One of the most popular sci-fi franchises of the 80s is undoubtedly Back to the future. If the second and third installments divided the fanbase, they remain nonetheless cult today. But if Marty McFly had died in the second film? In any case, this is what this fan claims, who shared his theory on Reddit.
A cult trilogy from the second half of the 80s
In 1985, a film was released that will mark its time, but also the generations to come: Back to the future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Alone in the World), we follow the life of Mart McFly, a typical young American teenager who, a priori, has no particular destiny. But that will change when he goes with his teacher Emmett Brown, the “Doc”, for an experiment in which he will discover that it is possible to travel in time.
A true phenomenon, the feature film will be followed bya second part, released in 1989. The Doc, Marty and his girlfriend will return to the future to fix some mistakes made on their first trip. And if all three come out again more or less unscathed, things could have been very different and Marty would actually be dead…before he was brought back to life.
a theory based on going back in time (logic)
Here is the theory put forward by “Hootinger” on Reddit: towards the end of Back to the Future 2, Marty takes on the character of Biff Tannen. This one is aboard his car and has managed to seize the sports almanac, in a future that has become dystopian. Marty, on his hoverboard, therefore tries to catch up with him and both rush into a tunnel. Biff attempts to get rid of his pursuer, but the Doc manages to save him by stretching a rope at the exit of the tunnel, allowing Marty to grab him to get up, while Biff will end up in a pile of manure.
That’s the scene we saw. But what if Marty had actually been knocked down by his opponent in the tunnel and died? According to the Reddit user, the Doc had no way of knowing exactly where the chase was going: he therefore could not know when and where exactly to throw the rope. If he was able to do this, it would be because he had already witnessed the scene for the first time, but Marty McFly would be dead.
He would therefore have gone back in time thanks to the DeLorean and, having all the necessary information, could have saved his friend’s life. If he didn’t say anything to him afterwards, it would be because he is emotionally too fragile and therefore shouldn’t be pushed around.
Obviously, this is just a theory, and movie magic was probably enough to make Doc’s timing perfect to help Marty get away with it unscathed. But do you still find it plausible? Do not hesitate to share your opinion with us!
