The Back to the Future trilogy handles time travel from a unique standing, as it focuses more on cause and effect rather than traditional string theory and parallel realities. That said, because its idea of time is more linear, it offers far more exciting theories that meld the line between science and spiritualism. One example comes from a theorist who believes the Delorean’s constant stalling is actually part of a larger, divine intervention rather than normal car troubles.
In Back to the Future, the Delorean’s habit of stalling at inconvenient times is a characteristic of the real-life car. However, according to Reddit theorist, GlutenFree_Paper, the car stalls in the film because the fates don’t want Marty to change any critical moments in the timeline. While it seems a bit far-fetched at first, it actually makes a lot of sense.
The Delorean initially stalls after Marty gets to 1955. While there, the car is conveniently close enough for Marty to hide it behind a billboard. It appears that fate wants Marty to conceal the car there to keep it safe until the time is right. However, this could be attributed less to fate and more to Marty just being crafty in a situation where he’s no longer in a familiar place.
That said, the next time the car stalls in Back to the Future is when he has to get it up to speed at the precise moment the clocktower is struck by lighting. Doc Brown is notorious for making his clocks 25 minutes slow at the beginning of the movie. It’s unclear when he started doing this, but making his clocks slow, even if it wasn’t for 25 minutes, may have been a habit even before he met Marty in 1955. As a result, if it was slow when Marty was supposed to get up to speed, he would have been too early and missed his shot. To make up for this, fate made the car stall to let Marty be on time.
Finally, the car stalls when Marty returns to 1985 and the Libyans attack Doc Brown. Marty’s whole plan was to get back early enough to warn him, but his car stalled, making him late. In reality, had he arrived on time to warn him, he would have likely been killed. Plus, Doc Brown read his letter in 1955 and wore a bulletproof vest, so he was fine. These instances are best shown in the first film, but Back to the Future Part III has the car stall one last time so it can be destroyed by a train as if to say Marty’s adventure is finally over and his timeline has been righted from what was.
Life doesn’t offer many second chances, and it’s yet to be confirmed if this theory holds any truth. That said, if it is accurate, it shows that fate was literally on Marty’s side. The theory also shows that even the smallest explanation can help to enhance a story. In this case, whether or not the theory is valid won’t impact the overall idea and adds another layer of mystery to the classic film.
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