Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly he used the alias Calvin Klein; and in 1885, he used the alias Clint Eastwood, is the main protagonist of the science fiction/comedy franchise Back to the Future, including the film trilogy, the animated series, and the video game adaptations.
He is an 80s teenager who lives in Hill Valley, California and is friends with Emmett Brown. He unwillingly becomes the first human time traveler, when he accidentally activates the time machine DeLorean. From this moment, he goes through several adventures in the past, where he meets his family and changes history, sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst. He dreams about becoming a successful rock star, which he did.
Marty was an easy going adolescent most of the time. He is brave, calm, and clever. Despite all the crazy situations he goes through, he always reacts with humor, in contrast to Doc's seriousness. Marty's main problem is that he lets no one call him chicken and gets often in trouble because of his cockiness. Yet, he later learns to be more modest and to ignore insults. Marty is labeled as a slacker and an outsider in Hill Valley California. And he is also known as mild-mannered, athletic, relaxed, thoughtful, understanding, merciful, caring, friendly, laid-back and sensitive.
Marty played lead guitar with The Pinheads and liked listening to Huey Lewis and the News and Eddie Van Halen. He is also a talented skateboarder. Marty was also shown to be good at singing, as shown in his performance of "Johnny B. Goode" at the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance.
Due to his laidback ways, Marty often found himself at odds with his school principal Mr. Strickland, who regularly disciplined Marty for being tardy. Strickland would call Marty a "slacker" and said he would never amount to nothing. In defiance, Marty told Strickland that history is going to change.
By 2015, Marty's life has spiraled out of control due to long-term pain from a hand injury that leaves him unable to play guitar. This injury occurs in 1985 after Marty accepts school enemy Douglas J. Needles' challenge to a road race and crashes into a Rolls-Royce.
In 1885, Biff Tannen's great-grandfather Buford goads Marty into a showdown, which Marty wins despite refusing to draw a gun against Buford. Once he returns to 1985, he remembers both this event and Seamus' advice and politely declines Needles' challenge, avoiding the collision that would have ruined his musical talents. This event shows newfound maturity as he often loses his temper when called a "Chicken".
Over the years, Marty learns how to make his decisions on his own terms instead of being influenced by others, thereby changing his future for the better. He finally fulfilled his destiny and become a successful rockstar. In 2090, Marty is a successful musician and he is more popular than Elvis and got his own impersonator.
Trivia[]
Morty Smith from Rick and Morty and Phillip J. Fry from Futurama were both loosely based on Marty McFly.
In Gravity Falls: Lost Legends, one of the alternate universe versions of Mabel was based on Marty McFly.
He shares his birth month with his portrayer, Michael J. Fox. However, Fox was born on 9th June, 1961, whilst Marty McFly was born on 12th June, 1968,
Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly, but after five weeks of filming, Stoltz was deemed too serious for the role, so the role was eventually recasted with Michael J. Fox.
John Cusack, C. Thomas Howell, Johnny Depp, Ralph Macchio, Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Ben Stiller, Peter DeLuise, George Newbern, Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Collet, and Corey Hart (who declined to audition) were considered for the role of Marty McFly before the role was given to Eric Stoltz.
The musician Mark Campbell was the singing voice for McFly when singing "Johnny B. Goode".