The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry (assuming there will be a Season 2) has officially come to an end, connecting familiar characters and storylines that are all part of Stephen King’s multiverse.
The HBO Max series expands the world of It by exploring the origins of Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) and his arrival in Derry, alongside delving into the monster’s ancient history and the introduction of his clown persona, Bob Gray. So, how does IT: Welcome to Derry connect into King’s shared universe?
Pennywise’s Connection to Stephen King’s Horror Multiverse
As the main villain, Pennywise plays a central role in IT: Welcome to Derry. In King’s novel, on which the series is based, It is introduced as an alien entity created in the void outside the universe.
It later crashes to Earth aboard an asteroid millions of years ago, landing in a place that would eventually become Derry.
As people begin to settle in Derry, It follows a pattern of terrorizing young prey for a year or two, stalking its victims and feeding on their fear – primarily targeting children because they are easier to manipulate.
Once sated, It hibernates for 27 years before reawakening to begin the cycle again.
Like previous portrayals of It/Pennywise, IT: Welcome to Derry’s Pennywise is one of King’s most iconic monstrous creations and is also part of the author’s Dark Tower mythology, which establishes a vast multiverse populated by numerous supernatural beings.
The Origins of the Hanlon Family
While IT: Welcome to Derry doesn’t feature many familiar characters, it presents the Hanlon family.
It introduces Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), the grandfather of Mike Hanlon, who appears in the movies played by Chosen Jacobs (child) and Isaiah Mustafa (adult).
The series show their arrival in Derry in 1962, alongside his wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige) and his son Will (Blake Cameron James).
The Young Maggie Tozier
After a Doctor Manhattan-style sequence where past, present, and future all bleed together, It recognizes Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler) as the young Maggie Tozier, the mother of Richie Tozier, a key character in the It movies.
Marge eventually becomes Maggie, who later names her son in honor of Rich (Arian S. Cartaya), who sacrifices himself to save her from a fire.
A Major The Shining Character: Dick Hallorann
Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) is probably the most obvious Easter egg from King’s multiverse. A major character from The Shining and its sequel Doctor Sleep, he is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado and possesses the psychic ability known as “the shine.”
In IT: Welcome to Derry, however, he serves at the Derry Air Force Base alongside Leroy Hanlon and plays a major role in fighting It.
The season finale shows how Dick changes his career, moving from military service to becoming a chef after leaving the base.
As he says, “How much trouble can a hotel be?” Fans of The Shining surely know what happened here.
Juniper Hill Asylum
A landmark in King’s novels, the Juniper Hill Asylum is where Lily (Clara Stack) was previously admitted following her father’s death.
She is later forced to rehabilitate herself after experiencing hallucinations caused by It.
In addition to It, the asylum also appears in Insomnia, Needful Things, and The Dark Half.
The Shawshank State Prison
Another notable facility from King’s novels is Shawshank State Prison. Featured in the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and later adapted into the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, it is where Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider) was supposed to be imprisoned.
The prison also appears in Castle Rock, a series that explores multiple elements of King’s multiverse.
So far, there is no word on whether IT: Welcome to Derry will return for a second season. The first eight episodes are currently streaming on HBO Max.
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