I have 5 theories about ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ season 2 — and they get pretty wild

The HBO series "IT: Welcome to Derry" has captivated audiences, with its 2025 premiere garnering 5.7 million viewers in its opening three days. Following the success of the first season, HBO has confirmed that the show will return for a second season. Season 2 will delve even deeper into the history of Derry, taking viewers back to 1935 during the Great Depression, focusing on the infamous Bradley Gang massacre from Stephen King's novel.

Based on the series' complex mythology, several theories have emerged about what season 2 might entail.

First, there's the time loop and predestination paradox theory. In the season 1 finale, Pennywise reveals that Marge Truman's future son, Richie Tozier, will help destroy it in 2016, suggesting that time functions differently for Pennywise. This theory proposes that Pennywise is attempting to stop the Losers' Club before they're even born by traveling back through time from 1962 to 1935 and then further back to 1908. By changing the past, Pennywise may actually be creating the future that it's trying to prevent.

Another theory is the targeted ancestral purge. This idea suggests that the events of 1935 will reveal the beginnings of trauma and psychological problems that continue to affect the Losers' Club families through generations. It also proposes that the Bradley Gang's violent actions in Derry were not mere coincidence but rather a deliberate act by Pennywise, who may have used them as a means of eliminating the ancestors of the Losers' Club.

A third theory, the scapegoat and Derry's shared guilt, examines the role of mass hysteria and mob violence during the Great Depression. The theory posits that Pennywise may be encouraging the worst aspects of human nature by manipulating the fear, anger, and frustration of the community and using the Bradley Gang massacre as an opportunity to target and eliminate the ancestors of the people who ultimately defeat it.

Finally, there's the pillar containment and the macroverse theory. This idea is based on the Shokopiwah story of the Galloo, an ancient entity that arrived on Earth millions of years ago inside a crystal-like meteor. The ancient shamans created 13 sacred pillars around Derry, which formed a magical barrier to trap Pennywise. The series may explore how these pillars are compromised and how Pennywise tries to regain its freedom in this new timeline.