The Creators of IT: WELCOME TO DERRY Tease That the Episode 3 Reveal Might Not Be What Fans Think
The third episode of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry has fans talking. The chilling final moments left fans questioning whether Pennywise had finally returned, or if something more mysterious was unfolding beneath the surface.
Following the episode’s release, co-showrunners Brad Caleb Kane and Jason Fuchs weighed in, and their answers only deepened the mystery.
Set in 1962, It: Welcome to Derry continues to peel back the layers of the town’s cursed history and the origins of Pennywise’s terror.
In Episode 3, young Will Hanlon, played by Blake Cameron James, wanders into a cemetery after hearing strange sounds echoing from a crypt. He snaps a photograph of a shadowy figure, and when the image develops, the outline of a clown begins to emerge.
Will mutters, “It’s a clown,” just before the screen fades to black, sending chills down the spine of every viewer watching.
Naturally, fans assumed this was the long-awaited arrival of Pennywise. But according to Kane and Fuchs, things might not be that straightforward.
Speaking to Deadline, Kane teased, “Is that Pennywise at the end of 103? I don’t know.” He went on to explain that the show is deliberately designed to keep audiences off balance, saying:
“We think it is…as you can tell by the end of the first episode, we tried to pull the rug out from underneath the audience. So right away, you feel like, no matter who I’m rooting for, nobody is safe in this show, and nothing is as it seems, and anything can happen.”
Fuchs joined in with a playful grin, adding, “I think it’s Pennywise, don’t you?”
But Kane wasn’t done toying with expectations. He followed up by saying, “It’s absolutely Pennywise. That’s what I’m going to say to your viewers, and they should go in thinking that. We’ll have to see what happens in the latter half of the season.”
Their back-and-forth hints that fans might not want to take things at face value. Whether the figure in Will’s photograph is truly Pennywise, or something else, remains a mystery. Still, the creators are having fun keeping everyone guessing.
As It: Welcome to Derry moves deeper into its story, it’s clear that the show isn’t just a simple prequel. It’s playing with expectations, twisting fear and curiosity into something fresh. If Episode 3’s ending taught us anything, it’s that in Derry, nothing is ever what it seems.