Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown, commonly referred to as "Doc Brown", is a fictional scientist in the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He was created by

Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades incl ...

and

Bob Gale Michael Robert Gale (born May 25, 1951) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer and director. He is best known for co-writing the science fiction comedy film ''Back to the Future'' with his writing partner Robert Zemecki ...

. First appearing in the 1985 film ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'', he is an eccentric

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...

and friend to the protagonist

Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...

. In the franchise, he invents a time machine using a

DMC DeLorean The DMC DeLorean is a rear-engine, two–seat sports car manufactured and marketed by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) for the American market from 1981 until 1983—ultimately the only car brought to market by the fledgling compa ...

. He is portrayed by

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and television shows since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''B ...

in all three films and in the

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

and was loosely inspired by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

and

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

. He is also voiced by

Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta ( ; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, ...

in the animated sections of the television series. In ''Back to the Future'', he introduces Marty McFly to the

DeLorean time machine In the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' franchise, the DeLorean time machine is a time machine, time travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", ...

that he invented, which results in Marty being accidentally transported back to the year 1955. He returned alongside Marty in ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the Back ...

'', in which they travel into the future to 2015. In '' Back to the Future Part III'', he is accidentally transported back to 1885 and there builds another time machine using a

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...

locomotive. Emmett Brown has been ranked by critics as one of the greatest film characters of the 1980s and is regarded as Lloyd's most memorable film role. He was listed by ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' as one of the greatest film characters of all time.

Development

Casting

During development of ''

'', several actors were considered for the role, including

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-perf ...

Ron Silver Ronald Arthur Silver (July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009) was an American actor, director, producer, radio host, and activist. As an actor, he portrayed Henry Kissinger, Alan Dershowitz and Angelo Dundee. He was awarded a Tony in 1988 for Best ...

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...

Mandy Patinkin Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway (theatre), Broadway performer he has collaborated with Step ...

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – ) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama ''Lilith (film), Lilith'' (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor for ...

James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. Known for fast-talking, intense roles on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including three Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for t ...

, and

Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American musician and composer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead vocalist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 20 single in the US ...

auditioned for the part but lost out when

was cast as Emmett Brown.

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

co-founder

also recalled being approached by

and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

for the role, but turned it down because he was not interested in acting. Producer

Neil Canton Neil Canton (born 30 May 1948) is an American film producer from New York City best known for his work on the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. Canton currently serves as an instructor and mentor at the American Film Institute Conservatory as a ...

suggested Lloyd to

and Zemeckis, as he had previously worked with him on ''

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American Adventure film, adventure Science fiction comedy, science fiction comedy film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and w ...

''. Lloyd initially turned it down as he was not familiar with Zemeckis, but was encouraged by his wife to reconsider. Despite his reluctance, Zemeckis knew immediately that he was the right actor for the role, commenting "He just had everything the character needed." Lloyd was significantly younger than his character, being 46 years old at the time of filming ''Back to the Future'', so the makeup artists made him look older. The ''Back to the Future'' novels state that Emmett Brown was born in 1920, placing him at the age of 65 in 1985. The character's appearance was inspired by

and

. Lloyd recalled discussing his inspirations with Zemeckis, after he was influenced by an album cover depicting Stokowski in front of the cosmos with white hair.

Production

The script for ''Back to the Future'' was written by Gale and Zemeckis. They wrote two drafts and pitched the second draft. Although the script was rejected more than 40 times,

showed interest in producing the film at

Amblin Entertainment Amblin' Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1980. Its headquarters are lo ...

Sid Sheinberg Sidney Jay Sheinberg (January 14, 1935 – March 7, 2019) was an American businessman, lawyer and entertainment executive. He served as president and CEO of MCA Inc. and Universal Pictures for over 40 years. Early life and education Sheinberg ...

, the head of

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

also liked the story but wanted to make certain changes. Originally Emmett was given the title "Professor Brown" but Sheinberg thought viewers would dislike it and changed it to "Doc Brown". He also rejected the idea that Emmett should have a pet chimpanzee, so this was changed to a dog, because he believed that "no movie with a chimpanzee ever made any money". In the second draft of the script, Doc's time machine was a "time chamber" similar to a refrigerator, which he would have to transport in the back of his truck. Zemeckis conceived an alternative solution by making the time machine mobile and incorporating it into a vehicle. Storyboard artist

Andrew Probert Andrew Probert (born 1946 in Independence, Missouri) is an American artist. He is known for his work with the ''Star Trek'' franchise, most notably the designs of the USS ''Enterprise'' for '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' and the ''Enterpris ...

said that Doc Brown's car was designed to be a DeLorean, but Gale had to reject various offers from automotive companies that wanted to be included in the film. At one point, a member of the production team responsible for product placement approached Gale with a deal from the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

which suggested that Doc Brown should drive a

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...

. Gale rebuffed the offer stating, "Doc Brown does not drive a f-cking Mustang". For the character's signature expression, Gale stated that Zemeckis had come up with the idea of using "

Great Scott! "Great Scott!" is an interjection of surprise, amazement, or dismay. It is a distinctive exclamation, popular in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, and now considered dated. It originated as a minced oath, histor ...

". He initially thought Doc Brown would use the phrase "Great Caesar's Ghost!" because it was from a Superman television series they had grown up watching. The phrase "Great Scott!" was spoken by another character that he could not remember. Filming for ''Back to the Future'' took place in late 1984 and early 1985 in a variety of locations. The scenes involving Doc Brown's 1955 mansion home, which in the film is located at the fictional address of 1640 Riverside Drive in

Hill Valley, California Hill Valley is a fictional town in California that serves as the setting of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy and its animated spin-off series. In the trilogy, Hill Valley is seen in four different time periods – 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015 ...

, were shot at the Gamble House in Pasadena. The Gamble House's carriage house was used for Doc Brown's garage, which by 1985, has become his residence after the mansion is destroyed. The garage's exterior was replicated for the scenes. For the interior of his home, the

Robert R. Blacker House The Robert Roe Blacker House, often referred to as the Blacker House or Robert R. Blacker House, is a residence in Pasadena, California, United States, which is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1907 for Rob ...

was used for filming. When

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'' (1985), which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting ...

was replaced by

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American actor and activist. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ...

for the part of

in the sixth week of filming, Lloyd was initially worried by the casting change, as he was concerned about having to reshoot the scenes. Despite these reservations, he found that he had a natural chemistry with Fox that meant it was easy to work with him. In '' Back to the Future Part III'', Doc Brown develops a relationship with Clara Clayton in 1885, a character portrayed by

Mary Steenburgen Mary Nell Steenburgen (; born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film '' Goin ...

. Despite being an experienced actor of 15 years, Lloyd needed to speak to Zemeckis before filming a scene in which he kisses her, to explain that he had never before had an onscreen kiss. Gale opined that Lloyd was effective in the part of a romantic male lead. Zemeckis said that during production of the first film, they decided to write a scene to explain Doc Brown's disinterest in women, in which he is forced to choose between a relationship and science and ends up choosing science. The scene was eventually left out of the second film. Zemeckis explained that the third film illustrates the character's growth from an eccentric to a man capable of falling in love: "he gets in touch with that boyish, romantic, innocent part of himself".

Characteristics

Emmett Lathrop Brown is a white-haired scientist who is called "Doc" by his teenage friend Marty McFly. He was created as a

archetype. Despite his many failed inventions, he successfully makes time travel possible, by building a

out of a

. Gale stated that Doc Brown met Marty when the teenager was about 14 years old. Marty sneaked into Doc's lab after learning that he was considered a lunatic and was discovered there by Doc. Marty considered Doc to be cool and this resulted in Doc hiring Marty as his part-time lab assistant. Doc was born into a wealthy family and in 1955 lives in a mansion, but spends thirty years burning through his wealth to realise his vision of time travel. By 1985, his mansion has been destroyed by fire, so he subsequently resides in the mansion's garage. Doc's garage is packed with gadgets and he has an impressive clock collection. Although he is American and a baseball fan, Doc's father was German and his family name was Von Braun. Doc Brown's friendship with Marty is a central aspect of the film trilogy. Marty typically seeks out his friend each time he finds himself in a perilous situation, knowing that Doc will provide a solution. Doc not only takes the role of Marty's sidekick, but also provides much of the

comic relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

. He is shown to be selfless by nature, often putting his life in danger to help his friend because he believes in doing what is right. Whenever he makes a new discovery, he typically expresses his astonishment by exclaiming the catchphrase "

". Lloyd described Doc Brown as a positive character who is inventive and energetic. He said that he loved the character's passion and excitement in discovering new things. Doc's positive influence on Marty encourages him to mentor his father George in 1955 and influence him into becoming a novelist, which in turn results in the success of the McFly family in 1985. This positivity is articulated in Doc's line, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything", which Marty later repeats to George. Gale said that Doc's friendship with Marty is based on mutual respect, as both characters find a connection with each other being rebellious by nature. He explained, "Doc thinks, 'Hey, Marty is a kid who maybe I can give him something, he's the son I never had. He's inquisitive, he doesn't judge me'." DeLoreanmachine

Doc Brown is eccentric but also a genius. He tells Marty that he invented time travel in November 1955 by accident. While trying to hang a clock in his bathroom by standing on the toilet, he slipped, banged his head and while he was knocked out had a vision of the flux capacitor, the component that makes time travel possible. In 1985, he uses stolen

plutonium Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...

to create a "nuclear reaction to generate 1.21

gigawatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor o ...

of electricity" to power the DeLorean and enable it to time travel. Upon realising that plutonium is impossible to obtain in 1955, the younger Doc decides that the only other way to power the DeLorean is with a bolt of lightning. When conducting his science experiments, Doc Brown often uses his pet dogs as test subjects. In 1985, he tests the DeLorean by sending his dog

Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

one minute into the future. When Marty meets up with the younger Doc Brown in 1955, his dog is named

Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a mathematical model, model of Celestial spheres#Renaissance, the universe that placed heliocentrism, the Sun rather than Earth at its cen ...

and is used as a test subject for Doc's "brain wave analyzer". When Doc and Marty travel to 2015, he leaves Einstein in a "suspended animation kennel". When Doc Brown meets Clara Clayton in 1885, he finds romance with a character who is similarly eccentric and interested in science. Doc starts a family with Clara and they have two sons, Jules and Verne. He eventually builds another time machine out of a steam locomotive and together they set off on new adventures.

Other ''Back to the Future'' appearances

* '' Back to the Future: The Animated Series'', a sequel to the film trilogy, features

as the voice of Doc Brown, with

appearing in live-action segments. * Lloyd filmed new material for '' Back to the Future the Ride'', directed by

Douglas Trumbull Douglas Hunt Trumbull (; April 8, 1942 – February 7, 2022) was an American film director and visual effects supervisor, who pioneered innovative methods in special effects. He created scenes for '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', '' Close Encounter ...

. The ride serves as a sequel to the films, following Doc Brown and his founding of the 'Institute of Future Technology'. He invites tourists to embark on a time-traveling adventure in his newly made eight-passenger DeLorean. The ride was included on the first film's 2009 DVD re-release and on the trilogy's 2010 Blu-ray set. * Doc Brown appeared in the ''Back to the Future'' comic series published by

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...

, which detailed further adventures of the animated series. * Lloyd voiced Doc Brown in '' Back to the Future: The Game'', developed by

Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...

as a sequel to the film series. * Doc Brown appeared in the ''Back to the Future'' comic series published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

, which detailed Doc's and Marty's adventures before and after the events depicted in the films. * Lloyd reprised the role of Doc Brown in the 2015 direct-to-video short film ''

Doc Brown Saves the World ''Back to the Future'' is an American science fiction franchise created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The franchise follows the adventures of a high school student, Marty McFly, and an eccentric scientist, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, as they ...

'', which reveals that he has returned to his time at some point after the events of '' Back to the Future Part III'' and established his own scientific company Doc Brown Enterprises. He erased the future witnessed in ''

'' as the various inventions of that time led to mass obesity and Griff Tannen triggering a nuclear holocaust using a restored DeLorean time machine. * In February 2020, a stage musical adaptation of the first film premiered at the

Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring Theatre (structure), theatre that plays host to touring Musical theatre, musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed buil ...

in the UK, starring

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award nomination ...

in the role of Doc Brown. The production was forced to close early due to the shutting down of performance venues at the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but was revived for a West End run at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

from August 2021, with Bart reprising the Doc Brown role. In 2023, Cory English took over the role at the Adelphi Theatre. The show transferred to Broadway in June 2023, with Bart once again reprising his role as Doc Brown. * In 2023, Lloyd appeared as Doc Brown in Busted's 20th Anniversary & Greatest Hits Tour.

Other appearances

* Lloyd appeared as Doc Brown in the 1990

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

program ''

The Earth Day Special ''The Earth Day Special'' is a television special revolving around Earth Day that aired on ABC on April 22, 1990. Sponsored by Time Warner, the two-hour special featured an ensemble cast addressing concerns about pollution, deforestation, and ot ...

''. * Lloyd voices an animated Doc Brown as a cameo in ''The Simpsons'' Ride, in a reference to the closure of the ''Back to the Future'' ride. * Lloyd voices Doc Brown in the ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...

'' episodes " Casablankman 2" and " Eaten by Cats". * Doc Brown appeared in the

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

show, '' Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure'' giving Bill and Ted a ride back to the future due to Ted misplacing their own time machine. * Lloyd voices an animated

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

Doc Brown in a 2011 episode of Element Animation's ''The Crack!'', "The Epic Adventure", mistaking an egg named Jason for Marty and bringing him back in time, where they meet a younger Jason. * Lloyd made a cameo appearance as Doc Brown in the 2014 film ''

A Million Ways to Die in the West ''A Million Ways to Die in the West'' is a 2014 American Western comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Aman ...

'', where Albert Stark sees him covertly working on the DeLorean in a barn. * Lloyd voiced Doc Brown in the 2015 video game ''

Lego Dimensions ''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U. ...

'', as well as playing the character in a live-action advertisement for the game. * Doc Brown and Marty appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'' on the October 21, 2015 show, set on the day that the characters traveled to in ''Part II''. * Lloyd played himself portraying Doc Brown in the 2016

Funny or Die Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website and production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staf ...

satire film '' Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie''. * A

Lego minifigure A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plastic Joint, articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Denmark, Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced ...

of Emmett Brown appears in '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'' when Rex Dangervest conjures up various Time Machine parts to create his own, including the DeLorean. * Lloyd appeared as Doc Brown in the

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

original,

Expedition Unknown ''Expedition Unknown'' is an American reality television series produced by Ping Pong Productions, that follows explorer, archeologist and television presenter Josh Gates as he investigates mysteries and legends. The series premiered on January ...

show, ''Expedition: Back to the Future'' released on March 15, 2021. * Doc Brown is set to appear alongside Marty in the upcoming video game, ''Funko Fusion'', set to be released in 2024.

Reception and influence

Emmett Brown has been described by critics as Lloyd's greatest or most iconic film role. ''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

'' described the role as Lloyd's "biggest legacy". ''

MovieWeb Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...

'' named Doc Brown as "one of the greatest movie characters of all time" and the "greatest sidekick in film history". ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' listed Doc Brown as one of the greatest movie characters of the 1980s alongside Marty, particularly praising their onscreen chemistry. He was selected by ''

'' magazine as one of the greatest movie characters of all time. ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'' noted that the character was responsible for reviving the phrase "Great Scott!", which returned as an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

, having fallen out of use since the 1800s.

Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two Title character, eponymous characters in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting Rick and Morty (franchise), multimedia franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, he i ...

of the American animated series ''

Rick and Morty ''Rick and Morty'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated science fiction Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadvent ...

'' (voiced by

Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, and producer. He co-created the Adult Swim animated sitcom ''Rick and Morty'', for which he voiced the protagonists Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith from 2013 ...

) began as a parody of Doc Brown. In September 2021, Christopher Lloyd portrayed Sanchez himself in a series of promotional clips for the series' two-part fifth season finale, alongside

Jaeden Martell Jaeden Martell ( né Lieberher; born January 4, 2003) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, with roles in the comedy drama '' St. Vincent'' (2014) and science fiction film '' Midnight Special'' (2016). His performance in ''S ...

Morty Smith Mortimer Chauncey "Morty" Smith Sr. is one of the Title character, eponymous Character (arts), characters from the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former for the ...

(also voiced by Roiland in the series), a character inspired by

References

External links

Emmett Brown
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Dr Emmett Doc Back to the Future (franchise) Fictional characters from California Fictional engineers Fictional inventors Fictional scientists in films Fictional smiths Fictional mad scientists Fictional physicists Film characters introduced in 1985 Musical theatre characters Science fiction film characters Time travelers Fictional German people