‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Creator Breaks Down Why (Spoiler) Had to Die in First Episode

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Warning: The Following Contains Massive Spoilers for It: Welcome to Derry Episode 1

The first episode of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry finally aired last night, and it ended with a truly shocking scene. After introducing the characters we expected to be the focus of the season, the show’s creator, Andy Muschietti, unexpectedly killed off almost all of them.

The situation quickly turned dangerous when Lilly, Teddy, Phil, and Susie asked Ronnie for help investigating the disappearance of Matty Clements, a boy who had been missing for months. They thought he was trying to reach out to them somehow. While watching the movie The Music Man at the Capitol Theater, hoping to find clues, they were shocked when the terrifying, deformed baby from the start of the episode burst out of the screen and killed everyone except Lilly and Ronnie.

Director Andy Muschietti defended the decision to potentially kill off the new Losers’ Club, calling it a risky but essential move. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after the premiere of It: Welcome to Derry, he explained that he wanted to establish a sense of danger from the very beginning – to show the audience that no character was safe, even in the first episode.

“In this world, no one will be safe. So, technically, that was the intention.”

‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Subverts Expectations


HBO / Courtesy Everett Collection

The surprise wasn’t the only goal, though. Muschietti also explained he wants this series to feel fresh and distinct from his previous It films. After directing It Chapters One and Two, he didn’t want to repeat himself with Welcome to Derry. He said the project is about challenging expectations and doing things differently.

We’ve made two films already, and with this one, we didn’t want audiences to become too comfortable with how things usually work. We aimed to surprise them and keep them engaged by flipping expectations. We also wanted to increase the excitement with more intensity and bigger visuals.

The first episode of It: Welcome to Derry has everyone talking, especially the shocking ending. Viewers are sharing their surprise online, many expressing disbelief that the child characters died. One X user commented, “I can’t believe he already killed four people in the first episode!” Another added their reaction, saying:

“Welcome to Derry was the scariest thing I’ve watched in ages. Excited for the next episodes!”

The next episode will be released early, on Friday, October 31st, as a special Halloween surprise instead of the usual Sunday. After the events of last night’s episode, it’s hard to predict what the creators have planned next.

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2025-10-27 17:48