It Takes Time to Become a Mad Scientist

The hit film Back to the Future was released in 1985
and features time-traveling back to the 1950s

In the 1985 movie Back to the Future, the film begins with the camera showing the audience the home of a mad scientist named Dr. Emmett Brown who is also known as "Doc."  There are many gadgets in the house that perform daily morning routines such as putting on a pot of coffee or feeding the dog.  However, the Doc's biggest and greatest invention is a DeLorean that he converted into a time-traveling machine.  A high school teenager named Marty McFly is his assistant, as well as his friend, and the storyline of the film is revolved around him accidentally traveling back in time to 1955.  As a result, he interferes with his parent's relationship and needs the Doc from thirty years ago to help him get back to the future.  While Dr. Emmett Brown's intentions were not evil, he manipulated people and put Marty's life, as well as his own, in danger with his experiment.

Doc Brown has crazy white hair, bloodshot
eyes, a lab coat, and is fairly old

The appearance of the Doc fits many characteristics of what someone would picture a mad scientist to look like.  First, he has crazy white hair, bloodshot eyes, and is fairly old in age.  The Doc also wears a lab coat and occasionally uses safety goggles.  The scientist's home mostly functions as a lab which is disorganized with many boxes and papers. His mannerism and actions also show signs of being a mad scientist. Whenever the Doc starts talking about science, he often speaks very fast and ignores any questions Marty has about his experiment.  This can be seen when he is first showing Marty the DeLorean and is talking very quickly while he is documenting his invention on film.  The Doc's reaction to the success of his invention is very similar to the depiction of Frankenstein in movies.  While Frankenstein screams, "It's Alive!" the Doc says, "It works!" in an almost insane-like way.  Also, when he is anxious, excited, or having an idea, he paces around and says "Great, Scott!".  This occurs when the Doc realizes that he can use a bolt of lightning to power the DeLorean and send Marty back to 1985.  All of these qualities and characteristics can allow one to conclude that Dr. Emmett Brown is considered to be a mad scientist.

The design of the Flux
Capacitor in 1955

The Flux Capacitor in
the DeLorean

As stated previously, the Doc invented a time-traveling machine in the form of a DeLorean. However, it took thirty years for him to finally complete his ground-breaking project.  On November 5, 1955, the scientist discovered what could make time-travel possible which he calls the Flux Capacitor. He had a vision of this device after he fell off his toilet while hanging up a clock and hit his head on the sink.  When he woke up, he said he had a "revelation" and drew the design of the Flux Capacitor, eventually making it into a reality. Although this invention is what makes time-travel possible, it requires power that generates 1.21 gigawatts which is not easy to obtain.  The Doc in 1985 used a nuclear source called plutonium which is highly dangerous.  In 1955, however, plutonium was very rare and the only way to fuel the Flux Capacitor was with a bolt of lightning. After the Doc tested his invention for the first time, sending his dog Einstein one minute into the future, he told Marty he planned on going thirty years ahead in time to see the progress of mankind.  The intention of Dr. Emmett Brown was to use the time-traveling machine for his own pleasure and enjoyment to seek knowledge of what technology will be like someday in another lifetime.  The scientist was aware that history could be changed by interacting with people from a different time period.  However, in his mind, the benefits of gaining insight about new forms of science outweighed the risks of rewriting future events. He also gives the audience the impression that he is trying to prove himself to others that he can invent something that works because the Doc had not been very successful with his other experiments.

Marty hugs the Doc in 1955 goodbye
because he knows that he could be
in danger in present time

Dr. Emmett Brown impacts others in either a positive or negative way and people have various opinions about him.  The person he is closest to is the main protagonist, Marty McFly, who is his assistant and friend.  Marty cares about the Doc and almost treats him like an uncle or father. When Marty is about to leave 1955 to go back to the future, he knows that the Doc's life is in danger in the present time.  He tries to warn him about this, however, the Doc does not want to hear about the future because he believes it will have disastrous consequences.  This upsets the teen because he does not want the Doc to risk his life when his death can be prevented.  While Marty may love the Doc, there are other people who have negative opinions towards him.  An example of this is when Marty's high school disciplinarian, Mr. Strickland, yells at him for still hanging out with the Doc.  He says the scientist is, "dangerous, a nut case," and that Marty will only get into trouble with him. Another instance of uneasy feelings toward the Doc is when the police in 1955 were concerned about his project sending Marty back to the future. Of course, the scientist did not say the DeLorean was a time machine, but instead, he told the officer it was weather equipment. The police, suspicious about this, asked if the Doc had a permit for that.  This shows that many people do not trust Dr. Brown and his experiments.


The Doc is in no way evil and would never intentionally cause harm to anyone through his experiments.  However, he does manipulate people in order to get the materials he needs for his invention which poses the question that the scientist's project could be unethical.  The plutonium the Doc needed to fuel the Flux Capacitor was not easy to come by and he illegally obtained it.  Since plutonium is a nuclear substance, it can be used to make explosive devices. Dr. Brown made an agreement with Libyan terrorists that he would make a bomb for them out of the plutonium they had stolen. Instead of building them a bomb, however, he gave them a fake one and used the plutonium for the time-traveling machine.  Eventually, the terrorists discovered this and went after the Doc to kill him.  Right before he goes thirty years into the future, the Libyans pull up in a van and shoot the Doc several times, leaving him for dead. They then go after Marty who tries to escape in the DeLorean but ends up accidentally going thirty years into the past to 1955.  Because of Dr. Emmett Brown's reckless actions to get his invention to work, he caused his own death and risked Marty's life as well.  He took for granted his own life and would rather pursue science than protect himself and others.  This is where Dr. Emmett Brown's experiment turns into something that can be considered immoral.

The Doc in 1985 is shot by terrorists for scamming
them and stealing their plutonium

Very aware of the responsibility of time-traveler, Dr. Emmett Brown knew he had to be careful about not changing the course of history which could have horrible consequences.  He desired for Marty to have the best future possible and helps him get back to 1985. The Doc's appearance and somewhat goofy demeanor also makes him a very lovable character in the film and is not portrayed as being purposefully evil. However, he lacked a moral compass of how to approach the issue of fueling his invention and did not take the severity of the situation seriously enough, making him fall under the title of a mad scientist rather than just any other inventor.