TheBack to the Futuretrilogy leaves a lot of questions unanswered, sparking debate among fans about topics such as whetherBack to the Future Part II’s hoverboards really exist, the details ofBack to the Future’s time travel rules, orwhether George McFly knew Marty’s identity in the originalBack to the Future. Some of these questions were actually considered by the creators of the franchise, and there are even a few that they considered putting the answers to in the films that didn’t quite make it in.
Queries about how time travel works in theBack to the Futuretrilogy are perhaps the most prevalent, as well as pertaining to the impact of that time travel on the events of the film.Old Biff’s time traveling in particular raises eyebrows, including whether he changed things another time by going back in time, as well as what ended up happening to him after the last moment we see him.
What Happened To Old Biff In Back To The Future 2 (& Why The Scene Was Cut)
Old Biff Would Have Disappeared
The writers originally had a scene showing Old Biff’s (Thomas F. Wilson portrays the character at all ages) fate, but as explained byBack to the Future FAQ, the slightly longer moment was cut from the movie. The plan was for Old Biff to fall onto the street and vanish after staggering, being wiped from existence.This would have been much like what nearly happens to Marty(Michael J. Fox) in the firstBack to the Futuremovie when he is beginning to get erased from existence. Old Biff clutching his chest and stumbling are the same symptoms that Marty exhibits then.
Writers Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis explained that their “intention regarding old Biff was that upon his return to 2015, he would be erased from existence because he had changed his entire destiny by giving his younger self the Sports Almanac.” They even had an idea of what change might have caused his removal from the timeline, suggesting that Lorraine (Lea Thompson) might have shot him at a prior point in what would have been his existence.
However, the reason why this scene was changed was becausetest audiences found it confusing.Most viewers didn’t understand Old Biff’s sudden disappearance,so the team decided to just remove it from the film to avoid this response once the movie was actually released.
Old Biff Disappearing At The End Of BTTF 2 Would’ve Made Sense And Didn’t Need To Be Cut
Old Biff’s Disappearance Makes Sense With Back To The Future’s Time Travel Rules
Though test audiences might have had trouble understanding it then,the erasing of Old Biff from the timeline could have been kept inBack to the Future Part II. It wouldn’t have taken long for people to figure out what happens in the scene. With the popularity of theBack to the Futureseries and how often people analyze its narrative, viewers would have gotten past any initial confusion quickly.
Old Biff’s disappearance would have made sense with how time travel works in theBack to the Futureseries, especially as it would have been a callback to Marty’s near disappearance beforeMarty fixes things by changing the timeline inBack to the Future. Not including this element might have been even more confusing in the long run, since there isn’t any certain closure to what happened to Old Biff.
There’s Another Possible Outcome For Old Biff In Back To The Future 2
Because of his disappearance not being shown in the actual film,it is technically also possible that Old Biff clutches his chest because he has a heart attack. TheBack to the FutureFAQalso mentions this possibility, explaining that it could have been caused by “the shock of time travel of from[sic]flying the car, or from something that happened to him in 1955.” Old Biff might not have disappeared from the timeline, since the film doesn’t confirm that for sure. But regardless, it is extremely likely that he is dead.
Old Biff might not have disappeared from the timeline, since the film doesn’t confirm that for sure.
If Old Biff didn’t disappear from the timeline, that would mean thatBiff’sBack to the Futurebackstorystayed close enough to the original timeline for him to continue to exist. Alternatively, maybe Old Biff would have disappeared eventually, but it would have taken a lot longer, and the shock got to him first. Both scenarios would mean the end of Old Biff, yet ifBack to the Future Part IIhad kept the scene with him vanishing, it might have cleared up more confusion in the long run than it caused with test audiences.
