IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 5’s Pennywise & Matty Twist Was Originally Far More Disturbing

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Jason Fuchs, a co-showrunner for the series, revealed that the surprising Pennywise appearance in Episode 5 of ‘Welcome to Derry‘ was initially planned for the movie ‘IT: Chapter Two’. The episode finally showed Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, the terrifying villain, setting a trap for the 1962 Losers’ Club by using a young boy named Matty Clements. Matty was first introduced in Episode 1 as a victim of Pennywise’s manipulation, making his role in this trap even more tragic.

Episode 5 delivered a major surprise: Matty was still alive! He secretly got to the Losers’ Club’s hideout and told them about Pennywise’s hiding place in the sewers, and that Phil was also alive but trapped. However, it turned out this wasn’t genuine – the Matty who appeared to Lilly and the others was actually Pennywise in disguise. This shocking reveal deeply affected the kids, and it seems this wasn’t originally planned for the Welcome to Derry story.

Jason Fuchs, an executive producer and co-showrunner for IT: Welcome to Derry, revealed to Decider that the surprising Pennywise twist – where the monster transforms into Matty to gain the trust of the 1962 Losers’ Club – wasn’t originally created for the HBO Max series. It was actually planned for the character of Mike Hanlon in the 2019 film IT: Chapter Two.

I recently heard something wild about an early draft of IT: Chapter Two. Apparently, there was a version where Mike Hanlon wasn’t just a member of the Losers’ Club, but actually was a part of IT! The idea was that he’d manipulate the others, leading them down into the sewers where they’d discover his corpse in IT’s lair. Can you believe that? A seriously dark twist that ultimately didn’t make the cut.

While working on IT: Chapter Two, we explored a version of the story where Mike Hanlon leads the adult Losers into the sewers, ultimately to IT’s lair. There, they discover Mike’s body, revealing that the Mike we’d been with throughout the movie was actually a creation of IT.

Despite initially considering this idea, the Muschietti siblings – Fusch, Andy, and Barbara – rejected it because it significantly differed from Stephen King’s original 1977 novel. Ultimately, the producers discovered a way to include a version of it in the Welcome to Derry series, using it to create a frightening introduction for Pennywise.

Initially, we felt a particular direction was too different from the source material and wanted to stay truer to the story’s key events, so we abandoned it. Later, as we developed the show’s overall arc, especially with Episode 5, we realized that idea might actually work well. Having Matty as a guide, within that specific context, started to feel like the right choice.

Fusch concluded that the TV show format of Welcome to Derry actually helped the plot twist succeed, as the prequel wasn’t afraid to differ from the original book.

Now we have more freedom to experiment and try bolder ideas. Unlike the films, which had to stick closely to established material, this is all new territory. We’re using the book as a starting point, but then building on it and creating our own additions. It felt great to finally see that vision come to life after so much planning.

The recent discovery made the Pennywise plot twist involving Matty Clements even more unsettling. It revealed that a key character, Mike Hanlon, would have died much earlier, putting the original Losers’ Club in a far more dangerous and hopeless situation.

If the movie had killed off Mike Hanlon before the events of IT: Chapter Two, it would have significantly deviated from Stephen King’s original story. While a surprising twist, it would have damaged the core strength of the series, as Mike is a key character – and his family history is essential to defeating Pennywise.

Created by Jason Fuchs, Andy Muschietti, and Barbara Muschietti, IT: Welcome to Derry tells the story of Pennywise’s terrifying attacks in 1962, culminating in the events that lead to the burning of the Black Spot. The series debuted on HBO Max on October 26, 2025.

Why Pennywise’s Matty Twist Works Perfectly in Welcome to Derry

Pennywise, the creature from the IT series, is famous for transforming into whatever its victims fear most, using those fears against them before ultimately killing them. But a surprising twist in Episode 5 showed just how evil Pennywise truly is: it pretended to bring their deceased friend back to life, manipulating Lilly, Marge, Rich, Ronnie, and Will for its own purposes.

As a huge fan of horror, I always found Pennywise’s approach so chillingly clever. It wasn’t just about immediate scares; it was a slow burn. Instead of attacking the kids right away, it subtly manipulated them, drawing them back to its lair. And what really got under my skin was how it did that – by preying on their regret over not being able to save Matty earlier. It used their guilt to get them to follow, and that felt so much more sinister than any jump scare.

The Matty incident is more impactful in Welcome to Derry because the victims are children – they’re trusting, feel responsible for what happened, and desperately want to believe their friend isn’t truly gone. This makes the scene much more frightening. It wouldn’t have worked as well in IT: Chapter Two because that film focused on the adult Losers’ Club, and the story already established that they had forgotten how truly dangerous Pennywise was.

The betrayal in Welcome to Derry is particularly damaging, making the kids wary of anyone offering help. This distrust makes them even more vulnerable to Pennywise throughout the horror series, setting them up for future attacks.

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2025-11-25 01:06