For a film that explicitly deals with the past,Back to the Futureseems to withhold a hidden backstory that’s vitally important to the main plotline. As explained in theMaking The Trilogyfeaturette,pivotal character Dr. Emmett Brownis said to have worked as a scientist on the Manhattan Project.His involvement in the invention of the atomic bombacts as a logical explanation for his flux capacitor invention and his familiarity with nuclear science. And yet, the filmmakers seem to have chosen to omit this key piece of character information.
Time travel has always been a part of storytelling tradition, with explanations ranging from magic to dreams. However, the Industrial Revolution coinciding with the development of the science fiction genre allowed for amore sophisticated understanding of time travel. Arguably, thisemphasis on technology has allowed the device to take on dark overtonesand is often used as a metaphor for other modern anxieties. The tidbit concerning Doc Brown’s association with the Manhattan Project is a perfect example, firmly rootingBack to the Futurein this tradition.
Doc Brown Was A Scientist On The Manhattan Project Before Back To The Future
Drawing Connections Between Back To The Future and Oppenheimer
When Bob Gale revealed Doc Brown’s scientific origins,the screenwriter opened possibilities to a potentially darker backstory hidden withinBack to the Future.The Manhattan Project obviously comes with its own sinister implications, as explored in Christopher Nolan’s award-winningOppenheimer. Knowing there’saBack to the Futuretimelinewhere J. Robert Oppenheimer and Dr. E. Brown were colleagues adds another layer of supposed regret and fate to this 1985 adventure flick. By choosing to eschew this character detail altogether, the filmmakers miss a huge opportunity to further the themes and messages of the film.
As a genre-defining film,Back to the Futureplayfully examines the consequences of fate through its time travel story plot.
As a genre-defining film,Back to the Futureplayfully examines the consequences of fate through its time travel story plot. Doc Brown serves as the pseudoscience wizard who ushersMarty McFly on his journeyacross the space-time continuum. ButDoc’s purpose isn’t expanded upon much further than his wacky scientist identity.With Nolan utilizing the Manhattan Project as a backdrop forOppenheimer’s conflicted digestion of American history, there’s certainly room for Doc Brown to embrace a revisionist attitude when it comes to his dark past.
Why Back To The Future Never Mentions Doc Brown’s Dark Past
Connecting The Manhattan Project To Back To The Future III
Back to the Futurelikely excludes Brown’s involvement in the Manhattan Project because it would throw off the family-friendly tone.It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize how anOppenheimer-esque tale about the invention of the atomic bomb would not fit in a Robert Zemeckis fever dream. Despite its playful intentions, the film still discusses American history by capturing time capsules of the 1950s and 1980s, and subtly provides prophetic social commentary on media, politics, and conservative sexuality. To say the Manhattan Project wouldn’t fit within theBack to the Futuremultiverse would ignore the film’s historical context.
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The Manhattan Project likely draws more weight when considering the ending ofBack to the Future III. As Doc Brown closes out his time-traveling adventures, he chooses to stay behind in 1885 rather than return to present-day 1985. The far past comes to represent a simpler time for Brown ashe resorts to residing in a time period relatively untouched by nuclear warfareand cross-dimensional travel. Suppose the Manhattan Project is a canonical aspect of Dr. Emmett Brown’s backstory. In that case, running away to the past is the perfect conclusion for this conflicted character arc, hinted at in the background toBack to the Future.
Back to the Future
Cast
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.
