Welcome to Derry Reveals the Real Pennywise & Finally Begins Explaining 1 IT Mystery (but There’s a Catch)

IT: Welcome to Derry has been meticulously exploring the haunted past of its titular town and the cosmic origins of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård). Previous episodes have delved deep into the ancient history of the shapeshifting entity, revealing its connection to Derry after crashing on Earth inside a meteor millions of years ago. This mythological approach has expanded the lore in significant ways, but the series has remained tight-lipped about a more personal mystery: the specific origin of the creature’s preferred clown form. The latest episode of the show pivots from the cosmic to the deeply human, finally paying off a recurring fan theory by teasing the backstory of the original Pennywise.

Warning: Spoilers below for IT: Welcome to Derry, Episode 6

The sixth episode of IT: Welcome to Derry reveals a crucial piece of the puzzle through the troubled history of Ingrid Kersh (Madeleine Stowe). Viewers learn that Ingrid is the daughter of Bob Gray, a circus performer who entertained audiences as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Family photos found by Lilly (Clara Stack) in Ingrid’s attic confirm Bob was part of a traveling circus when Ingrid was a child, but a mysterious event took him out of his daughter’s life.

In addition, a flashback set in 1935 shows a grown Ingrid working as a nurse at the Juniper Hills Asylum. Her past comes rushing back when she hears a young patient named Mabel talk about a clown named Pennywise living in the asylum’s basement. Compelled to uncover the truth, Ingrid takes Mabel to the basement, where they come face-to-face with the creature, which has assumed her father’s clown persona. This encounter confirms that Pennywise was once a real person, and the shapeshifting entity has chosen to adopt his form for an unknown reason.

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The scene also begins to explain the trauma that led to Ingrid’s strange behavior. During this first meeting, the creature brutally devours Mabel right in front of her. The horror of that event has twisted Ingrid’s mind, and by the show’s primary 1962 timeline, she has begun dressing as a clown herself to stalk the new generation of children, hoping to lure the creature she believes still contains her father. While this backstory finally answers what the clown form is, it underlines that the far more important question of why the entity chose Bob Gray will not be answered anytime soon.

The Timeline of IT: Welcome to Derry Means We Will Only Get Answers on Season 3

The narrative structure of IT: Welcome to Derry is deliberately designed to withhold its biggest secrets for as long as possible. The creators have mapped out a three-season story, with each season focusing on one of Pennywise’s 27-year hunting cycles in reverse chronological order. Season 1 is anchored in 1962, while a potential second season is planned to take place in 1935, and a third would unfold in 1908. The latest episode confirms Ingrid’s connection to her father, Bob Gray, and even shows photographs of them together that are dated to 1908. This detail is a clear signal to the audience that the inciting incident, the moment the cosmic entity first encountered Bob Gray and decided to steal his identity, took place during the 1908 cycle.

The complete story of how IT became Pennywise will almost certainly be the central mystery of the show’s third and final season. The current season is establishing the aftermath of that event through Ingrid’s broken life, and the second season will likely explore the first full cycle where the creature uses its new favorite disguise. However, the foundational story that fans have been waiting for is being held back as the ultimate narrative climax. This long-term storytelling approach allows the series to build out the world and explore the generational trauma the creature inflicts on Derry, but it also asks for a significant amount of patience from the audience.

New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry premiere on HBO every Sunday. 

What do you think happened between the ancient entity and Bob Gray in 1908 that made the circus performer IT’s chosen form? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!