Bill Denbrough

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Lore & Background

Bill Denbrough was born on January 4, 1947 in the novel (the 1990 TV mini-series does not specify a birth year, and January 4, 1976, in the 2017 film). He is the son of Zack and Sharon Denbrough and the older brother of Georgie Denbrough and resides in Derry, Maine. Bill has a speech impediment, which the novel explicitly states is congenital; this leads to him being outcast. In October 1957 in the novel (spring 1960 in the TV mini-series; 1988 in the 2017 film), Bill is sick with a cold, and he constructs a paper boat for his younger brother Georgie, giving him paraffin wax to waterproof it so Georgie can play with it outside, despite the downpour of rain. Moments later, Georgie is killed and his arm is dismembered by Pennywise in a storm drain. After this incident, in the summer of 1958 in the novel (1960 in the 1990 TV mini-series; 1989 in the 2017 film), Bill and his friends Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier and Stanley Uris all have encounters with Pennywise. Their shared encounters with Pennywise lead them to Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom and Mike Hanlon, forming "The Losers Club." Along the way, the group members all have more individual encounters with Pennywise and local bully Henry Bowers—who later falls under the influence of Pennywise—until they decide to head to where they believe Pennywise to be hiding, in the sewers, and wound the creature, driving it into a deep hibernation. However, they make an oath that, if Pennywise is not in fact dead, they will all return to Derry to defeat him.

In Their Own Story

In his adult life, Bill has become a successful writer and married an actress, Audra Phillips. Bill has controlled his stutter and, due to the nature of It, cannot remember Derry, Georgie, or The Losers Club. After Pennywise kills a gay man named Adrian Mellon, Bill gets a phone call from Mike Hanlon, who has remained in Derry, asking him to come back and help kill Pennywise once and for all. Each member of The Losers Club returns to Derry except for Stanley, who dies by suicide due to not being able to face his fears again. The group meets in a Chinese Restaurant where the members catch up until they realize Stanley is missing and are confronted by It. Eventually, after each member has respective encounters with Pennywise, the group returns the sewers and performs the Ritual of Chud to reveal Pennywise's true form and be able to kill It. However, Pennywise has already taken Bill's wife Audra and put her under the influence of It's deadlights, causing her to fall into a state of catatonia. Even after defeating Pennywise, Audra remains in a catatonic state until Bill takes her on a bicycle ride, causing her to come out of her paralysis.

Reader's Guide

In the 2017 and 2019 films, the sequel reveals that Bill pretended to be sick the day Georgie was killed, resulting in his guilt over his brother's death. The first movie depicts Bill deluding himself that Georgie is still alive to the point of causing the Losers Club to scatter following their first encounter with Pennywise at the Neibolt House. This interpretation also has Pennywise recognising Bill as a threat, attempting to barter the other Losers into sacrificing Bill to survive. The sequel has a tongue-in-cheek reference to Stephen King's main criticism, wherein he rarely has satisfying endings to his novels. The sequel also features Bill coming across a young boy at the drain where Georgie was killed, and learns that the boy will become Pennywise's next victim. This leads Bill to a local carnival where he follows the boy through a house of mirrors, where Pennywise murders him right in front of Bill. The young boy had also been seen earlier in the film at the Chinese restaurant as a fan of Richie, whom Richie believes is another version of Pennywise. Audra's role in the story is removed with Pennywise instead tormenting Bill through both his guilt and being forced to watch It kill another child in front of him. Bill overcomes his personal demons while performing the Ritual of Chud. The film also deviates from the novel and the miniseries by ending with Bill and the remaining Losers retaining their memories.

Did You Know?

• Bill Denbrough was born on January 4, 1947 in the novel (the 1990 TV mini-series does not specify a birth year, and January 4, 1976, in the 2017 film).
• Bill has a speech impediment, which the novel explicitly states is congenital, not from childhood trauma or being hit by a car.
• In the novel, Bill was genuinely sick with a cold the day Georgie was killed, not pretending.
• In the novel, Bill marries an actress named Audra Phillips, who is put into a catatonic state by Pennywise's deadlights and later revived by a bicycle ride.
• Neither the 1990 miniseries nor the 2017/2019 films feature Bill and the Losers meeting Maturin the Turtle.