The opening scene of movies of the 1980s.

Despite being released four decades ago, Back to the Future has not lost any of its innate charm all these years later. With Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown standing as one of cinema’s most fascinating mad scientists, it’s incredible just how much was revealed about his character in the opening scene before he had even appeared on screen. As one of the few major franchises to never be remade or rebooted, those looking for more to discover from Back to the Future need only rewatch its opening scene with a keen eye for detail.

6 The Clocks Secretly Tell Us The Ending Of Back To The Future

The First Seconds Of Back To The Future Give Away Its Ending

As perhaps the most iconic time travel movie ever made, it feels appropriate that Back to the Future’s opening seconds were focused on a slow, continuous pan over a series of ticking clocks in the lab of Doc Brown. While this was already a clever visual clue toward the plot of this iconic movie, one clock in particular gave away the film's ending. This was the unusual timekeeper that featured the actor Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock from the film Safety Last.

This interesting image may appear to be just another glimpse into Doc’s wide array of eccentric interests, but it actually was a fantastic piece of foreshadowing that directly mimicked the end of Back to the Future. This was because Doc would later find himself hanging from a clock tower on November 12, 1955, as he and Marty attempted to fix the timeline and ensure Doc’s survival back in 1985. While this fantastic piece of foreshadowing will likely go over new viewers' heads, this iconic visual is immediately apparent upon rewatching Back to the Future.

5 The Newspaper Clippings Explain How Doc Was Able To Experiment For Decades

These News Reports Provide A World Of Info On Doc’s Backstory

Upon first meeting the eccentric mad scientist Dr. Emmett Brown, many viewers might wonder how such an outrageous inventor would be able to carry out a lifetime of experiments without a day job. However, this question was also addressed in the first minute of Back to the Future through a brief glimpse of newspaper clippings that showcase Doc’s inherited fortune. With clippings that read “Brown estate sold to developers” and “Brown mansion destroyed,” it’s clear that Doc was born into wealth.

While Doc rarely spoke about his family and didn’t offer much insight into his wealth throughout Back to the Future, he does give some indication that he has blown his inherited money in the pursuit of studying time travel. When talking about the flux capacitor, Doc said to Marty, “It's taken me nearly thirty years and my entire family fortune to realize the vision of that day.” This comment, along with the suspicious newspaper clippings in the movie’s opening scene, allows audiences to fill in the gaps for themselves about Doc’s backstory.

4 The TV News Piece Sets Up Doc Being Targeted By Terrorists

The News Anchor Provides Insight Into Doc’s Stolen Plutonium

In order to power the time travel capacity of the DeLorean, Doc Brown needed plutonium, and the source of this rare chemical element was quickly revealed in the opening scene of Back to the Future. As a TV report played on the television in Doc’s lab, we quickly learned that the stolen plutonium was connected to a group of Libyan terrorists. While the female news anchor stated that officials were now attributing the stolen plutonium to a “clerical error,” this quick piece of information informed Doc’s attack, which later took place at the Twin Pines Mall.

This seemingly throwaway news segment not only foreshadowed the chaotic events that would lead to Marty McFly traveling to 1955 but also showcased the high-stakes nature of Doc’s experimentation. While the cluttered lab of Doc Brown seen in the opening scene hints at a haphazard and sloppy scientist, the fact that Doc was in deep with Libyan terrorists showcased the dangerous nature of his work. Although many first-time viewers might view this news report as simple background noise before the real action starts, it actually lays the groundwork for everything that follows.

3 Marty’s Entrance With His Skateboard Showcased Skills He Would Later Rely On

This Extreme Sport Would Come In Handy As Marty Later Evades Biff’s Gang

The first glimpse we get of Marty McFly in Back to the Future is him entering Doc’s lab with his trusty skateboard in hand. This seemingly innocuous piece of sports equipment immediately signaled Marty as a brash teenager with a bit of a wild side, but it also foreshadowed the skills he would rely on throughout the film. While we first get a glimpse of Marty’s skateboarding talents when he takes hold of a Jeep as he cruises to school in 1985, he also shows off his skating skills to the unsuspecting public of 1955.

Although many will the expert use of a hoverboard in the futuristic year of 2015 in Back to the Future Part II, Marty also used his skateboard to evade Biff’s gang in the original film. The iconic skateboard chase scene saw Marty grab a homemade scooter from a young boy and quickly turn it into a makeshift skateboard, hilariously implying Marty had inadvertently invented the first very skateboard. This chase scene would lead to Biff and his crew driving headfirst into a pile of manure in the first instances of a recurring gag throughout the franchise.

2 The Plutonium On The Floor Connects Doc To The Stolen Goods

A Box Of Radioactive Plutonium Leaves No Question That Doc Was Involved

While the TV news report already foreshadowed the details behind the stolen plutonium, it was the radioactive box on the floor of Doc’s lab that left no uncertainty that he was directly involved. As Marty’s skateboard slowly rolled its way toward the stolen chemical, it was clear that Doc was involved in some very shady business that would have massive implications for the rest of Back to the Future.

Although we quickly learned that Doc was the one in possession of the plutonium, Back to the Future’s opening scene merely offers viewers the chance to speculate on what this eccentric scientist would have planned with such a dangerous chemical compound. While this split-second glimpse at the plutonium foreshadows all the chaos that was about to unfold, it was just cryptic enough that it hooked viewers in and got them excited to be introduced to this mysterious mad inventor.

1 Marty’s Guitar Skills Would Later Come Into Play

The Blown Speaker Sets Up Marty’s Prom Night Concert

Before the action of Back to the Future kicks off as Marty realizes he’s late for school, there’s still enough time to pack in one more incredible piece of foreshadowing. After Marty first entered Doc’s lab, he picked up a guitar, turned an amp on, and turned it up to maximum volume. This brazen act of noise pollution, unfortunately, resulted in the amp blowing up in a cacophony of sound that sent Marty flying through the air.

This catastrophic guitar strum put Doc’s already chaotic lab into total disarray, and we never got to hear the extent of Marty’s musical talents. However, this simply laid the groundwork for Marty’s iconic prom night performance back in 1955. This incredible musical sequence saw Marty play a rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” which inadvertently created a hilarious time paradox and may just have signaled the birth of rock 'n’ roll itself. As one of the most dense scenes in Back to the Future, it’s amazing just how much foreshadowing was packed into just a few minutes.