<em>It: Welcome to Derry</em>‘s episode 4 walks through a series of flashbacks that reveal the truth about Pennywise’s origins, disclosing everything from its biggest weakness to the location where it lives in Derry.

In the closing moments of the Stephen King show’s episode 4, General Shaw asks Dick Hallorann to interrogate Taniel, believing that he and his people will likely know about Pennywise’s location. Shaw hopes to learn where Pennywise resides to be able to weaponize it and use it to terrorize other nations amidst the growing nuclear tensions worldwide. Taniel, however, initially refuses to budge and assures Hallorann that he will reveal nothing.

Hallorann then puts his “shining” abilities to good use to get inside Taniel’s head and get the answers he seeks. He seems to find himself in one of Taniel’s memories where he recalls everything he has learned about Pennywise and its history from his people. With this, Hallorann not only learns about the monster’s biggest weaknesses but also its long history on Earth.

Pennywise Landed On Earth Long Before Humans

When Taniel recalls Pennywise’s origin story, he begins by calling it an evil spirit that landed on Earth through a fallen star millions of years ago. He emphasizes how this event happened long before humans even existed, highlighting that Pennywise is far older and ancient than any individual on the face of the planet.

After the star struck the planet, the evil spirit was set free and roamed everywhere until humans finally came across the star’s crash site and learned about its origins.

Pennywise Has Its Own Kryptonite

After humans discovered Pennywise’s crash site for the first time, they realized that the star that carried it was actually keeping it imprisoned. The monster was only able to escape after the star crash-landed and allowed it to break free. This made shards from the star a perfect weapon to battle the monster.

Owing to this, Taniel’s ancestors used shards from the star for several years to keep Pennywise away from them. Calling it the “Galloo,” Taniel’s ancestors stayed safe from the creature for years by staying away from the Western Woods and using the shard as a “dagger” to defend themselves.

Humans Learned To Live In Harmony With Pennywise Until The Settlers Arrived

For a long time, Taniel’s ancestors passed the knowledge of everything they knew about Pennywise to generations, allowing them to live in harmony with the monster. They avoided hunting in the Galloo’s territory and ensured it never entered theirs.

However, this balance was soon disrupted when the settlers came in. Despite being warned about the dangers in the Western woods, they hunted there and ignored all warnings. As a result, they ultimately became Pennywise’s victims.

Pennywise Grew From Strength To Strength, Becoming More Immune Its Kryptonite

After feeding on the fear and flesh of the settlers, the Galloo grew increasingly stronger. As a result, a single dagger from the star was not enough to keep it contained in the Western woods. Taniel’s ancestors were on the verge of leaving until one brave girl, Necani, decided to travel to the Western woods with the dagger to find an alternate path.

The young girl’s mother, the Sesqui, followed her into the woods, hoping to protect her from the monster. However, the Galloo manifested itself in the search party’s worst fears and killed everyone, including Sesqui.

Necani Found Pennywise’s Fallen Star &amp Used It To Cage It

After her mother’s demise, Necani decided to brave the Western forests again. Fortunately, this time around, she did find Pennywise’s cave and discovered the fallen star. With what followed, they circled the Western woods and buried 13 shards of the star around them. Since it was the only thing the Galloo feared, the shards prevented Pennywise from leaving the woods.

This would explain why it was not able to follow General Shaw outside the forest in the flashback featured in It: Welcome to Derry episode 3’s opening moments. After burying the shards, they also made a promise to keep their places a secret. They did this to ensure no one would ever unleash the Galloo into the rest of the world.

The Military Will Likely Make The Mistake Of Unleashing Pennywise

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Towards the end of It: Welcome to Derry‘s episode 4, Taniel also reveals …