Doc Brown

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Emmett Brown was born into a wealthy family; the Back to the Future novels state his birth year as 1920, making him 65 in 1985. His father was German, and the family name was originally Von Braun. In 1955, Doc lived in a mansion but spent thirty years burning through that wealth to realize his vision of time travel. By 1985, his mansion had been destroyed by fire, forcing him to reside in the garage where he kept an impressive clock collection and various gadgets. He met Marty McFly when the teenager was about 14 years old; after sneaking into Doc's lab and being discovered, Marty hired himself as a part-time assistant, viewing the 'lunatic' scientist as cool. Their friendship is built on mutual respect, with Doc seeing Marty as the son he never had due to his inquisitive nature.

In Their Own Story

The story of Doc Brown begins with an accident in November 1955: while trying to hang a clock in his bathroom by standing on a toilet, he slipped, banged his head, and received a vision of the flux capacitor. In 1985, he used stolen plutonium to generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to power his DeLorean time machine. When Marty was accidentally sent to 1955, Doc realized plutonium was unavailable there and devised a plan to use a bolt of lightning from the Hill Valley Courthouse clock tower. In Back to the Future Part II, he joined Marty in traveling to 2015. Later, in Part III, he was accidentally transported back to 1885. There, after his DeLorean was destroyed, he built another time machine using a steam engine locomotive and developed a romantic relationship with Clara Clayton, portrayed by Mary Steenburgen. This arc illustrated Doc's growth from an eccentric scientist who chose science over women to a man capable of falling in love.

Reader's Guide

Doc Brown serves as the central inventor and mentor figure whose methods rely on unconventional experimentation and repurposed machinery. His signature vehicle is always the DMC DeLorean, though he famously rejected offers from Ford Motor Company to drive a Mustang, stating, 'Doc Brown does not drive a f-cking Mustang.' In his laboratory, he often uses his pet dogs as test subjects; in 1985, his dog Einstein was sent one minute into the future, while in 1955, his dog Copernicus served as a subject for a brain wave analyzer. His catchphrase, 'Great Scott!', was chosen by Zemeckis after originally considering 'Great Caesar's Ghost!'. The character's appearance features white hair and an older look achieved through makeup, despite Christopher Lloyd being only 46 during the filming of the first movie. Doc is ranked by critics as one of the greatest film characters of the 1980s.

Did You Know?

• Producer Neil Canton suggested Christopher Lloyd for the role after working with him on The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
• The phrase 'Great Scott!' was chosen over 'Great Caesar's Ghost!' because Zemeckis forgot which character originally said it in a Superman series.
• In 1955, Doc Brown named his test dog Copernicus, whereas in 1985 the dog was named Einstein.
• Christopher Lloyd had to speak with director Robert Zemeckis before filming an onscreen kiss for the first time during Back to the Future Part III.