Superman Is The Reason That Back To The Future Exists

The Back to the Future trilogy is one of the most beloved movie series of all time and for many, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd will always be Marty McFly and Doc Brown. There’s often gossip about either a Back to the Future 4 or a reboot/remake of the first film, though director Robert Zemeckis has repeatedly ruled out any new entry in the franchise.

But that doesn’t mean Back to the Future is completely dead. IDW has been publishing a popular comic based on the series since 2015, and one issue solves a neat problem at the heart of the second film.

When Doc Brown travels to the far-flung future year of 2015, he returns with modifications to the DeLorean, including making it capable of flight through a hover-conversion and a Mr. Fusion power generator. Beyond that, he’s had treatment at a rejuvenation clinic to extend his life and bought some snazzy new clothes and a bunch of cool future stuff. And while Doc Brown isn’t exactly poor, inflation means his 1985 money will be worth a lot less in 2015. If it’s even still valid as currency. So, how did he afford all this stuff?

Well, it turns out that on his first trip to 2015, Doc realized that his 1985 gadgets were practically worthless and decided he needed to raise some fast cash. So, he used the strange “internet” invention and researched the most valuable investments he could make. The answer: a copy of the 1938 Action Comics #1. He travelled to 1938, bought ten copies for a dollar and returned to the future, selling them for $2.5 million each, giving him enough money to do whatever he wanted. Meaning that, as ScreenRant so rightly points out, “it was Superman who gave Doc Brown everything he needed to travel through time in the Back to the Future trilogy.”

“Despite the fact that they live in two different universes, Superman once helped Doc Brown from the Back to the Future movies unlock the secret of traveling through time — even if it is in the last way any fans would expect,” writes the outlet.

Of course, this makes Doc Brown a bit of a hypocrite for telling Marty off when he suggests using the Sports Almanac to make some bets, saying:

“Marty! I didn’t invent the time machine for financial gain. The intent here is to gain a clear perception of humanity. Where we’ve been, where we’re going. The pitfalls and the possibilities. The perils and the promise. Perhaps even an answer to that universal question, why?”

I guess in this instance, it’s more a case of do as I say rather than do as I do. But hey, the sweet flying car was definitely worth it.