Doc Brown's Letter to Marty
Proof that some friendships refuse to stay buried by history.
Doc Brown's letter to Marty is written by Emmett "Doc" Brown on September 1, 1885, after a lightning strike sends him and the DeLorean back to the Old West. At the end of Back to the Future Part II a Western Union courier delivers it to Marty in 1955; in it Doc tells him that the lightning strike transported him to 1885.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Dr. Emmett Brown
- Recipient
- Marty McFly
Lore & Background
Using information from the letter, Marty and the 1955 Doc find and repair the DeLorean, which Doc had hidden in a mineshaft in 1885, so that Marty can return to 1985. After finding it, Marty comes across a tombstone inscribed with Doc's name, stating that he was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen over 80 dollars, six days after writing the letter. Despite the letter's warning, Marty travels to September 2, 1885, to save Doc.
Reader's Guide
The letter serves as the narrative link into Back to the Future Part III, resolving the cliffhanger left at the end of Part II. It is the catalyst that drives Marty to travel to 1885 to save Doc.
More in Production & Legacy
Elsewhere in Back to the Future
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