What is the exact age of Maverick in Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick? The star of both films, Tom Cruise, has aged during the 34-year franchise gap, but moviegoers may be curious about Maverick's specific birth year, and if it connects to the overall storyline. In Tony Scott's 1986 film, Maverick is already an experienced aviation pilot with a resume to back up his confidence, and the sequel's trailer shows that Maverick remains an influential figure of American aviation in 2020.
The original Top Gun movie revolves around Maverick's immaturity. At work, he walks the walk and talks the talk, but does have some growing up to do. From a 2020 perspective, Maverick clearly lacks self-awareness, but in 1986, Maverick was symbolic of American male machismo and cultural figures who would say things like "I am very good at what I do." As it turns out, Maverick is actually younger than many sixth-year senior characters from raunchy '80s college comedies.
Maverick's age isn't clarified in Top Gun, though the pre-production process reveals that he's supposed to be 23. Specifically, Cruise's character was born in 1962, and that's not necessarily an inconsequential detail. For the 1986 film, the audience knows that Maverick is most likely in his early 20s and that his father, Duke, died, disappearing in an F-4 on November 5, 1965. One internal character conflict centers on the fact that Maverick knows little about his late father and that the concept of death affects his perspective as an elite Top Gun aviator.
For Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise's character is 57 years old. In the present, Maverick is a renowned military figure, though in the Top Gun: Maverick trailer, his colleagues wonder why he never attained a more prominent rank. But for U.S. military figures, Vice Admirals must retire after 38 years of service or the month after their 64th birthday. So, when thinking more deeply about Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, the character arc for Cruise's character shows that he's more interested in peace of mind that professional accolades.
Maverick remains at Top Gun and trains pilots who mirror his confidence from decades prior, but what exactly does Maverick want? The original Top Gun implies that he needs clarity about his father's past before he can be a more reliable pilot, let alone a human being. In Top Gun: Maverick, expect the title character's humility to inspire a younger crop of aviators, some of whom will be very much interested in the technicalities associated with age in the U.S. military.
