IT: Welcome to Derry Reveals How Old the Kids Are – And Hints at the Age of the Adults

The HBO Max series Welcome to Derry slowly reveals the ages of both children and adults. As a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s IT and IT: Chapter Two, the show takes place in 1962 – 27 years before the first IT movie – and depicts the rise of Pennywise as he begins to terrorize a new group of kids. Welcome to Derry shows just how frightening Pennywise was even before the events of the first film, and demonstrates that the creature was always ruthless in its attacks on children.

What I really liked about Welcome to Derry compared to the first IT movie is how easily you could figure out the characters’ ages. Because this story takes place during the school year, with everyone at Derry High, it’s much clearer than in IT, where everything happened over the summer and it was harder to keep track of how much time had passed and how old everyone was.

How Old Are Lilly, Ronnie, Will, & More in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

Lilly Bainbridge – Clara Stack

Character age: 12-13
Actor age: 15

I’ve been really drawn into the character of Lilly Bainbridge in IT: Welcome to Derry. She’s a high schooler at Derry High – it’s a combined junior and senior high, so students range from ages 11 to 18 – and she’s still dealing with a lot of pain after her father’s death. What’s particularly heartbreaking is that she carries a lot of guilt, feeling responsible for what happened.

The first episode of “Welcome to Derry” showed that Matty Clements and Lilly are about the same age – they’re close, and Matty even attempted to kiss her. A conversation with theater staff suggested Matty is around twelve years old, which was later supported by a newspaper clipping confirming he and Ronnie are the same age.

Based on the timelines, it seems Lilly would have been about my age – either twelve or thirteen – when all the scary stuff happened in Welcome to Derry. It’s wild to think about!

Veronica “Ronnie” Grogan – Amanda Christine

Character age: 12
Actor age: 16

Veronica Grogan, known as Ronnie, is a survivor of Pennywise’s horrifying actions in the first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry. She works part-time with her father at the Capitol Theater, the same place where Matty Clements disappeared and Pennywise committed his murders.

In Episode 1, at the 39 minute and 36 second mark, a newspaper article reveals Ronnie is twelve years old. The article identifies her as the last person to see Matty before he disappeared, making her a crucial witness.

Police say the boy was last seen on January 4th at the Capitol Theater. A 12-year-old girl, who is the daughter of someone who works at the theater, was the last person to see him.

Marge – Matilda Lawler

Character age: 12-13
Actor age: 17

Marge is Lilly’s best friend and is desperate to be accepted by the popular girls at Derry High, known as the Pattycakes. In the story Welcome to Derry, her biggest worry is being excluded, so she constantly goes out of her way to make others happy.

Since Marge goes to school with Lilly, it’s likely she’s also about 12 or 13 years old during the story of Welcome to Derry.

Will Hanlon – Blake Cameron James

Character age: 12
Actor age: 15

As a huge fan of the IT universe, I found Will Hanlon to be a really interesting addition in Welcome to Derry. He’s actually Mike Hanlon’s father – you know, Mike was one of the original Losers’ Club who finally took down Pennywise all those years later in 2016. It’s cool to see that connection to the original story and how the past impacts the new events in Derry. If you’re curious about how other characters link to the Losers, there’s more info available about the Welcome to Derry cast and their ties to the IT protagonists.

The second episode of the prequel revealed that Will is currently twelve years old and will celebrate his thirteenth birthday in August 1962.

Teddy Uris – Mikkal Karim-Fidler

Character age: 12
Actor age: 15

Teddy Uris is a character connected to the original Losers’ Club in the story of IT. He died at the end of the first episode, which changed his relationship to Stanley Uris. Instead of being Stan’s father, Teddy became his uncle, as the film established that Stan’s father was still alive in 1989.

The prequel didn’t state his name, but many believe he’s 12 years old – the same age as Matty and the other members of the original Losers’ Club in the first film.

Phil Malkin – Jack Molloy Legault

Character age: 13
Actor age: 15

Phil Malkin is a sadly fated character in the first episode. He was one of the children attacked by Pennywise, disguised as a monstrous baby, inside the Capitol Theater. Though he appears older than Teddy, their close relationship indicates they likely go to school together.

Judging by how he looks, Phil is likely a bit older than Teddy and Ronnie—probably 13 years old, while they are 12.

Susie Malkin – Matilda Legault

Character age: 7-8
Actor age: ~9/10

Susie Malkin is Phil’s younger sister and tragically became one of Pennywise’s victims in the frightening final scene of the first episode.

Susie is likely seven or eight years old in the prequel. This is suggested by her appearance and the fact that she’s learning cursive, a skill typically taught in second or third grade in the United States.

Matty Clements – Miles Ekhardt

Character age: 12
Actor age: Unknown

Newspaper articles and clues from the first episode established that Matty Clements was 12 years old, just like Ronnie. Although he was twelve when he died, the show Welcome to Derry revealed important details about Matty, including that he still used a pacifier and would sneak into movie theaters to get away from home.

Charlotte Hanlon – Taylour Paige

Character age: 30-40
Actor age: 35

Charlotte Hanlon is the grandmother of Mike Hanlon and the mother of Will. While the book Welcome to Derry doesn’t state her exact age, she likely appears to be between 30 and 40 years old, considering her looks and long career as a teacher.

Major Leroy Hanlon – Jovan Adepo

Character age: 38-40
Actor age: 37

Major Leroy Hanlon is a seasoned military veteran, having served in the Korean War. Since he’s already a Major in 1962, when the story takes place, he was likely between 38 and 40 years old. This is based on the typical age range for someone holding the rank of Major in the military at that time.

The 2017 film IT established that Leroy lived through the events of Welcome to Derry. This means he would have been between 65 and 67 years old when the first IT movie takes place.

2025-11-04 05:38