Why is It: Welcome to Derry going backwards in time? Sinister Pennywise theory explained

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Andy Muschietti envisions a three-season arc for his ‘It’ series, ‘Welcome to Derry,’ with each season exploring events further in the past. A fan theory proposes this approach could reveal that Pennywise isn’t a single, unchanging entity throughout the story.

The horror series is building towards its most exciting installment yet. Episode 7, titled ‘The Black Spot’, will reveal the events of the Black Spot massacre and finally show the real Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

If HBO renews the show for a second season, director Andy Muschietti already has a plan. He’s previously stated that the story will unfold over three seasons, each focusing on a different time period when Pennywise appeared: 1962, 1935, and 1908.

Because of what happened in the first season of the show and the earlier IT movies, a theory has developed explaining why Pennywise might become even scarier the further we explore its past.

Theory explains why It: Welcome to Derry will go backwards in time

A viewer shared on Reddit that they initially struggled to grasp the show’s backwards timeline, but now they understand the creative choice. They think the director is intentionally portraying Pennywise as becoming more powerful with each season.

Most characters become more powerful with age and experience, but IT is different. As a timeless cosmic being, IT doesn’t age or gain power in the same way.

Each interaction Danny has with people like Dick Hallorann, the Native Americans, the group called The Losers, the entity Maturin, and now these mysterious magical objects, diminishes IT’s power.

As a TV show continues, something within it needs to evolve. Since the characters aren’t aging, it would be logical for the central conflict or threat to become more powerful, especially with the current lack of strong opponents.

Honestly, as a fan, what I really loved about how they ended things was this idea they threw out there – wanting to see a season where the characters just completely fail, and the IT threat is truly unstoppable. It would be amazing to see a full cycle of that, where nobody can figure things out and the danger just keeps escalating. It felt like a really cool, dark direction they could take the story!

Although Stephen King doesn’t explicitly state this in his novel, it fits with the overall story and lore. According to the book, Pennywise was much more powerful in the past, before the events involving the Losers’ Club.

The further into the past you travel, the less resistance there is to IT. There are fewer people with psychic abilities, no powerful entities like Maturin to oppose it, and no magical objects that can diminish its strength.

This explains a puzzling detail: IT seems less powerful in recent films because, by the 1980s, it had already spent centuries facing opposition.

Okay, so if this ‘Welcome to Derry’ series keeps going further back in time – like, all the way to 1935 and even 1908 – we might finally get to see a Pennywise that’s really scary. I’m talking the original, unfiltered, cosmic horror version Stephen King had in mind when he first created him. It’s exciting to think we could see Pennywise at his most powerful and terrifying!

Pennywise was stronger in earlier cycles 

Viewers of Welcome to Derry generally agree, particularly after discussions on the Children of Maturin pointed out that the newest installment of the IT story isn’t as compelling as earlier parts.

One of the Children of Maturin stated that this period seems less harsh than the previous two, and confirmed that they agreed with this assessment.

Season 3 will likely show Pennywise at his most terrifying. The explosion at the Ironworks was a major event, and I think the next season will introduce many characters who will be impacted by it, ultimately leading to a heartbreaking outcome.

Pennywise seemed much less powerful when facing the Losers’ Club, likely due to his unstable mental state throughout the story.

Someone else remembered a comment made earlier in the season by the Natives, suggesting this current period was less intense than the previous two, and felt that made sense.

Someone commented that he seems like the right person for the job, but they’re mainly hoping any show about IT avoids using a clown. They also wondered how much of the backstory regarding Bob Gray and Pennywise still needs to be explored after this season.

Honestly, ‘IT’ just feels strange without Pennywise. However, if anyone can make a version without him work, I think Muschietti is the director to do it.

One viewer suggested that Pennywise the clown will appear in every season of the show. They explained that Season 2 is set in 1935 and Season 3 will explore events from 1908, revealing a connection to a clown named Bob Gray, whose identity IT is seemingly taking.

The seventh episode of It: Welcome to Derry will be available on HBO this Sunday, December 7th. You might also be interested in learning about the scene from Welcome to Derry that particularly frightened Stephen King, whether the show secretly serves as a prequel to The Shining, and our list of the greatest horror films of all time.

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2025-12-04 15:50