Episode 7 of IT: Welcome to Derry delivers an emotionally charged scene where a character makes a heart-wrenching sacrifice. This moment not only tugs at the audience’s emotions but also cleverly hints at a new family connection between the series’ young characters and Stephen King’s beloved Loser’s Club. The question arises: has Marge Truman, played by Matilda Lawler, been Richie Tozier’s mother all along?

**Spoiler Alert for IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7 “The Black Spot,” now available on HBO Max**

From the outset, fans of Stephen King have known that HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry would be intricately linked to the universe of Andy Muschietti’s films, It and IT: Chapter Two. This prequel series, with Bill Skarsgård reprising his chilling portrayal of Pennywise the Clown, is set 27 years before the films’ timeline, in the eerie town of Derry.

The series had already established connections to other characters from King’s universe. We’ve seen the younger versions of familiar figures like Mike Hanlon’s father, Will, played by Blake Cameron James, and his grandfather Leroy, portrayed by Jovan Adepo, who is depicted as a courageous U.S. airman. The series also explores the dark legacy of Henry Bowers’s racist grandfather, played by Peter Outerbridge, who wrongfully pins murders on the innocent Hank Grogan, portrayed by Stephen Rider. Additionally, the mysterious Mrs. Kersh, a figure of fear in the films, has her backstory unveiled, revealing the woman she was before becoming a sinister presence. Yet, despite these connections, the link to Richie Tozier has been subtly woven into the narrative, waiting to be uncovered, hidden in plain sight.

We knew that Welcome to Derry would introduce us to Mike Hanlon’s (Chosen Jacobs as a child, Isaiah Mustafa as an adult) father Will (Blake Cameron James) as a young boy and his grandfather Leroy (Jovan Adepo) as a heroic U.S. airman. We’ve seen It bully Henry Bowers’s (Nicholas Hamilton) racist grandfather (Peter Outerbridge) hang the murders of It‘s victims on poor, innocent Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider). We’ve even gotten to learn who the haunting Mrs. Kersh (Joan Gregson) was before she a creepy crone! However, we did not necessarily see the show’s connection to It standout Richie Tozier even though it was staring us right in the bespectacled face!

In IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 7, a racist mob led by Clint Bowers descends upon the Black Spot to capture and kill Hank Grogan. When the airmen who run the club refuse to hand Hank over, the mob retaliates by locking the doors and burning the bar to the ground. Almost everyone inside dies a brutal death. Will Hanlon and friend Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christine) are saved by Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), per Stephen King’s version of events. However, Dick isn’t able to help the other two kids trapped inside: Rich Santos (Arian S. Cartaya) and Marge Truman.

The romantic Rich sees a small refrigerator and tells Marge that they can both fit inside. However, as soon as Marge climbs in, it’s clear that it’s only big enough for one of them, her. Marge protests, but Rich reminds her that she compared him to a knight because he admitted to having a “chamber pot” to avoid the bathroom (and Pennywise). He explains knights also save maidens fair. Sweet Rich confesses his love for Marge while perishing in the inferno. Marge tells Rich that she loves him, too.

So why does this scene basically scream to us that Marge will grow up to be Richie Tozier’s mom? Well, besides the fact that it makes sense that Marge would honor her childhood love and literal hero by naming her own son Rich, or Richie, there have been clues throughout the season that Marge is Richie’s mom.

First of all, Marge and Richie share common characteristics. There is, of course, the fact that they both wear glasses, but Marge is lowkey the funny girl in her class. We see this come out when she begins to play out a comic death scene for the amusement of the Patty Cakes in Episode 2 and when she giddily pulls down her eye patch to scare a kid in Episode 6. Marge can be a ham, much like Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier.

However, the real smoking gun? In Stephen King’s book, Richie’s mother’s name is “Maggie” Tozier. Both Maggie and Marge are nicknames for Margaret, which we know is Marge’s full name.

Weeks ago, IT: Welcome to Derry executive producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti even teased DECIDER that there “at least two big twists where they’re definitely connected to the [Loser’s Club] characters that we know” still coming after Episode 5.

“I can’t spoil them, but you have to wait for them,” Andy Muschietti said.

“You know, the bloodlines are incredibly important in Derry because Pennywise shows up every 27 years,” Barbara Muschietti said. “Which is once a generation, basically.” 

“Also, generational trauma is such a big theme in the book that it is almost impossible not to tell the story of ancestors, just to kind of comment on why people are the way they are,” Andy Muschietti said.

“Before it was called ‘generational trauma,’” Barbara Muschietti said, chuckling.

So between Rich’s sacrifice, Marge’s propensity for cracking jokes, and the Muschiettis’ own hints, we’re thinking that, yeah, Marge Truman is Richie Tozier’s mama. Meaning that at least three Loser’s Club kids have connections to the kids we’ve met in IT: Welcome to Derry: Mike Hanlon is obviously Will’s son, Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff) is the nephew of Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler), and Richie is now Marge’s son.