Is It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 about the Bradley Gang? Here’s what to expect

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry dropped on October 26, 2025. It takes viewers back to Stephen King’s haunted town of Derry, Maine. Season 1 has eight episodes. The finale aired on December 14, 2025. The series is a prequel to the It movies from 2017 and 2019. It takes place in 1962.

The story follows the Hanlon family. It also follows a group of young characters. They face Pennywise during one of his feeding cycles. The show is set during the Cold War. It also explores racial tension in the town. A major event is the burning of the Black Spot, a deadly augury. It marks the peak of Pennywise’s terror.

Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise. The cast also includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, and Chris Chalk. The show has been a huge success. It averages 10.7 million viewers across TV and streaming.

While HBO has not officially confirmed Season 2 yet, Andy and Barbara Muschietti want to continue the story. It: Welcome to Derry, Season 2 would go backward in time. The finale ends with a “Chapter One” title card. This hints that more seasons are planned.

Season 2 would jump back to 1935. It would focus on the Bradley Gang massacre. This event has been teased since Season 1’s Episode 2. The Muschiettis say they want a three-season story. So, fans are bracing themselves for whatever fresh nightmare Derry has waiting in its bloody history books.

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It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 and the Bradley Gang

The plot surrounding the Bradley Gang for It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 can be considered a “confirmed” narrative, as the creative team of the series has given various statements regarding this matter. Andy Muschietti spoke about it to Deadline before Season 1 even aired.

He said Season 2 would take place in 1935. It would focus on the Bradley Gang massacre. He also explained the show’s structure. The story moves backward in time on purpose. Each season adds more hidden history. He described it as building an “iceberg under the water”:

“There is an intentional bigger arc that will open. My intention with this was to create a story that is a little bit like an iceberg under the water all through seasons 1, 2 and 3. There will be an expansion in the mythology and more answers to the big questions. The second season will be in 1935. At the end of season 1, we are hinting at the reason why we are going to tell the story in two more seasons – and backwards.”

Barbara Muschietti has said the same in interviews. She confirmed the long-term plan. The series will keep exploring major disasters. These events come from Stephen King’s novel. Each disaster marks one of Pennywise’s 27-year cycles.

The Bradley Gang story is set up early in It: Welcome to Derry, Season 1, Episode 2. Military workers are digging in Derry as part of Operation Precept. They find a car from the 1930s with skeletons inside. There is also cash and Tommy guns. These items clearly belong to the Bradley Gang. This discovery is done on purpose. It is meant to set up Season 2.

The opening credits of It: Welcome to Derry also give clues. They show drawings of men in gunfire. It looks like a street ambush. This image matches the Bradley Gang massacre. Season 1 also includes flashbacks to 1935. These scenes show Ingrid Kersh at Juniper Hill asylum. She believes she has reunited with her father, Bob Gray. But Bob Gray is actually Pennywise in human form.

These moments confirm something important. The show is already preparing for the 1935 storyline. It: Welcome to Derry Season 2’s focus on the Bradley Gang is not a guess. It is a key part of the creators’ plan. Andy and Barbara Muschietti always meant to include it. They want to expand the It story in this way.

Season 1 focused on the Black Spot fire. That was the main disaster of that era. Season 2 will build toward the Bradley Gang massacre. This event shows Pennywise’s true power. It shows how he uses fear. It also shows how he pushes people toward violence. The only unknown is HBO’s official renewal. Season 2 has not been formally announced yet. Still, the show’s high viewership helps. The creators also have a clear plan. Because of this, a second season is very likely.

Viewers can expect one thing for sure. It: Welcome to Derry will go back to the 1930s. It will be set in Depression-era Derry. Poverty, crime, and fear will shape the town. An ancient cosmic evil will be at the center. It will lead to one of Derry’s bloodiest moments.

In Stephen King’s It, the Bradley Gang is a violent crime group. It is led by brothers George and Al Bradley. The gang robs banks. They murder store owners. This happened in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Other members include Arthur “Creeping Jesus” Malloy. There is also “Handsome” Patrick Caudy. His girlfriend, Marie Hauser, is part of the group. The Conklin brothers, Joe and Cal, are members too. George’s common-law wife, Kitty Donahue, is also involved.

After killing a banker, the FBI starts hunting them. The gang runs to Derry to hide. They think Derry is quiet and safe. Instead, they keep robbing and killing there. The massacre is one of Derry’s worst moments. The gang plans to pick up a large ammo order. The pickup is at Machen’s Sporting Goods. The store is at Canal, Main, and Kansas streets.

The shop owner, Lal Machen, is influenced by Pennywise. He secretly stirs fear and anger in the town. He gathers armed townspeople. They plan an ambush. When the Bradley Gang arrives, gunfire explodes. The citizens shoot them in the open street, and every gang member is killed. It happens in broad daylight.

Later, witnesses tell a strange story. They say a clown was there. The clown wore farmer overalls. He fired guns and laughed loudly. Their stories are ignored and forgotten. This shows Pennywise’s true power. He does not only kill himself. He uses fear to control people. He turns normal citizens into killers.

In the original book, this happens around 1929 or 1930. It: Welcome to Derry changes the timeline. In the show, the massacre happens in 1935. This matches the movie timeline. 1935 is 27 years before 1962. 1962 is when Season 1 takes place.

It is also 27 years after 1908. 1908 is tied to the Kitchener Ironworks disaster. This change keeps Pennywise’s pattern clear. He wakes up every 27 years. He feeds. Then he sleeps again. The show keeps this cycle intact.