Biff Family

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Biff Tannen comes from a long line of bullies in Hill Valley who have consistently harassed members of the McFly family. In 1955, he targets George McFly and his gang, while George lacks friends for support. By 1985 in the original timeline, Biff runs a door-to-door car-waxing service. However, in the alternate 1985 created by stealing the almanac from 2015, Biff becomes a wealthy man who murdered George McFly in 1973 on his way to receive an award, staging it as a mugging. In this dystopian timeline, Biff forces Lorraine into marriage and runs a criminal empire.

In Their Own Story

The alternate 1985 timeline reveals the terrifying extent of Biff Tannen's power after he alters history. In this reality, George McFly is dead, having been murdered by Biff in 1973 while traveling to receive an award. The death was staged as a mugging to cover up the crime. Consequently, Lorraine McFly is widowed and forced into a marriage with Biff. While the original timeline shows Biff working a humble car-waxing service, this version of him dominates Hill Valley through fear and violence. The family's pattern of bullying remains consistent across eras, with Biff and his relatives always seeking to dominate the McFlys.

Reader's Guide

To understand the Tannen family, one must track their actions across specific time periods. In 1955, Biff is a high school bully targeting George McFly. In 2015, his grandson Griff leads a gang using hoverboards to harass citizens. The most significant turning point occurs when Biff steals the sports almanac from 2015 and uses it to create a dystopian 1985 where he holds absolute power. This timeline is characterized by George's death in 1973 and Lorraine's forced marriage to Biff. The only way to defeat them is to restore the space-time continuum, returning history to its original state where Biff returns to his role as a low-level car-waxing service operator.

Did You Know?

• Thomas F. Wilson portrays both Biff Tannen in the main timeline and his ancestor Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the Old West.
• In the alternate 1985 timeline, Biff murdered George McFly in 1973 on his way to receive an award.
• Biff's ancestor Buford Tannen was one of Hill Valley's outlaws during the 1880s.
• In the original 1985 timeline, Biff runs a door-to-door car-waxing service.
• The Tannen family is known for harassing members of the McFly family across multiple generations.