Mike Hanlon and Will Hanlon

Mike Hanlon and Will Hanlon are father and son whose relationship forms the emotional and historical bedrock of Mike's role in the Losers' Club. Will, a black farmer who survived the 1930 fire at the Black Spot, raised Mike on a farm outside Derry, teaching him through shared labor and storytelling about the town's hidden violence. Their bond is one of deep love, mutual respect, and a painful awareness of the racism and supernatural evil that pervade Derry.

Identity and Background

Will Hanlon was born in Burgaw, North Carolina, and joined the army at sixteen by lying about his age, sending allotment checks home to his mother and younger brother. He was assigned to Company E at the Derry Army Air Corps Base, where he endured racist harassment from Sergeant Wilson, who forced him to dig and refill a hole repeatedly. Will survived the 1930 fire at the Black Spot, a nightclub for black soldiers that was firebombed by the Maine Legion of White Decency; he escaped through a window with the help of friends Trevor Dawson and Dick Hallorann. After losing part of his foot to a defective grenade, he received a disability pension, married Jessica, and eventually bought a farm in Derry. Mike was born and raised on that farm, learning the rhythms of planting, harvesting, and rock-picking from his father.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Mike's childhood is marked by his father's stories about Derry's history, including the fire at the Black Spot, the lynching of Claude Heroux, and the Bradley Gang shootout. Will also told Mike about his confrontation with Butch Bowers, who poisoned Will's chickens and painted a swastika on the chickenhouse; Will threatened Bowers with a Winchester rifle to end the harassment. These stories, combined with Mike's own terrifying encounter with a giant bird at the Kitchener Ironworks in the spring of 1958, shape his understanding of the evil lurking beneath Derry. After the Losers' Club's first confrontation with It in August 1958, Mike stayed in Derry while the others moved away, becoming a librarian and the town's unofficial historian. He kept a notebook documenting Derry's cycles of violence and the 27-year pattern of It's awakenings, and in 1985 he called the surviving members of the Losers' Club back to fulfill their childhood promise.

Key Actions and Objectives

Will's key actions include surviving the Black Spot fire, buying and working the farm, protecting his family from Butch Bowers, and passing on his knowledge of Derry's dark history to Mike. Mike's key actions include joining the Losers' Club after the rockfight, participating in the 1958 confrontation with It, and later, as an adult, researching Derry's history, maintaining contact with the other Losers, and making the phone calls that bring them back to Derry in 1985. His objective is to stop It once and for all, using the knowledge and courage his father instilled in him.

Relationships and Conflict

The father-son relationship is one of profound love and trust. Will hugs Mike and tells him "I love you too, Mikey" after a day of rock-harvesting, and Mike feels a "silent cheer" for his father when spring arrives. Will's stories about racism and violence—such as Sergeant Wilson's abuse and the Black Spot fire—give Mike a framework for understanding the evil in Derry. The central conflict is between the Hanlons' determination to build a good life despite racism and supernatural horror, and the forces that seek to destroy them. Will's confrontation with Butch Bowers and Mike's battles with Henry Bowers and It are direct manifestations of this conflict.

Change and Ending

Will dies of cancer in 1962, but not before telling Mike the full story of the Black Spot fire and the giant bird he saw afterward—a bird with balloons tied to its wings. This final story cements Mike's understanding of It's nature. Mike, who initially tried to forget his childhood encounters with the supernatural, eventually embraces his role as the watchman who calls the Losers back. After the final battle in 1985, Mike is hospitalized with severe injuries from Henry Bowers's attack, but survives. He writes in his notebook that he is beginning to forget the details of what happened, but that he loved his friends and will remember them in his dreams.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Will Hanlon serves as a mentor figure who transmits the town's hidden history and the necessity of courage to his son. Mike Hanlon is the anchor of the Losers' Club, the one who stayed in Derry and kept the memory alive. Their relationship grounds the supernatural horror in a real, painful history of racism and survival, making the evil of It feel both cosmic and intimately personal. Will's stories about the Black Spot, the Bradley Gang, and Claude Heroux provide the historical context for It's 27-year cycle, while Mike's decision to call the Losers back is the direct result of his father's teachings about facing evil rather than fleeing from it.