| NOTE: This page is dedicated to the version of It in Stephen King's literature. For the film adaptation, see here. For the 1990 miniseries, see here. |
It, better known as its own favorite form Pennywise the Dancing Clown (or simply, Pennywise), and alternatively known as Robert "Bob" Gray or The Monster, is secondary antagonist in the Stephen King Mythos.
The creature's real name is unknown, but it is commonly referred to as "it" (pronoun) or "It" (capitalized, substantivized) by members of the Losers Club. It serves as the titular main antagonist of the novel of the same name and its adaptations, and as a minor antagonist in the novels, The Tommyknockers and 11/22/63.
It is a supernatural alien creature who landed on earth after Maturin threw the universe up and settled in the area that would become the town of Derry, in today's Maine. It began to prey on human children every 27 years, malforming itself into their worst fears as this supposedly "salts the meat" and makes them taste far better. It can freely shape-shift into every form, but it favors that of a clown named Pennywise, due to the general universal fear of clowns, and its own preference. It took said form upon seeing a performer sometime in the 1800's using the alias and costume.
In 1957, It would attack and devour Georgie Denbrough after dragging him into a flood grate. Georgie's older brother, Bill Denbrough, would form his own "gang" named the Losers Club, who would eventually fight Pennywise, beating it so violently and severely it retreated to go into slumber. Twenty-seven years later, It awoke to start feeding again, believing that the club would no longer try to harm him as they were not his ideal prey. The club returned however, wanting to destroy it once and for all. After being unable to stop its killing spree, the club finally fought Pennywise in his "true form".
This form is as similar as it can get to how it truly looks before a human goes insane from looking at it. This form, a giant female spider, killed Eddie Kaspbrak before being finally overpowered by the Losers. They broke its legs, beat in its head and "killed" the beast by tearing out its heart before crushing it, causing the creature's physical form to die and the deadlights to fade away.
Quick Answers
Why does 'It' prefer the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown?
What is the significance of the 27-year cycle for the 'It' character?
Why does 'It' prey on human children and how does it use their fears?
What is the meaning of 'salting the meat' in the context of Pennywise the Clown's actions?
About[]
It is a shape-shifting creature known as a Glamour, who's billions of years old. Although It lived on planet Earth for many years, It originated in a void/dimension outside the regions of space known as the Macroverse. Since It's true identity is unclear, due to its shape-shifting abilities and being from another universe, It's real name and species are also called Deadlights, but few know this, which is why it's referred to as IT. The form of a female spider seems to be It's true physical form on Earth (or at least that is the closest thing the human mind can comprehend), living deep below the fictional town of Derry, Maine. It can morph into any human, animal, or object (including combinations thereof). This ability is useful for, A) appearing as the target's loved ones or friends to manipulate them or lure them into a trap or B) appearing as the target's worst psychological fear. However, It's favorite and most common form is that of a circus performer named "Pennywise the Dancing Clown", as most small children love a clown[1] and generally, it seems that the people in Derry happily accepted the presence of a stray circus performer. At the same time, many people are afraid of clowns, making them an easy fear to exploit.
It's real name (if indeed, it has one) is unknown. Although, several times in the novel, It calls itself by the name Robert “Bob” Gray. This may be an allusion to real-life child cannibal Albert Fish, who reportedly used the name "Robert Gray" as an alias. He may also get his first name from Robert "Bob" Bell, the man who originally portrayed Bozo the Clown.
It's primary goal is to feed on humans, generally preferring children over adults since they were easier to scare and manipulate. According to the creature, frightened flesh tastes better and uses fear to "salt the meat".
Biography[]
Origins[]
It originated in an undiscovered void containing and surrounding our entire universe, another far-off universe referred to as the "Macroverse" (a concept related to Todash Darkness from the Dark Tower novels).
Other evidence from this series suggests It is the creation of a separate omnipotent creator referred to as "The Other" (who may be the entity Gan). This "Other" helps in the defeat of It at the end, and may also be responsible for the creation of "The Turtle", who is It's natural enemy. In the novel It, an entity known as the Turtle refers to It as his "brother".
It may be one of, or a Twinner of, the six greater demon elementals mentioned by Mia in Song of Susannah (as the Spider is not one of the Beam Guardians). It's possible that there are other creatures of the same species as It, due to the fact that It is revealed to be pregnant.
History[]
It arrived on Earth in a massive cataclysmic event similar to an asteroid impact, landing in a location in North America that would eventually become Derry, Maine. Once people settled over this location, It adopted its usual pattern of a 25-28 year hibernation, waking to kill and eat. Each awakening and return to hibernation is sometimes marked by a violent and tragic act, such as a mass murder, suicide, or weather event. In the period between, a series of child murders occurring in Derry are never taken too seriously or solved. It is outwardly explained that a series of murders, no matter how gruesome, don't get reported if they happen in the small town. However, the real reason is that the influence of It prevents anyone from investigating too deeply.
Timeline[]
PENNYWISE LIVES!
- 1715 – 1716: It painfully awakes.
- 1740 – 1743: It starts a three-year reign of terror that culminates in the disappearance of over three hundred settlers from Derry Township (similar to the lost Roanoke Colony, which was founded as a logging town).
- 1769 – 1770: It awakes again.
- 1851: It awakes when a man named John Markson poisons his own family, then commits suicide by eating a white nightshade mushroom, causing an excruciating death.
- 1876 – 1879: It awakes, then returns to hibernation after murdering a group of lumberjacks who were later found near the Kenduskeag Stream.
- 1904: It awakes when a lumberjack named Claude Heroux murders a dozen men in a bar with just one axe. Heroux was promptly pursued by a mob of townsfolk and hanged. In 1985, when Mike asks a witness, if he saw anyone he didn't know that night or seemed out of place. He remembered seeing "a comical sort of fella". He also said he had seen him a few more times since.
- 1906: It returns to hibernation when the Kitchener Ironworks explode, killing 108 people, 88 of whom were children at an Easter Egg hunt. A nine year old kid named Robert Dohay's head found by a woman. His mouth was covered in chocolate and his hair in blood.
- 1929: It awakes when a group of Derry citizens ambushes and kills the Bradley Gang, a group of robbers and murderers. The town, including its police chief, pretends it never happened. However, a witness later recounts the tale to Mike Hanlon, including seeing a clown in farmer's attire participating in the slaying.
- 1930: It returns to hibernation when the Maine Legion of White Decency, a Northern counterpart to the Ku Klux Klan, burns down "The Black Spot", a nightclub known to cater to African-Americans at the nearby army base.[note 1] It appears at the location as a giant bird with balloons on its wings, witnessed by Mike's father William Hanlon.
- 1957: It awakes after a storm floods part of Derry and when Dorsey Corcoran is beaten to death by his stepfather, Richard Macklin. In October, Georgie Denbrough dies from shock, when his arm is torn off by Pennywise. This prompts Bill Denbrough (Georgie's older brother) to investigate, leading to the discovery of It. He, along with several other victims of It's torment, performs the Ritual of Chüd, which wounds It and force the creature to return to an early hibernation.
- 1984: It awakens when three bullies assault Adrian Mellon and Don Hagarty, a gay couple. The bullies throw Mellon off a bridge where It, in the form of Pennywise, attacks and kills him.
- 1985: It is finally defeated and physically killed in another Ritual of Chüd by the adult Bill, Richie, Beverly, Eddie, and Ben.
- 2013: It would've awakened.
- In the 1990 adaptation, events occur slightly later, with Georgie's disappearance occurring in 1960 and IT's death in 1990.
- The 2017 film adaptation, the timeline is shifted even more so that the present-day adult Losers Club encounters It around the same time that the pair of movies were released (in 2017 and 2019). Thus It's appearance to the Loser's Club as children 27 years earlier, starting with Georgie's death, is shifted from 1957 to 1989.
Personality/Behavior[]
Pennywise the Dancing Clown
It in its true, purest form is the Deadlights, a horrific, cosmic, ancient being. The reasons behind It’s actions is that it eats for its own survival and satisfaction, and then it goes dormant usually after a year's worth of feeding. It is a deadly predator that primarily hunts for food, but only if it can scare its prey before feasting on it.
It is a predator of humans, and prefers children to adults. Most importantly, It desires to consume those it has made terrified of itself. The creature implies that this enhances the flavor. It's preference for children prey may be due to how they taste, but also may be due to the fact that children are easier to scare. It thrives on imagination, and children are much more imaginative than adults.
It's only goals are to eat and sleep. It will hunt and kill for a year, before entering a 27-year dormancy. It manipulates the awareness and attention of the people in Derry, both to mask its activities and isolate its victims. This enforced apathy and lack of awareness also masks the anomalous murder spikes during its active phase.
It manipulates its prey and the town through both mundane and psychic means. In the most grand sense, It uses its power to maintain the prosperity of Derry despite the gruesome murders that regularly occur there, thus securing its food supply.
It will manipulate its prey by promising them what they want, but can also determine their psychological fears and utilize them to provoke or lull those it faces. In the guise of Pennywise, it can be disarming, charming, and seemingly nice to the kids it hunts, usually to lure them into secluded spots before attacking.
It has psychic influence enough to keep the entire town of Derry in a subtle, apathetic ignorance to its activities. Adults are less inclined to care about the missing persons of the town and do not react in any intense manner when violence occurs even in front of them. It is able to make its prey experience hallucinations that are very hard to discern from reality. When manipulating Henry Bowers, he was able to trick him into thinking Belch never died.
It has some ability to control the actions of others, most blatantly when It provokes Henry Bowers psychotic tendencies to kill his father and friends, and later acts as its agent in hunting the Losers. Even 27 years later, Bowers remains submissive to It.
During a rare few chapters, events are shown directly from It's point of view. These chapters show it to be a selfish, greedy, nervous, cowardly, bully, who only preys on children because they are easier to frighten. It shows itself to truly be a coward - It is horrified when the Loser's Club defeat and wound It, and absolutely terrified when Richie and Bill arrive to kill It at last, hysterically babbling about riches and long life it can give them if they spare It.
Appearance[]
Deadlights
No one knows the true form of It, since the creature first existed in an inter-dimensional realm referred to as the Deadlights. Bill Denbrough comes close to seeing the Deadlights but defeats It before this happens. The true form of the Deadlights exists outside the physical realm. Any living being that sees the Deadlights goes insane almost instantly. Ben comes dangerously close to seeing the Deadlights and the shape behind the lights for a brief moment. He described It as an endless, crawling, hairy creature made of orange light.
The Spider, the true form of IT in the physical plane of existence.
Throughout the novel, It is generally referred to as male. However, late in the novel, the characters come to realize that It is most likely female, due to its true form in the physical realm being that of a giant pregnant female spider. Bill muses that this is not true, but at least symbolically correct. It is not literally female, as It has no gender, but has grown so swollen with fear and children that a pregnant female spider would be accurate.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Lower-tier Omnipotence: It has an immense amount of power with only Maturin being its equal if not stronger, and Gan along with a couple others being its only superior.
- Immortality: As a cosmic entity, It does not age and is virtually impossible to kill. Its age is estimated to be several million, or even several billion years.
- Telepathy: It can detect emotions and memories of an individual, though apparently not thoughts, at least not from those who possess enough courage or willpower. It uses this ability to exploit fears, but also to implant thoughts. It can also communicate through the mind, as seen with adult Richie Tozier (in the library) or adult Henry Bowers (at Juniper Hill in the novel). In addition, It is shown to use memories of its victims to lure them into a false sense of security (i.e. changing his eye color when meeting Georgie to match his brother and mother's).
- Mind Control/Possession: It can control the minds and actions of a person or several people simultaneously. This is demonstrated by affecting the minds of Derry citizens (at least those with weaker wills) to make them indifferent about any terrible events that they see. Evidence suggests that this control does not extend beyond Derry. The text also suggests that IT can erase memories or knowledge. Also, It takes control of Norbert Keene's body to get Eddie to leave Derry. However, there are several moments when his influence over the people of Derry is not total, like when in the miniseries, Henry Bowers threatens Mike with a firecracker and a man nearby tells him to stop it instead of just being indifferent.
- Shapeshifting: It can transform into any kind of being, including forms that may not be physically possible or exist in reality. This ability is not restricted by space or uniformity, as It can appear in multiple places as multiple beings. In the novel, when transitioning forms, its body becomes an orange amorphous goo. Additionally, changing form in this manner appears to exert energy, as when It is injured, it reverts to a giant spider. However, this form is only the closest the human mind can understand to its true one and not exactly what the children see. IT also has limitations on its appearance depending on who is seeing it and how afraid they are. For example, when Bill and Richie enter the house on Neibolt Street, Richie sees IT as a werewolf while Bill sees it as Pennywise, instantly realizing that "this is the clown that killed Georgie".
- Illusions: It seems to have no limit to what illusions can be created, but primarily uses them to instill fear, which means they must be realistic enough to do so. These illusions are physical (they can be touched and last beyond any given amount of time, though some of these may also be physical matter generated by It, such as the blood left in Beverly's bathroom that only she and the other Losers could see) and can include smell (such as popcorn or rotting corpses). Also, IT can make its illusions visible only by certain people. Sometimes, when the victim sees through the illusion, they will cease to exist (although this may be the will of It). However, one must see through the illusion perfectly. It is quite possible that some of his illusions are more akin to hallucinations that he telepathically plants in the minds of his victims using their fear, with the elaborate and apparently reality-bending visions (such as in IT: Chapter Two, where Bill relives his memories of first seeing IT in the form of Georgie in the basement of his old house, all while actually being submerged in underwater) having no true effect on the real world.
- Invisibility: It can appear (usually as Pennywise) to only certain people and stay invisible (in both sight and sound) from others. This is seen in a few instances, like when adult Beverly encounters Pennywise at her former home or when adult Ben Hanscom encounters It in the public library. This suggests that either A) only those aware of It's existence are able to see them when invisible or B) IT can control who to appear visible by will. When it helps Henry Bowers escape Juniper Hill, one of Henry's cellmates and a guard witnessed Pennywise being next to him.
- Telekinesis: It can make inanimate objects fall, float around, and or behave supernaturally without touch. This includes locking doors, bending space-time, gravity, and remotely adjusting electronic devices.
- Psionics: It can steal people's souls and entrap them within the Deadlights. At the end of the story, a psychic storm nearly wipes out the town of Derry.
- Chlorokinesis (plant manipulation): When IT, in the form of a leper, encounters Eddie, it touches several plants and causes them to die. This is not an illusion as the effect persists long after.
- Weather Control: IT may be able to affect the weather in Derry's region. On more than one occasion when the Losers face it, the weather changes into a thunderstorm (most notably at the final confrontation which actually results in the devastation of Derry's downtown region).
- Teleportation: IT can teleport to any location within Derry. However, it cannot seem to leave the city. This may be because, as Bill says "Derry is IT" and "IT is Derry".
- Superhuman Strength: It can tear the heads and limbs of human bodies with extreme ease, either with arms or mouth (as Pennywise or any humanoid form).
- Superhuman Speed: Bill notes that It can move at extreme speeds, claiming that it was way faster than an "express train".
- Invulnerability: While It is clearly not invincible, it can heal at superhuman levels, but the rate tends to vary for unknown reasons. In the 2017 film, It is stabbed through the head with an iron spike, which merely disorients it, as the creature is able to retreat into the sewer. In the novel, when It manifests as a bird, Hanlon hits the bird's eye and feet with broken tiles, the bird retreats. When Bill and Richie encounter It as a werewolf, it can almost instantly regenerate after being shot in the head with a handgun. It is not a true physical entity, thus cannot be killed or harmed by conventional means. The Ritual of Chud is the only known way to truly harm and kill it. It's resilience can also be affected by the form it takes, as most humanoid forms that it takes can be harmed in some way, as it must abide by the limitations of each of its forms.
Weaknesses[]
- It underestimates and scorns all of mankind. In many cases, it leaves an open escape route for victims and lets them run away. Because of this narcissism, IT makes mistakes and does illogical things.
- The presence of courage and heart are It's main weaknesses. This appears to have a psychological effect that instills fear and enables it the inability to function properly in its physical form.
- Given that It feeds on fear, it makes sense that courage and heart can overcome it. Once the Losers are united, their strong shared will and love for each other successfully overpowers It. This allows them to form a psychic connection and "send power" to each other, even across distances.
- It can be taken by surprise and can be physically assaulted if the attacker demonstrates no fear of it. Additionally, "belief" can affect It, such as the use of silver (which is a fictional weakness of supernatural entities) and an inhaler believed to contain battery acid.
- The novel states that It must obey the laws of its form. This means that It possesses the vulnerabilities of whatever form it takes, such as a vampire's vulnerability to sunlight or winged leeches obeying physics of flight.
- During times of hibernation or healing, It may be vulnerable to surprise attacks. However, other books in the Stephen King universe (such as Dreamcatcher and Hearts in Atlantis) imply that It may still be alive at the end of the story.
- Other beings like Gan, who is superior to It, and Maturin, who is its equal, could kill It.
- The material of the "meteorite" and the territorial boundary: According to the legend presented in the series, It arrived on Earth aboard an asteroid, and it was the impact of this asteroid that released the entity. When the asteroid crashed, it fragmented. The indigenous people in this case, the fictional Shokopiwah tribe recovered some pieces of this extraterrestrial rock. They used them to craft various objects, including a dagger, capable of containing or repelling the creature. They then buried thirteen of these sacred fragments around an area called "Western Wood," creating an invisible barrier intended to imprison the entity within this perimeter and prevent it from escaping. Thanks to this system, It or "the Galloo" according to the Shokopiwah remained confined to this territory for centuries, until the arrival of European settlers who, ignoring these protections, broke the balance and allowed the entity to extend its influence again.
Forms[]
IT by Stephen King[]
It assumes thirty-two forms in the novel.
- Pennywise the Dancing Clown: The main and favorite form that the creature takes. Pennywise wears a baggy silk suit of silver with orange pompom buttons down the front, a collar ruff and a blue necktie. He has a white face and a bald head, with red hair on either side. His mouth has a red clown smile. He wears large white gloves and is usually carrying a bunch of balloons. Stephen King based his appearance on Ronald McDonald, Bozo the Clown, Clarabell the Clown, and John Wayne Gacy.
In the 1990 miniseries, the outfit is more colorful with orange pompoms, blue sleeves, and a yellow body. In the 2017 movie, Pennywise returns to having a silver suit, similar to Italian opera clowns, and orange hair. His face has two red lines starting above his eyes, streaming down the cheeks, and ending at the corners of his mouth. His nose is not genuine but painted red. Most often, his eyes are orange, but It can change them to appear more familiar. They also are often looking in different directions.
The form of a friendly and funny clown is the easiest to invoke a sense of safety and comfort without needing to know anything personal about the victim, thus why It uses this form so often.
- George Denbrough: It appears as Georgie to Bill throughout each adaptation in various places.
- Appears as a truck in Maximum Overdrive.
- Dorsey Corcoran: Eddie Corcoran's brother, who was murdered by his abusive stepfather for climbing on a ladder in their garage.
- The Creature from the Black Lagoon: This form scares Eddie Corcoran, a classmate of the children, when he is afraid to go home and show his dad his report card.
- Betty Ripsom: One of It's victims (in 1957), her voice is overheard by her parents through a drain.[note 2]
- A Giant Bird: Resembles a combination of a crow that attacked Mike Hanlon as a baby and Rodan, a giant Irradiated Pteranodon which first appeared in a 1956 Japanese monster movie of the same name.
- The Werewolf from the 1957 horror film I Was a Teenage Werewolf: It takes this form during the encounter with Richie and Bill while in the mansion on 29 Neibolt Street. (It is even wearing a Derry High School blazer.)
- A Leper/Diseased Vagrant: When Eddie first encounters It under the porch of the house on 29 Neibolt Street. Eddie assumes the man has leprosy when it is, in fact, untreated syphilis.
- The Mummy from the 1932 Boris Karloff film: Ben Hanscom recalls seeing a mummy in Pennywise's clown costume walking towards him on the frozen canal, carrying balloons that float counter to the wind.
- The Crawling Eye from the Hugh Beumont film: The Crawling Eye encounters the children under the city.
- Alvin Marsh: Beverly's abusive father.
- A swarm of Winged Leeches: This form attacks Patrick Hockstetter when his father is taking the leeches off his body after taking a swim in the Brewster Lake when he was seven.
- A school of Piranhas: Eddie is frightened of crossing the stream because of the piranhas.
- Bruce from Jaws: seen by a boy named Tommy Vicananza in the Derry Canal in 1985.
- Dracula (resembling Kurt Barlow from Salem's Lot): Dracula appears on a staircase in the Derry Public Library to Ben Hanscom. The vampire has a mouth filled with Gillette razor blades positioned at odd angles that slash bits of its flesh every time it speaks. The vampire taunts Ben about the deceased Stan Uris as parts of its face and blood are spewed down onto the library patrons below, unbeknownst to anyone but Ben.
- A Paul Bunyan Statue (referred to as "The Giant"): Encountered by Richie outside of town.
- Tony Tracker: The manager of a trucking depot which had a baseball field behind it during the Losers' childhood, seen by Eddie at the trucking depot in 1985.
- Greta Bowie: A female classmate of the Losers who died in a car crash a few years after 1958, seen by Eddie at the trucking depot in 1985.
- Patrick Hockstetter's Decomposing Corpse: Seen by Eddie at the trucking depot in 1985.
- Leper Version of Reginald "Belch" Huggins: Seen by Eddie at the trucking depot in 1985. In zombie form later gives Henry Bowers a lift to the Derry Town House to murder the remaining Losers' Club members in 1985.[note 3]
- Frankenstein's Monster from I Was A Teenage Frankenstein: when encountering Henry Bowers and his cronies, Victor Criss and Belch Huggins in the sewers under Derry.
- A Doberman Pinscher: When appearing to Henry Bowers in Juniper Hills Mental Institution. This breed of dog is the animal the guard on duty fears the most, so IT turns into an eight-foot-tall version. In the 1990 film, it was a Rottweiler instead of a Doberman Pinscher.
- A Ghost-Moon: While convincing Henry Bowers to do its dirty work.
- Victor "Vic" Criss: To convince Henry Bowers to help IT.
- Jimmy Donlin's Mother: Dead and eaten, appears to one of the inmates at Juniper Hills.
- The Head of Stan Uris: Full of white feathers inside Mike's fridge. Appears again as a jack-in-the-box when Henry fights Mike in the library. Mike sees Stan's head before it changes to Belch's head, while Henry sees Victor's head.
- Mrs. Kersh/Witch from Hansel & Gretel: Beverly Marsh visits her former home and finds a woman named Mrs. Kersh living there. Mrs. Kersh then transforms into the witch, revealing that she is actually It.
- Decomposing Children's Corpses: Perceived by Stan Uris as he enters the Standpipe and remembers the tale of kids who drowned in the water tower's reservoir.
- The Deadlights: When Henry Bowers and the Losers encounter It. This is as close to its truest form as can be explained.
- Giant Spider: The true physical form of It on Earth.
Known Victims[]
- Georgie Denbrough: The younger brother of Bill Denbrough and youngest child of Zack and Sharon Denbrough. His left arm is ripped off by It. His screams were heard by Dave Gardener, who arrived only forty-five seconds after the incident, but George had already died of blood loss.
- Betty Ripsom: A thirteen-year-old girl. She is killed by It in the form of Pennywise on December 26, the second day of Christmas Break.
- Cheryl Lamonica: A teenage girl, who was murdered in 1958. Her mutilated body was found in the river.
- Matthew Clements: His corpse was discovered on a constructed roadway in late April. It was his death that enthused and pressured Chief Borton (one of Derry’s local sheriffs) in developing a strict curfew for the rest of adolescents around the town.
- Veronica Grogan: Beverly Marsh tells the Losers that a friend of hers, Veronica Grogan, was killed by Pennywise in late June 1958.
- Edward "Eddie" Corcoran: On June 19, 1958, while sitting on a bench, It (in the form of his brother's reanimated corpse, Dorsey Corcoran) grabs Eddie on the ankle and chases him. Afterward, It changes into the Gill-Man. While running Eddie trips over a bench, and is grabbed by the throat in a choke hold. As he is being choked, he tells the monster that it isn't real. His head is torn off, while he is trying to find a zipper on the Gill-Man. He is killed on June 19th.
- Chad Lowe:A boy of an unknown age Who was Eaten by It On an Unknown Date but The year was possibly in the 50’s like the other Victims he was It’s Fifth[?] victim before Jimmy Cullum.
- Jimmy Cullum: A 9-year old who was killed by Pennywise on 4 July, during the American Independence Day.
- Patrick Hockstetter: In late July, while disposing of animal corpses, Patrick is attacked by It in the form of several winged leeches which make large holes in his body. He falls unconscious due to blood loss and shock. When he awakens, It has already started eating him. Beverly witnessed his death.
- Reginald "Belch" Huggins: After killing Vic, It pursues Henry Bowers but Belch defends him. It easily overpowers him and mutilates his face.
- Victor "Vic" Criss: Killed by It in the form of Frankenstein's Monster, which decapitates Victor.
- Adrian Mellon: A gay man who was assaulted by three youths, John "Webby" Garton, Steven Bishoff Dubay, and Chris Unwin. Adrian was thrown over a bridge and killed by Pennywise while Chris and Adrian's boyfriend, Don Hagarty watched.
- Lisa Albrecht: Killed by Pennywise.
- Steven Johnson: Killed by Pennywise, but was later found in Memorial Park.
- Dennis Torio: Killed by Pennywise, but was later found in the Barrens.
- Laurie Anne Winterberger: She was attacked between the 7th and 14 February 1985, seven months after the death of Adrian Mellon.
- Dawn Roy: Decapitated by Pennywise, but was later found in McCarin Park.
- Adam Terrault: Mutilated by Pennywise.
- Frederick Cowan: On May 6, 1985, he was drowned and partially eaten by It, in an unthinkable shape. When his mother, Mrs. Cowan, who heard screams and sounds of struggle, found him, the toilet was flushing repeatedly and she heard laughing from something that wasn't human. His back was broken, his skull fractured and the shower door was broken with blood was everywhere. The police believed that the killer went in the front door and then when they heard her coming, jumped out the window, even though the window was a small window and up 25 feet. He was two and a half years old.
- Jeffrey Hollie: Torn apart by Pennywise, but was later found near The Canal.
- John Fury: Legs ripped off by Pennywise, but was later found under the porch at the house on 29 Neibolt Street.
- Jerry Bellwood: Killed by Pennywise, but was later found near a cement retaining wall.
- John Koontz: A guard at Juniper Hill Mental Institution, killed when It turns into a giant Doberman Pinscher and mauls him to death.
- Tom Rogan: The husband of adult Beverly Marsh. When he arrives in Derry to kill Beverly, Pennywise hypnotizes him. He convinces Tom to capture Audra Phillips and bring her to his lair beneath the city. Upon seeing It's true form, Tom drops dead in shock.
- Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak: During the final fight, Eddie sprays his inhaler (which he imagines as battery acid) down It's throat, which frees Bill and Richie from its "deadlights". In response, It bites Eddie's arm off. He dies of shock and blood loss not much later.
Appearances[]
- IT (book)
- Maximum Overdrive
- "Gray Matter" (possibly mentioned)
- Dreamcatcher (mentioned)
- The Tommyknockers (possibly a hallucination)
- 11/22/63 (novel)
- Insomnia (mentioned)
- NOS4A2 (mentioned)
- Elevation (indirectly mentioned): A local band named Big Top from Castle Rock, Maine temporarily changes their name to Pennywise and the Clowns while playing at a high school Halloween dance.
- Gwendy's Final Task (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Though It was believed to be deceased by the end of the book, the miniseries, and the 2019 film It: Chapter 2, one of the first lines in the book implies that Pennywise may have possibly survived. This seems likely as Pennywise is referenced to in a few of Stephen King's other novels. These could set up for another book, however, in a recent King Reddit QA, he claims he doesn't have any plans to write one.
- This would make Pennywise the only Stephen King villain to be still alive.
- One instance is in Tommyknockers (1987), when Tommy Jacklin goes to Derry on a supply run and thinks he sees a “clown with shiny silver dollar eyes” watching him from the sewers.
- Another instance is in Dreamcatcher (2001), when Mr. Gray sees the plaque meant to remember the victims of Derry when the water storage standpipe was destroyed. Spray painted over the plaque are the words "PENNYWISE LIVES".
- In Gwendy's Final Task when Gwendy is investigating her husband's death in Derry, she hears about a girl being stalked by a man dressed like a clown. The book takes place after the COVID-19 pandemic, which sets it after 2020.
- Stephen King has stated that he has no intentions to bring back Pennywise. So it's unknown if Pennywise will physically appear in another book by King.
- Of the thirty-two forms It takes in the novel, fifteen are recreated in some way, shape, or form in either or both the 2017 and 2019 films.
- In the 2017 and 2019 films, Pennywise can be seen in certain images within each film, showing It's vast influence:
- Pennywise can be seen in the photograph of the children from the Ironworks Easter Egg hunt.
- The graffiti mural in the alleyway, where the Losers patch Ben up after he was attacked by Henry. Pennywise's face can be seen peering out from behind the wheel of the car in the mural. Curiously, Pennywise's face is not there when the Losers first arrive in the alley, nor is his face present when Mike takes cover in the alley from Henry while delivering to the butcher.
- Pennywise's face is visible in the image depicting the first Derry settlers.
- Pennywise can be seen in the painting of Beverly and Tom above the staircase in their home. His face is visible behind Tom's shoulder.
- Pennywise is the second recurring villain of the multiverse, the first being Randall Flagg.
- However, It is only mentioned multiple times in other novels, and made brief appearances in both The Tommyknockers and 11/22/63 (novel).
- The Crimson King is believed to be the same species as Pennywise and may be his son. However, this is only speculative.
- Pennywise is referenced in the Shin Megami Tensei/Fire Emblem game Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE as an enemy resembling a clown, named Nickelwise.
- It's unknown if It killed Peter Gordon, Moose Sadler, and Gard Jagermeyer.
- It is unknown what Pennywise's real name is, making him possibly nameless.
- On April 1, 2022, Stephen King has teased fans that both Pennywise and Randall Flagg are the same entity, though subsequently made it clear he was joking.
- It bears strong resemblance to the urban legend of Cropsey, a mysterious figure rumored to lurk in tunnels of Staten Island. New York, and kidnap and murder children by dragging them under. The legend is reported to be derived from a series of disappearances and murders, including of children, typically with special needs. Andre Rand was convicted of kidnapping charges regarding two of the identified children.
See Also[]
Quotes[]
Novel[]
- "There was a clown in the stormdrain. The light in there was far from good, but it was good enough so that George Denbrough was sure of what he was seeing. It was a clown, like in the circus or on TV. In fact he looked like a cross between Bozo and Clarabell, who talked by honking his (or was it her?--George was never really sure of the gender) horn on Howdy Doody Saturday mornings--Buffalo Bob was just about the only one who could understand Clarabell, and that always cracked George up. The face of the clown in the stormdrain was white, there were funny tufts of red hair on either side of his bald head, and there was a big clown-smile painted over his mouth. If George had been inhabiting a later year, he would have surely thought of Ronald McDonald before Bozo or Clarabell."
- ―IT's first appearance in the novel.
- "Then the clown’s face changed. And what little George Denbrough saw next was terrible enough to make his worst imaginings of the things in the basement look like sweet, angelic dreams; what he saw destroyed his sanity in one clawing stroke. And George knew no more..."
- ―IT as he soon kills Georgie.
- "Everything down here--floats."
- ―IT to Georgie.
- "Tell your friends I am the last of a dying race. The only survivor of a dying planet. I have come to rob all the women... rape all the men... and learn to do the Peppermint Twist!"
- ―IT to Beverly Marsh.
- "Why, what child did not love a clown?"
- ―It [2]
- "You have no power. This is the power; feel the power, brat, and then speak again of how you come to kill the Eternal!"
- ―IT to Bill Denbrough in the Macroverse.
- "I am eternal. I am the Eater of Worlds."
- ―IT to Bill Denbrough when the two meet on another plane of existence.
- "Let me go! Let me go and you can have everything you've ever wanted; Money, fame, fortune, power! I can give you these things. I can bring your wife back! I can do it, only I. She'll remember nothing, just like the seven of you remember nothing. I can't give you eternal life, but I can touch you and you will live long, long lives. 200 years, 300, perhaps 500! I can make you gods of the Earth if you let me go! IF YOU LET ME GO. IF YOU LET ME-"
- ―IT bargaining for its life
1990 miniseries[]
- "Hiya, Georgie. Aren't you gonna say hello?"
- ―Pennywise/IT's first words.
- "Oh, yes... They float, Georgie... They float... and when you're down here with me... YOU FLOAT TOO!"
- ―Pennywise/IT's second words to Georgie before killing him.
- "Say hello to your friends, Beverly! You'll die if you try to fight us, Beverly. You'll die if you try! You'll die if you try to fight us, Beverly. You'll die if you try. You'll die if you try. You'll die if you try. You'll die if you try..."
- ―IT to Beverly.
- "What's the matter? One balloon, not enough? TRY A BUNCH!"
- ―IT psyching out Richie at the library.
- "Last chance, Tozier! Get out, before it gets dark tonight. You're TOO OLD to stop me! You're ALL TOO OLD!"
- ―Pennywise/IT yelling at adult Richie leaving in the library
- "Excuse me, sir. Do you have Prince Albert in a can? You DO? Well, you better let the poor guy out! A-ha! A-ha! A-ha!"
- ―Pennywise/IT distracting adult Richie in the library
- "I'm every nightmare you've ever had. I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you ever were afraid of."
- ―Pennywise/IT to the children, appearing in a photo book.
- "Let go. Be afraid. You all taste so much better when you're afraid."
- ―Pennywise/IT
- "Kill? Me? Oh you are priceless, brat! I am eternal, child. I am the eater of worlds, and of children. And you are next!"
- ―Pennywise/IT to Bill, Beverly and Stanley.
- "Take your pick, B-b-b-Billy boy. Oh, except for the one on the end, that's already taken. Sorry."
- ―Pennywise/IT's first appearance to Bill, at Georgie's grave, standing in front of seven freshly dug graves.
- "A little young for you, isn't she, Richie? Beep, beep, Richie."
- ―Pennywise/IT appears to Richie in the library
- "Sorry I'm late! Well, let's see who's here! [to Bill] Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-B-B-B-Ba-Billy Boy! [to Richie] Richie! You still here? We never expected you to stick around! Nice nosejob. No one would ever suspect. [to Ben] Haystack. Puttin' on a little weight, huh? [to Beverly] Speaking of dads, Bevvy, yours isn't worried about you anymore. He loves your choice in men. [to Eddie] Wheezy! How's your sex life?... what's your sex life? [to Mike] Well, Mikey, you did it. You got us all back here. I guess it's cause it's the only way you'd ever see us since you're so lame, you'd never leave this town. I finally made it, guys! I'm in the deadlights now! And you know what? It's true what they say--we all float down here. And you will, too. In fact, they ALL float! *THEY ALL FLOAT!*"
- ―IT appearing as Stan's head in a refrigerator.
- "Silly boy! You still think you can see "me". Ha ha. You'll never see me, you'll see only what your little mind can allow! Go! Now! For if you stay, you'll lose your little mind, in my deadlights. Like all the others. Like all the others."
- ―Pennywise/IT to Bill
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- Dick Hallorann, caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, is present and survives the encounter.
- In the novel , Beverly is the one to hear her voice, along with Matthew Clements, Veronica Grogan, and Patrick Hockstetter. Her shoe is also found by Bill Denbrough.
- The car they drive is a 1958 Plymouth Fury, the same demonic car in King's novel Christine.
References[]
- ↑ Dick Hallorann, caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, is present and survives the encounter.
- ↑ In the 2017 film, Beverly is the one to hear her voice, along with Matthew Clements, Veronica Grogan, and Patrick Hockstetter. Her shoe is also found by Bill Denbrough.
- ↑ The car they drive is a 1958 Plymouth Fury, the same demonic car in King's novel Christine.
External links[]
| IT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Medium |
Novel • Miniseries • Chapter One • Chapter Two • | |||
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Main characters |
Bill Denbrough • Mike Hanlon • Ben Hanscom • Eddie Kaspbrak • Beverly Marsh • Richie Tozier • Stan Uris | |||
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Villains |
Pennywise • Henry Bowers • Patrick Hockstetter • Reginald "Belch" Huggins • Victor "Vic" Criss • Tom Rogan | |||
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Minor characters |
Georgie Denbrough • Audra Phillips • Tom Rogan • Alvin Marsh | |||