Butch Bowers

Connor Bowers (Nephew)

Unnamed Brother

**Butch Bowers** is the abusive father of Henry Bowers and a minor character in the novel *It*, and its 2017 film adaptation.

## Character Biography

He is described as being "crazy". He "rewards" his son by giving him his first beer, upon learning he had killed Mike Hanlon's dog. In 1956, Butch's wife eventually left him after he nearly beat her to death. A few years later began dating Rena Davenport.

He had an ongoing feud with Will Hanlon and poisoned his chickens and painted a Swastika on the side of the chicken house. Butch was taken into custody by Sheriff Sullivan. Will didn't want to press charges but wanted the $200 for the worth of the chickens. Butch said "no jury in Maine would convict me." Sheriff Sullivan agreed but pointed out they would put him away for painting a Swastika on the door after he killed them. Butch realized he was right, and had his brother sell his prized Mercury to pay Will Hanlon. Butch's feud with Will stopped after Will pointed a rifle to his throat and threatened to kill him.

Butch was a Marine during WWII and fought in Tarawa. People said he was never right after he came back from the Pacific. Henry's friends try to avoid Butch because of his erratic behavior. He had once taken a length of stove wood to Victor Criss when he dropped a basket of tomatoes he was lugging out to the roadside stand.

Butch would sit on the back porch with a Japanese sword across his lap that he claimed to have taken off the body of a dying Japanese soldier on the island of Tarawa. He had actually traded six bottles of Budweiser and three "joysticks" for it in Honolulu.

Butch was killed by his son, who stabbed him in the throat with a switchblade knife while he was sleeping.

Henry confessed to Butch's murder as well as the rest of the recent murders.

Butch's dream had always been to own a 1958 Plymouth Fury, the same make and model from the 1983 Stephen King novel Christine.

## 2017 Film

In the 2017 film adaptation Butch is an alcoholic cop. He bullies Henry into submission and humiliates him in front of his friends.

He is first shown when Henry is antagonizing Bill Denbrough, Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier and Stan Uris outside of the school. Henry stops when he sees Butch watching him. In a deleted scene he beats up Henry for losing his knife. As he is smoking and drinking beers, he asks Henry where he's going. When Henry replies "out with the guys" he tells Henry to buy him another beer before coming back home.

Butch stops Henry from shooting a cat when he catches him in the yard with his gun. He takes the gun away and shoots at Henry's feet making him jump and flinch. He then mocks Henry and calls him a "paper man."

Later that day Henry stabs Butch to death while he's sleeping in front of the TV.

In It: Chapter Two Butch's body is seen being wheeled out of the house on a stretcher. Butch's police partner violently arrests Henry for murdering his father.

## Trivia

* The Haven Character Kirk Bowers is intended to be somehow related to him.
* His unnamed brother who helps him make the money to pay back Will Hanlon dies when he freezes to death while hunting drunk some years later.
* May have more that one brother, as the the quote specifies: “the one that froze to death couple of years after while out hunting drunk,” implying there were a few.