It (character)

**It**, also known as **Pennywise the Dancing Clown** and **Bob Gray**, is thetitle character and main antagonist of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel *It*. "It" is a shapeshifting entity who every three decades preys on the local children ofDerry, Maine, and, in order to kill them, takes the form of its victims' greatest and most terrifying phobias. "It" also possesses a power to control people's actions to achieve evil aims and can take over a person's mind.

## Fictional biography[edit]

"It" originated before the creation of the universe in a dimension named the "Deadlights", and its true form is never revealed. Because of this, the Losers Club does not know what "It" actually is, giving the creature its name. The form "It" takes the most is that of a sadistic clown, named Pennywise, in order to use it as a decoy when going after a child. In its home under the sewers, "It" takes the form of a monstrous pregnant female black spider, which is the closest to its true physical shape, and lets the Losers look at "It" without making them lose their minds. Having control over what happens in Derry, many of the child murders "It" commits are never solved, as the adults of Derry either act as though nothing is happening or have forgotten about It.

The monster arrived on Earth in the form of an asteroid during prehistory, landing on what later would become the town of Derry, and hibernated there until humans settled and colonized the place. "It" awoke, fed on the settlers, and started a cycle of hibernation, in which "It" would sleep for almost three decades and be awake for over two years. Every time the monster's hibernation stage finished, events of extreme violence happened in Derry.

In the novel, Mike Hanlon, one of those who had battled against "It" during the 1957-58 period, became Derry's librarian and historian. While investigating the city's dark and violent events, he learned about the monster's cycle:

* 1715-1716: "It" awoke.
* 1740-1743: "It" awoke; by the time "It" returned to hibernation over 300 settlers from Derry Township had disappeared.
* 1769-1770: "It" awoke.
* 1851: "It" awoke when a man named John Markson poisoned his entire family; he committed suicide by eating a white nightshade mushroom.
* 1876-1879: "It" awoke, and went back into hibernation after murdering a group of lumberjacks who were later found near the Kenduskeag Stream.
* 1904-1906: "It" awoke and possessed a lumberjack named Claude Heroux who murdered several anti-union organizers in broad daylight at the Silver Dollar Bar. "It" returned to hibernation after the Kitchener Ironworks exploded, causing the deaths of 102 people, 88 of them children who were on a Easter egg hunt.
* 1929-1930: "It" awoke when a large mob of Derry citizens gunned down a group of gangsters known as the Bradley Gang. "It" returned to hibernation after the Maine Legion of White Decency set fire to "The Black Spot", an African American army nightclub.
* 1957-1958: "It" awoke with the killing of Dorsey Corcoran by his stepfather, Richard Macklin, and killed George Denbrough during one of the floods that would hit Derry every few years. "It" was forced into an early hibernation after being confronted and wounded by the Losers Club (Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Richie Tozier, Eddie Kapsbrack, Mike Hanlon and Stan Uris).
* 1984-1985: "It" awoke when three men beat up Adrian Mellon and Don Hagarty. Throwing Mellon off of a bridge to his death, "It" fed on him. After a series of murders, the Losers, now adults, return to Derry and after the second ritual of Chüd they finally kill "It". After doing so, the whole city of Derry is severely damaged by a huge storm, signifying the monster's definite death.

## In other King works[edit]

In King's later novel *The Tommyknockers*, Tommy Jacklin sees a clown with shiny silver dollars for eyes and a clenched white glove filled with balloons in a storm drain. It is never revealed whether the clown is Pennywise, or just a hallucination.

In King's 2001 novel *Dreamcatcher*, Mr. Gray shares his name with the alias of "It", "Robert Gray". When he arrives in Derry, he reads a plaque that lists the victims of the 1985 storm, the names of the seven Losers Club members, and the phrase "Pennywise lives".

In King's novel *11/22/63*, the protagonist, Jake, goes back to Derry in 1958 and encounters Beverly Marsh and Richie Tozier, two of the seven children who confront "It".

In King's novel *The Dark Tower*, Dandelo has abilities and a bug-like form similar to "It". King has said that they are not the same character,[*citation needed*] but that they could most likely be of the same species of creature.

In King's novel *Mr Mercedes*, the mask that the Mercedes killer is worn is likened to Pennywise.

## In television[edit]

In the 1990 television miniseries, "It" is portrayed by actor Tim Curry. Here, the monster's true form is revealed to be the Deadlights,[*clarification needed*] but its origin is never mentioned. The miniseries also omits the Turtle, and the fact that when "It" shapeshifts into the Giant Spider it is a pregnant female.

## In film[edit]

In May 2015, it was announced that Will Poulter was cast as Pennywise in Cary Fukunaga's film adaptation of the novel. In an interview with Moviefone, Tim Curry, who previously portrayed the character, wished Poulter "good luck" stating that the role of Pennywise is a "wonderful part".[*citation needed*]

## In other media[edit]

"It" appears in pony form in the *My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic* IDW comic book *The Return of Queen Chrysalis,* in one of the doors in Queen Chrysalis' castle. Fluttershy opens his door and he appears, saying, "Hey, Georgie!"