It: Welcome to Derry - How did Pennywise come to Derry? Details explored 

It: Welcome to Derry explores the dark origins of Derry's most formidable force: Pennywise, the sinister clown. This series by Max is set decades before the events of It and explores the heart of Derry: its secrets, long-buried mysteries, and its eventful past.

Released in October 2025, the series expanded on the already established world in Stephen King's novels and Andy Muschietti’s films. By episode 4, the story shifts gears, offering a deeper look into Pennywise’s primitive form.

Please note: The article contains spoilers for Episode 4, Season 1. Reader's discretion advised.

It: Welcome to Derry - How did Pennywise come to Derry? Details explored

Episode 4 returns with the Shokopiwah legend known as the Galloo story. Through Taniel, a member of the Shokopiwah tribe, the tale is unfolded. Taniel is under questioning by the U.S. Air Force.

Using Dick Hallorann’s Shining ability and the access to Taniel’s memories, the military wanted to track the creature. Accessing Taniel’s mind, Hallorann witnesses a past moment where Rose, Taniel’s aunt, asks him to recite the Galloo myth.

This is where the story really gets interesting: the legend explained how an evil spirit was cast out from the darkest part of the night sky. It bound inside a falling star and landed before the “first people.”

The spirit roamed the Earth for many seasons. The Shokopiwah believed this being was the Galloo. The tribe forged a dagger from the material found in the fallen star.

The tribe survived by simply avoiding entering into Galloo’s territory, but it all changed when the settlers arrived and ignored the Shokopiwah’s warnings.

The Galloo fed on the unsuspecting settlers and gained strength. Eventually, with all the power Pennywise's primitive form gained, it moved beyond the Western Wood.

The legend then continues, centering on Sesqui, the tribe’s leader, who left the land to ensure safety. But Necani, the tribe leader’s daughter, believed that there must be another path. She took the dagger crafted from the fallen star.

In order to find Necani, the tribe came face-to-face with Galloo. It took the shape of whatever people feared the most. This concept was explored in the films as well.

Upon Sesqui’s death, Necani and her friends found a cave containing more remnants of the star and planned to make the forest a containment zone. They used these pieces to build a barrier around the woods, preventing the creature from escaping.

When Taniel finished the story in the vision, Hallorann asked her where the woods could be found. Adult Taniel then appears and points to the house on Neibolt Street. He explains that the path now runs through the sewers. The episode ended with the confirmation that the Galloo is the earliest form of Pennywise.

Does this version differ from Stephen King’s novel?

It: Welcome to Derry did not stray far away from Stephen King’s core idea. The novel, as well as the Max series, portrays the creature as an ancient life-form that suddenly crashed into Earth.

The show deepens the already fascinating narrative by adding Indigenous history not present in the book. The Shokopiwah and their legends were introduced earlier in It: Chapter Two and return here with expanded detail.

Pennywise the Dancing Clown is known as the face of fear in Stephen King’s It. In Welcome to Derry, the show builds good momentum to explore more of Derry's darkest fears in its next episodes.

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You can stream It: Welcome to Derry on HBO Max.

Also read: Landman producer reveals how the first Season influenced the second

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