HBO Max made a huge mistake by removing this crucial IT: Welcome to Derry scene featuring the core kids that made up the 1962 version of the Losers' Club. The prequel series, set within the confines of the IT franchise, brought back Pennywise as the ancient evil tormented a new group of kids, some of whom have ties to the original Losers' Club from the 1989 timeline. The group includes Lilly Bainbridge, Rich Santos, Marge Truman, Ronnie Grogan, and Will Hanlon, and they were a unique batch because they faced Pennywise at his most ruthless (so far). Given the trauma and the fear they experienced, there was little to no chance for the kids to enjoy their childhood during Pennywise’s torment.
In December 2025, Arian Cartaya, who played Rich in the HBO Max series, posted a video of the rehearsal of a scene that didn’t make the final cut of IT: Welcome to Derry. The sequence showed Lilly, Rich, Ronnie, and Will having a meeting in the standpipe clubhouse (aka their hideout, where they spend time strategizing on how to defeat “the clown” throughout the series).
Cartaya's Rich can be seen dancing to "break the tension," pointing out that they need to let loose because they have been stressed about Pennywise tormenting them. The others then joined him, embracing their happy moment by dancing away their worries.
HBO Max clearly messed up by deleting this perfect Welcome to Derry scene from Season 1, considering that it would've been the only scene that showed them all together, truly enjoying themselves. It would've also been their last pure youthful moment before everything went truly wrong with Pennywise.
Watch the scene below:
Given that Rich is still alive in this scene, it means this happy moment occurred before his eventual sacrifice for Marge in Episode 7. What made this deleted scene even more heartbreaking was the fact that Rich was the one who convinced his friends to enjoy the moment.
Developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti, IT: Welcome to Derry explores the 1962 feeding cycle of Pennywise in the titular town (27 years before the events of the first movie) as it chooses another set of young victims while also unpacking the military's sinister intentions. The series premiered on HBO Max on October 26, 2025.
Why ‘Welcome to Derry’ Should’ve Focused More on the Magic of Childhood
At the core of Stephen King's IT is the magic of childhood, and this is what made the IT movies work because they mainly focused on the story of the Losers' Club as kids and later, adults. What made IT: Welcome to Derry different is that the prequel is juggling several storylines, such as the military's pursuit of IT, a glimpse at Pennywise's origin, Ingrid Kersh's Periwinkle twist, and the events leading up to the Burning of the Black Spot.
While Welcome to Derry did sprinkle some scenes that pushed the kids' youthful moments to the forefront (like the Air Force Coke sequence that gave Rich and Marge their first taste of freedom in Episode 7), many would agree that adding this deleted scene of showing the core proto-Losers' Club from the 1962 cycle having fun would've added more depth and could've recaptured what made the IT movies special in the first place.
Some argued that the main Losers' Club from 1989 were better because the films spent a good chunk of its time developing these characters even though they were constrained with the two-hour runtime. Welcome to Derry could've explored more of Lilly, Marge, Rich, and the others by finding the right balance in amplifying the joy and wonder of being a kid because the project had the luxury of an episodic format.
