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Marty McFly

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Marty McFly
Back to the Future character
Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly
First appearanceBack to the Future (1985)
Created byRobert Zemeckis
Bob Gale
Portrayed byMichael J. Fox
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameMartin Seamus McFly
NicknameMarty
OccupationStudent
FamilyGeorge McFly (father)
Lorraine Baines-McFly (mother)
Dave McFly (brother)
Linda McFly (sister)
Stella Baines (grandmother)
Sam Baines (grandfather)
Milton Baines (uncle)
Toby Baines (uncle)
Joey Baines (uncle)
Sally Baines (aunt)
Ellen Baines (aunt)
Biff Tannen (stepfather; alternate timeline)
SpouseJennifer Parker McFly
ChildrenMarty McFly Jr. (son)
Marlene McFly (daughter)
RelativesSeamus McFly (great-great grandfather)
Maggie McFly (great-great grandmother)
William McFly (great-grandfather)
HomeHill Valley, California
NationalityIrish American
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • Electric guitar
Associated acts
  • The Pinheads
  • Marvin Berry and the Starlighters
Pseudonyms
Time travel
Original time1985
Years visited1885, 1955, 1985 (alternate timeline), 2015

Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise. He is a high school student who accidentally becomes a time traveler and alters history after his friend Emmett Brown invents a DeLorean time machine.

Canadian actor Michael J. Fox portrays him in the film trilogy, while various actors have portrayed or voiced him in other media. In the animated series, David Kaufman voices him, and in the video game developed and published by Telltale Games, he is voiced by A.J. LoCascio, while Fox makes vocal cameos as his future counterparts. Olly Dobson played him in the original stage musical adaptation (the West End production), and Casey Likes currently plays him in the Broadway production.

In 2019, Empire magazine selected McFly as the 12th Greatest Movie Character of All Time.[1]

Development[edit]

Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. His view of the movie clashed, however, with that of the director, Robert Zemeckis. While the film was to become a sci-fi comedy (and box office smash hit), Stoltz had read the script from a more serious angle, apparently focusing on the tragic consequences of going back to live a life that was not one's own. Five weeks into shooting, Zemeckis replaced Stoltz with Michael J. Fox.[2]

Characteristics[edit]

Marty McFly is the Back to the Future protagonist who is raised in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California.[3] He is a confident teenager who attends high school and dreams of becoming a star in the music industry. He also lives in a family with various personal issues.[4] He is the youngest of three children of George McFly and Lorraine Baines-McFly. He has a brother, Dave McFly, and a sister, Linda McFly. Marty's girlfriend is Jennifer Parker and his best friend is Emmett Brown, a scientist Marty and Jennifer call "Doc".[5] In the third film, Marty meets his great-great paternal grandparents, Seamus and Maggie, who were Irish immigrants in 1885. He also meets their infant son William, Marty's great-grandfather.[6]

In Back to the Future, Marty's clothing reflects the fashion of 1985. He wears a pair of Levi's jeans, paired with a buttoned shirt, a denim jacket with a puffer jacket on top and a pair of Nike Bruins.[7] Marty enjoys playing electric guitar with his group The Pinheads and plays "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. He is also a talented skateboarder, often clinging onto the back of vehicles to gain extra speed when he is late for school.[8] He also proves to be an excellent pistol shot, a skill he has honed by playing shooting games such as Wild Gunman.[9]

Despite never explicitly being explained in the film, co-creator Bob Gale confirmed that Marty met his friend Doc Brown when he was around 14 after hearing that Brown was a dangerous lunatic. Marty was curious, so he snuck into Doc's lab and was fascinated by his inventions. Doc allowed him to help with his experiments and their friendship began.[10]

Marty frequently uses pop culture references, particularly when adopting aliases throughout the Back to the Future series. In the first film, soon after waking up in the bedroom of Lorraine in 1955, he adopts the name "Calvin Klein" after she starts calling him that due to it being Marty's brand of underwear.[11] He also uses the alias "Darth Vader, an extraterrestrial from the Planet Vulcan", thereby confusing Star Wars with Star Trek, while wearing a radiation suit to attempt to coerce George into asking Lorraine out to the dance. In the third film, he uses the name "Clint Eastwood" after traveling back to 1885.[12] In the French dub of Back to the Future, the name Calvin Klein was replaced by Pierre Cardin, after the French fashion designer.[13]

Appearances[edit]

Main article: Back to the Future (franchise)

Back to the Future films[edit]

Back to the Future[edit]

Main article: Back to the Future

In the first film, Dr. Brown shows Marty the time machine, in the form of a DeLorean, which he had invented after stealing plutonium (used as fuel for the vehicle's time circuits) from Libyan terrorists, who wanted him to build a nuclear weapon. During this exchange, the enraged terrorists shoot the doctor, and Marty escapes from them in the time machine, accidentally traveling back to 1955. There, he encounters his teenage parents and disrupts how they meet. Marty contacts the 1955 Dr. Brown and, with his help, reunites his parents and travels back to an alternate 1985, where his father, George, is a novelist, and Biff, his father's high school bully, becomes their caretaker. He also discovers that Dr. Brown is still alive because he had worn a bulletproof vest after Marty warned him about his fate in 1955.

Back to the Future Part II[edit]

Main article: Back to the Future Part II

In the second film, Dr. Brown brings Marty and Jennifer to 2015. They had married, and their teenage son, Marty Jr, was arrested, costing the whole McFly family. Jennifer is knocked unconscious by Brown, and Marty (from 1985) disguises himself as his son and comes into contact with the elder Biff. His son is supposed to meet Biff's grandson, Griff, who forces him to commit a crime with Griff and his gang. The disguised Marty prevents this from happening and gets into a hoverboard dash, resulting in Griff and his crew getting arrested instead of Marty Jr. Jennifer, who was left behind, is taken back to her 2015 home by the police after tracing her there using her fingerprints. Marty and Dr. Brown rescue her while, unbeknownst to them, Elder Biff steals their time machine and returns to 1955, where he gives his younger self an Almanac from the future to use for gambling. When they all return to 1985, they discover that Hill Valley is now a dystopia, with Biff becoming extraordinarily rich and corrupt. He had forcefully married Marty's mother, Lorraine, and secretly murdered Marty's father. He also legalized gambling in the process of becoming known as the 'Luckiest Man on Earth.' Marty and Dr. Brown return to 1955 again to steal the Almanac from 1955 Biff, in which they succeed. Dr. Brown, however, is sent to 1885 after lightning strikes the DeLorean. Marty receives a letter from Brown, written on September 1, 1885.

Back to the Future Part III[edit]

Main article: Back to the Future Part III

In the third film, Marty re-contacts 1955 Dr. Brown and informs him of everything that has happened. Together they discover that someone killed the doctor six days after he wrote the letter and that he had hidden the DeLorean in a mineshaft. Together, Marty and Doc (from 1955), dig up the DeLorean. Marty goes back to 1885 in an attempt to save Doc and meets his great-great-grandparents, Seamus and Maggie, and their son, his great-grandfather. He searches for Dr. Brown and finds out he has become a blacksmith. Marty crosses paths with "Mad Dog" Tannen, Biff's great-grandfather, and gets into a brawl with him. While they plan their escape, Marty and Dr. Brown meet Clara Clayton, a teacher, and the doctor falls in love with her. During the festival, "Mad Dog" and Marty agree on a one-on-one showdown Monday morning; however, that is the day Marty is meant to travel back to 1985. During the showdown, Marty defeats "Mad Dog" and proceeds the plan with the doctor. Finally, Dr. Brown decides to stay in 1885 with Clara while Marty travels back to 1985. The time machine is destroyed by an oncoming train, with Marty barely escaping. He reunites with Jennifer and decides not to race Needles, which would have cost him his music career.

Other appearances[edit]

Influence[edit]

Marty McFly has often been referenced in popular culture. Morty Smith of the American animated series Rick and Morty (originally voiced by Justin Roiland) began as a parody of Marty McFly.[21] Japanese pro wrestler Kushida has dressed as Marty McFly as part of his ring character.[22] In October 2021, Daniel Craig reenacted a Back to the Future scene in the role of Marty with James Corden and Christopher Lloyd on The Late Late Show.[23] Season 3 of Stranger Things includes numerous references to Back to the Future, including visual homages to the character.[24] When Michael J. Fox joined British band Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury in 2024, Chris Martin explained, "The main reason why we're in a band is because of watching Back to the Future".[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". Empire. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  2. ^ "Why original Marty McFly Eric Stoltz was fired from Back to the Future". Digital Spy. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Back To The Future' Fans Transform Town Into Hill Valley - CBS Detroit". www.cbsnews.com. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  4. ^ Nissley, Trey (2023-03-12). "'80s Movie Characters Who are Still Relatable Today". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  5. ^ "'Back to the Future' cast: Where are they now?". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  6. ^ Cotter, Padraig (2022-10-03). "Every McFly Played By Michael J. Fox In The Back To The Future Trilogy". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  7. ^ Corsillo, Liza (2015-10-21). "Why Marty McFly's Clothes Were Cooler in the First Back to The Future Movie". GQ. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  8. ^ Garland, Chad (2015-10-14). "Burbank goes 'Back' one more time". Burbank Leader. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  9. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2015-10-21). "How Marty McFly Saved Video Games". VG247. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  10. ^ Nicholson, Max (2011-08-17). "How Marty McFly Met Doc Brown". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  11. ^ "Back to the Future's 12 best, most 'heavy' time travel jokes". SYFY Official Site. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  12. ^ Valentino, Alexander (2024-07-03). "The 10 Best Marty McFly Quotes In The Back To The Future Trilogy, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  13. ^ Welk, Brian (2020-12-29). "Here's Why Marty McFly Keeps Showing Up in Tributes to Pierre Cardin". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  14. ^ "Back to the Future musical sets date for world premiere in Manchester". BBC News. 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  15. ^ Gans, Andrew (2022-08-17). "London's Back to the Future Welcomes New Cast Members August 17". Playbill.
  16. ^ Masseron, Meg (March 1, 2023). "Casey Likes Will Star in Back to the Future On Broadway". Playbill.
  17. ^ Lowe, Adam (2022-11-15). "From 'Jumanji' to 'Ghostbusters', 11 Cartoon Series Based On Live-Action Feature Films". Collider. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  18. ^ "Michael J. Fox reprises his role as Marty McFly in Lego Dimensions". Eurogamer.net. 2015-09-14. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  19. ^ Zumberge, Marianne (2015-10-22). "'Back to the Future's' Marty McFly, Doc Brown Time-Travel to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  20. ^ McWhertor, Michael (2023-04-25). "The Funko Pop video game's first trailer is a descent into pop culture madness". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  21. ^ Plante, Corey (2017-04-26). "'Rick and Morty' Exists Because Its Creators Are Huge Trolls". Inverse. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  22. ^ Toro, Carlos (2022-10-04). "KUSHIDA: Back to the Future in Japan". Monthly Puroresu. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  23. ^ Brockington, Ariana (2021-10-08). "Daniel Craig and James Corden Re-create 'Back to the Future,' 'Thelma & Louise' on 'Late Late Show'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  24. ^ Chaney, Jen (2019-07-19). "Stranger Things 3 Is Basically One Big Back to the Future Homage". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  25. ^ "The sweet reason Coldplay played with Michael J Fox at Glastonbury". The Independent. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-13.

External links[edit]

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