IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 3 subtly revealed one main character's doomed fate, and it is mainly due to his arrogance. The HBO Max prequel series introduced a wide array of new characters (some of which are familiar due to their ties to the Losers' Club) during Pennywise's 1962 cycle in Derry, Maine. One of these characters is General Frank Shaw (James Renar), the leader of the mysterious Operation Precept for the military.
The prequel's latest episode, "Now You See It," pulled back the curtain on Frank Shaw's origin and his ties to Pennywise. As it turned out, Shaw first encountered the ancient evil when he was 12 years old, and this horrifying experience changed the course of his life forever.
Why General Shaw's Obsession With Pennywise Could Be His Major Downfall
IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 3 opened with a flashback in 1908 (one of Pennywise's cycles) with a younger Frank Shaw and a Derry native named Rose who encountered the ancient evil in the woods. While Shaw managed to escape, thanks to Rose's knowledge of IT, this experience scarred him forever. Despite that, Shaw eventually forgot his memories of Derry when his father transferred to a different base, but memories came flooding back when he returned to Derry (this was part of Pennywise's supernatural hold in the town).
As a result, Shaw, now a general, decided to take advantage of his memories and turn Pennywise into a weapon, with hopes of turning the tide for the United States amid the Cold War in 1962. However, Shaw's arrogance and obsession with Pennywise could prove to be his downfall in IT: Welcome to Derry, ultimately leading to his tragic death.
Shaw's recruitment of Dick Hallorann (aka Derry's secret weapon against Pennywise due to his psychic powers) could coincidentally be the main reason why his death could happen in the first place. Episode 3 showed Pennywise peeking through Hallorann’s mind, meaning that the ancient evil could’ve been aware of what Operation Precept is and who Shaw really is.
This meant that Pennywise could eventually make General Shaw a target in the latter episodes of Welcome to Derry, further proving a point that no adult can take him down (not until the Losers’ Club's arrival in 2016).
Shaw’s Potential Death Doesn’t Mean His Story Will End in IT: Welcome to Derry
While IT: Welcome to Derry is setting up Francis Shaw's death due to Operation Precept's eventual failure, it is not the end of the road for the character because of the flashback that was showcased in the opening moments of Episode 3.
The confirmation that a younger version of Francis Shaw was present during 1908 meant that the character could return in a future season of Welcome to Derry.
For those unaware, the IT prequel series has a three-season plan, with each season going back to the past cycles of Pennywise before his eventual face-to-face with the Losers' Club in 1989. This meant that Season 2 of the HBO Max series would take place in 1935, while Season 3 would revolve around the events in 1908 (the same year when Shaw and Rose first met).
It's possible that more of Shaw's past in Derry and other encounters with Pennywise could be thoroughly explored in the 1908 cycle, which could explain his obsession with the town's ancient evil. IT: Welcome to Derry already established that Shaw has had an extensive knowledge of Pennywise, and future seasons could explain why he managed to retrieve those details after he left Derry.
