MovieChat Forums > Back to the Future (1985) Discussion > The Other Marty

The Other Marty

posted 3 years ago by KinkyInk (1694)
12 replies | jump to latest

When Marty returns to Lone Pine Mall and sees the interaction with the terrorists unfold, he watches himself jump into the Delorean and go back in time.

But that Marty is not the same Marty as him. That Marty grew up with parents who were well-adjusted. So when that Marty goes back to 1955, what is he going to do? Unless he does the same as the original Marty did, he's going to return to a 1985 where his parents are weird.

And if his parents constantly told him about the Under the Sea dance, like they did with the original Marty, they would tell him about the weird guy who showed up for a week and changed their lives. (Somehow not recognizing that their son looked exactly like him.) Would the second Marty then realize he was that weird guy?

And the first Marty is going to have completely different family memories than his siblings and parents. Like, he'll say, "Remember that time Dad did that crazy thing?" And his sister and brother will be like, "What? When did that happen?" Or his sister or brother might say, "Remember that vacation we took to Hawaii?", and Marty would respond, "What? We could never afford that."

[–] mcp7 (143) 3 years ago

If it's a different Marty, it's true it creates problems like you say. This issue was already discussed in IMDB if I recall correctly.

The way I see it, it's still the same Marty, because the ripple effect still hadn't affected him. Marty doesn't realize his family has changed until the next day. For all we know, his "loser" family still existed right after Marty returned to 1985, and changed during that night.

If the "other Marty" really grew up with the cool parents from the altered 1955, he would also be traveling to a 1955 with the original Marty we follow in the movie in it.

[–] KinkyInk (1694) 3 years ago

But if the ripple effect still hadn't affected the other Marty, then how did it affect Doc? Doc was wearing the bulletproof vest, so Marty's actions in 1955 had already affected him. In other words, that Doc lived from 1955 to 1985 living under the effects of Marty's actions in 1955. And he lived in the same world as Marty's parents. Any effects Marty's actions would've had on Doc would had an effect on his parents also.

Your last sentence brings up a good point, and I think that's another paradox (or an extension of this one).

[–] JoWilli (20278) 3 years ago

its a time loop basically, Marty is constantly going back in time to 1955, when he comes back and sees himself, he would have to find a way to destroy the DeLorean or tell himself not to go back. which would create another paradox as there would be 2 Martys now. weird to think about this stuff...

[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

Same thing happens in BTTF2 where Biff returns to the original 2015 timeline, to conveniently give back the Delorean to Doc and Marty. This was the ripple effect explained in a deleted scene but the ripple effect seems like a poorly written loophole to explain paradoxes. There is no explanation on how long it takes before the ripple effect comes into play.

[–] KinkyInk (1694) 3 years ago

If there is a ripple effect, it's already in effect by the time the original Marty gets to the mall, because it's now Lone Pine Mall instead of Twin Pines Mall. Unless the ripple effect affects different things at different times.

[–] JoWilli (20278) 3 years ago

I have never noticed that and I have seen the movie at least 50 times, how weird! lol

[–] gtmufc (46) 3 years ago

The ripple effect thing to me makes sense... once Marty watches himself get transported back to 1955 in the DeLorean, that's when everything around him should start to change... only problem with that is the 'Lone Pine Mall' that has already changed before he gets transported (but I suppose you could just say that's a continuity error and let that slide - this film is full of contradictions, but we all still love it).

That means that when he watches Doc get shot, that Doc didn't have a bulletproof vest on and is actually dead (just like in the beginning). But, when the ripple effect takes place, the bulletproof vest appears on a now-alive Doc (who is actually no longer the same Doc that just got shot, if that makes sense).

[–] ThrillerTalk (1118) 3 years ago

It is the same Marty. Once Marty went back in time and interacted with people all of that became a part of the history of that time. So when Marty goes back again and sees himself he's seeing himself going through everything he went through before he got to the point of that part of the story.

If he went back again he'd see himself watching himself.

[–] KinkyInk (1694) 3 years ago

If Marty came back to 1985 from 1955, he's coming back to a timeline that he altered. We see that is a fact because it's now Lone Pine Mall instead of Twin Pines Mall. So the Marty he sees jump into the Delorean would have lived in that timeline. That Marty would have normal parents and grown up differently than the original Marty. So the question is, what is that different Marty going to do differently back in 1955?

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7734) 3 years ago

Frankly I think time was changed and the event of him seeing himself go through time is now part of his timelie. But he is that same Marty. Just that he changed his parents past.

[–] hurricane (1960) 3 years ago

With time travel films, no matter how good they are, they will fall down if you overthink it or try to explain how it would work.

Marty was supposed to be witnessing himself go back to 1985, as that's something that had happened to him previously. Whether that would really happen if time travel is really is almost beside the point.

[–] avortac4 (3746) 3 years ago

This was talked about at length in some old magazine, where they followed the timelines of both 'Marties'.

It looks like 'our hero' STOLE someone else's life, that had a much better existence, and dumped HIS miserable life on him. Think of the shock the other Marty has, when his fancy car has turned into a skateboard, his harmonious, confident and beautiful parents into a nerdy, scared wimp and a dissafisfied alcoholic mom and so on...

..and DOC IS DEAD for him, as well.

This is the kind of hero we root for; selfishly stole someone else's much better life and dumped his own craplife to him, where Doc is dead. Thanks, Marty! The other Marty must be ecstatic..