.jpg?width=660)
Pennywise didn't just stumble upon Derry and begin terrorizing its children the minute he came into existence, which is exactly why IT: Welcome to Derry showed the entire story of how he landed in the seemingly innocent town to live in.
Here's what IT: Welcome to Derry revealed about the backstory.
WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for IT: Welcome to Derry, so proceed with caution.
What Happened in IT: Welcome to Derry? What General Shaw's Plans Mean
As IT: Welcome to Derry reveals, Pennywise is trapped in the forest due to the fragments of the fallen star that brought the creature to Earth. When General Shaw and his men found out about it, they tried to destroy it with the leader's ultimate plan for the horror clown in mind.
When General Shaw gets confronted, he tells the truth to his men that the nuclear threat from the other nations was never his biggest concern or priority: it's the state of his own nation, where crime continues to go rampant right under their noses.
Shaw believes that setting Pennywise loose and freely feeding during his cycles (roughly every 27 years) would reduce the crimes and instead instill fear among the people of the country, in hopes that the lingering cosmic threat, like this clown entity, would discipline the people and create a new structure for their home.
This plan, however, instantly backfired. Despite being in hibernation mode, Pennywise awoke after sensing the woods had started opening their barrier (especially when Shaw and his men burned one of the shards that kept him there) and attacked Will.
This appears to mean that the clown is not entirely dependent on keeping his cycle: he's merely waiting for the right moment to escape and spread even more chaos in Derry.
How Does the Spin-Off's Ending Affect the Stephen King Movie Version?
.jpg?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
In Stephen King's 2017 film, IT, Pennywise wasn't really trapped in the sewers; it just became his safe haven and a hidden highway to move around more freely in Derry as he hunts down his victims.
While IT: Welcome to Derry is still one episode away from fully answering all the questions fans have had about Pennywise and his origins, General Shaw's revelation about the shards that keep him trapped in the woods is most likely the beginning of how Derry and its own history books began accepting and complying with how Pennywise worked every 27 years.
For now, fans can wait until IT: Welcome to Derry's eighth and final episode, titled Winter Fire, premieres on Sunday, December 14, on HBO and HBO Max.
Keep it locked on Epicstream.com, the best source for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!