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Pennywise's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured households — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town affected him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.