IT: Welcome to Derry producer Andy Muschietti pulled back the curtain on what's really wrong with Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) following his face-to-face encounter with Pennywise, and he is not someone who fans thought. Episode 5 of HBO Max's prequel series continued Pennywise's kill cycle in 1962, as it advanced the military's Operation Precept to try to weaponize Derry's ancient evil. After finding out the mystery behind the Galloo (which was Pennywise's first name), General Francis Shaw ordered a small team led by Major Hanlon to search the 13 pillars needed under 29 Neibolt Street to try to control Pennywise.
Leroy Hanlon was the perfect soldier to lead the operation because of his inability to feel fear after being involved in a plane crash that damaged his amygdala (making him the perfect adult main character in Welcome to Derry). Welcome to Derry Episode 5 placed Leroy at the forefront in the military's first proper attempt to confront Pennywise, but as expected, the plan ultimately failed.
Welcome to Derry Episode 5 showed Pennywise taking the form of Charlotte Hanlon (Leroy's wife) to haunt him with a vision where she transforms into a monster. The horrifying look on Leroy's face during this sequence led many to wonder if he was actually scared at this moment, which was confusing because he was supposed not to feel fear.
In the Inside Look at Welcome to Derry Episode 5 released by HBO Max, producer Andy Muschietti confirmed that Leory is not who fans thought, pointing out that "he's actually not" a fearless man:
Andy Muschietti: "Even though Leroy is medically a fearless man, he’s actually not."
Episode 5 director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. then pointed out that "one of the worst things that could happen to him" is to hurt his wife, Charlotte:
Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.: "Leroy, he’s always seen himself as a family man, a good father, a good husband, and one of the worst things that could happen to him is hurting Charlotte."
Andy Muschietti: "He’s now deep in the sewers. He’s lost, and his wife appears. Charlotte becomes a monster. He has to kill her."
Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr: "For a split second, Leroy believes that he’s actually killed his wife. In that moment, he decides once and for all that anything he sees in this tunnel is fake."
The confirmation that Leroy is not as fearless as the story suggests that not everyone is invincible against Pennywise. The same goes for Dick Hallorann, whose shining abilities backfired when Pennywise opened his mental lockbox at the end of Episode 5.
Directed by Andy Muschietti, IT: Welcome to Derry explores the continued torment of Pennywise in the town of Derry as he chooses another set of young victims during one of its 27-year cycles in 1962. The series premiered on HBO Max on October 26, 2025.
Why Leroy's Inability to Feel Fear Could Be His Greatest Weakness
Pennywise's greatest weapon is to use the fear of its victims against them, and Leroy Hanlon appears to be invincible against the ancient evil's modus operandi. However, Episode 5 proved that Leroy is still vulnerable to Pennywise's attack, and using his family against him could be the key to his downfall.
Based on what the episode established, Leroy's biggest fear is losing his family, and this could be his ultimate downfall, knowing how Pennywise weaponizes one's vulnerabilities against them. Pennywise's ability to peek through the lives of its victims means that the creature is already aware of Leroy's family history, potentially laying the groundwork for its next attack on him.
Episode 5 also revealed that Pennywise was able to "unlock" Leroy's fear by improvising with deception. In fact, the creature almost inadvertently tricked Leroy into killing his own son, Will, but it took a sacrifice from a friend (Pauley) to realize that everything was, in fact, real (read more about every Welcome to Derry character related to the IT movies' ensemble).
Still, it's possible that Leroy's guilt over the death of his comrade, Pauley, could force him to relearn fear the hard way, utilizing an on-and-off switch for the emotion and finding a way to weaponize it against Pennywise.
