Beverly, Ben, and Bill share a love triangle in both IT movies, the most recent adaptations based on Stephen King's classic stories. Beverly is the sole female member of the Losers Club. She knew Bill first, but she and Ben had a connection before either of them joined the club. Beverly is a unique female character in that she doesn't consign to the typical pit-falls of the usual "one of the boys" characters.
She's her own person and doesn't do things to prove herself to them. This allows for a more genuine romantic storyline, as the boys seem to admire her as a person and not as a fetish. There's no saying who she should be with, but the three certainly have an interesting dynamic. These 10 facts about the trio provide a window into their characters and in turn some of the greatest depths of the film.
Bill's Stutter Hides His Assertive Personality
Bill can easily come off as the more passive member of the group. He's thin and a bit dweeby, in the way that most twelve-year-olds are expected to be. The fact that he has a stutter on top of all of this doesn't help him to seem like a particularly powerful character. But if you were to look only at the things he says, everything about what he says and how he says it is actually very powerful and self-assured- the stutter merely throws us off.
Beverly Is Confident Despite Her Abuse
It is heavily implied that Beverly is sexually abused by her father. He repeatedly demands to know if she is still his "little girl," claiming possession of her and becoming instantly suspicious of her interacting with any boys. Everyone handles abuse differently, and it wouldn't be uncommon to be meek and insecure in response to a regularly predatory presence. Beverly responds by being confident of herself in her daily life, hardly phased by the aggressive taunts of her peers. She displays immense strength compared to most members of the group, in fact- something that unfortunately is lost in It: Chapter 2.
Ben Gets Patted On The Back, Bill Gets Hugs
Poor Ben. He adores Beverly from the moment he meets her. Beverly, for her part, is always very kind to Ben. She does none of that tough-girl nonsense we see in characters such as Maeve in Sex Education. Beverly recognizes that Ben is a vulnerable person being the new kid at school, and she knows what it's like to be a victim. Unfortunately for Ben, Beverly is already partial to Bill, whom she shared a kiss with as young children. The two still have some unfinished business together, making it hard for Ben to be seen as anything but a friend.
Bill Makes It Obvious He Didn't Write The Poem
Beverly references the poem that Ben wrote on the back of a post-card and put in her backpack. She thinks Bill gave it to her, and we can see her excitement in trying to re-connect with him over this. Bill, of course, has no idea what she is talking about and nods along in confusion, asking her if she's talking about the school play they were in as kids. Bill makes it clear it wasn't him who wrote the poem, yet we see Beverly cling to this idea into the second movie.
Beverly And Bill Figure Out IT's Weakness In The First Movie
Beverly is captured by It and taken to the It's lair in the depths of the well house. It tries to intimidate her, but she looks It in the eye and says she isn't frightened of him. Now, in the second film, it's proven that such a comment would make It shrink away- literally.
This is how (spoiler) the group ultimately defeats It at the end of the second movie. Bill also states at the end of the first movie that IT can't defeat them because they aren't afraid, and It seemingly dissipates into the air. So...why does this come as a surprise in IT: Chapter 2?
Only Beverly Volunteers To Go In The Well House
When Bill stubbornly returns to the Well House to pursue and defeat It once and for all, the group resists following him in. Finally, after Bill gives a moving speech, they begin to muster their strength and form a line after him. But when the topic comes up of who should stay outside the house to keep watch, everyone's hands go up- except for Beverly. Pretty much everyone in the group has a difficult life, but no one knows trauma as well as Beverly and Bill. This draws them together in their fearlessness against It.
People Often Finish Bill's Sentences
Another factor contributing to Bill being overlooked or not taken as seriously as he could be is not just the fact that he has a stutter, but that his friends then don't allow him to finish his own sentences due to their own impatience. While it seems like they are doing him a favor, they are in fact taking away his own agency in being able to speak for himself. It's no wonder that when Bill does put his foot down and demand the time to be properly heard, it's as if he's letting off steam that's been brewing a good while.
In IT: Chapter 2, Beverly Never Acknowledges Her Kiss With Bill
In IT: Chapter 1, Beverly is a great character. She is tough, determined, and kind. Do we feel a little bad for Ben being treated more like a puppy than a plausible interest? Sure. But Beverly is maybe 12 or 13, and kids having flaky hearts isn't much of a surprise or big deal- namely, we can't really blame her for wanting to believe the poem is from Bill and not Ben.
She has a crush on Bill and imagining he gave her a gift helps her to escape her terrible life. It's confusing, though, when this flakiness travels into adulthood and we find Beverly kissing Bill one scene and then seemingly ending up with Ben at the end.
Bill And Beverly's Claim That They All Must Face IT Together Is Wrong
Bill and Beverly insist that they all must stay together in order to defeat It. The gang is convinced to enter the Well House for the first time, and as a result, they are petrified- Stanley, the most fearful of them all, gets his entire face bitten. It makes sense that none of them want to go back. But Beverly claims that the only reason It couldn't kill them while in the house was that they were all standing together. Bill cites the same reason when he calls everyone together to go rescue Beverly from It. But when they are all down the well, going face to face with It, all being together doesn't stop them from getting hurt and nearly dying.
Ben Doesn't Get The Goodbye He Deserves
Ben saves Beverly. When they are down in the well, Beverly's eyes are clouded over from staring into the Deadlights in It's mouth. The gang can't get her to wake up, and then Ben kisses her. It's a weird, sleeping-beauty-Esque moment inserted into a horror scenario, but for whatever reason, it works. When Beverly opens her eyes, she sees Ben and quotes the poem he gave her. Following such recognition, one would think Ben would get more of a moment with Beverly after all is said and done in the well. But at the end of the film, we find Ben trail off from the group in the same fashion as the rest of the gang, going home with an unremarkable "bye."