Pennywise has many memorable moments in Stephen King’s It novel, but its comment about being the “Eater of Worlds” only makes me wish King would write a prequel to It. The works of Stephen King have introduced generations of viewers to some terrifying characters – both human and supernatural –, and one that has become part of pop culture is It’s Pennywise. Published in 1986, It takes the audience to the town of Derry, Maine, a recurrent setting in King’s novels, which has led to the belief that the fictional town is cursed.

Set in 1958, It follows Bill Denbrough and his friends, who call themselves the Losers Club. After the death of Bill’s younger brother, Georgie, at the hands of Pennywise, the Losers encounter the shapeshifting evil creature they call “It.” It’s particularity is that it takes the shape of its targets’ biggest fears, with its preferred shape being the clown Pennywise. The origins of Pennywise are briefly mentioned but are quite a mystery, but one line said by It is what makes me wish King would write a prequel.

Pennywise’s “Eater Of Worlds” Comment In IT Raises Questions About The Villain’s Backstory

There’s A Lot More To Pennywise Than What Was Revealed In IT

The particularity of It is that it can take any shape it wants, but it goes for that of the fears of its victims, as this creature feeds on fear (it even mentions in the novel that fear makes the meat tastier). It is an expert in torturing its victims, both psychologically and physically, and its mysterious nature only makes it more terrifying. To add to it, at different points in the novel, Pennywise refers to itself as the “Eater of Worlds”, which is quite disturbing, but King doesn’t go into details about why it calls itself that.

What’s known about Pennywise’s backstory and origins is that the creature originated from a void outside the regions of the Macroverse. It’s species is called “ᴅᴇᴀᴅlights”, but it’s quite a complex creature. The true form of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅlights is hard to describe, with the closest to it that the human mind can comprehend being the shape of a giant female spider, which is the final form It takes in the novel. It hybernates for 27 years and wakes up to eat (or more like feast), which is why there are tragic events in Derry every 27 years.

Due to its origin in the Macroverse and its immense evil power, Pennywise is the natural enemy of Maturin, a turtle of mᴀssive size and the creator of the mainstream universe in Stephen King’s novels. The creation of the mainstream universe is a bit odd, as Maturin had a stomachache, which caused him to vomit out this universe (yes, really). By nature, Maturin is wise, gentle, loving, and compᴀssionate, the complete opposite of It. Maturin, then, is the only creature It truly fears.

While this gives a good idea of what It is and how evil it can be, the “Eater of Worlds” comment leaves more questions and gaps in its backstory. It’s unknown if Pennywise was serious about it and had destroyed worlds before or if it was just bluffing to instill more fear in its victims, but all this could be answered if we got an It prequel.

An IT Prequel Could Shed Light On Pennywise’s Past & Make It More Formidable

An IT Prequel Would Fill In Many Gaps

Stephen King’s Macroverse, Maturin’s role, and more have been explored and expanded in other works, most notably the Dark Tower series, but Pennywise’s past is still a mystery. Despite being referred to in other stories, all that’s known about Pennywise’s backstory is the above-mentioned information, which is found in the novel It. There is surely a lot more to explore about Pennywise’s origins in the Macroverse and as part of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅlights, giving enough material for a prequel novel or even just a short story to complement the original book.

Pennywise’s actions throughout It happen on Earth, so it’s unknown what other horrible things it did on other planets and parts of the Macroverse. Going into this would make Pennywise a lot more terrifying and intimidating, as it would show the extent of his power and evil. The “Eater of Worlds” comment suggests that Pennywise’s plan is to consume all life on Earth, and that it has done so before in other parts of the Macroverse.

There’s One Downside To An IT Prequel About Pennywise’s Character

Maybe It’s Better To Not Know Much About Pennywise

As interesting and scary as it would be to learn more about Pennywise’s origins and past, an It prequel might not be a good idea, after all. Part of what makes Pennywise so terrifying are the mysteries of its past. Not knowing exactly what It is, the ᴅᴇᴀᴅlights’ origin, form, and power, and what the creature has done in the past across the Macroverse add to how scary Pennywise is. Because of this, a prequel could end up taking the intrigue away and making It less scary by revealing too much.

Of course, if handled carefully, an It prequel could add to what makes Pennywise so scary. King’s way of describing the atrocities that his villains committed is key to instilling fear in the audience, and this is the biggest strength in exploring Pennywise’s past. Knowing what It has done before, but not every single atrocity, will give the audience an idea of how far its power and evil can go, showing how catastrophic its presence in Derry could have been had the Losers not defeated it.

Why Stephen King Probably Won’t Write An IT Prequel Or Spinoff Book

A Continuation To IT Seems Unlikely

Despite having an extensive catalog of novels and short stories, Stephen King isn’t one to return to past worlds to expand them with sequels, prequels, or spinoffs. Speaking to journalists in 2013 while promoting Doctor Sleep (the sequel to The Shining), King shared that, when he gets to the end of a story, he’s “done with these people” because he doesn’t know what happens next (via Mail & Guardian). This has allowed him to move forward with different stories, but he has made some exceptions through the years, such as The Dark Tower series and Doctor Sleep.

As for why Stephen King hasn’t written an It sequel or prequel, King had a different response. During a 2013 Reddit AMA session, King said that he doesn’t think he would bear to deal with Pennywise again, as the character is too scary even for him. Whether Stephen King could change his mind about an expansion to It or not is unknown, but for now, the mysteries of Pennywise will continue.

Source: Mail & Guardian.