The kids at the heart of the It call themselves the Losers’ Club, but even among the seven of them, there have to be winners and, well, losers. Even without a demonic, shape-shifting clown, seven characters is a lot for a movie to handle, so some characters are better developed and some get more screen time than others.
The 2017 movie kept pretty true to Stephen King’s original 1986 novel, although there were a couple obvious big changes, like updating the setting from the ‘50s to the ‘80s and cutting that infamous preteen orgy scene. Still, the film gives viewers a pretty good sense of who Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Richie (Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer ), Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), and Mike (Chosen Jacobs) are. For the most part.
So, keeping in mind that being judged is scarier than Pennywise the Dancing Clown could ever be, let’s rank children.
7. Stanley “Stan” Uris
Look, somebody has to be the biggest Loser in the Losers’ Club, and it’s Stan. It’s not really his fault, it’s just that the movie doesn’t really know what to do with him other than make him The Reluctant One. He’s like a watered-down Eddie.
6. Michael “Mike” Hanlon
Mike is much more interesting in the book, and his adult self is crucial to the second half of It’s narrative, but in the movie, he’s underdeveloped. Since most of Mike’s role as the Derry history buff was taken from him and given to Ben instead for the movie, all Mike really has going for him is a cattle bolt gun.
5. William “Bill” Denbrough
Bill is great! He’s the stuttering nominal leader of the Losers’ Club, and his grief over his younger brother Georgie’s death at Pennywise’s hands is a crucial bit of pathos that keeps It going. But, the leader is rarely the most interesting member of a group. Bill’s just outclassed by the top-tier Losers.
4. Edward “Eddie” Kaspbrak
Eddie, the hypochondriac victim of his mother’s Munchausen by proxy, doesn’t let being a perpetually sick whiner stop him from getting into scrapes and throwing profanity-laced barbs with his friends. Eddie contains multitudes, is what we’re saying.
3. Richard “Richie” Tozier
Richie is the funniest character in the movie, hands down, and he might reasonably be named the fan-favorite character. He’s a wiseass who never lets the opportunity for a foul joke or some comic relief go by, which makes him a delight to watch. But, like, consider actually being friends with him. He’d be a little insufferable after a while, which keeps him from taking the top spots in our ranking.
2. Benjamin “Ben” Hanscom
Sweet Ben Hanscom has to deal with both being “the new kid” and “the fat kid,” which makes him a target for bullies twice over. He also seems like the most earnest kid in the group. HHis loyalty and knowledge of history (a bit that was admittedly stolen from Mike in the books) make him the heart of the Losers’ Club.
1. Beverly “Bev” Marsh
Bev is the MVP of the Losers Club. She’s the first member of the group to stop being afraid of Pennywise, and she fights back against her real, horrifying home life. She’s also kind, as Bev was one of the first people to be nice to Ben. Heck, she even kept his New Kids on the Block fandom a secret. If that isn’t enough to place her at the top of the Losers’ heap, I don’t know what is.
It is in theaters now.
If you liked this article, check out this video on why there’s no werewolf in It.
