IT: Welcome to Derry's finale episode shockingly revealed that the series is actually a sequel to the two IT films instead of a prequel. Welcome to Derry was marketed as a prequel series to 2017's IT and 2019's IT Chapter Two, as it was set to explore the origins of the supernatural being that took the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, particularly focusing on the major events that happened in 1962, which was 27 years (or one cycle) before the events of IT, which was set in 1989.
For the majority of IT: Welcome to Derry, many fans were still under the impression that the show was simply showcasing what happened in 1962. However, in the Season 1 finale, which aired on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, December 14, 2025, it was explained through dialogue that Welcome to Derry is actually a sequel to the two feature films.
Interestingly, Pennywise himself was the one to deliver the news that, in a way, the events of the two movies had already happened, while also revealing that one of Welcome to Derry's main characters (Marge Truman) was actually the mother of a member of the Losers Club.
How IT: Welcome to Derry Is a Sequel to IT and IT Chapter Two
During the finale of IT: Welcome to Derry, Marge, Lilly Bainbridge, and Ronnie Grogan found themselves face to face with Pennywise as he was trying to make his way past the Deadwood tree. For reference, if he reached the tree, he would be free of the cage that kept him inside of Derry, and he would be able to freely roam the Earth, wreaking havoc however he wanted.
While they were out in the fog and on the ice, Pennywise grabbed Marge and pulled her away from the group, giving Pennywise and Marge some one-on-one time. During that sequence, Pennywise revealed to Marge that time worked differently for him, and specifically referenced that her future son, Richie Tozier, would be part of the group of kids (which fans know as the Losers Club) who ultimately defeat him:
"The seed of your stinking loins and his filthy friends bring me my death! Or is it birth? I get confused. Tomorrow? Yesterday? It's all the same for little Pennywise."
At one point, Pennywise even pulls out the missing poster of Richie Tozier that was seen in 2017's IT, further indicating that the events of 1989 and 2016 had already happened. On top of that, he also called Marge by her future name: Margaret Tozier. She had no idea what he was talking about, but Pennywise knew who she would marry in the future, so he had already witnessed her future.
So, although Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, it actually takes place after the events of IT Chapter Two. Essentially, after Pennywise was defeated by the Losers Club in 2016, he went back in time to prevent his demise, which explains why he targeted characters such as Marge and Will Hanlon. In theory, if he could have gone back to 1962 and killed Marge and/or Will, Richie and Mike Hanlon would have never been born, and the Losers Club would not have been able to kill Pennywise.
Since the Welcome to Derry finale confirmed that linear time does not apply to Pennywise, and it alluded to the fact that the show is a sequel to the IT movies, future seasons of the series will now be viewed in a different light.
Welcome to Derry Seasons 2 and 3 Are Now Also Sequels
Before the Welcome to Derry finale, fans were also under the impression that Seasons 2 and 3 of the show would simply be more prequels to not only the films but to the previous seasons of Welcome to Derry. However, everything is entirely different now.
However, with the revelation that occurred in the finale, the future seasons have also become sequels. Welcome to Derry is not simply Pennywise History 101 anymore. Each season will occur because he will not be successful in the previous one.
For example, since Pennywise was defeated in Welcome to Derry Season 1, he will now have to go back to 1935 (his last cycle) and try to somehow prevent the Losers Club from forming by attacking another previous generation. This will not only showcase Pennywise battling another group of kids but will also likely lead to more ancestors of the Losers Club members being featured.
Then, in Season 3, Pennywise will go all the way back to 1908 because he won't be successful in 1935. Therefore, even though time as humans know it is moving backwards, it is moving forward for Pennywise. His actions are the result of a cause-and-effect scenario, where, because he was defeated in 2016, he has to now go back to his previous cycles to make sure that does not come true in the future. If he had not been defeated, he would not have had to target the particular kids he does in Welcome to Derry.
This reveal was extremely shocking, no doubt, but it also poses quite an interesting possibility. Is IT (2017) really a prequel to IT Chapter Two, or was it simply another case of Pennywise going back in time to try to change the past? Is Chapter Two really the only "present" entry in the entire franchise? Well, it is entirely possible.
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