This was not apparent to the people who are familiar with the film from cable or VHS cuts that panned-and-scanned the “other Marty” away.

I don’t see the other Marty’s existence as a mistake so much as a suggestion that 1955-Doc’s warnings about the consequences of time travel are rightfully severe: that Marty ended up in a 1985 with a family of losers and probably got in trouble for having a stolen car belonging to a murdered Doc Brown.

And of course, there’s the real life “other Marty”, Eric Stolz.

1. When the newspaper changes to “Doc Brown Commended”, since the final Doc wasn’t actually commended, does this create yet another Doc?

2. There is one place where I’ve always thought the internal rules of the film biffed, so to speak. As stated in the beginning of the article, the rules of the movie always show the actions the characters take as being the prime actions. When Marty goes back to 1955, it’s because Doc is dead, not as suggested, wearing the vest but not telling Marty so that he’ll have to time travel, that’s the paradox style the movie avoids. When we see them time travel, it’s always the alpha event. This is not the case in part 3 when the canyon was named after Clara in an event that only takes place because of an interaction with the main characters. Since Marty was aware of the story behind the canyon, it’s the explanation that a different chain of events, but one that still involved Doc Marty and time travel had already occured in 1885 and dictates, since it’s the “first” event in the timeline (1885), that the entire chain of events in all 3 movies, had in fact, occured before. Similar to Neo in the Matrix.

mind = blown

-Marty A with the geeky dad and overweight mom goes back in time and manages to alter how his parents first met, making his dad cool and his mom hot. He also runs over a tree turning Twin Pines Mall into Lone Pine Mall.

-Marty B with the cool dad and the hot mom goes back in time. He DOES NOT do any of the things Marty A did, so his dad still falls out of the tree and becomes (remains?) uncool and his mom evolves into the original overweight version. He also doesn’t run over the pine upon his arrival (having richer parents gave him better driving lessons), transforming the Lone Pine Mall he always knew into Twin Pines Mall upon his return.

Both Marty A and Marty B watched Doc Brown get shot, so both go to him for help and both give him the same warning.

These 2 events repeatedly alternate in a never-ending cycle between A/B/A/B/A/B, with Marty continually causing and un-causing changes. Assuming the film starts on any “A” iteration other than the very first one, that explains the appearance of a Marty watching in the distance at Twin Pines Mall.

(Incidentally, I’ve seen the movie many many times and have never noticed this other Marty in the initial Twin Pines Mall scene, but based on this article and the discussion I can’t wait to watch it again to look for him. Thanks for the tip!)

Remember, Marty Prime (A) has gone back in time and changed things, returns, and witnesses [a different version of] himself leaving for 1955 from the Lone Pine Mall. Previously, we clearly saw another Marty (Marty B), witnessing Marty Prime’s departure to 1955 from the Twin Pines Mall.

That Marty (B) has lead a somewhat different life from Marty Prime, and is now (obstensively) trapped in Marty Prime’s timeline.

I’m not sure how this affects the timeline without the existence/creation of a parallel universe, or how A and B cross over, or how changes made by Marty B will affect one of the timelines, or if B can even return to 1955 or 1985 B.

For the record, I’ve always thought this was a goof on the part of the filmmakers; they never should have had the second Marty watching events at the Twin Pines Mall, since it becomes the Lone Pine Mall later when Marty Prime returns.

Sorry… maybe I’m O.D.ing on my own Geekery!