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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.