Chicken

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In the initial “Back to the Future” film, Marty McFly faces numerous challenges during his time-travel escapade in 1955 Hill Valley. He needs to fix Doc Brown’s DeLorean, battles Biff and his gang, and arranges for his parents to fall in love at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance while enjoying Chuck Berry’s music. However, something significant that’s missing from the 1985 movie is Marty’s dislike of the term “chicken,” a defining aspect of his character that becomes crucial in “Back to the Future Part II.

Even though Marty’s stubbornness didn’t fully emerge until the midpoint of the trilogy, it became a crucial aspect of his character as the bold skateboarder. His famous catchphrase “Nobody calls me chicken” became a recurring element in the Back to the Future series, appearing in almost every movie. While the initial film primarily revolved around Marty’s mission to return to 1985, the sequels in the trilogy sought to create new internal struggles for Marty. What could be a more fitting starting point than exploring the vulnerabilities and ego of this proud teenager?

Back To The Future Part II Introduced “Chicken” Because Marty McFly Needed A Character Flaw

The First Film Focused On George’s Character Arc, Not Marty’s

According to a CinemaBlend interview with screenwriter Bob Gale, the inspiration for Marty’s character in “Back to the Future” sequels stemmed from the intention to introduce a flaw for him to conquer. Since Marty is depicted as quick-tempered in the initial film, it wasn’t much of a leap for the screenwriters to subsequently give voice to this explosive temperament, as Gale explained.

In creating the sequels, we recognized the need for Marty to have a significant character trait he’d need to overcome. Since it was George who underwent character development in the first movie, we hadn’t established a notable flaw for Marty initially. However, we did set up that Marty has a hot-tempered side, as seen in his confrontations with Biff at school and in the café. So, we decided to leverage this trait by making it a central point of character development.

This situation gave Gale and director Robert Zemeckis an opportunity to introduce a critical mistake for Marty, leading him to a catastrophic car crash that shattered his aspirations in music career – this happens after Needles provokes him into a perilous race on the highway. However, it’s not until Marty conquers his ego in “Back to the Future Part III” and refuses to be lured by Needles’ taunts as a coward, that he avoids getting trapped again.

Essentially, as the initial “Back to the Future” film emphasized George McFly’s character development, the subsequent movies had to establish Marty’s own predicament so that he could resolve his emotional journey by the end of the trilogy.

Back To The Future’s “Chicken” Line Is Different From Other Running Gags In The Series

Marty Has Real Character Development In Part II And III

The “chicken line“, unlike other recurring jokes in the Back to the Future series, wasn’t part of it from the beginning. Instead, the rest of the callbacks such as Marty repeatedly waking up to a version of Lorraine (Lea Thompson), Doc Brown’s “Great Scott” exclamation, and Biff consistently ending up in manure were all established in the initial film. Their reappearance in subsequent sequels reinforced the series’ motif of history repeating itself.

Even though it appeared late in the series, the phrase “Don’t call me chicken” has almost achieved iconic status alongside the other recurring jokes in the Back to the Future franchise. This is largely due to the enjoyment derived from cheering for a hero with flaws as he manages to conquer his fatal weakness. Moreover, the “chicken” line is not just a persistent gag within the trilogy—it represents genuine character growth. By resisting the temptation to succumb to the same old pitfall, Marty brings his emotional journey full circle at the end of the third movie.

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2025-05-28 20:40