Marty McFly must step on a million different butterflies during his trip to 1955 inBack to the Future. The biggest consequences of Marty’s time traveling are revealed byBack to the Future’s ending- his father’s success as an author, his parents' happy marriage, Biff waxing cars for a living, etc. Smaller changes are signposted byBack to the Future’s many Easter eggs, such as Twin Pines Mall becoming Lone Pine Mall.
Still, Marty hardly keeps a low profile in 1955, interacting with a host of people across a variety of locations. According to the butterfly effect principle, Marty’s impact on 1985 is almost certainly more far-reaching thanBack to the Futurereveals.
7Did Marty Accidentally Popularize The Skateboard?
An Influential Figure Might See Marty’s Skating Display
One of Marty McFly’s most overt stunts in 1955 involves converting a child’s scooter into a skateboard and gliding around Hill Valley like a teenage Tony Hawk before a crowd of amazed onlookers. To any advertising or toy industry executive in attendance, the potential of the skateboard would have been obvious.
Skateboarding in some form existed before the 1950s, so it would be a stretch to argue that Marty invented the sport inBack to the Future’s iconic chase scene. Commercial skateboards, however, did not begin appearing until the late 1950s, soMarty’s thrilling demonstration could have easily accelerated the skateboard’s developmentinto a popular toy in the United States.
6Did The Peabody Family Continue Believing They Saw A Real Alien?
The Peabody Family Might Be One Of Back To The Future’s Hidden Tragedies
One ofBack to the Future’s unaddressed subplots concerns the Peabody family. Lost pine tree aside,Back to the Futurenever reveals what became of the farming clan after their ordeal on July 17, 2025.As far as the Peabodys are concerned, an alien ship carrying a pilot in a yellow suit crashed into their barnthen vanished, never to be seen again.
Farmer Peabody was scared enough to shoot at the “alien,” and it’s fascinating to ponder what the aftermath would have been. Perhaps the Peabodys became alien conspiracy theorists, selling their story to anyone who would listen. Maybe the children were inspired to pursue careers in astronomy. As a darker alternative, maybe Marty McFly scared the Peabody family so badly, none of them psychologically recovered.
5Marty McFly Changed The Futures Of Biff’s Friends Too
Were Biff’s Friends Redeemed?
Back to the Futurenever shows Biff’s cohort of followers in 1985, but Marty’s time-fiddling would have unavoidably altered their lives. PerBack to the Future’s ending, the grown-up Biff goes from a plush office job copying George McFly’s work to waxing George’s car. More importantly, Marty’s influence on the past means Biff’s power is taken away.
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InBack to the Future’s original timeline, Biff’s friends would probably have continued shadowing him, butBiff’s fall from grace in the second timeline suggests his friends would have drifted away, finding their own identities rather than acting as sycophants. Rumors say one of them even appeared in James Cameron’sTitanic.
4Doc Brown’s Career Must Have Got Better Thanks To Marty
Doc Went Forward Knowing His Time Travel Experiment Would Work
Doc Brown knew the importance of not acting upon his knowledge of the future. Seeing his future DeLorean in action, however,Doc Brown would have been saved hours of work trying to figure out time travel, as his insight would negate the need for testing new theories and doubting himself.
Both Doc Browns are doing jigsaw puzzles here, but the second is looking at the picture on the box.
Simply knowing the flux capacitor would ultimately be successful must have given Doc Brown more time to develop other inventions. By contrast, his counterpart inBack to the Future’s unchanged timeline would have been working on the DeLorean with no guarantee of it working. Both Doc Browns are doing jigsaw puzzles here, but the second is looking at the picture on the box.
3Marty McFly’s Influence Upon Local Politics
Did Marty Push Goldie Wilson Into Politics Earlier?
InBack to the Future’s 1985, Goldie Wilson serves as Hill Valley’s mayor, but when Marty meets the younger Wilson in 1955, he’s working as a busboy in the local diner. At this point, Wilson is determined to make something of himself, but has a spark of inspiration when a shocked Marty yells, “that’s right, he’s going to be mayor.”
Given thatGoldie Wilson is mayor inBack to the Future’s original 1985, he evidently settled upon that career path even without Marty’s influence. In the altered timeline, however, Marty seemingly planted the idea of entering local politics into Wilson’s mind at an earlier point.Wilson may have started pursuing his dreams sooner thanks to Marty’s intervention, and such a change would potentially cause a chain reaction throughout Hill Valley.
2George McFly Must Have Realized Time Travel Was Real
George McFly Was A Sci-Fi Fanatic
Marty McFly’s parentsoverlook the uncanny resemblance between their son and their old friend from high school, but George must figure out time travel is real by 1985. When Marty attempts to scare his young father into facing his fears, he claims to be “Darth Vader” from the planet"Vulcan." This incident - an alien making threats in his own bedroom - would have seared itself into George McFly’s brain for life.
Back To The Future’s Darth Vader Song Was Written For A Totally Different Movie - Starring The Original Marty McFly Actor
Back to the Future’s Marty McFly wakes his father with a musical composition with an interesting backstory that originated in another movie.
WhenStar Trekfirst airs during the 1960s andStar Warspremieres in 1977, George would be reacquainted withboth Vulcan and Darth Vader, and surely make the connection to his nighttime visitor from 1955. As a keen writer of science fiction, George would naturally consider time travel to explain both the intruder in his room and the sci-fi references. Combine that with how his old friend from school looks awfully like his own son, George is well-placed to figure out what really happened inBack to the Future.
1Back To The Future’s Torn Phone Book Page
No one can deny that Marty McFly makes a mess in 1955, but he largely avoids leaving permanent destruction upon the past. One notable exception is the diner phone book, which Marty rips a page out of while searching for Doc Brown.
Marty’s influence upon the timeline is potentially far greater than shown.
Marty apparently assumed no one would miss a single phone book page between 1955 and 1985. But if, for example, a teenager in the 1950s needs to reschedule a date with his girlfriend, Emelie Brown, and the page with her number is missing, the sweethearts could break up. Any children they might’ve had would then cease to exist. There are countless other similar permutations of how the torn phone book potentially changesBack to the Future’s history, proving Marty’s influence upon the timeline is potentially far greater than shown.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future follows teenager Marty McFly as he is inadvertently sent back to 1955, where he disrupts his parents' meeting. With the assistance of eccentric inventor Doc Brown, Marty must restore the timeline by ensuring his parents fall in love and find a way back to 1985.
