Pennywise wakes up in Episode 7 of It: Welcome to Derry because one of the mystical “shards” or pillars that help contain him is tampered with and effectively destroyed by the military, creating an opening in his cage. This disruption cuts his planned 27‑year hibernation short, so he senses the break in the woods, reawakens in his lair, and then goes after Will.
In‑story reason
- Pennywise had gone into his usual long sleep after feeding, intending to hibernate for decades.
- General Shaw’s operation removes and burns one of the pillars that help hold the entity in check, which Pennywise appears to sense from within his bloody sewer nest.
- The melting of this shard/pillar is shown in cross‑cut with his eyes snapping open, indicating the damage to his cage is what jolts him awake early.
What this sets up
- Waking early means Pennywise can now hunt “off‑cycle,” outside the usual 27‑year rhythm that Derry assumes is safe.
- His immediate move is to confront Will Hanlon, using the Deadlights on him, which suggests Pennywise plans to exploit the broken containment to spread more chaos before anyone can re‑trap him.
