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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.