Ben Hanscom is a main character from the It book, written by Stephen King. The book was adapted to a miniseries in 1990 and two films in 2017 and 2019. In the miniseries, he was portrayed by Brandon Crane (child) and the late John Ritter (adult), in the films by Jeremy Ray Taylor (child) and Jay Ryan (adult).
Biography[]
It (1990)[]
In 1960, he introduces himself to Ms Douglas's class where school bully Henry Bowers picks on him for his weight. Henry eventually gets sent into detention for a week and blames Ben for him getting in trouble, despite the fact Henry was provoking his father into whipping him and himself into getting detention. Henry's Cronies Belch Huggins and Victor Criss hold Ben for Henry to let him carve his name into Ben's stomach. Henry Pokes Ben with his switchblade prior to Ben kicking him in the chest and running into a pipe. Once the bullies leave, Ben joins fellow classmates and misfits Bill Denbrough and Eddie Kaspbrak, the latter of whom explains to Ben that Bill's stuttering is a result of trauma from his younger brother Georgie Denbrough's murder at the hands of It (character). While in his cousin's house, his cousin picks on him and Ben gets violent with him, eventually leading an emotional Ben to run from home and find Pennywise in the form of his late father. Later, he runs to an emotional Beverly Marsh, who's had a confrontation with her abusive father. He meets and befriends classmates Richie Tozier and Stanley Uris prior to walking Beverly to her house. While watching I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) with his friends, Eddie kicks his popcorn and finds Henry with his lackeys. Richie, as a troublemaker, pours his pop on the 3 bullies and the 6 run. While Ben, Bill, Beverly and Eddie eat, Stan and Richie are confronted by the bullies and Richie's mischief eventually lands him and the bullies in trouble. Stan's unhappy with Richie telling the whole cafeteria there's a werewolf in the basement. Mike Hanlon, Henry's neighbour and bullying victim's chased by Henry, Moose Sadler, Peter Gordon, Belch and Victor, eventually leading Henry to confront Mike's eventual teammates to give Mike to them in exchange for letting them go for the day. The 2 groups have a rock fight which Henry loses alongside his sanity. Henry vows to murder the losers club for his defeat. While the 7 are together, they look in Mike's pic book where Pennywise vows to murder them too. He sticks his hand out and Stan takes some time to accept he saw IT's hand. Bill has a meltdown over Pennywise's murder of George and expresses a desire to avenge George. While training with a slingshot, Beverly's skills impress the boys, with Ben commenting he doesn't need to practice. The 7 head to the sewers to avenge George and Stan's kidnapped by Henry and Belch. Henry near murders Stan, though Pennywise devours Belch (post murdering Victor earlier in the form of the deadlights) and Henry's hair goes white prior to his arrest. The 7 hold hands to fight IT's illusions and Stan's near slain by Pennywise, with Eddie saving him and Beverly near murdering Pennywise, who retreats. The 7 friends vow to return if IT's not dead and hug each other prior to the scene changing to the present day in 1990, where Stan's found dead by his wife. Ben visits the barrens and has flashbacks to Henry's bullying via seeing an overweight boy getting chased by 3 bullies and Pennywise calling him in the form of his late father. While in a cab, Ben sees Pennywise and a ballon telling him to retreat from Derry. He has dinner with his friends, save Stan who the group doesn't know died. The group starts the dinner with fun, though eventually Richie mentions Henry Bowers, who Mike reveals was sent to Juniper Hill Mental Asylum for falsely confessing to IT's crimes. Pennywise Wakes Henry from his sleep to remind him of his help in 1960 and manipulate him to murder the losers club. The dinner eventually takes a chaotic turn when 6 fortune cookies containing Pennywise's magic come to the group and they have to leave the restaurant. They have fun in the library til Mike learns from Stan's widow he cut his wrists in the tub. Bill Discusses Stan's encounter with Pennywise in the summer of 1960. They encounter Pennywise in the form of Stan's head in the fridge, once more fighting his magic with their bond. As they leave the library for their hotel, Pennywise in the form of Henry's late friend Belch returns Henry's knife to him and transforms into a doberman pinscher to murder Koontz, the guard of the mental hospital Henry was sentenced to life in. The group discusses their pasts, IT's reign of terror in Derry and Mike's presentation to their class in 1960 etc prior to Ben, Eddie and Mike heading upstairs. Mike's stabbed by Henry and Pennywise distracts Ben in the form of Beverly to slow him from saving Mike. Henry's preparing to stab Mike's neck as Eddie and Ben break down the door to Mike's room. They grab Henry, who accidentally stabs himself in the chest and Mike's hospitalized. Beverly has a breakdown from all the pain IT's caused and the stress of thinking of what happens if Mike dies from his injuries. Ben says the group should bury Henry's corpse and they have a debate, with Eddie and Richie considering leaving from the distressing knowledge of Stan's death and Mike's near death at the hands of Henry. The five friends confront IT to save Bill's wife Audra Phillips and Pennywise tells them to retreat prior to Bill finding Pennywise's true form. A giant spider which terrifies the five and Beverly for the first time, misses with her slingshot. She saves Bill, Richie and Ben from IT's deadlights which paralyzed them, though Eddie, who IT lifted and crushed the rib cage of, dies from his injuries prior to Bill ripping out IT's heart and his friends holding the heart with him as IT dies. They save Audra and a recovering Mike narrates his plan to leave Derry and the lives of his four friends. Richie's back to acting and has a partner who looks and acts lots like Eddie. Ben And Beverly are married and having a kid and Bill saves his catatonic wife from the trauma of seeing IT's deadlights. The miniseries ends with them kissing on the street as Pennywise's evil laugh's heard 1 last time.
It (2017)[]
Ben is first seen as school lets out for summer, getting his bike when Beverly steps out. They make some small talk and introduce themselves to each other, after which Beverly signs Ben's yearbook.
Later, he is writing a poetic love letter on a postcard for Beverly. While reading a history book, he sees a red balloon, and follows it, then follows a trail of eggs to the basement, where he is pursued by a headless boy, much like the one from the book he just read. After bumping into the librarian, he leaves the library, only to run right into Henry Bowers and his lackeys, who proceed to torture him. He manages to escape by kicking Henry in the stomach, falling over the side of a bridge and rolling down a hill, then flees into the woods mortified.
Ben eventually runs into Bill and his friends, who take him into town to get some stuff for his injuries, as they investigate the Barrens. Patrick, who was sent after him along with Belch, follows his trail, and goes into the sewer, thinking he's hiding in there, only to get devoured by Pennywise. The next day, Beverly, who helped them get the items they needed, joins Ben and the others as they go swimming at the lake. Ben tells them more of Derry's history, that the death rate is higher than that in any other town.

After helping Beverly clean up her bathroom when blood shot out of the sink the other night, the group saves Mike Hanlon from being tortured by Henry and his gang, leading him to join their group, known henceforth as the Losers Club. During the Fourth of July, it seems kids disappearing is all too common recently; Ben explains that he pieced together all of the major events from the past, and discovered that, mysteriously, they only occur every twenty-seven years.
Following an attack by Pennywise, they go to the Well House, an abandoned, foreboding, ramshackle house on Neibolt Street, to face him, only for Ben and Eddie to get injured during the confrontation. Afterwards, the group have a falling out and disband, with Bill and Beverly being the only ones willing to fight.
However, in August, Beverly is taken prisoner by Pennywise. The group reunites and goes to the Well House to save her. Fighting off a deranged Bowers, they descend into the sewers and discover Pennywise's inner sanctum, where they find Beverly entranced after seeing It's true form; Ben kisses Beverly to revive her. They then encounter Pennywise in the form of Bill's late little brother Georgie; Bill realizes it's a trap and unmasks Pennywise by shooting him. The seven of them fight against Pennywise, overcoming their fears, and sending him into hibernation for the next twenty-seven years.
In September, Bill has the group make a pact that if Pennywise comes back, then they will reunite to vanquish him forever.
It: Chapter Two[]
After the events of the summer of 1989, Ben starts his own architect business, Hanscom Architecture, in upstate New York, and loses a few pounds. In the middle of a meeting, he gets a phone call from Mike Hanlon to return to Derry, due to Pennywise resurfacing.
Due to being away from Derry for nearly three decades, the others' memories of their childhood have dwindled, because It causes the memories of those who leave Derry to become nebulous. When they find out that Stanley committed suicide out of fear, Richie and Eddie decide to leave, but change their minds when Beverly explains that they'll die too if they quit.
While searching for their items needed to perform the Ritual of Chüd, which can stop Pennywise, Ben realizes his relic is the yearbook page Beverly signed when they first met, and recalls his own personal encounter with It in high school, when he took on a demonic form of Beverly.

Eventually, the six return to the Well House for the final battle. Exploring the house, they are immediately tormented by Pennywise, who cuts Ben's stomach in the mirror before Beverly breaks it. Reaching the location where It spawned long ago, they peform the ritual, but it fails to destroy It. Pennywise chases them around the cave, and traps Ben in the Losers' clubhouse and threatens to bury him inside, though he is rescued by Beverly after revealing that he wrote the poetic love letter for her.
Reuniting with the others, a mortally wounded Eddie reveals that there's another way to stop Pennywise: making him feel small. The other five Losers mock Pennywise, causing him to shrink until he gets small enough for them to pull his heart out and crush it, killing It once and for all. Pennywise's death then causes the cave and the Well House to collapse; the group barely escapes, then they go swimming at the lake. As they walk through town, they notice the scars on their hands from their blood oath have vanished as a result of their ordeal coming to an end. Going their separate ways again, Ben and Beverly become a couple.
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