Ben Hanscom was born in 1946 in Derry, Maine. His father died during the Korean War, leaving his mother to raise him alone.

With little oversight to his physical fitness, Hanscom grew to be corpulent, earning several unflattering nicknames during his childhood.

He joined a group of other outcasts, dubbed the Losers Club, banding together to protect themselves against bullying. However, it is this very club that encounters a strange entity known as [character:QaNYJiQMEeaAugAeyeRIgw], who takes the form of a clown known as [character:wNWyjiQMEeaAugAeyeRIgw|Pennywise]. Joining together their individual expertise, they are able to temporarily vanquish this monster.

As an adult, Hanscom follows his passion, becoming a renowned architect in Hemingford Home, Nebraska. However, some 27 years after the events of their childhood, they discover that their efforts were not as permanent as they'd have hoped. As adults, the remaining Losers Club join together to defeat IT, this time for good.

After defeating IT once more, Hanscom enters into a relationship with his childhood crush and fellow Loser, [character:Zc0jzCQNEeaAugAeyeRIgw]. The two are married shortly afterwards, and their memories of killer clowns from outer space gradually fade.