William Hanlon

William Hanlon was the father of Mike Hanlon and a minor character in the novel, It. Unlike many of the abusive fathers of Derry such as Alvin Marsh, Richard Macklin and Butch Bowers, Will was described to be a very loving and caring father, often giving advice to his son on a daily basis. At a young age, Will joined the Derry National Army, where he experiences severe and intense cases of racial division. During his time in the army, he became a member of the Black Spot, an army bar made by racially-discriminated African American Soldiers. Due to the bar's growing popularity, the Supreme Legion of Decency (the Ku Klux Klan of Derry) purposely destroyed the Black Spot by burning it down (to which Will believed that the fire was intentional). After escaping the inferno, William witnesses It seizing a member of the Legion of Decency. It was in the form a giant bird (the same bird that terrorized Mike in 1958 at the Ironworks ruin) that was "hovering" over the crowd with balloons hanging across its wings.

He died of cancer in 1962, four years after The Losers defeated It for the first time.