Back to the Future has been entertaining audiences for decades, earning its movies a reputation as some of the greatest sci-fi stories ever told. Its story made the concept of time travel palatable to general audiences, explaining the sci-fi trope in relatively simple terms in a way that delivered an exciting and engaging adventure. The trilogy, which sees Marty McFly and his inventor friend Doc Brown traveling through several time periods, has been widely celebrated in the years since its release and remains perennially popular with audiences of all ages. As one of the best time travel movie series, the Back to the Future trilogy has also prompted a number of interesting fan theories.
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Many of the theories began as a means of explaining minor plot holes or as an organic continuation of the movies’ own time travel logic. However, when considered carefully, they actually reframe the movies’ story in a new light, as they make subtle changes to the subtext of the franchise. Simply put, once these fan theories are heard, they actually redefine Back to the Future‘s story in a major way.
1) Doc Brown Has Time Traveled Before
As Back to the Future‘s facts about time travel establish how the technology works, it has resulted in several interesting theories. One is that Doc Brown had time-traveled before: essentially, that he was originally a successful inventor who created a time machine, only for a journey into the past to impact his future in a negative way, leading to the reality seen at the beginning of the movie. This theory explains Doc Brown’s absolute assurance in the power of his technology, as he had potentially used it many times before.
2) Biff Kills Marty (And Doc Brown Saves Him)
There are a handful of Back to the Future plot holes that drive fans crazy, but one is resolved by a pretty dark theory. When being chased by Biff in the tunnel in Back to the Future Part II, Marty is rescued in the nick of time by Doc Brown in the flying DeLorean. The theory asserts that he knew when and where to arrive as he had traveled back from a timeline in which Biff was successful in killing Marty, with Doc using time travel to prevent his young friend from dying.
3) Doc Brown’s Perception of Time Travel Changed
An interaction between Doc and Marty near Back to the Future‘s ending has been used as evidence for an interesting theory about Doc Brown. Despite his vehement stance on the dangers of meddling with the timeline throughout the movie, Doc seems intrigued by Marty explaining that George stood up to Biff for the first time. The theory posits that Doc realizes at that moment that the timeline could also be changed for the better, especially as he sees that the photo of Marty and his siblings remains unchanged.
4) Doc Brown Creates the Advanced Technology of 2015
Another fascinating theory regarding the wider implications of the first movie’s story concerns Back to the Future Part II‘s futuristic depiction of 2015. The theory goes that Doc Brown’s various journeys into the past armed with advanced scientific knowledge is what contributed to the impressive technology of the second movie’s future scenes. Doc Brown’s work on the DeLorean in the first movie is theorized to have been a springboard for further scientific innovation, leading to the remarkably advanced society of 2015 seen after Marty then travels forward through time.
5) The DeLorean Prevents Paradoxes
As well as being one of the most iconic cars in sci-fi movie history, Back to the Future‘s DeLorean could be responsible for protecting the fabric of reality, according to one theory. Drawing on evidence from the end of the first movie, when the car inexplicably stalls and prevents Marty from causing a paradox by intervening in Doc being shot by the Libyans, the theory suggests that the DeLorean is able to do so by design. Though the theory is vague on wider details, it’s an idea that paints the whole trilogy in a slightly different light.
6) Doc Brown Killed Marty
In perhaps the darkest Back to the Future theory circling the internet, it is posited that Doc Brown actually deliberately killed Marty McFly. The ending of the first movie sees Marty return to 1985 in time to see himself escape the Libyans in the DeLorean by traveling through time. However, the version of Marty seen escaping would have had a different upbringing, making his time in 1955 potentially paradoxical. The theory is that Doc, knowing this, had rigged the DeLorean to instead kill that version of Marty, thereby allowing the current timeline to remain intact.
7) Marty’s Actions Change His Personality
One of the most interesting Back to the Future theories is also practically impossible to disprove or deny. The theory is that while interfering with the past, Marty actually changes his own personality, which results in his later inability to back down from a challenge. The way in which he affects his upbringing, especially when asking his parents to “go easy on him,” would logically lead to a different set of characteristics in the Marty of 1985. It’s a theory that perfectly tracks with the movies’ own rules about time travel, while also explaining Marty’s own character traits in the second and third movies.
You can stream the Back to the Future trilogy on Hulu/Disney+.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
