It Chapter 1 & 2: Every Monster Explained & Ranked

12. The Other Bev

The second film quite badly fudges Ben as a character because by the time the "more interesting" characters are dealt with, there's very little for him to do. He's there to look handsome and remind us of how different the characters are from their past (only they aren't obviously, which is the big twist in their arcs).

The only real time we get any substance to Ben's arc and an insight into why he lost so much weight comes when we find out he felt rejected by Bev and set about changing himself so people wouldn't reject him for his looks ever again. Naturally, his haunting when he goes to recover his artefact at the school turns out to be related to the rejection and Bev as he remembers It stealing her image and goading him about why anyone would choose the "fat boy."

Initially, it seems like this is just "normal Bev," but then to salt the wounds a little more and to tie back to Ben's poem about Bev, her hair bursts into flames and she goes full Ghost Rider in a pretty striking sequence.