"Top Gun: Maverick" is the 35-years-later sequel
nobody expected – but it still leaves a few loose threads hanging in the wind. Like,
whatever happened to Charlie? What does Maverick's future hold? And how was this
entire team not court-martialed in the end? (Warning: spoilers ahead.)
In "Top Gun: Maverick," Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin is the Maverick archetype of the film.
There is no disputing his talent as a pilot and how he possesses all the
necessary tools to succeed in Top Gun, but he also holds many of Maverick's most undesirable
qualities as a younger pilot such as recklessness, selfishness, a blatant disregard of orders, and,
well, a pretty punchable face. In fact, he could be far worse and more unmanageable than Maverick.
"Which one of y'all has what it takes to follow me?"
Taking into account Hangman's cowboy reputation and his inability to play well with others,
why is he even drafted into a group for the special mission in the first place? Undoubtedly,
Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson must have read up on his history to know that he has a
propensity to fly solo rather than as a unit, so it's mind-blowing he would even think that
Hangman would suddenly become a team player in a few weeks. Sure, there's the argument that his
defiance of the rules is what saves Maverick and Rooster in the end, but that doesn't excuse the
fact that he has the wrong characteristics to be a part of the unit to begin with.
"Top Gun: Maverick" sees the return of some familiar faces from the first film — namely Pete
"Maverick" Mitchell and Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. It also addresses what happened to Carole Bradshaw,
revealing to the viewers that she passed away some years earlier. However, the sequel never
discusses what has happened to Charlie Blackwood, Maverick's love interest from the 1986 film;
instead, Jennifer Connelly fills a similar role as Penny Benjamin, but what makes this
even stranger is the fact that Charlie shows up in old photographs and in a cringe-worthy flashback
appearance, yet no one explains where she is or why she is no longer with Maverick at this point.
"I wasn't gonna leave without saying goodbye."
It turns out that Kelly McGillis doesn't know what happened to Charlie either,
as no one reached out for her to return for the sequel. That said,
she holds no grudges over Connelly being cast as the new love interest in the franchise
and told Entertainment Tonight she is "so glad that she got that opportunity."
"Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski, revealed to Insider that Charlie's return
was never a part of the plan as the movie didn't want to stay too rooted in the past.
From the get-go, it is clear that the Top Gun team chosen for the special mission is probably doomed.
No one believes they will successfully execute the mission objective and get out of enemy
territory alive, especially with the risk of going up against the enemies' fifth-generation
SU-57 fighter jets and the tricky terrain. However, they are given F/A-18s, Maverick's
knowledge, and a few Hail Marys before they are sent on their merry way to the danger zone.
But why doesn't the U.S. naval force provide the team with more high-tech aircraft to begin with?
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, for example, is considered one of the
most advanced fighter jets and contains the next-level stealth and sensor technologies
that would be a major advantage for a mission of this magnitude. The question is, would the
F-35 handle as well as the F/A-18s in the required environment and under those specific conditions?
One of the biggest plot points of "Top Gun: Maverick" is Maverick having to be an instructor
to Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of his deceased former partner Goose.
Instead of focusing on Rooster holding resentment towards Maverick for his father's death,
the film decides to take a different approach — it shows how Maverick is
responsible for pulling Rooster's application to the Naval Academy and causing him to lose a
few years of his flying career. Naturally, this decision causes friction between the two men.
Later in the movie, it is revealed that Rooster's mother asked Maverick to pull
her son's application, fearing the same fate would fall on her boy that had ended her husband's life.
Maverick never reveals this important detail to Rooster, deciding that the young pilot should
resent him and not his mother for what happened. While Maverick and Rooster are in a much better
place by the end of the film, the secret remains. Undoubtedly, the two will have more conversations
about Rooster's academy years, and one has to wonder if Maverick will eventually reveal the
truth about why he did what he did. Maybe the answer will be revealed in "Top Gun: Rooster."
Security at an airfield is incredibly tight – or at least, it's supposed to be.
Not only do pilots need special clearance and the right identification on them at all times,
but there are many additional layers of security to pass through before even thinking of taking
to the skies. If these measures aren't in place, aircraft could crash into each other
on the runway. Yet, "Top Gun: Maverick" makes it look as simple as walking into a hangar,
picking out a favorite jet, and saluting fellow pilots before takeoff.
After Vice Admiral Simpson takes over the training for the mission and dismisses Maverick from his
duties, he is surprised as everyone else to see that Maverick has taken an aircraft to prove how
the mission can be executed in his specific way. Not only is this deliberate insubordination and
technically theft of military property, but it also illustrates that Top Gun's security
must be run by the same people who train the useless Gotham City Police Department. Surely,
there must be some form of clearance needed before Maverick can take a jet out on a joyride?
In "Top Gun: Maverick," the concept of breaking Mach 10 (in other words,
going 10 times beyond the speed of sound), is introduced on several occasions. Of course, it
is Maverick who breaks this distinguished record and has everyone in awe at his jaw-dropping feat.
While it might sound incredible, it is also highly unrealistic that Maverick's
head doesn't pop from all that pressure in the cabin as a result of pushing the limits.
"One of my favorite analogies that some 'Top Gun' pilots
have – it's like being strapped to a dragon."
NASA's X-43A scramjet jet only reached Mach 9.6, and this was considered a monumental
event in flight history. More importantly, fighter pilots are only able to withstand
speeds above 9G for a brief second or two (depending on their fitness levels),
so there would seem to be no way that Maverick could survive breaking these records in the movie.
Across both "Top Gun" films, one thing is abundantly clear: the rules are optional for the
pilots and there are no consequences for ignoring them. The pilots put each other and the missions
in jeopardy as they believe they know better and disobey direct orders from their superiors.
Now, while rulebreakers are common across every facet of life, naval forces are renowned
for being extremely strict about the rules and protocols. It's for this reason alone
that most people don't make the final cut, since obedience isn't just a nice-to-have quality here.
Towards the end of "Top Gun: Maverick," Rooster and Hangman openly defy direct orders from Vice
Admiral Simpson. Instead of being grilled and court-martialed upon arrival at the base,
they are celebrated as heroes for their actions. It can be disputed
whether they've done the "right" thing, but what does this mean about
their level of respect for Simpson as a superior and his instructions?
After Maverick is dismissed from the U.S. Navy and redeployed to Top Gun as an instructor,
he is told that it is his last chance. So if he wants to be around aircraft, this is the
only option that he has. At the same time, it is revealed that Iceman, who served as an admiral,
has saved his old pal numerous times by putting in a good word when he's chosen to ignore the rules.
Well, the ending of "Top Gun: Maverick" leaves Maverick in something of a sticky predicament.
He has successfully trained the team for the mission and the assignment is now over.
More importantly, with the death of Iceman, he no longer has an ally who will go out and bat for him
when he chooses to disobey instructions and be a general thorn in the side of authority. Retirement
could be the only option he has because let's be honest: even if he stays on as an instructor
at Top Gun, he is bound to upset someone in a position of power by not following their orders.
"Maybe so, sir – but not today."
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