Back To The Future Part IIhonored the franchise’s past while paving the way for the third installment, but one cut detail would have provided better foreshadowing for the upcoming villain. Despite there only being three of them, theBack To The Futuremovies had sprawling timelinesthat were always in flux. That was just as true behind the scenes as on screen. Eric Stoltz was almost Marty McFly,the Jennifer character was recast twice, and there was a wealth of deleted scenes.
Regarding what made it into the finished product,few elements ofBack To The Future Part IIlinger in the mind more than the famous hoverboard. The desired Christmas present of so many people all over the world, Marty McFly swiftly came into possession of one soon after landing inBack To The Future’s 2015. Promptly chased by Griff Tannen and his goons, Marty summarily outsmarted them in a literal life-changing fashion. As well as being one ofBack To The Future’s most iconic scenes, it could have further set the stage for the third movie.
It Would Have Been One Of Many Ways Back To The Future Set Up Its Final Movie
There were several ways in whichBack To The Future Part IIset the stage for the third and final installment —even before the ill-fated lightning strike and Doc’s letter to Marty. Chief among them was Marty showing off his shooting skills on an arcade game machine. One that would have snuck under people’s radar almost came in the form of Griff Tannen’s hoverboard. Joining the ranks ofBack To The Futuredeleted scenes, its original name was Mad Dog instead of the Pit Bull moniker that made it into the finished product.
Back To The Future Part II’s Original Plan Would Have Fixed The 1989 Sequel’s Biggest Criticism
One of the biggest faults of Back To The Future Part II could have been changed had the filmmakers followed their original plans with the script.
The reveal came courtesy of archival production photos on the DVD boxset. Exactly why Robert Zemeckis went with the change remains unknown for the time being. Fans oftheBack to the Futurefranchise, however, will no doubt recognize it as the disliked nickname of Biff Tannen’s wild west ancestor, Buford Tannen. Without that context,the name hint would likely have gone unnoticed for a while, with it believed to merely be a fitting description of Griff himself. Equally, it would have been a fun testament to the imagination that went into mapping out theBack to the Future2 and 3 moviessimultaneously.
The Original Name Of Griff’s Hoverboard Would Have Continued The Tannens' Pattern
As well as being a fun nod from one installment to the next, using Mad Dog would have also worked on a deeper level. After all,theBack to the Futuremovies are nothing if not cyclical in nature. That’s especially true when it comes to the identical Tannen family. Their feud with the McFly family spans generations, for example. Mad Dog Tannen has as much contempt for Seamus McFly as Biff initially had for George and Griff had for Marty Jr. It was a trend that would likely have continuedifBack to the Future 4had ever happened.
Such incidents spoke to an almost predestination paradox hanging over proceedings.
On top of that, there was also the manure of it all. On the multiple occasions that Marty McFly clashed with the Tannen family, they were left humiliated and covered in manure. Such incidents spoke to an almost predestination paradox hanging over proceedings. Had the Mad Dog hoverboard name officially stuck, it would have spoken to that fact. It would have been a sign of Griff honoring his family history and taking inspiration. Equally, it would have been a sign of conflicts to come in Marty’s journey inBack to the Future IIand III, showing that what goes around, comes around, until he learns to walk away.
