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IT: Welcome to Derry is a prequel to the IT films, expanding the mythos of the terrifying Pennywise. Released on HBO Max, the series delves into the haunting origins of Derry and the evil entity that feeds on fear, with the season finale airing on December 14, 2025. The eighth and final episode, titled Winter Fire, delivered a revelation that reshaped the way we view Pennywise's connection to time.
The plot centers on Pennywise's attempts to manipulate the timeline, especially concerning the future of certain characters connected to the Losers' Club. The biggest shock is Marge, whose future son Richie Tozier helps Pennywise fall. The episode plunges into time travel when Pennywise corners Marge and reveals his unique view of time.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from IT: Welcome to Derry. Reader’s discretion is required.
One of the central questions raised by the episode is: Can Pennywise see the future? The answer lies in Pennywise's disturbing relationship with time. Unlike humans, who experience time in a linear fashion, Pennywise perceives time as a singular, unbroken continuum. This means that he can see the past, present, and future simultaneously. Pennywise can predict events, including Richie Tozier's birth, which the Losers' Club kills in IT: Chapter Two.
Pennywise’s time-travel twist in IT: Welcome to Derry
Pennywise can see the future in IT: Welcome to Derry (Image via YouTube/HBO Max)The climax reveals Pennywise's time perception. Pennywise meets Marge and shows her a missing Richie Tozier poster in a crucial incident. Richie wasn't born in 1962, when IT: Welcome to Derry takes place, which is troubling. Pennywise says time doesn't move smoothly for him. He believes time is a continuous landscape including past, present, and future.
This crucial insight proves Pennywise can see the future. He's showing Marge the missing Richie Tozier poster to prove his foresight, not to scare her. Pennywise's understanding of the future and acts to change the past are linked. Pennywise thinks killing Marge in 1962 will erase Richie and prevent the Losers' Club. Pennywise can defend himself from the Losers in 2016 if Richie is never born.
Can Pennywise change the future?
The most intriguing aspect of Pennywise’s time perception is the paradox it creates. If Pennywise can alter the timeline by killing Marge before Richie is born, he would essentially rewrite history.
However, this creates a paradox: If Richie is never born, the events that lead to Pennywise’s defeat in 2016 would never happen. This raises the question: why would Pennywise even attempt to change the past if he already knows the future outcome?
Pennywise's time-loop issues reveal that his efforts are futile. Time is plain to him, but his attempts to change it are misguided. He can avert Pennywise's 2016 loss by preventing Richie's birth.
Pennywise cannot change the past although he tries due to this loop. The paradox shows Pennywise's despair and powerlessness despite his god-like view of the cosmos, making his struggle against time even more horrible.
The spirit of Richie
Pennywise can see the future in IT: Welcome to Derry (Image via YouTube/HBO Max)In the climactic moments of Winter Fire, the spirit of Richie Santos helps the heroes trap Pennywise one last time. This supernatural intervention adds a layer of complexity to Pennywise’s time travel abilities.
Pennywise knows the future but cannot predict this ultimate rebellion. Rich's ghost, who died, helps the heroes confine Pennywise. This moment supports Derry's belief that death is not the end and challenges Pennywise's infinite time. Pennywise's time perception is powerful, yet the characters can influence the result even in death.
Also Read: IT: Welcome to Derry creators react to Stephen King's praise
You can watch IT: Welcome to Derry now streaming on HBO Max.
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Edited by Rajan Bhattacharya
English (US)