From the very beginning of pop culture, Stranger Things has been synonymous with Finn Wolfhard, the actor, who had already established a connection in the It universe much earlier than HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry.The actor who rose to fame on Stranger Things stated in the 2026 Esquire interview that future creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti “connected” him to the It: Welcome to Derry project years ago. As per Esquire, he said,"I knew that years ago, actually. When they first started thinking about that show, it was probably 2021. Barbara and Andy Muschietti both told me, “You’re involved.” Yeah, I’m connected. I think there’s something else that will come up eventually that I’m excited for people to see.He was dealing with the narrative path of the franchise, not with the participation or the casting.Finn Wolfhard’s role in the It franchiseHowever, if it is not Stranger Things, then Richie Tozier is one of the most recognizable roles that Finn Wolfhard has undertaken for the ‘It’ series. The young actor featuring in ‘It’ (2017) and ‘It Chapter Two’ (2019) as Richie Tozier is among the most renowned juvenile stars of the entertainment industry, sharing the same platform with other superstars, including James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, for ‘It Chapter Two’.In both films, directed by Andy Muschietti, it can be said that the director was able to interpret the story of Stephen King in his own way by focusing on the adventures of children set in different eras who fought against Pennywise.Wolfhard's portrayals of Richie Tozier captured the essence of the character, and he was very much a part of the franchise's identity, which made him an early and undesired player in the It universe, even. That was the situation even before the announcement of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry as a prequel series.What Wolfhard actually said in the Esquire interviewDuring the Esquire interview, Wolfhard disclosed that Andy and Barbara Muschietti had let him know quite some time ago that he was "connected" to It: Welcome to Derry. He characterized this insight as something he had been conscious of for a long time rather than a new development.However, Wolfhard didn't state that he would feature in the series. He did not mention shooting, contracts, or taking on the character of Richie Tozier in front of the camera. The focus of his remarks was on the franchise's storytelling continuity rather than personal participation in the production of the show.For the Stranger Things audience who has been speculating about surprise returns, it is very important to understand this distinction.Understanding the nature of the connectionIt: Welcome to Derry takes place many years before the events of the It films, and it tells the story of the earlier cycles of Pennywise's presence in the town. Because of this timeline, characters like Richie Tozier can't appear in the flesh.On the contrary, the series maintains continuity by making narrative references. In the Season 1 finale, Richie Tozier is recognized through a photograph, linking him to the mythology without Finn Wolfhard showing up on screen. This method is exactly what Wolfhard said about being "connected" and not to involvement.The reference indicates that the prequel acknowledges the franchise's future events while still being firmly rooted in its earlier timeframe.No confirmation of an on-screen returnAlthough the extraction of the various news items seemed to point towards a possible return, Finn Wolfhard did not say anything about his physical appearance in It: Welcome to Derry. He did not even hint at an announcement, tease, or confirmation of casting.Wolfhard talked about story continuity and about what he had learned previously, not about reverting to the role.How Stranger Things factors into the discussionWolfhard did not explicitly put Stranger Things and It side by side in the interview, but the fact that he is part of both franchises often influences how the public sees him. Both films deal with the different aspects of childhood that are impacted by fear, memory, and the group's reaction to danger.In Stranger Things, evil forces are defeated through friendship and human solidarity. In It, the fear is repeated every thirty years and is linked to the past's unresolved trauma. The audience's tendency to draw parallels between the two roles can be attributed, to a large extent, to the above-mentioned thematic similarities.However, they are only contextual observations and not statements by Wolfhard himself.Continuity without official franchise commitmentsThe words of Wolfhard give us the hint that the It universe was shaped with the concept of continuity prevailing. Nevertheless, this is still to be taken as a matter of interpretation. HBO has not put out any statement regarding the long-term relationship with Richie Tozier apart from the narrative mention.What is for sure is that the Muschiettis made it clear to Wolfhard from the very beginning that his character was still important in the larger story.Why this matters to Stranger Things fansWolfhard's comments are a source of information for the fans of Stranger Things, depicting how the franchise storytelling is done and the characters' main theme behind the scenes. Characters can still be considered important without the physical presence, and actors can be a part of the universe without appearing in the new spanning sections.This strategy does indicate how the modern franchises expand and, at the same time, hold on to the continuity, especially when they are dealing with multiple timelines and formats.Finn Wolfhard’s remarks make clear one important aspect: his association with the prequel It: Welcome to Derry is mainly about continuity, not confirmation of return. For the Stranger Things viewers, it emphasizes that characters and narratives can still be linked through different times without needing direct appearances.The facts are still very clear, the interpretive context has been built all around them, and even more so, and impeccably so, they are still grounded in what Wolfhard said and in what he did not say, respectively.Also read: What is the next project for the Stranger Things cast? 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