IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7's "augury" namedrop confirmed that Season 2 will incur more terrifying events by showing Pennywise at the peak of its powers. HBO Max's prequel series from the IT franchise is heading to another major bloodbath following the penultimate episode's horrific adaptation of the Burning of the Black Spot from Stephen King's novel. The Black Spot's downfall tragically showcased the death of at least 20 people, including Rich, one of the members of the proto-Losers Club from 1962.
All of this ties back to what the Children of Mathurin (the Derry natives) call the "Augury." The Augury has been mentioned multiple times in Welcome to Derry's debut season, and this ominous term usually represents bad news for the town because of how deeply horrifying and impactful this event is during Pennywise's reign of terror.
Why IT: Welcome to Derry's Augury Is Bad News in Season 1
At the 41:50 mark of IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7, Rose of the Children of Mathurin (who has never forgotten about Pennywise's existence) mentioned that the "Augury has passed," confirming that Pennywise's 1962 feeding cycle is "complete."
"The Augury has passed. Its feeding cycle is complete. It sleeps."
Based on what the Children of Mathurin said, the augury is an inciting event during Pennywise's cycle, and this happens usually toward the end of its reign of terror because it needs as many bodies as it can to fulfill its 27-year hibernation before waking up again. The augury also happens during the beginning of Pennywise's feeding cycle as a way to announce his arrival or awakening in Derry, Maine.
In the Inside Look at IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7, released by HBO and HBO Max, executive producer Andy Muschietti described auguries as Pennywise's "big episode of violence" while tormenting the town and consuming as many individuals (kids and adults alike) as it can:
"Every beginning of IT’s cycle starts and ends with a big episode of violence. We call them auguries, and the Black Spot is one of them. "
The events of Season 1 have been leading up to the events of the Black Spot, and it has finally been delivered after showcasing the deaths of countless individuals. Episode 7 even showed Pennywise actually consuming its victims amid the chaos.
Based on the entity's actions, the augury can also be described as Pennywise's violent outburst that allows the creature to heavily weaponize one's fear and use its tactics to the extreme, considering that its hibernation is already looming.
While the Burning of the Black Spot marked the end of the augury during Pennywise's 1962 feeding cycle, the military's recklessness (led by General Francis Shaw, who may or may not be doomed in Welcome to Derry) could lead to another inciting event because they inadvertently woke Pennywise up during the start of its hibernation in Episode 7's ending.
This is unprecedented for the IT franchise because Pennywise appears pissed in the final moments of the episode, and the creature is literally out for blood (as evidenced by his blood-soaked look).
The trailer for the Season 1 finale of IT: Welcome to Derry revealed more of Pennywise's unhinged outburst, showing the creature directly targeting numerous kids at Derry High School while also seemingly killing adults. It appears that Pennywise will stop at nothing to seek revenge on the military for waking him up, and he will do so by proving a point when killing countless children, further racking up his kill count before the hibernation cycle.
What 'Augury' Events Are Next in Welcome to Derry Seasons 2 & 3, Explained
The auguries are a horrific reminder that Pennywise's reign of terror will not end, and they set a terrifying direction for Season 2 (read more about the first look at Season 2 here), as another inciting event is poised to occur. In fact, Episode 2's ending already confirmed that the show's sophomore run will explore another augury, the Bradley Gang Massacre, that took place in the streets of Derry, Maine.
For the uninitiated, Episode 2 concluded with the military excavating a 1930s mob car buried deep within Derry, which was the same car used by the Bradley Gang during Pennywise's 1935 cycle to terrorize the town.
The Bradley Gang Massacre is set to be the augury of Season 2, and what happened during this inciting incident is not for the faint of heart. Stephen King's novel explained that the ordinary citizens of Derry had had enough of the Bradley Gang's crimes, and they decided to take matters into their own hands by gunning down all seven of the gang's members in broad daylight.
The coordinated ambush is confirmed to be influenced by Pennywise, as evidenced by some witnesses who saw the killer clown joining in on the gunfight by firing guns while laughing hysterically in the background.
The confirmation of the augury's existence basically confirmed the horrific direction of IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 due to the looming massacre of the Bradley Gang. Interestingly, the show's title credits at the beginning of each episode featured a preview of the Bradley Gang Massacre (seen above), which provides further confirmation that the events will be explored in more detail during the sophomore run.
Moreover, another augury present in the IT: Welcome to Derry title sequence is the Kitchener Ironworks Explosion in 1908, which was more horrifying than the Bradley Gang Massacre. 1908 is confirmed to be the setting of Welcome to Derry Season 3 (if renewed), and this bloody event will take center stage.
Stephen King's novel stated that the Ironworks Explosion took the lives of 88 children and 14 adults (102 in total) after the boiler room exploded during an Easter Egg hunt event. So far, the Ironworks Explosion is high up the list in Pennywise's kill count, setting the stage for both a horrifying and heartbreaking third season.
Did the 'IT' Movies Have an Augury?
No, the IT movies didn't have an augury because of the Losers' Club efforts in containing Pennywise in IT: Chapter One and his eventual defeat in IT: Chapter Two. While there were indeed several brutal deaths in the IT movies, there was no major bloodbath or inciting violent incident that took Derry by storm.
The Losers' Club managed to figure out that standing up to Pennywise and choosing to be brave was more than enough to defeat IT during the 1989 and 2016 cycles. The Losers didn't need to use Pennywise's greatest fear, which is the shards of its bindings, as a weapon, making them a much more formidable opponent than the heroes of Welcome to Derry.
