Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 hit Top Gun, was a huge success, and it sets up a potential Top Gun 3 in five key ways. The movie not only brings back many beloved characters from the first movie, but it also introduces loads of new characters, such as Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw and Jake "Hangman" Seresin. Each of these new characters had their own exciting stories, with Top Gun: Maverick leaving many threads open to be explored in Top Gun 3.
Top Gun: Maverick sees the return of Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise), as he leads a new group of TOPGUN pilots on a risky mission to take out an illegal uranium enrichment plant. Throughout the film, Maverick copes with his guilt over the accidental death of Nick "Goose" Bradshaw as he grows to connect with Goose's son, Rooster. By the end of the film, Maverick leads the team on a successful mission, barely escapes enemy territory, rekindles an old romantic relationship, and learns to forgive himself for Goose's death. While Top Gun: Maverick beautifully concludes Maverick's story, there are still plenty of stories to explore in Top Gun 3.
Maverick Sets Up Rooster & Hangman As His Replacements For Top Gun 3
Maverick was the main character in the first two Top Gun films, which chronicle his journey from rookie TOPGUN pilot to the leader of a team of elite fighter pilots. While Cruise's Maverick is the selling point of the movie, Top Gun: Maverick implies that Top Gun 3 will take him out of the limelight and instead focus on Rooster and Hangman. The two learned how to work together in Top Gun: Maverick, with them both being essential to the success of the mission. Rooster and Hangman are essentially the sequel's version of Maverick and Iceman in Top Gun, and they could easily become the main characters in Top Gun 3.
Besides Rooster and Hangman, Top Gun: Maverick also sets up other characters that could rise to the status of the main cast in Top Gun 3. Bob and Phoenix are two of the other pilots on the team Maverick trains, and considering that they both live through the film, Top Gun 3 probably has some plans for them. Phoenix and Bob's dynamic is very similar to that of Maverick and Rooster in the first film, also making them ideal for character development in the third movie. While Maverick will probably still be in Top Gun 3, Top Gun: Maverick is clearly setting up his replacements.
Maverick's Future Role Is Set Up By Top Gun 3 (He's Not Retired)
Although Maverick probably won't be the main character in Top Gun 3, there is another role that is perfect for him. In Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise's character takes on a position of leadership, training a squad of fighter pilots to go on their dangerous mission. Even though Maverick is still just a captain by the time Top Gun: Maverick takes place, he gets this position due to a recommendation by Iceman, and it's in this position that he thrives.
In Top Gun 3, Maverick needs to continue training new TOPGUN pilots, allowing the film to honor his legacy while still building up new characters. The handling of Rocky Balboa in the Creed series proves that a major shift like this can work for a legacy franchise, and Top Gun 3 should follow this pattern. There's already been a sequel focusing on Maverick, so now the series should shift the spotlight to someone else. Maverick can still be a major character, having a story about finally trying to rise above the rank of captain, but moving Maverick to a supporting role will be much better for the franchise moving forward.
Maverick Sets Up The Rise Of Unpiloted Drones
Top Gun: Maverick teases a major conflict that could affect the future of the series, and that is the rising use of combat drones instead of fighter pilots. The beginning of the film shows Maverick struggling to stay relevant amidst combat drones becoming more relevant, and as technology advances in between Top Gun films, this storyline could become even bigger in Top Gun 3. Top Gun director Tony Scott even wanted the sequel to fully focus on this concept, meaning that it will probably come back in the future. For characters that love flying so much, the idea of their skills being made obsolete due to technological advancement is interesting.
Iceman's Death Sets Up Maverick's Future Motivation
Much of Maverick's story in Top Gun: Maverick involves him coping with the death of Goose, who was accidentally killed after an ejection malfunction during a routine training drill. Maverick has begun to blame himself for Goose's death, with his guilt getting so bad that he can barely talk to Goose's son, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw. Although Maverick eventually learns to forgive himself, another traumatic death occurs in his life by the end of Top Gun: Maverick: Iceman's death.
The death of Maverick's oldest friend could function as a perfect motivation in Top Gun 3. Although he's a skilled pilot, Maverick's reckless behavior has kept him from greatness in the Navy. Iceman, on the other hand, is one of the most disciplined pilots to have gone through the TOPGUN program. Sadly, he was unfairly taken by throat cancer - but his faith in Maverick never wavered. Top Gun 3 could see Maverick attempting to finally climb up the ranks of the Navy in an attempt to make Iceman proud, regretting the potential he realizes that he has wasted when talking to Iceman.
Maverick Sets Up A Perfect Villain For Top Gun 3
Top Gun: Maverick prepares a lot of characters for future movies, but one of the most interesting elements is the villain it sets up for Top Gun 3. Ed Harris plays Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain, the head of the drone program seen at the beginning of the movie. After trying to end Maverick's Darkstar program, Maverick embarrasses Hammer by pushing the jet past Mach 10. This may have given Hammer a personal vendetta against Maverick that can be used against him in Top Gun 3, as Maverick's pattern of reckless behavior in the original movie and Top Gun: Maverick means that Hammer could make him lose his career easily.