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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's cycle of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest 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,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.