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)[]
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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