Welcome To Derry: Who Clint Bowers Is & How He Connects To The It Movies

by

Fans of It: Welcome to Derry have been spotting lots of hidden references, or ‘Easter Eggs,’ throughout the show. One example is Clint Bowers, the police chief, a detail that viewers who haven’t read Stephen King’s books might not recognize. The HBO horror series, which serves as a prequel to King’s It, premiered on October 26, 2025, and is filled with connections to the broader Stephen King world.

Easter eggs in the series range from being subtle and hard to find to hinting at events that would happen later in the It movies, directed by Andy Muschietti, who also oversaw Welcome to Derry. One such connection appears in the second episode, featuring the police chief, Clint Bowers, played by Peter Outerbridge.

Welcome To Derry’s Clint Bowers Is Related To Henry Bowers From Stephen King’s It

At the beginning of season 2, we meet Chief Clint Bowers, who is at a bar trying to cope with the traumatic murders that happened at the end of the first Welcome to Derry episode. He doesn’t have much time to process things, as some prejudiced residents of his town quickly demand he arrest Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider).

If you’re familiar with Stephen King’s It – whether through the book or the 1990 miniseries or the 2017 and 2019 movies – the name Bowers should immediately ring a bell. Henry Bowers is the cruel and disturbed bully who constantly torments the Losers’ Club, famously carving his name into Ben, harming Mike’s dog, and sending Eddie to the hospital – all before Pennywise even starts influencing him.

Considering the timelines – It: Welcome to Derry is set in 1962 and It in 1988-1989 – it’s probable that Clint Bowers is Henry’s grandfather and the father of Oscar “Butch” Bowers. This theory is further supported by the ages of Mike Hanlon and his grandfather, Leroy Hanlon, aligning with those of Henry and Clint, respectively.

What Welcome To Derry Reveals About The Bowers Family

Henry Bowers is one of the most frightening bullies in Stephen King’s stories. However, the films and books show he’s also deeply affected by his own abusive upbringing, specifically the harsh treatment he receives from his alcoholic father. Interestingly, in the movie adaptations, his father, Butch, is a police officer, potentially mirroring the cycle of authority and aggression.

The book version of the story includes a rivalry between Butch and Will Hanlon, the father of Mike Hanlon (played by Blake Cameron James in It: Welcome to Derry), which isn’t shown in the films. In the TV series, Will’s mother, Charlotte (Taylour Page), is against Clint’s unfair imprisonment of Hank. It’s possible that Clint will extend his negative feelings about Charlotte, and by extension the entire Hanlon family, to his son.

It’s strange to see Clint acting like a bully, considering he’s usually the one being picked on. He briefly tries to defend Hank, but easily backs down when pressured. It’s possible that Clint’s own timid nature, along with the mistakes he made in It: Welcome to Derry, leads his son and grandson to react by becoming overly aggressive.

Read More

2025-11-18 23:32