Characters / Back to the Future: Tannen Family

For the rest of the Back to the Future cast, see here.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Howard Tannen

"What are you looking at, butthead?!"^note Clockwise from top left: 1955, Twin Pine 1985, 1985-A, Lone Pine 1985

Played by: Thomas F. Wilson, Aidan Cutler (original, London musical), Harry Jobson (new casting, London musical), Tyler Davis (understudy, London musical), Nathaniel Hackmann (original, Broadway musical)
Dubbed in French by: Richard Darbois
Dubbed in Japanese by: Tesshō Genda (TV Asahi dub)
Voiced in the Telltale Games series by: Kid Beyond (original release), Thomas F. Wilson (2015 rerelease)

George McFly's boss in the original 1985 who constantly picked on George in high school in 1955. Thanks to Marty's intervention in his high school years, he becomes a humble auto servicer who would later use the Delorean to alter the timeline to his favour until Marty and Doc revert that timeline.

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• 0% Approval Rating: Other than his gang, absolutely no one at school likes Biff due to his bullying and generally awful personality. Upon everyone finding out that he knocked Biff out cold, George instantly becomes popular among his classmates.
• Abusive Parents: He has become Lorraine's children's stepdad in 1985-A. A line from Lorraine implies he lets his goons hit her kids, he punches Marty in the stomach when he tries to stand up for his mother, and he threatens with cutting Lorraine's kids off when she threatens to leave him.
• Actually Pretty Funny: In the second movie, when his 2015 self goes to 1955 and overhears his younger self arguing with a mechanic over the cost of his car's repairs from the manure truck accident, he chuckles, remembering the incident with nostalgia rather than bitterness.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Invoked. Biff insists on this while flirting with Lorraine on some occasions. Thankfully, she's not one of them.
• AM/FM Characterization: In 1955, he listens to Perry Como on his way to the dance.
• Arch-Enemy: To the McFly Family in general, but mostly Marty in the first and second movies.
• Attempted Rape: In Part I, he tries to have his way with Lorraine. Luckily, George showed up before Biff did anything to her.
• Ax-Crazy: When Biff goes on a tear, he takes abject glee in hurting people, be it running someone down with his car, Attempted Rape, or trying to break George's arm.
• Bad Boss: He's George's supervisor in the original timeline, and practically the same bully he was to him in high school.
• Barbaric Bully: Big (lampshaded), dumb (says certain things grammatically incorrect, although he's smarter than his grandson), and Obviously Evil (attempts to rape Lorraine in their high school years, as well as his old self going back in time to turn the present-85 into a hellhole), three out of three.
• Being Good Sucks: Biff's redemption didn't last, as dealing with a psychotic grandson left him bitter and pining for a better life he felt entitled to.
• Berserk Button:
  • He really hates manure. When Marty told him in 1985-A he heard about the manure incident in 1955 he seemed more angry about being reminded of it than confused of how Marty found out.
  • He also doesn't like being compared to George McFly. As shown in 1985-A, when he slapped Lorraine for saying he's not even "half the man" George was.
• Big Bad: Throughout the series, Biff and the relatives in his family are the primary antagonists, presenting the physical challenge Marty must overcome. In Part II, his alteration of the timeline turns Hill Valley into a dystopia — with him at the top — that should be set right. He's also a major antagonist in Part I, but in this film, his bullying and jerkassery is only half the challenge Marty is faced with. His ancestor is the antagonist in III.
• Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: His favorite insult is the supremely juvenile "butthead" well into his old age.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
  • The new "nicer" Biff that appears at the end of the first Back to the Future is pretty much an act given that he returns to being a massive Jerkass when he's an old man (in context, he seems really bitter about how Marty Sr. turned out). It's unknown if he's still this way in Part III after the timeline's fixed. While the films leave it somewhat ambiguous as to how much of his demeanor in the revised 1985 is authentic, the video game and comics more explicitly have him being the same loutish jerk as always when George isn't looking.
  • The Biff of 1985-A cultivates a philanthropist image in his rise to power.
• Book Dumb: He's not good at school, but as shown in Part II, he's very good with cars, and in Part I, he has a reasonably successful auto-repair business.
• The Bully: Pretty much the go-to example in film. Biff is this to George, Marty, and Lorraine. In fact, he likes to push around everyone. As the sequels and expanded media demonstrate, it runs in the family.
• Bully Brutality: Engages in this when he tries to run Marty into the back of a manure truck. He also tries to grope and rape Lorraine, and when George intervenes, Biff tries to break George's arm.
• Bully Turned Buddy:
  • Played With, as it's only in the "good" version of 1985 that he became friends with George, after George stood up to him. Reformed 1985 Biff seems to be on (somewhat) friendly terms with Marty: in the beginning of Part II he's eager to show Marty his new custom-made matchbooks, but knowing the old Biff all too well, Marty seems to take this with cautious acceptance.
  • Even in the original 1985 Timeline, it seems that Biff and George are probably the closest thing to best friends that they have along with workmates. Unfortunately they are just continually playing out their toxic dynamic of bully and victim from High School as middle aged men. George KNOWS Biff is an asshole and his life would be much better off without him but doesn't have the guts to stand up to him.
  • This is further played with in the video game, implying that while his bullying nature is actually genetic in some ways, it's also partly due to his circumstances. After Marty and Doc's adventures in 1931, Biff is no longer an unwanted child raised by his grandmother. His estranged, criminal father Irving "Kid" Tannen cleans up his act after falling in love with Edna Strickland in jail and manages to become a grounding and positive influence in Biff's life along with his new wife. The resulting version of Biff is a lot more cheerful and is on much better terms with George and his family than his previous iterations.
• The Caligula: In 1985-A, he is pretty much the de facto ruler of Hill Valley and his building is labeled with a gigantic likeness of him with giant neon letters that say "BIFF'S." He also spends most of his time yelling at people, and literally getting away with murder by buying out the corrupt police force. And the only reason he's as powerful as he is was because his future self literally handed him an almanac that allowed him to win at gambling at any sporting event he wants.
• Cannot Tell a Joke: Biff is constantly, err, biffing his attempts at wordplay with lines like "Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here"^note It's "leave", you idiot! "Make like a tree, and leave". You sound like a damn fool when you say it wrong! and "That's as funny as a screen door on a battleship!"^note "Screen door on a submarine, you dork..." Presumably everyone is too afraid of him to correct him. He is berated for this by his older self in the second movie.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': In the altered 1985, where he's rather submissive to George, he can't get away with putting on only one coat of wax on any cars.
• Cessation of Existence: Old Biff fades into nothingness the moment he travels back to 2015, due to altering his own past in such a way that he wouldn't live as long. This should have caused a temporal paradox, but the consequences of his actions are thwarted before any possible cosmic anomalies could occur.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Hello! Hello! Anybody home?! Hey, think, McFly, think!"
  • "What are you looking at, Butthead!"
  • "Hey McFly!"
  • "Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?"
• Character Check: Biff seemed to have genuinely reformed in the improved timeline, but when he sees Marty and Jennifer get into a flying Delorean, something in him clicks and he shows up in the future having undone all of his character development.
• Child Hater: As a teenager he stole a ball from some children and threw it onto a roof. Marty is a downplayed example, as despite being old enough to drive he's still 17 and thus a minor.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: In 1985-A, as the founder of Biffco. He apparently has a head for business, as he's basically a small business owner in the 'fixed' 1985 timeline and is George's supervisor at some sort of office business in the 'starting' 1985 timeline, meaning he's this trope in both of the 'bad' 1985 timelines seen in the films (though he's a mere grown up bully in the 'starting' timeline instead of a crime boss).
• Deadpan Snarker: Very rarely, if ever. Especially Old Biff who does not really like his past self.
  [After 1955 Biff verbally and physically harasses Lorraine and yells how he'll marry her one day]
  Old Biff: You always did have a way with women.
• Demoted to Extra: After being the central antagonist of the first two films, he only appears briefly near the end of the third film in a fairly inconsequential role. Justified in that the majority of the film took place decades before he was even born.
• Devil in Plain Sight: Along with the rest of his lineage, Biff is such an asshole down to his very core that it's impossible not to realize he's only out for himself and is willing to do anything for his own benefit.
• Didn't Think This Through: He steals the DeLorean in the ride version to travel through time and profit. Even though he knows cars, he doesn't know how to fly them. Cue Biff nearly getting killed in the prehistoric era.
• Dirty Coward: Biff's bullying is largely borne from thinking he has the upper hand on those he picks on. Standing up to him or proving you're able to fight back tends to make him back off. After George knocks him out, Biff is implied to have left him alone afterwards.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Biff really takes retaliation too far.
  • His response to Marty standing up to him in 1955 was to run him down with his car.
  • George punched him out in high school for threatening Lorraine. In the bad timeline 1985-A, Biff used his connections with the police to kill George personally, cover up the crime, marry Lorraine, and make her life hell.
• Domestic Abuse: In the alternate timeline in Part II, he is horrifically abusive towards Lorraine. He's physically aggressive with her, he harms her children in front of her, and it's implied he made her do things like make her get breast implants. He also uses threats to keep her under his control like threatening her children if she ever tries to walk out on him.
• Dumbass No More: In 2015, as an old man, Biff is not stupid at all. He's competent enough to use the time machine to get himself rich (although it backfires), properly use the "make like a tree" pun, and recognize just how much of losers both his own family and the McFlys are; stuff his 1955 self couldn't even conceive.
• Easily Forgiven: Biff forces himself on Lorraine and attacks George. Yet in the altered 1985, both of them allow him into their lives as a sort of family friend.
• Entitled to Have You: In 1955 he believes wholeheartedly that Lorraine is "his girl", regardless of how she feels about him. This culminates in his attempt to rape her at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. In the altered version, he murders George and threatens to ruin her children to keep Lorraine under his thumb.
• Evil Is Petty:
  • Exhibit A — Stealing a ball from some neighborhood kids and hurling it onto a nearby roof. And then he strolls away cackling to himself.
  • It's obvious that he doesn't like Lorraine for her personality; at best he'll cop a feel to her dismay. Yet in 1985-A he forced her to marry him and get plastic surgery, and threatens her kids to make her comply.
  • In the alternate present, we see a headline describing George's murder; Biff, the actual gunman, crows that the police would never arrest him. The article explains that George was headed for a meeting to protest the environmental policies of Biffco.
• Evil Laugh: Icing on the cake.
• Evil Old Folks: As an old man, he steals the time machine and is willing to use it to make himself rich.
• Evil Sounds Deep: In 1985-A, where he's at his most evil, his voice is much more guttural and harsh sounding, even when he's enjoying himself. His older self in 2015 also has a pretty gravelly voice.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • His wrath and need to bully others gets him because it inevitably makes people hate him.
  • His abuse of Lorraine is what causes George to finally snap and knock him out.
  • Per Word of God, Biff's abuse of Lorraine finally causes her to finally kill him in revenge.
• Faux Affably Evil: He acts like a guy good-naturedly ribbing his buddy when bullying George, but is in fact a sadistic asshole who has no problem forcing himself on women.
• Flanderization: The Biff to the Future comic drastically ramps up his Malaproper traits, to the point where he mangles at least one phrase or adage on every single page.
• Freudian Excuse: His grandmother sounds like a case. In the Telltale game, his father is revealed to be a notorious bootlegger.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Once he gets his hands on the Grey's Sports Almanac from the future in the second film, Biff goes from a bully to a murderer, a Domestic Abuser (toward's Marty's mother, no less), and Corrupt Corporate Executive. Thanks to him, Hill Valley is overrun with crime. His influence extends far beyond the town, as he is implied to be responsible for the legalization of gambling as well as allowing Nixon to stay in office for four terms.
• Future Loser: The altered timeline had him waxing cars, most often for the McFly family, in contrast to his supervisor job in the original timeline. Seems to be aware that he's this by 2015.
• Grumpy Old Man: His 2015 self, which proved he never stopped being a jackass.
• Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Biff had a full head of hair in 1955, but the various versions of 1985 consistently show him with a combover. In 2015, his remaining hair is even more sparse.
• The Heavy: In Part I, half the conflict is getting Marty back to 1985. The other half is the 1955 Biff bullying Marty's father George, which is a more personal conflict that threatens Marty's existence since George might not get the guts to court Lorraine, marry her and sire Marty and his siblings, causing them to be erased from existence.
• Heel–Face Turn: Played With. Biff does become nicer in the altered timeline, but it is questionable whether he has genuinely turned over a new leaf or is simply behaving in a sycophantic manner to a wealthier and more confident George. His 2015-self bullies (who he believes to be) Marty's son with his cane and steals the DeLorean to alter his own history, but he also doesn't like his bullying grandson Griff, is more chill about the manure incident than annoyed, and is ashamed with how stupid his younger self was, proving he's gained some wisdom, if not morals.
• He Knows Too Much: The elderly Biff left some other instructions for his 1985-A self: If anyone (specifically Marty or Doc) comes to him asking about the almanac, kill them.
• Held Back in School: Despite being a year older than George and Lorraine, Biff was in the same classes as them. The 1985-A explains this by saying that he took a year helping the high school football team.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Old Biff is a grouch, but he remembers the manure incident with amusement rather than shame. This implies he did mature a little bit.
  • His teenage self appears to be a bit of a gearhead with his car and was also smart enough to switch the dust jacket on his Almanac with a girly magazine to keep it from being stolen, which is a far cry from the dumb muscle he appeared to be back then.
  • He seems to enjoy Westerns if his 1985A getting excited over Clint Eastwood's makeshift bullet proof vest scene is any indication. Can be Foreshadowing to Part 3 as we learn he's descendant of Bufford Tannen, a Western Outlaw.
• High-School Rejects: In the altered timeline, his life after high school went nowhere and he is stuck in a humiliating position, washing the McFly family's cars.
• I Hate Past Me: The elderly Biff is quite embarrassed about how dimwitted the younger Biff is; he even slaps the young Biff on the back of the head when the latter says a quote wrong.
  Young Biff: Now why don't you make like a tree and GET OUTTA HERE!!
  Old Biff: (angrily slaps Young Biff) It's LEAVE, you idiot!! "Make like a tree and leave". You sound like a damned FOOL when you say it wrong!!
• I Have Your Wife: The gist of his blackmail on Lorraine in 1985-A. If she tries to leave, he'll cancel Linda's credit cards and stop covering her debts, have Dave's probation revoked, and get Marty (plus Linda and Dave, if he feels like it) jailed.
• Jerkass: He's has a callous personality up until George stands up for himself, anyway. And he seems more bitter than jerkass in 2015 - given the opportunity to go back in time, he opts to make himself rich rather than do anything to the McFly family. While he does make himself rich, he turns the town into a hellhole and evidently gets himself killed years before 2015.
• Jerkass Has a Point: In Part II, the scene where he punches Marty in the stomach after he tried to stand up for his mother is obviously meant to be a Kick the Dog moment, but he does call out Marty's Fatal Flaw.
  Biff: Always a little hot-headed, huh?
  • Also he says to George "Don't be so gullible, McFly". While said in a mocking tone, it is good advice after all, but he sadly doesn't follow it himself since he falls for Marty's "Woah, woah, Biff. What's that?" trick.
• Jerkass to One: He's especially nasty to George, with his bullying dating back to 1955.
• Jerk Jock: 1955 Biff is a textbook example.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: In the original timeline, he got away with bullying George well into adulthood.
  • In the first movie, George gives Biff the punch he so richly deserves. In the revised 1985, he is reduced to a pathetic mechanic who cowers before George.
  • In 1985-A, he would get away with murder and years of domestic violence toward Lorraine. However, Lorraine would eventually snap and kill him in the 1990s.
• Karmic Death: Thanks to a deleted scene, he gets two for the price of one. In Part II, Old Biff gives the almanac to his 1955 self to create a future where he's top dog, but upon his return, he doesn't live to enjoy the fruits of his efforts; in the newly-created timeline, Biff dies at Lorraine's hands in the 1990s after abusing her for years, which means 2015 Biff disappears into thin air.
• Knight of Cerebus: Single-handedly responsible for bringing about the Bad Future of 1985-A in Part II.
• Large and in Charge: Biff is 6'3" and the leader of his Gang of Bullies.
• Large Ham: For a bully and a general pain in the rear, he's rather (melo)dramatic in talk and/or action. Even his 1985-A self is just as over-the-top as the original.
• Malaproper:
  • In Part II:
    Young Biff: [to old Biff] Now why don't you make like a tree and get outta here?!
    Old Biff: ([slaps young Biff]) It's "LEAVE", you idiot! "Make like a tree and leave". You sound like a damned FOOL when you say it wrong!
  • Also in Part II:
    Biff: That's about as funny as a screen door on a battleship.
    Marty: [hiding in Biff's car] Screen door on a submarine, you dork...
  • And in Part III, we find out that it runs in the family:
    Buford: I'll hunt you and shoot you down like a duck!
    (Beat)
    Buford's Henchman: It's "dog", Buford, "shoot him down like a dog".
• Manchild: As an adult in the original timeline, he acts exactly like his teenage bully self from 1955, having no reason to ever mature; he forces George to do his work and takes advantage of him. In Part II, this crosses over to Psychopathic Manchild in 1985-A when he's still just as bratty and immature, but now has the wealth and power to get everything he wants. The original Biff never actually killed anyone (though he did try to run Marty down with his car, twice); 1985-A Biff has no misgivings and demonstrates it.
• Meaningless Villain Victory: At least meaningless if you think fourth-dimensionally: Old Biff's plan was supposed to grant him an idyllic life in 2015. Instead it got him killed in the 1990s.
• Miles Gloriosus: For a sadist whom everyone was afraid of, he had a really bad glass jaw.
• Money Is Not Power: According to Word of God, Lorraine would've finally snapped and killed him in the 1990s, showing that wealth would not have made him invincible.
• Moral Pragmatist: The "reformed" Biff might have given up being a bully because he can't threaten people anymore rather than any shame or maturity. The Old Biff seems more exasperated with his younger self than ashamed of his cruelty.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: In 1985-A, he kills George McFly in 1973.
• Never My Fault: He totals the McFly car while illegally drinking behind the wheel, and blames George for it because the latter never told him it had a blind spot.^note It's common knowledge that all cars have blind spots, which Biff in particular should know, given that he's established to be knowledgable about cars In Part 1, he blames Marty for wrecking his car and getting it covered in manure when he was the one trying to run him down, and in Part 2 he insists the mechanic pay for the damages.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In the first movie, Marty's plan to pretend to be sexually assaulting Lorraine so George can save her, doesn't go well because Lorraine actually wanted to jump Marty, and Marty got disgusted by it. It's only when Biff shows up and actually tries to rape Lorraine that George gets a real chance at saving the day and finally standing up to him.
• Not a Morning Person: Biff is implied to be this. Whenever George offers to go to Biff's home with the reports or homework for Biff to copy and pass them as his own, Biff tells George not to show up too soon for this very reason.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • He and his gang have a collective "shit!" when they realize his car is headed straight towards the manure truck.
  • He has this expression on his for a split second when he sees George's expression before being knocked out in one punch.
• Older and Wiser: 2015 Biff. He formulates a surprisingly effective plan to make his past self rich, after listening to Doc talking about the risks of meeting an alternate self, and even figures out how to make the time machine work. The plan, however, firmly wipes out his Older and Wiser trait by having his 1985-A self retain a childish temper and ultimately die well before 2015, thereby erasing old Biff from existence until Marty sets things right. He's also become more amused than annoyed over the "manure" incident and is clearly ashamed of how much of a blockhead his 1955 self is.
• Our Founder: Has a wax statue of himself standing in 1985-A's museum.
• Outdated Outfit: In 1985-A, plus the original unaltered 1985, he and his gang seem to fit in more with the The '70s than The '80s.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Biff seems genuinely happy that George got a novel published. Judging by the way he excitedly runs in with the first editions, it's clear that he had been eagerly anticipating the books for awhile along with the family.
  • During his conversation with "Marty Jr." (actually 1985 Marty) in 2015, he seems to be genuinely disappointed at how Marty "took his life and flushed it completely down the toilet."
  • Though he does so in his usual surly way, he's quick to confront what he believes to be a stranger (actually Marty in a cowboy outfit) messing with Marty's truck.
  • Old Biff notably doesn't outright tell his younger self the "old man who calls himself a scientist" and "punk kid" who might come after him are Doc and Marty, to the point where younger Biff is actually quite surprised Marty is the one he was warned about. Presumably this is because Old Biff thought his younger self might kill them as soon as he could just to tie up loose ends even if they never caught on or tried to stop him and only wanted them dealt with if they actually made a move on him. Either because Biff still had some fondness for Marty or just for the sake of not drawing unnecessary attention to himself.
• Pink Is Erotic: In 1985-A, Biff seduces women in a pink, purple, and red home, owns pink towels, and other pink decorations. Marty confronts him while he's in a jacuzzi with 2 other women.
• Pragmatic Villainy: 1985-A Biff does share his wealth with Lorraine-A and her children when he marries her...purely so he can use the threat of cutting them off to keep Lorraine in line.
• Raised by Grandparents: Teenage Biff lives with his grandma with no sign of parents, and she doesn't seem to be a particularly nice person, either.
• Reformed Bully: In the altered timeline, Biff being under George's thumb has made him give up his meanest habits. However, him calling Marty "butthead" before he recognized him in the third film — though admittedly in response to what appeared to be someone stealing his cleaning supplies, and while dressed in a ridiculous outfit to boot — and the behavior of his older self in the second might cast doubt on whether he's reformed or just scared of George.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: In the first film, it's implied Biff is willing to stiff George on a waxing job (until George pushes the issue), and in the third film, he gets aggressive and yells "Butthead" at Marty when he thinks he's some stranger stealing his cleaning supplies. If Biff has genuinely reformed then it shows he still hasn't fully lost his edge.
• Retgone: A deleted scene from Part II shows Old Biff fading away when he returns to 2015. 1985-A Lorraine apparently shot him some time in the mid-90s.
• Retired Monster: It's heavily implied his altered version isn't a much better person, and that his kindness is just obsequiousness to his wealthier and more successful former punching bag. His 2015 version is a bitter grouch, albeit one who more or less keeps to himself. Even then, when Old Biff gets the opportunity to restore his younger self to power, he doesn't hesitate to take it.
• Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: In the original timeline, he's still at it, holding power over George. In 1985-A, he has power over Hill Valley, as well as California itself. The fixed timeline subverts this, to the point that George apparently trusts him to do a good job... eventually.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: As an old man, Biff is rude to pretty much everyone.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: In 1985-A.
  Biff: Kid, I own the police.
• Smug Snake: In 1985-A, he may have money, but that hasn't improved his intelligence and cunning one bit. Despite being armed, he very easily loses the Alamanac to Marty.
• The Sociopath: He's pretty much the most monstrous character in the series; he has little to no inhibitions and he would do terrible things if he thought he could get away with them. In the first film, he harasses his classmates, tries to straight up murder 'Calvin Klein' with his car (in public no less) and later tries to rape Lorraine. In the second film, in the alternate timeline he murders George, abuses George's family for twelve years, and once again tries to murder 'Calvin Klein' with his car (and enjoys it even more this time).
• Thin-Skinned Bully: In the original timeline at the start of the first movie, Biff is a bully of Marty McFly's father from his high school years, that continues to demean him in the present. When George stands up for himself and punches Biff out for trying to date rape Lorraine, he never bullies him again and ultimately becomes submissive to George in the present day.
• Time-Traveling Jerkass: Once he gets his hands on Grey's Sports Almanac in 2015.
• Took a Level in Jerkass:
  • One would think the loutish bully who forced himself on Lorraine couldn't get any worse. But with money and power his other versions didn't have, 1985-A Biff goes from hoodlum to psychotic tyrant and wife-beater.
  • While in the improved 1985, it’s up for debate as to whether or not he’s really reformed, he at least acts outwardly nice. However, in 2015, he’s a Grumpy Old Man who insults others and is willing to use time travel to make himself rich.
• Took a Level in Kindness: It is possible that the altered Biff is a much nicer man, but it could be just an act. Regardless he sees to have given up his bullying ways.
• Trumplica: Word of God says the 1985-A version of Biff was inspired by Donald Trump. That version of Biff is a billionaire celebrity with strong political connections and media presence, wears his blonde hair in a conspicuous combover, has loud taste in fashion and home decor, lives in a Vegas-style skyscraper, has a massive ego, casually objectifies women, and sustains his wealth and power through unethical business practices. The portrait in Biff's office was even based on one of Trump. The comic series ups the similarities by giving him presidential ambitions.
• Tyrannical Town Tycoon: Becomes a tyrannical billionaire in 1985-A, making Hill Valley akin to Potterville.
• Tyrant Takes the Helm: Once he ultimately gains his fortune, kills George and marries Lorraine in the alternate 1985 timeline, he wastes no time in becoming the de-facto ruler of Hill Valley, turning the once-happy little town into his own personal fiefdom. However, his reign proves to be disastrous due to his debauchery and he's too proud to acknowledge that he isn't "half the man" George was.
• Ungrateful Bastard: In the ride, after riders bump his car in the prehistoric era and send him back to the present, his response is "You saved my life...Buttheads!"
• Villainous Breakdown: After the second time, he crashes into a manure truck. He screams about how he hates manure and looks like he's about to cry.
• Villainous Crush: For Lorraine. Taken to disturbing levels in the second film, and this is after the Attempted Rape which is still in play in 1955-A. Even the 2015 version has lingering "feelings" for her, as he told Marty (masquerading as his son Marty Jr.) "Say hello to your grandma for me."
• Villain with Good Publicity: In 1985-A, he's even got his own museum dedicated to his life story.
• Villainous Lineage: Descended from an outlaw, he's pretty much more of the same. No word about how his son turned out, but his grandson Griff's at least as bad as he ever was if not more. And in the game, it's revealed that his father was a notorious bootlegger.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Downplayed in Part I, in which his only two not Played for Laughs Kick the Dog acts were trying to run over Marty with his car and attempting to rape Lorraine, nearly breaking George's arm when he stands up to him. Played straight in Part II in 1985-A, when he becomes a Corrupt Corporate Executive who is an Domestic Abuser, turned Hill Valley into Hell Valley and murdered George McFly in cold blood. Even for a science fiction adventure comedy trilogy it is, Biff in this alternate timeline had become the darkest antagonist of the series.
• Wicked Stepmother: He becomes a gender-flipped version of this in 1985-A. Wicked doesn't even begin to describe how cruel he is to Marty.
• Would Hit a Girl: In the first film, he pushes Lorraine to the ground, and in the alternate 1985 of Part II, he abuses her along with Marty, among other things making her get breast implants.
• Yandere: He's an incredibly unpleasant version of this trope to Lorraine: In 1955, he sexually harassed Lorraine in broad daylight and nearly rapes her at the prom, and in 1985-A he murders George and threatens to ruin the rest of Lorraine's children if she leaves him.
• You Killed My Father: He killed George, Marty's father, in 1985-A. Lorraine avenges George by shooting him in turn.

Griff Tannen

Griff Tannen

"Hey, Gramps, I told you two coats of wax on my car, not just one! GRAMPS! What the hell am I paying you for?!"

Played by: Thomas F. Wilson
Dubbed in French by: Richard Darbois

Grandson of Biff Tannen who leads a Gang of Bullies in 2015.

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• Ax-Crazy: He's far more unhinged than Biff was and even quicker prone to violence. To quote Doc, "He's got a few short circuits in his bionic implants." Best exemplified by his version of the "your shoe's untied" gag: while Biff would merely lightly smack the person in the face, Griff outright punches Marty Jr.
• Barbaric Bully: He’s extremely aggressive and prone to physical conflict.
• Batter Up!: He attacks Marty with a metallic bat. He even says the Trope Namer Batter Up! when he attacks.
• The Bully: Like grandfather, like grandson. He notably spends his brief amount of time pushing Marty's future son around and even bullies his grandfather.
• Cessation of Existence: Implied to have happened when old Biff went back in time. Old Biff's biography lists a series of celebrity women among his conquests before Lorraine, implying he never settled down with whomever Griff's grandmother was. Given their mutual hatred of each other, Old Biff likely wasn't too bothered by this casualty.
• Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Doc warns Marty that Griff's "bionic implants" make him unstable. We're never given much of an idea as to what these implants are, but sure enough, Griff is unnaturally twitchy, constantly visibly stressed, and even more aggressive than Biff.
• Cyborg: He has several illegal "bionic implants" installed in his body, giving him the ability to make himself even taller over Marty and even No-Sell his "what's that!" punch by automatically blocking it. It makes him an even more violent and imposing bully than Biff was, leaving poor Marty Jr. helpless. It doesn't help him win against the Guile Hero Marty Sr., though.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Unlike his ancestors, whose Gang of Bullies only comprised of white guys, his has an asian guy and a girl.
• Evil Is Hammy: He is rather loud and overdramatic, in addition to being as much as a bully as his ancestors.
• Heel–Face Turn: Played with. In the comic, he appears to have eventually traded in his criminal career for law enforcement, but it turns out he was brainwashed into it. That said, he does attempt to follow the rules — if only because he's broken so many of them that he's already on thin ice — and initially only opposes Marty and Doc because they were suspected criminals. But eventually his vices are too much to keep restrained, and he devolves back into the violent thug he was first seen as anyway.
• Identical Grandson: He looks exactly like Biff in his younger days.
• Never My Fault: Despite being obviously guilty of causing mayhem, when he gets arrested he indignantly declares "I was framed."
• No Indoor Voice: While Biff can at least tone his voice down sometimes, Griff just shouts pretty much every word he says.
• Put on a Prison Bus: Griff and his Gang of Bullies are last seen being arrested after their chase against Marty ends with them crashing their hoverboards into the courthouse. The newspaper confirms their arrest.
• Rabid Cop: In the further future seen in the comics. As a cop, he's under strict cybernetic control, but his Ax-Crazy tendencies, love of More Dakka and frothing hatred of McFlys eventually lead to him demolishing half the city just to take down a couple of perps, and ending up in cuffs (again) himself.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears and is dealt with in the first act, but it's his actions that kick off Marty and Doc's trip to 2015, which in turn kicks off the rest of the film after Marty discovers the almanac.
• Spikes of Villainy: Griff's shoes have massive silver spikes that make his feet resemble a rhino.
• Starter Villain: He's the main villain of the first act of Part II, but is arrested at the end of that and his grandfather takes over as the true villain in the film.

Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen

Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen

"Mad Dog? I hate that name. I hate it, you hear? Nobody calls me "Mad Dog"! Especially not some duded-up, egg-suckin' gutter trash!"

Played by: Thomas F. Wilson
Dubbed in French by: Richard Darbois

An outlaw who terrorized Hill Valley in 1885 and Biff's great-grandfather.

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• Ax-Crazy: He flies into violent rages over any petty slight and kills people as easily as breathing.
• Berserk Button: Calling him by his nickname "Mad Dog" has apparently been Buford's for a long time as the moment Marty says it in the Palace Saloon, every single person in the saloon either silently runs away or makes themselves scarce.
• Big Bad: The main antagonist of the third film. He killed Doc in one timeline and preventing Doc's death at Buford's hands is the reason why Marty travels to 1885.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He's first mentioned in the video playing in Biff's Museum in 1985-A.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Originally, he shoots Doc in the back over a matter of 80 dollars, involving a horse that threw a shoe (which Buford shot) and the bottle of whiskey that broke as a result. He also shot a newspaper editor who printed an unfavorable story about him in 1884, which made everyone stop keeping track of his kills.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Inverted. He absolutely hates being called by his nickname "Mad Dog Tannen".
• The Dreaded: He terrifies the people of 1885 Hill Valley. So much so that the newspapers stopped keeping track of all his kills after he'd shot an editor who printed an unfavorable story about him.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Is briefly shown in the second movie by way of a history lesson on the Tannen family.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: He thinks hanging Marty and later shooting him are funny.
• Evil Wears Black: In keeping with old-time Western films, Buford wears an all-black suit in contrast to the heoric characters who all wear lighter shades.
• Expy: Of Liberty Valance. This was deliberate on Wilson's part, right down to calling Marty "dude".
• Fastest Gun in the West: The Biff Tannen Museum in Part II refers to him as this word for word and the article Marty reads about him notes that he's quick on the trigger.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: One of the reasons he's nicknamed "Mad Dog", and a major reason why everyone is scared of him.
• Historical Hero Upgrade: In-Universe. In the 1985-A of the second movie, where his great-grandson Biff Tannen made himself a billionaire, the museum in his casino portrays him as a much more heroic figure than he actually was.
• Identical Grandson: A bit tricky to pin down the usual features of a Tannen through that mustache, but he has 'em.
• In the Back: How Buford kills Doc in the original timeline. In a deleted scene, Buford does the same thing to Marshal Strickland when the marshal tries to stop him as he heads into town to duel with Marty.
• Jerkass: Well, he's a Tannen. What else would you expect at this point?
• Kick the Dog: Shooting a man dead in a fair duel is one thing. Shooting him dead after he's taken off his gun and wants to resolve the situation otherwise and gloating about it after? That's just low. Even his gang looks shocked.
• Knight of Cerebus: Naturally, being an actual gun-toting outlaw rather than just a school bully, he's much more dangerous than the average Tannen and rivals 1985-A Biff as a threat. He almost successfully hangs Marty after their version of the "bar chase" scene and much of the third movie is spent trying to alter several futures in which he shoots either Doc or Marty to death.
• Malaproper: "I'll hunt you and shoot you down like a duck." "It's dog, Buford."
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Mad Dog" Tannen...you think this is a bad guy?
• Never My Fault: Just like his descendant. Buford shot his $75 horse dead, but says that Doc owes him for it plus $5 for a broken bottle of whiskey because the latter fitted the animal with a shoe that was thrown off. And which Buford didn't pay him for.
• Paper Tiger: For all his bravado, he's utterly useless in a fight against anyone he doesn't simply shoot dead as shown when he faces Marty without his gun and is utterly demolished by him despite being much bigger, failing to land even a single blow.
• Politically Incorrect Villain:
  • "He once bragged that he'd killed 12 men, not including Indians or Chinamen."
  • He also doesn't seem to like Irishmen, if telling Seamus never to come to the saloon is anything to go by. This marks the beginning the McFly-Tannen feud.
• Put on a Prison Bus: He and his henchmen are all arrested after Marty beats up Buford at the end.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: While Biff is a confirmed murderer and cheat, most of the damage of his antics in Part II is just a side effect of his ignorant, narrow-minded selfishness. Buford, however, is a sadistic and openly racist career criminal who revels in violence and actively enjoys killing, to the point where he relishes hanging Marty and slowly suffocating him for accidentally using his hated nickname and muses about how a bullet from his Derringer could take days to agonizingly kill Doc.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Retroactively in the alternate 1985. The Biff Tannen Museum paints him as an outlaw of intrigue and derring-do in the vein of Jesse James rather than the ruthless bully and murderer he'll show himself to be in the next film.
• Would Harm a Senior: Before Marty got involved, he shot Doc (who's at least in his mid-sixties at the youngest) with a derringer, causing him a slow and painful death. The reason for it? Doc refused to pay him $80 after a horse he had shod threw a shoe and broke a bottle of whiskey, because Buford had never paid him for the job in the first place. In the new timeline, he attempts to kill him multiple times.
• Would Hit a Girl: After Clara kicks him for making lewd comments about her, he shoves her, knocking her down. This rouses Doc's ire considerably.

General Beauregard Tannen

General Beauregard B. Tannen

Voiced in the animated series by: Thomas F. Wilson
Voiced in the Telltale Games series by: Owen Thomas

The father of Buford and great-great grandfather of Biff. During the Civil War, he was a general for the Confederate Army. At some point after the war, he moved to Hill Valley to build a saloon. In an alternate timeline, his saloon was burned down by a time traveling Edna Strickland along with the rest of Hill Valley.

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• Jerkass Has a Point: By the law of the time, Beauregard's business is completely legal and has every right to shoot Edna for breaking and attempting to burn his property.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A Tannen is a Tannen and Beauregard is just as much a jerkass like the rest of his family though he has his morals. Other than making truce with a Union General during the Civil War, his reason for opening a saloon other for money is also to provide the towns people a place they can enjoy after a day of hard work.
• Mythology Gag: Beauregard previously appears in the animation series.
• White Sheep: Downplayed. He is a murdering asshole like the rest of his family, but he at least doesn't like shooting women. Of course that doesn't matter if they're trying to destroy his livelihood.

Kid Tannen

Irving "Kid" Tannen

Voiced in the Telltale Games series by: Owen Thomas

Biff Tannen's father and a famous mob boss in 1931's Hill Valley. The owner of the Speakeasy that was razed the same year.

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• Affably Evil: Unlike Biff, Kid seems to have a more reasonable side to him, such as when he turns down Marty's request if he could deliver soup from him so to not give Edna competition. Another example has him giving some of his peanuts to Marty after the latter asks for some.^note Of course, Marty asks for some so he can snatch Artie's hat (that was holding said peanuts) from him. He also is a man of his word, as he keeps his promise to not kill Artie after Trixie begged him not to, and even must have allowed them to get together eventually, seeing as Marty's family line still exists in the altered timeline from Episode 2 of the Game.
• Break the Haughty: His time in prison reduced him to a kind old man married to Edna.
• Disc-One Final Boss: He's kinda like the Big Bad in episode 1 and 2, but his role is limited to cameos in the other episodes.
• Faux Affably Evil: Puts on a charming social front, but cracks jokes about the people he's killed.
• Jerkass: He's a Tannen, what would you expect?
• Like Father, Like Son: He's pretty much Biff as a gangster.
• Love Redeems: He reforms from his evil ways in the end of Episode 5. See Edna's entry for more.
• Malaproper: "Make like a tree and die, rat!"
• Opposites Attract: With Edna Strickland. He's a womanizing trouble-maker while she's a Heroic Wannabe trying to bring order. They end up happily married and even manage to reconnect with Kid's estranged son, Biff.
• Parental Abandonment: Has Biff out of wedlock with a woman named Myra Benson. They get married strictly for appearances sake, dump Biff on his grandmother, and then part ways as soon as they can. After Kid's reform, he comes back for Biff (most likely due to Edna's insistance or out of regret when he actually learns what love feels like.) and manages to reconnect with him, forming a newer, happier Tannen family with Edna.

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