McFly Family

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Lore & Background

The McFly family's story is one of transformation through courage. In 1955, George McFly is portrayed as a weakling with low self-esteem and the main target of Biff Tannen's bullying. The novelization describes two incidents where George cannot stand up for himself. Unlike Marty, George had no friends for support and was targeted not only by Biff and his gang but also by other kids in school. He has a penchant for science fiction and writes some of his own but never shares them for fear of rejection. Marty suggests George play the hero and save Lorraine at the dance. Instead, George witnesses Biff attempt to rape Lorraine. After Biff shoves Lorraine to the ground, George gets the courage to stand up to him, knocking him unconscious. As a result, George and Lorraine fall in love, and George becomes popular in school. In the post-time travel 1985, George works as a college professor and successful writer. In the dystopian timeline of Part II, Biff murdered George in 1973 on his way to receive an award, staging the death as a mugging. The McFly family also includes Seamus and Maggie McFly, Irish immigrants and the paternal great-great-grandparents of Marty. In Part III, Seamus befriends Marty despite Maggie's distrust. They have a son named William, Marty's great-grandfather. Like his descendants, Seamus is harassed by Buford Tannen.

In Their Own Story

The McFly household in 1985 before Marty's first trip is a place of quiet failure. George is a meek clerk bullied by Biff. Lorraine is middle-aged, out of shape, and unhappy with a drinking problem. Dave works at Burger King. Linda has boy trouble. After Marty changes the timeline, everything shifts. George becomes a confident college professor and successful writer. Lorraine is fit and happily married. Dave wears a suit as a white-collar worker for an accounting firm. Linda works in a boutique and has gained the attention of many boys. In the dystopian timeline of Part II, George is dead, Lorraine is widowed and forced into marriage with Biff, and Dave is an alcoholic and gambling addict. The McFly family's fate hinges entirely on one night in 1955.

Reader's Guide

The McFly family's evolution is a direct result of George's single act of courage at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. By standing up to Biff and knocking him unconscious, George transforms from a bullied weakling into a confident man. This change ripples through the family: Lorraine becomes happy and fit, Dave moves from Burger King to an accounting firm, Linda gains social success, and George becomes a published author. The dystopian timeline shows the opposite: without that courage, George is murdered, Lorraine is trapped in an abusive marriage, and the children spiral into addiction and failure. The McFly family proves that one moment of bravery can reshape an entire lineage.

Did You Know?

• George McFly was portrayed by Crispin Glover in Back to the Future, but Jeffrey Weissman played him in Parts II and III after Glover demanded more money than producers were willing to pay.
• In the dystopian timeline of Part II, Biff murdered George in 1973 on his way to receive an award and staged the death as a mugging.
• Seamus and Maggie McFly, Marty's paternal great-great-grandparents, are Irish immigrants who befriend Marty in Part III.
• The novelization of the first film describes two incidents in which George is unable to stand up for himself, expanding on his history of weakness.
• In the post-time travel 1985, George works as a college professor and successful writer, while Biff runs a door-to-door car-waxing service.