Doc's Disappearance to 1885
Stranded by destiny, he forged a new legend in the Wild West.
This narrative arc bridges the climax of Part II with the opening of Part III, chronicling the enigmatic disappearance of Dr. Emmett Brown from his own time. At the end of Part II, as Doc hovers above Marty in the DeLorean on November 12, 1955, the time machine is struck by lightning and disappears, sending Doc to 1885 and leaving Marty stranded in 1955. The story traces Doc's time in 1885, where he makes a new life as a blacksmith, and the letter that reaches Marty through a Western Union courier.
Quick Facts
- Protagonist
- Dr. Emmett Brown
- Key vehicle
- DeLorean Time Machine
- Status
- Stranded in the Past
Lore & Background
The lightning strike takes Doc to January 1, 1885, the date the malfunctioning time circuits were displaying. In his letter Doc says he is happy in his new life as a blacksmith and asks Marty not to retrieve him but to return to 1985 and destroy the DeLorean, which he has hidden in a mineshaft. The era is defined by the lawlessness of the Old West, dominated by the menacing Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen. Doc's romance with Clara Clayton, the town's new schoolteacher whom he saves from falling into Shonash Ravine, complicates his return to 1985. His struggle balances the scientific imperative to escape against the emotional pull of a life well-lived in a new century.
More in Films & Narrative Arcs
Elsewhere in Back to the Future
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