Top Gun: Maverick will feature a mysterious funeral scene, and it could be for one of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) students. Next year, the cult '80s classic Top Gun is finally getting a sequel. Set more than three decades after the original movie, the upcoming Joseph Kosinski project will see the return of the titular character. However, he's now a Navy captain and a flight instructor at TOPGUN—the very same flight academy he trained in years ago.
Given Maverick's job, Top Gun: Maverick will also introduce a string of new naval aviators who want to excel in their career paths. That includes the son of Maverick's former RIO, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller). The sequel will put a heavy focus on the pair's relationship, as marketing reveals there's palpable tension between them, stemming from the younger Bradshaw's distrust of Maverick. There's also Glen Powell's trainee only known as Hangman. While not much is known about his role in Top Gun: Maverick thus far, he's expected to play a significant part in the narrative, as the actor was specifically brought in as his character for the project. Rooster and Hangman are Maverick's two most prominent students, but there are also a few more trainees in the batch.
There are four more confirmed pilot trainees to be introduced in Top Gun: Maverick: Jay Ellis as Payback, Danny Ramirez as Fanboy, Lewis Pullman as Bob, and finally, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix. Very little is known about these contemporary aviators thus far, but it's safe to say that they too will be pivotal in the movie's overall story. That could mean one of them suffers a similarly tragic fate to Goose in Top Gun.
Top Gun 2 Has Maverick Become a Teacher
It was clear in Top Gun Maverick had the potential to become one of the best pilots in the Navy. Had it not been for Goose's accident that crippled him with guilt, he would've more likely emerged as the top student from his class, passing Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer). Top Gun: Maverick is highlighting why he's unable to move past being captain in the organization, with Ed Harris' unnamed admiral giving an idea of where Maverick is at this point in his career. It's unclear why he's not moving ahead when, based on his years in service and flying skills, he should be at a higher rank. Aside from being a captain, Maverick is also devoting his time training the next generation of naval aviators, following in the footsteps of Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt).
It's unclear how long Maverick has been in TOPGUN serving as one of its instructors. It's possible he never left the academy since he first entered it in the '80s, working there until now. Considering his impeccable flying skills, Maverick as a flight academy instructor makes sense; he can impart valuable knowledge to his contemporaries. It also helps that, based on the Top Gun: Maverick trailers, he seems to enjoy doing it, perhaps because it continues to allow him to fly.
Maverick is Still Pushing The Limit
Specific information regarding Maverick's life in the last three decades is scarce, but it seems like he continues to be the daredevil he was in the original Top Gun. Goose's death may have slowed him briefly, but he eventually overcame that once he decided to accept the tragedy. As Harris' character questions Maverick's inability to move up the Navy in Top Gun: Maverick, he also implies the pilot has had a couple of brushes with death in the last several years. The admiral then floats the idea these incidents weren't unintentional—meaning Maverick may be deliberately putting himself in harm's way.
Given this, it's possible Maverick's mentality as a pilot has spilled over to his work as a TOPGUN instructor. Even if he doesn't specifically push his students to their limit as he does himself, the trainees would understandably want to adopt the same mindset he has when flying. Unfortunately, while Maverick hasn't yet run out of luck, coming out of every near-death experience unscathed, that may not be the case for his contemporaries.
Top Gun 2 Involves An Ultimate Sacrifice
While Paramount has been careful with what they reveal about Top Gun: Maverick, the official synopsis for the sequel hints at an "ultimate sacrifice." It's possible while training or taking part in a flying excursion, a snafu happens and one of Maverick's students decides to do something to rectify the situation, leading to their death. Maverick seeing a contemporary die on his watch effectively brings up his trauma from Goose's demise in Top Gun. While Maverick was cleared by the board of inquiry, and the accident was because of an amalgamation of things, he blamed himself for what happened, especially since he was piloting the aircraft. While the circumstances will likely be different this time, Maverick also has a responsibility to keep his trainees safe, and seeing one of them get injured, let alone die, could once again have a major impact on him as a pilot.
This also fits with what's known about Top Gun: Maverick's story. While the appearance of Bradley automatically means Goose's death will be a central plot point in the sequel, another death during a TOPGUN training where Maverick is involved would draw comparisons to what happened 30 years ago. Finally, experiencing another death in the flight academy may very well be what pushes Maverick to finally give up flying, shifting his perspective and realizing there's more to life than his passion for it. One of the possible reasons why he hasn't actively worked to be promoted is because he doesn't want to stop flying—which is also confirmed by an official narrative blurb for the sequel from Paramount. However, it's possible things will change due to the funeral in Top Gun: Marverick.
