The series Welcome to Derry takes viewers back to 1962, showing the beginning of Pennywise the Dancing Clown’s reign of terror – 27 years before the events of the 2017 IT movie. The show aims to reveal the origins of this terrifying creature and delve deeper into the dark history of the town of Derry. Creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti are basing the series on historical sections from Stephen King’s original novel, which detail Derry’s violent past. The first season focuses on a terrible event at the Black Spot, a nightclub that becomes the target of a hate crime. This significant moment from the book, which wasn’t fully explored in the films, is central to the show and will set the tone for how future seasons explore Derry’s most disturbing incidents.
Even before it began airing, the creators of IT: Welcome to Derry shared their plans for the show’s overall story. They envisioned a three-season arc, with each season set in a different time period and centered around a new, devastating event connected to Pennywise’s return. The show is structured to unfold in reverse chronological order, gradually revealing the history of the town. The second episode already made this clear by hinting at past tragedies and essentially outlining the major events that will be explored in the next two seasons. (Please be aware that the following contains spoilers for Episode 2 of IT: Welcome to Derry.)
IT: Welcome to Derry Nods at a Massacre and an Explosion
The second episode of IT: Welcome to Derry featured a new opening sequence. It uses bright, playful animation, but shows shockingly violent events from Derry’s past, set to a seemingly happy tune. Viewers see scenes like gangsters shooting each other and a factory explosion during an Easter celebration – with a man dressed as a bunny caught in the blast. These images directly relate to two important tragic events from Stephen King’s novel.
The show features a dramatic shootout based on the real-life Bradley Gang massacre, where a group of bank robbers were killed by townspeople. The series sets this event in 1935, rather than the 1929 timeline from the original book, placing it exactly 27 years before the current season’s 1962 setting – making it a key event for Season 2. The episode’s closing scene highlights this connection, showing the military discovering the robbers’ car and its skeletal contents.
The opening credits include a depiction of the Kitchener Ironworks explosion, a tragic event briefly mentioned in the 2017 film IT. In the book, this disaster happened in 1908 when the ironworks unexpectedly exploded during an Easter egg hunt, resulting in the deaths of 102 people, most of whom were children. This year is significant because it’s exactly 27 years before the Bradley Gang killings in 1935, making it a key event for the show’s third season. By showing these events in reverse order, the credits cleverly reveal a clear outline of what’s to come in the entire series.
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry premiere on HBO every Sunday.
What historical event from Derry’s past are you hoping to see covered in future seasons of IT: Welcome to Derry? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-11-04 21:41