1985's Back to the Future has aged much more gracefully than some of its contemporaries, but one scene that didn't make the final edit would have made the movie a little problematic. It's not uncommon for certain moments in a decades-old movie to be interpreted differently than how they were originally intended. Generally speaking, Back to the Future has somehow managed to avoid this phenomenon. However, if a deleted scene had been included, the movie would have found it difficult to hold onto the accolade of being unproblematic.

Although Michael J. Fox wasn't part of the most consistent movie trilogies of all time, Back to the Future's temporal, well-thought-out storyline still holds its own almost 40 years later. While it would have been a short moment, one deleted scene could have slowly tarnished the first movie's reputation as time went by.

Back To The Future's Deleted Scene Has Aged Really Badly

Marty's Concerns Could Be Interpreted As Homophobic In 2024

Back to the Future's deleted scene looks as though it would have immediately preceded Marty's departure for the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. While discussing his concerns about the plan he's concocted with Doc Brown, Marty says he's worried the encounter with the younger version of his mother could, "Screw [him] up permanently." While this is a reasonable consideration given the circumstances, Marty elaborates by saying he could return to his native time and find himself to be gay as a result of his actions.

It's possible the comment wasn't intended to be intentionally offensive, but rather used as a set-up for Marty and Doc's intergenerational language barrier.

While the line brings about a humorous misunderstanding between Marty and Doc Brown, with the latter replying, "Why shouldn't you be happy?" it's still tough to hear Fox's character framing homosexuality as a negative trait. It's possible the comment wasn't intended to be intentionally offensive, but rather used as a set-up for Marty and Doc's intergenerational language barrier. Still, if Back to the Future were made today, such a line wouldn't even be considered. Therefore, that's a big sign it hasn't aged well.

Back To The Future's Deleted Scene Also Makes The Story Between Marty & His Mother Worse

Hearing Doc & Marty Plan The Encounter With Lorraine Makes It Even Weirder

Marty McFly's plan to falsely seduce his own mother is one of the more disturbing storylines in Back to the Future. While the scheme is already really unsettling, the deleted scene in question makes it somehow sound even more unsavory. Watching the characters plan the encounter is gross enough, but hearing Doc Brown describe Marty's role as taking "a few liberties with" his mother is just too much. Luckily, this deleted scene isn't present in Back to the Future.

The Doc's lighthearted reaction to Marty's concerns about hitting on Lorraine is a little unsettling. However, because the moment didn't make it into the movie's final cut, it can be considered non-canon, and the exchange never occurred within the world of the film. If it had, it's tough to imagine a world where Back to the Future isn't retroactively criticized for how the unorthodox scenario was handled. Maybe the fact it didn't make the cut at all is a sign that it was also considered too insensitive even at the time.

Why Back To The Future's Final Cut Has Mostly Aged Well

The 1985 Classic Is Still Largely Unproblematic

Despite its high-concept sci-fi storyline, Back to the Future is still a comedy/adventure movie at its core. So, although the dynamic between Marty and Lorraine is certainly weird, it's not approached with much drama, and the unusual scenario is made out to be incredibly uncomfortable, even for the characters in the movie.

It's one of the biggest points of societal contention in the first Back to the Future movie, but the fact it's pivotal to how the narrative unfolds makes it less superfluous. There's another reason why Back to the Future has aged so gracefully. Despite being released and partially set in 1985, most of the movie's events take place thirty years earlier.

In 1955, certain issues were handled with even less sensitivity and thoughtfulness than they were in the 80s.

In 1955, certain issues were handled with even less sensitivity and thoughtfulness than they were in the 80s. Therefore, any elements that could be labeled as problematic during these sequences could be argued to be the result of the movie's attempt at historical accuracy. This doesn't make them any more acceptable by today's standards, but it does partially explain some of Back to the Future's more outdated moments.