Biff Tannen

Biff in 1955

**Buford "Biff" Tannen** is a recurring villain from the *Back to the Future* franchise who was main-antagonist of *Back to the Future: The Ride*. In the films and the ride, he was portrayed by Tom Wilson.

## History

### Background

#### Origins

Biff Tannen was the dim-witted bully who frequently took assignment/test answers from classmate George McFly while attempting to seduce fellow class-mate and George's future-wife, Lorraine Baines. In the original timeline, Biff would have wound up becoming George's cruel supervisor. However, in 1955, George and Lorraine's future son Marty McFly got stranded in the past and taught George enough toughness/self-respect to attack Biff when he attempted to sexually-assault Lorraine at the school dance.

In the altered timeline created by Marty, Biff wound up being a loser auto-detailer with a subservient attitude to the McFly family. This version of Biff had a son named Biff Jr. and a grandson named Griff, while growing into a bitter old man. In 2015, this version of Biff happened upon the DeLorean time-machine of Doc Brown which was used for Marty to travel to the past, and which Biff stole to give the 1955 version of himself a Sport's Almanac allowing him to make accurate sports predictions and become wealthy.

#### Hell Valley

In the altered timeline where Biff became wealthy, he became powerful and wealthy while arranging the death of George McFly and his own marriage to Lorraine while he had Doc Brown institutionalized. This timeline was visited Marty and Doc Brown upon returning from 2015, who then travelled back to 1955 to destroy the sport's almanac and undo the Hell Valley timeline.

#### Institute of Future Technology

Biff's 1955 self appeared to retain some knowledge/experience relating to Doc Brown, Marty and the DeLorean. The year 1955 was visited by members of the *Institute of Future Technology*, an organization founded by Doc Brown and active in the year 1991. Biff stowed away aboard the DeLorean, and then infiltrated the institute. Doc Brown learned of Biff having disappeared from the time-stream, so sent a warning to volunteers of his 8-passanger DeLorean demonstration in 1991, while Doc Brown himself was in a futuristic 2015.

Doc Brown returned to his institute in 1991 while Biff managed to incapacitate a guard in the institute's sector 4 and bound up with the message, "I'm a butthead". Biff taunted and even tried manipulating/recruiting volunteers of the experiment through cameras while (barely) posing as a camera repairman to avoid dim-witted institute personnel during the security breach he caused. Biff was then able to take out the power and trap Doc Brown inside of the doctor's own office before stealing the DeLorean for himself. Doc Brown then had his volunteers board the 8-passenger DeLorean which Doc remote-controlled to pursue Biff and bump him back into 1991.

After a chase across time, the volunteers returned Biff to 1991 where he was captured by institute personnel and presumably returned to 1955.

#### Later history

In the March of 2007, Doc Brown lost control of the Institute of Future Technology, most likely to capitalist children's entertainer Krusty the Clown. Doc Brown suspected that this was partly caused by Biff making a deal with Krusty and/or Krusty's former employee turned criminal-mastermind, "Sideshow Bob" (most likely as a plan to murder the Simpsons Family).

## Appearances

Doc Brown's clipboard during meet 'n' greets mentioned Biff as having possibly made a deal with Krusty the Clown and/or Sideshow Bob allowing for Krusty to take control of the Institute with Doc concocting time-travel plans to undo this.

### Back to the Future: The Ride

Biff was main-antagonist of this attraction.

### Summer Tribute Store

A business-card for *Biff's Automotive Detailing* was pinned up in the Tribute Theater.

## References

1. ↑ https://touringplans.com/blog/s6\_usfmeetngreet/
2. ↑ https://universalparksnewstoday.com/2022/05/full-tour-of-classic-movie-themed-summer-tribute-store-featuring-jaws-back-to-the-future-and-e-t-at-universal-studios-florida/