Back to the Future is a franchise that has become iconic for many reasons. But aside from the time-traveling DeLorean, its most important aspect was the relationships between its characters. This included the evolving relationship between villain Biff Tannen and the McFly family, as well as the growing relationship between George and Lorraine. But it’s hard not to focus mainly on the friendship between Doc Brown and Marty McFly.
While the two have been best friends since before the film started, the way they met was something that was never explained. In fact, the misgivings of Marty spending time with Doc came into question very early on. However, the origin of their meeting is special and one that ties into a much deeper connection. But even better than that is how organic their introduction was.
When Did Doc Brown and Marty Meet in Back to the Future?
According to a Mental Floss answer penned by Back to the Future’s co-writer, Bob Gale, a curious Marty snuck into Doc Brown’s lab and became fascinated by the creations that Doc Brown had been working on. He was young, around 13 or 14, and impressionable, but the creations that he saw were enough to pique his curiosity. Doc Brown saw this and realized that someone had noticed he wasn’t a strange hermit as so many had assumed, and he took him under his wing. He even paid Marty for the youth’s help with his experiments, like the DeLorean.
Sadly, their friendship also placed Marty in danger as Doc was buying plutonium from Libyan terrorists who had tried to kill him. This placed Marty in a situation where he had to travel through time to survive, embarking on a harrowing adventure. Nevertheless, Doc did his best to make amends and did what he could to give Marty the best future possible. This helped explain why their friendship is so important.
Why Is Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s Relationship So Special?
Doc Brown is a man who never had the luxury of friends, and he appreciates Marty to the point of risking a paradox to save his own life, per Marty’s request. There’s no real explanation for why they’re so close, but Doc Brown might’ve seen a bit of himself in Marty, who wasn’t the most popular, but he worked with what he had. He saw Marty’s potential and helped push him to be the best person he could be.
In the end, their friendship is something for the ages and shows just how important a pairing can be for the fabric of reality. The two may have seemed like unlikely companions, but they were people who had their own flaws and were outcasts in their own right. Yet, both lived their lives as they came, and neither let anything keep them from their potential. In the end, Marty McFly and Doc Brown may be one of the most important friendships in the history of time.
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