Welcome to Derry Officially Set Up the Darkest Stephen King Book Change of All Time

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What’s most captivating about Welcome to Derry isn’t Pennywise himself – we haven’t seen Bill Skarsgård’s version yet. Instead, the show shines in its exploration of Derry’s unsettling past, filled with secrets, brutality, and tragedy. This season will delve into one of the town’s worst events: the devastating fire at The Black Spot. While this incident was briefly mentioned in Stephen King’s book, this week’s episode hints at a significant and potentially heartbreaking twist to the original story.

Episode 4 of ‘Welcome to Derry,’ titled “The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function,” shows how Pennywise first arrived on Earth. The episode also includes separate, frightening attacks on Will Hanlon and Marge Truman—Truman’s attack is particularly disturbing. However, the way Will is attacked makes viewers wonder if the series will significantly differ from the original novel.

Welcome to Derry Changed the IT Timeline

The movie IT (2017) came out shortly after the first season of Stranger Things on Netflix, when audiences were really into 1980s culture. To connect with modern viewers and make the story feel more current, director Andy Muschietti shifted the timelines from the book. While the original novel is set in 1957-58 and 1984-85, the films take place in 1988-89 and 2016. The first IT movie is specifically set in 1962.

Changing the show’s timeline has given the creators more freedom to develop the characters and their histories, including the Hanlon family. Originally, in the book, Mike’s father, William, and Dick Hallorann were stationed together at the Derry Army Base in the 1930s. However, in the new version, Will Hanlon is portrayed as a 12-year-old, and it’s his grandfather, Major Leroy Hanlon, who serves alongside Hallorann.

William Hanlon saw the fire at The Black Spot, a gathering place for members of the Black Army. It was attacked and burned down by a KKK-like group from Derry called the Maine Legion of White Decency, who used torches. In the novel, William told Mike that Hallorann, possibly using his psychic abilities, helped him and another man escape, saving their lives. However, a scene in Episode 4 between young Will and It hints that his escape might have happened differently.

Welcome to Derry Episode 4 Teases a Tragic Death

Leroy Hanlon wants to connect with his son, Will, so he takes him fishing. They share a heartwarming conversation about girls, and Leroy briefly leaves to get more bait. While Will is standing in the water, a koi fish swims near him. But as he leans in to look, someone pulls him underwater, and he comes face-to-face with a terrifying, burned version of his father.

While Will is being held underwater, someone threatens him with the words, “You’ll burn, too,” hinting at the future Black Spot fire. This episode also shows Hallorann and his army colleagues getting everything ready, building anticipation for the chaos and violence to come. It’s clear he’s already planned what will happen at that location, capitalizing on the fear caused by these dangerous events.

Pennywise typically preys on children, but it also appeared to Leroy Hanlon after his son was attacked, signaling its presence with a red balloon floating in the water. That night, while checking out a possible break-in, Leroy found another red balloon in a tree on his property. He’s now worried about his family being near whatever dangerous object the government is trying to find.

Hallorann showed he could be dangerous to Pennywise by surprisingly entering his mind. Major Leroy Hanlon and Captain Pauly Russo flew the aircraft that delivered him. The resulting fire might be caused by the creature’s anger over this intrusion, as it tries to destroy anyone who threatens it.

It’s unclear if Will’s attack hints at Leroy’s fate at The Black Spot, or if Pennywise is just using a false image of his father to scare people more. If Leroy dies in the fire, it would be a significant change from the original story, and possibly the most disturbing moment so far.

It: Welcome to Derry airs every Sunday on HBO, leading up to the season finale on December 14.

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2025-11-17 06:06