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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, seeded by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.