New It: Welcome to Derry Clue Has Fans Convinced Marge Is a Losers Club Mom — and That Could Doom a New Character

Welcome to Derry just dropped a sneaky clue that has fans connecting some very specific dots — and if the theory pans out, Richie Tozier’s mom might already be hiding in plain sight. We already knew Will Hanlon grows up to be Mike’s dad, but this latest breadcrumb hints we could end up with a second parent of a future Losers Club member who made it through Pennywise’s 1962 nightmare.

The clue that lit the fuse

On November 19, the show’s Twitter account posted a front page from the in-universe paper, the Derry Herald. On its face, it’s a fun prop. Under the hood, it’s a loaded one.

• Headlines include Hank Grogan being shipped off to Shawshank Prison and locals still protesting the Paul Bunyan statue.
• The lead story: Marge, played by Matilda Lawler, was left 'maimed' in a 'mysterious classroom incident' at Derry High.
• The paper uses her full name: Margaret — which also happens to be Richie Tozier’s mom’s name in the book and the movies.
• The article says doctors are optimistic about her vision returning, which matters because some fans waved off the theory over eye injuries vs. the Maggie Tozier we know later on.

'HER FULL NAME IS MARGARET YEAHHHH THATS RICHIES MAMA WE FUCKING TOLD YALL'

That was one very loud reaction from @NellyArtz. Others chimed in that Marge’s sense of humor gave them Richie vibes the second she showed up.

Why this actually tracks

Margaret Tozier tends to go by Maggie later on, so 'Marge' evolving to 'Maggie' is not a stretch. The show also puts Marge in thick, Coke-bottle glasses — a visual echo of Richie. And if doctors expect her sight to recover, there’s no continuity problem with the Maggie we meet down the line who clearly has both eyes. Put all that next to the name on that newspaper and, yeah, the theory feels less like a reach and more like the show winking at us.

The Rich of it all

If Marge is Richie’s future mom, that kicks open another door: what happens to Rich (Arian S Cartaya), Marge’s friend and Will’s locker-mate in the show’s 1962 timeline? Some fans are worried he’s not making it to the finale — and they’ve got a morbidly tidy reason for it. If Rich dies trying to save Marge, maybe she later names her son 'Richie' in his honor.

That’s the running fear in the replies, where the mood ranges from 'this confirms my guy is doomed' to 'Rich is cooked, I fear.'

A quick, creepy visual cue

There’s also a moment in episode 2 where Rich first meets Will (Blake Cameron James). As Marge walks by the lockers, Rich can’t help staring. The light hits her glasses just right and her lenses flare, making her eyes briefly look like Pennywise’s unsettling yellow gaze. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot, but it plays like deliberate foreshadowing that Marge could end up being the thing that costs Rich everything.

Big picture

If this all holds, Welcome to Derry will have quietly set up two Losers Club parents — Mike’s and Richie’s — as survivors of Pennywise’s 1962 terror campaign. That’s a smart way to stitch this prequel to both the films and King’s novel without hammering you over the head with it.

Where to watch

It: Welcome to Derry is streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air Sundays on HBO in the US, and on Mondays on Sky Atlantic/NOW in the UK.