The New ‘It’ Theory Blowing Up The Internet Is Proof That 2017 Really Is Something Else

If even the knowledge of how hot Bill Skarsgård looks out of his Pennywise costume isn't enough to stop your nightmares, then perhaps this latest fan theory about It will help. In a truly fabulous twist of horror lore, fans across the internet have started to suggest that Pennywise is gay in It with the character being claimed by Twitter's LGBT community as one of their own. And it doesn't stop there — fans are also shipping The Babadook and Pennywise as a couple, because apparently even primordial manifestations of grief and ancient evil probably need some Netflix and chill time every now and then, too.

As you might remember, The Babadook became an unexpected gay icon over the summer after Netflix accidentally listed the movie in their LGBT category. The internet understandably lit up over the idea, celebrating The Babadook's penchant for high drama and joking about the "B" in LGBT standing for Babadook. While The Babadook is a basement-dwelling grief monster with a flair for flamboyant gothic style, Pennywise is a sewer-dwelling monster who feeds off the fear of children while rocking a solid red lip. Basically, the two were a supernatural Tinder match waiting to happen. And the internet had a lot of feelings about it.

Aside from the idea that Pennywise is apparently an LGBT ally, fans were also loving the suggestion that the clown (which is actually an inter-dimensional spider demon manifesting in that form) has enough in common with The Babadook to really make a go at a love connection. There's already fan art, as seen below.

Just look at those faces. They're perfect together, right? Meanwhile, others were quick to salute the fact that both of these horror icons are now LGBT icons, too.

Others, on the other hand, were doing the important task of trying to conclude what power name this new "It" couple should go by. At the time of reporting, more than 43,800 votes were cast in a Twitter poll, and "Pennydook" is currently in the lead with 66 percent. (Sorry, Babawise.)

However, not everyone is quite so into this idea. As the Twitter user @dreamoforgorgnon pointed out, the complexity of Pennywise's identity would kind of make it feel as though he was possibly catfishing The Babadook. Incidentally, this is a romantic quandary that we'd probably all pay good money to see Nev and Max investigate in a future episode of their MTV series.

And on a more serious note, there were others who actually made the point that the LGBT community claiming these sorts of monsters as their own is actually too reductive to have fun with and extremely damaging.

The whole situation also takes on a different tone when you take into account the horrific homophobic murder that Pennywise is part of at the beginning of Stephen King's novel of It, which is definitely a valid point to bring up.

It's worth remembering that there are still plenty of close-minded people who mistakenly believe that the LGBT community is somehow evil or monstrous, in and of itself. And as such, claiming horror movie monsters as LGBT icons could be seen as a fun kickback against such attitudes, enacting such tired beliefs in the most ludicrous way possible and having fun with it in the process.

It may seem like the silliest thing ever to ship Pennywise and The Babadook together, and it certainly isn't rational to claim them both as LGBT icons, but it definitely is fun. And if there's one thing that 2017 has been lacking, it's exactly that. So, what do you say — do we all float for Pennydook?