First Look at Pennywise’s Human Form In ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ (Photo)

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The new series, IT: Welcome to Derry, has given fans a first glimpse of Pennywise’s human disguise, a character named Bob Gray. The shape-shifting entity known as ‘It’ from Stephen King’s stories has appeared in many forms in the HBO adaptation, but is best known as the terrifying clown, Pennywise. The series aims to explore It’s past and reveal why the clown form is the one it most often takes.

The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, decades before the original IT story and its sequel. The series has already shed light on the connection between the terrifying Pennywise and the town of Derry. As the season nears its end, many mysteries surrounding Pennywise remain, but a new trailer suggests some will soon be revealed.

IT: Welcome to Derry Unveils Pennywise as a Human

So far, the show Welcome to Derry has displayed the creature in different appearances, but hasn’t yet shown its iconic Pennywise form. However, the mid-season trailer suggests Pennywise isn’t the only shape the creature will take in the rest of the season.

As a huge fan, I was really intrigued by a quick shot in the trailer. Lilly Bainbridge is looking through an old photo album, and you get a glimpse of Pennywise… but not as the clown! It’s Bill Skarsgård as an older man, in a suit and tie, in a black and white photo. Even without the makeup, you know it’s him – it’s almost certainly Pennywise’s human guise, Bob Gray. It’s a really clever way to hint at his history and how long he’s been around.

Stephen King’s novel introduces Pennywise, who occasionally calls itself Robert “Bob” Gray, hinting at a connection between the two. It’s long been unclear if Bob Gray was a real resident of Derry that Pennywise imitated, or if the creature simply invented the persona to blend in with people. The new book, IT: Welcome to Derry, appears to be shedding light on this mystery.

The character Bob Gray was subtly introduced in Andy Muschietti’s IT films. In IT: Chapter Two, Beverly (Jessica Chastain) finds an old photo at Mrs. Kersh’s (Joan Gregson) house. The picture shows a man and a girl with a wagon, labeled “The Great Pennywise, the Dancing Clown.” Mrs. Kersh explains that the man in the photo is her father, who immigrated with only fourteen dollars and then became a circus performer.

Okay, so initially, the film strongly hints that Mrs. Kersh is actually the daughter of Bob Gray. But then, when she undergoes this terrifying transformation, it becomes clear that’s a red herring. She’s not a person at all, but another form of ‘It’ – just a new way for the monster to scare its victims. It’s a clever misdirect, but ultimately reinforces how ‘It’ preys on people’s vulnerabilities.

IT: Welcome to Derry Will Reveal More About the Bob Gray Mystery

The relationship between the monster Pennywise and Bob Gray is still a mystery, but the trailer for the HBO Max series Welcome to Derry suggests the show will finally explain how they are connected, revealing Bill Skarsgård’s character in human form as Gray.

A compelling detail in the trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry is the caption on the picture Lilly is viewing: “Cumberland County, ME, 1908.” This detail creates two potentially important links within the story.

Stephen King often sets his short story, ‘Salem’s Lot, in Cumberland County, Maine, and the story features a menacing, evil force. The appearance of Bob Gray in Cumberland County is another hint that many of King’s stories take place in the same universe – a connection previously established in IT: Welcome to Derry with a reference to Dick Halloran from The Shining.

As a fan of the IT universe, I found a detail in one of the photographs particularly intriguing. It’s dated 1908, and that’s significant because it falls within one of Pennywise’s known periods of activity. We know from the established lore that this entity awakens to feed roughly every 27 years. So, 1908 would have been two cycles before the events we’re seeing unfold in IT: Welcome to Derry, which takes place in 1962. It’s a clever bit of world-building that adds another layer to the mystery.

Okay, so the folks behind IT: Welcome to Derry have laid out their vision – a full three seasons! And it’s ambitious. They’re planning to really dig into Pennywise’s history, taking us back to 1935 and even further to 1908 to show what he was up to way before the events we’ve already seen. There’s a quick mention of a character named Bob Gray in the 1908 timeline, and honestly, it feels like a little breadcrumb hinting at what they might explore in Season 3 – assuming the show gets picked up for another run, of course.

This suggests fans will initially receive only hints about Bob Gray’s past in IT: Welcome to Derry. His story will be developed more completely in Season 3 of the show, which takes place in 1908.

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2025-11-22 13:39