Credit: Universal PicturesIt’s fair to say that the Back to the Future franchise is no stranger to multiple timelines and realities. After all, theoretically speaking, the nature of time travel involves things such as alternate realities or, at the very least, altering one’s own reality.
Back to the Future co-creator Bob Gale has already confirmed there’s an alternate Back to the Future timeline that accommodates non-canon material such as the 1991 cartoon series, the IDW Publishing comic book series, and the 2010 video game.
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But we only need to look at Back to the Future Part II (1989) to see that the films already deal with alternate realities, as Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) finds himself in a very different 1985 where Biff Tannen (Thomas F Wilson) — now a millionaire after acquiring a sports almanac from his 2015 self — has married Marty’s mother Lorraine McFly (Lea Thompson). Fortunately, Marty sets everything right by traveling back to 1955 in the DeLorean with Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) to stop the 1955 Biff from ever receiving the almanac, but the 1985 they end up “restoring” still isn’t the original one.
In fact, by this point, they’re so far beyond the original 1985, because the one Marty returns to at the end of the first film isn’t the original one, either.
In Back to the Future (1985), after traveling back to 1955, Marty returns home to 1985 to find that his parents, George McFly (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine Baines-McFly, have a happier marriage, one of many notable “improvements” thanks to his meddling 30 years ago. This in itself suggests that Marty is now living in an alternate reality (come to think of it, where’s the Marty McFly from this new 1985..?). But there’s another detail, and one that’s overlooked, which suggests our favorite time-traveling teen is indeed living in a different timeline: his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker.
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In the first film, Jennifer Parker was played by Claudia Wells; however, in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III (1990), she’s played by Elisabeth Shue. The reason behind this recasting is well known: Wells, who remains a beloved Back to the Future icon and continues to attend comic conventions worldwide, had to leave the series due to personal circumstances.
So, we know why this change occurred off the screen, but within the narrative itself, could this cast member change suggest that Marty and Doc have messed with time a tad too much? It’s entirely plausible that Jennifer’s change in appearance suggests that Marty has ended up in a different reality. That said, surely he’d have noticed his girlfriend suddenly looking like a different human being. Unless, of course, Marty is about as observant as his family, who don’t seem to remember him helping them back in 1955!
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The Back to the Future trilogy stars Michael J Fox (Marty McFly), Christopher Lloyd (Doc Emmett Brown), Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines-McFly), Crispin Glover (George McFly), Thomas F Wilson (Biff Tannen), Claudia Wells/Elisabeth Shue (Jennifer Parker), James Tolkan (Principal Strickland), Marc McClure (Dave McFly), and Wendie Jo Sperber (Linda McFly).
Back to the Future: The Musical (2020) is now showing in the West End and on Broadway. For information on stops and dates for the North American tour, visit the official website. A Tokyo version of the show also begins in April.
What do you think about this theory? Do you think Marty has left the original 1985 behind and is now lost somewhere in the Back to the Future Multiverse? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!