Did IT: Welcome To Derry Just Turn Will Hanlon Into The Beverly Marsh Of This Story?

This post contains spoilers for "It: Welcome to Derry" season 1, episode 7.

In Andy Muschietti's 2017 "It" movie, Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis) is forced to look at the Deadlights, which puts her in a coma until the Losers Club rescues her. We see Beverly floating midair with her milky-white eyes fixed in a trance, as witnessing the Deadlights is the equivalent of peering into the abyss. In Stephen King's "It" novel, the Deadlights are revealed to be the monstrous Pennywise's true form, existing in the void between worlds, Todash Space. It is a force that consumes, breaking the minds of those who are unable to comprehend this twisted life essence. This also happens in the seventh episode of "It: Welcome to Derry," in which a young Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James) is kidnapped by Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) after being exposed to the swirling Deadlights situated far inside the latter's throat.

The parallels between Will and Beverly's kidnapping run deeper than their exposure to the Deadlights, as the HBO show seems to be setting up a Losers Club-esque rescue mission in its season 1 finale. There's no reason to be too worried about Will, of course, as "It" canon dictates that he will grow up to father his son Mike. And while Will's life is cut short soon after that in a mysterious house fire, we can assume that his friends will rescue him in the show's present-day. That said, there's no guarantee the other heroes of "Welcome to Derry" will make it out alive, so it's up to Will's buddies Lilly (Clara Stack), Ronnie (Amanda Christine), and Marge (Matilda Lawler) to gather their courage and prepare to battle Pennywise one last time, come hell or high water.

But what could Will's predicament mean for Derry and its inhabitants?

After the horrific Black Spot fire, Pennywise's feeding cycle ends, and he leaves to hibernate. The U.S. military, however, unearths one of the star fragments that's been keeping him trapped in Derry and destroys it. This is an extremely ill-conceived move, as they're convinced that It can be used to spread fear across the U.S. and enforce their bigoted agenda. In response, Pennywise awakens and heads straight for Will, presumably to lure his friends and finish what he's been trying to do for months. And while Lilly and co. will have a terrible time rescuing their friend, they do possess the star fragment dagger, which is the only thing that Pennywise appears to fear at the moment.

It's also worth noting that Beverly and Will are both shown the Deadlights after firmly stating that they're not afraid of Pennywise. It's possible Pennywise knows that gruesome hallucinations won't be enough to frighten them anymore, which is why he subjects them to the mind-breaking cosmic horror of a force that feeds on their souls. Will, like Beverly, is destined to survive, but he'll surely be traumatized by the ordeal and may find himself tormented by visions for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, now that Pennywise is aware of the military's intentions, he'll stop at nothing to escape Derry. A troubling shot in the season 1 finale trailer shows several children with milky-white eyes, seemingly transfixed by the Deadlights. Will Pennywise go on a rampage to break his victims' minds beyond repair? One merely hopes the flesh-eating entity goes back to sleep by the time the episode ends. If not, the citizens of Derry may have to face unimaginable horrors.

"It: Welcome to Derry" season 1 concludes on December 14, 2025.