Welcome to Derry Could Have Unraveled a Longstanding Pennywise Enigma
Pennywise's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of animosity alive. It finds easy targets on children from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, 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 Resistance
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, may 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 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 tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.
Historical Context
Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the last laugh on him.
Leroy's Transformation
These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.