Henry Bowers is the secondary antagonist 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 Jarred Blancard (child) and Michael Cole (adult), in the films by Nicholas Hamilton (child) and Teach Grant (adult). In the films however, he's a much less important villain.
Henry is the leader of the Bowers Gang.
Background[]
Personality[]
While Henry's personality varies in all adaptations, each one has him as going from a bully to a madman. Because of the abuse he takes from his father, Officer Oscar "Butch" Bowers, Henry has grown into an abusive, baleful, cruel, hateful, murderous, prejudiced, ruthless, sadistic, temperamental, and vicious bully, who is feared by all the kids in town. This abuse is omitted in the miniseries, as his father doesn't physically discipline Henry unless he's suspended or in detention.
He targets the weakest and most helpless people, and even animals.
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
Henry Bowers Is the leader of the Bowers gang, a gang of bullies who torment other kids. Throughout part 1, he torments the 7 younger heroes in numerous ways. Once they humiliate him in a rock fight, he loses what's left of his sanity, vowing they'll all die at his hands. He goes into the sewers with his cronies Belch and Victor and near slays Stan Uris. However Pennywise bursts out of the pipe, devouring Belch and turning Henry's hair white. 3 Decades later, Henry's seen in Juniper Hills asylum, having framed himself for the crimes of Pennywise. Pennywise Manipulates Henry to murder the 6 remaining heroes. Disguised as Belch, he helps Henry escape the asylum and the middle aged patricide attacks Mike Hanlon. Succeeding in gravely wounding him, Henry's seconds from finishing Mike when Ben Hanscom and Eddie Kaspbrak come in to save Mike. During the struggle, Henry accidentally stabs himself in the chest and dies. The losers club cover up his body and have a discussion on what to do next.
2017 Film[]
In the film, Henry isn't as sadistic as he is in the novel, having given Bill a break from bullying due to the disappearance of his little brother, Georgie, in October of 1988. However, now that the school year's done, Henry vows to give Bill and his friends a summer full of pain and misery.
Much like his novel counterpart, he harbors a heated hatred of Mike Hanlon, just because he is black; while Mike is delivering meat into town, Henry and his henchmen, Victor "Vic" Criss, Reginald "Belch" Huggins, and Patrick Hockstetter, try to run him over, with Henry shouting at Mike to stay out of his town. As Ben Hanscom, whom most people call the "New Kid", is leaving the library, Henry ambushes and tries to torture him by carving his name on his belly. Ben manages to escape and is taken to safety by Bill and his friends. Henry sends Belch and Patrick after Ben, leading to Patrick getting killed by Pennywise the Dancing Clown while searching for Ben in the sewers.
As July comes around, Henry, Belch, and Vic torture Mike by making him eat raw meat. Luckily, Bill and his friends, with Ben and Beverly now part of the group, rescue him and engage in a rock fight with Henry and his lackeys, which they win.
In August, Henry, Belch, and Vic are using Henry's dad's handgun for target practice, first shooting a couple glass bottles, and then trying to shoot a cat. Henry's father, Officer Oscar "Butch" Bowers, steps in and reprimands his son, shooting at the ground near his feet. Furious about his father humiliating him, Henry sees a red balloon in his mailbox, finding his missing switchblade, which he lost while chasing Ben, and uses it to slash his father's neck. As Bill, Ben, Richie, Eddie, Stan, and Mike go to the Well House to rescue Beverly after Pennywise captured her, Henry secretly watches them from Belch's car (in a deleted scene, it's shown that Henry killed both Belch and Vic while possessed by It). As Mike is about to go down the well into Pennywise's Lair, Henry attacks and tries to kill him, taunting him about his parents' deaths, leading to Mike pushing Henry down the well, seemingly killing him.
2019 Film[]
In the film's opening scene, Henry is shown to have survived the fall, and is washed out of the sewers by a torrent of water, ending up at the Barrens. He then returns to his house, where he is immediately arrested for murdering his father, whose body is being carried out in a body bag, by the police. For the next 27 years, Henry is incarcerated at Juniper Hill State Correctional Facility. One day, he sees a red balloon, and begins to go nuts, and with the help of Pennywise, posing as his late friend Patrick Hockstetter, he escapes.
Henry tracks the Losers to their hotel, and attempts to kill Eddie, who stabs him in the chest and manages to escape. Henry makes a get-away through the window and goes after Mike at the library. Just when it looks like Mike is done for, Richie arrives and hits Henry in the back of the head with an axe, killing him.
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