Mad Science Is The Best Science: Our 14 Favorite Crackpot Geniuses

Break out the death rays and clone armies!

By David Wharton | Updated 9 months ago

Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown (Back to the Future)
Growing up, my movie trilogy of choice was not Indiana Jones or Star Wars, but rather Back to the Future. The time-travel adventures of Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown sparked my imagination and molded my geek mind into what it is today. While many consider Back to the Future Part II to be the better of the sequel films, I think Part III is a much stronger and more engaging story.

Taking place in the Old West, Back to the Future Part III combines my two favorite movie genres, science fiction and Westerns. Making Doc Brown more of the film’s protagonist than Marty was a stroke of genius. We’ve seen Marty McFly as the centerpiece for two movies, so why not have Doc Brown as the centerpiece in one? Logic and science drives Doc Brown, but in BTTF III he’s confronted with a choice that is never easy for anyone: falling in love. While the first two BTTF movies are rip-roaring adventure movies, BTTF III is equal parts adventure and love story. The addition of the character Clara Clayton gives Doc Brown a rounded and fuller character, while also servicing the plot.

Doc Brown ultimately teaches us two things: you can’t keep a good scientist down and the future is not written. Especially if you have a time-traveling DeLorean.