s name. In a previous episode, Marge’s first love, a boy named Rich Santos, died saving her life. It is now clear she will later honor him by naming her son Richie.

This link raises a terrifying possibility for Marge and her friends. If Pennywise can see all of time, he could theoretically travel back to earlier cycles to target the ancestors of his future enemies, trying to stop them from being born in the first place.

How the First Season Finally Ended

The finale episode, “Winter Fire,” saw the town plunged into a mysterious, freezing fog after the military destroyed one of the magical pillars that kept Pennywise confined. Seizing his chance, the creature hypnotized an entire school of children and led them in a ghostly procession toward a frozen river.

Marge, along with her friends Lilly and Ronnie, raced to save their friend Will Hanlon and the other kids. They were joined by adults including Dick Hallorann and Will’s parents, Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon. The goal was to use an ancient dagger as a replacement pillar to lock Pennywise away again.

The battle culminated at a gnarled “deadwood” tree by the river. With the help of Hallorann’s psychic abilities and the spiritual intervention of the deceased Rich Santos, the group managed to plunge the dagger into the earth. This action successfully re-caged Pennywise, forcing him back into his long hibernation.

Major Character Endings and Classic King Connections

The finale provided conclusions for several key characters while weaving in clever nods to Stephen King’s wider universe.

• The Hanlon Family’s Fate: Despite planning to leave the cursed town, Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon decide to stay. A local woman named Rose asks them to take over her farm and keep watch over Derry, knowing Pennywise will return in 27 years. This decision sets the stage for their grandson, Mike Hanlon, to grow up there and become the historian of the Losers’ Club.
• Dick Hallorann’s New Path: After helping defeat the clown, Hallorann finds peace. He decides to leave the military and tells Leroy he has a new job lined up as a cook at a hotel. His final line, “How much trouble can a hotel be?” is a direct reference to his future at the haunted Overlook Hotel from The Shining.
• A Post-Credits Scene with Beverly Marsh: After the episode ends, a bonus scene jumps forward to October 1988. It shows a young Beverly Marsh (with Sophia Lillis reprising her film role) at a psychiatric hospital after a family tragedy. There, she encounters an elderly Ingrid Kersh, who delivers the ominous line: “No one who dies in Derry ever really dies”. This directly ties to Beverly’s scary encounter with Mrs. Kersh in It: Chapter Two.

What This Means for the Future of Welcome to Derry

The finale strongly hints that this story is not over. The episode concludes with a title card that reads “Chapter One,” mirroring the end of the 2017 It film and signaling plans for more seasons.

Series co-creator Andy Muschietti has stated that the show is designed as a multi-season story that moves backward in time. If the show continues, a second season would likely explore the previous Pennywise feeding cycle in 1935, and a potential third season could go back to 1908.

Pennywise’s new time-bending ability provides a clear path for these past stories to have high stakes, as he could be actively hunting the ancestors of his future foes. The entire first season of It: Welcome to Derry is available to stream on HBO Max.

Also Read: The Bear Season 4: Rob Reiner’s Final Role Brings New Meaning to Guest Star Appearance

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