What To Remember About Top Gun Before Seeing Maverick

Before seeing Top Gun: Maverick, there's a lot to be remembered about the original Top Gun. The long-awaited sequel to the Tom Cruise 80's classic is set for a domestic May 27th, 2022 release date, allowing audiences new and old to once again follow the journey of Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise). With Top Gun: Maverick hitting cinemas imminently, here's a recap of everything there is to know about 1986's Top Gun.

Top Gun follows Maverick and a team of elite fighter pilots as they make their way through the real-life TOPGUN Naval Fighter Weapons School. Throughout Maverick's time at the school, he discovers friends, enemies, and love, meeting the likes of Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), and Ted "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer). Although the tragic death of Maverick's best friend does shake the pilot, he eventually regains his confidence and helps bring the class of the TOPGUN program closer together.

Top Gun remains an incredibly influential film, spawning parodies, homages, and adaptations even 36 years after its initial release. A sequel to Top Gun has been in development since 2010, and although there has been a slew of production complications, it is finally paying off with the release of Top Gun: Maverick. With Maverick being a direct continuation of the original film, there are a lot of important elements that viewers need to be caught up on ahead of seeing the sequel. Here's every key thing to remember before seeing Top Gun: Maverick.

How Long Before Maverick Is Top Gun Set?

With Top Gun: Maverick being released 36 years after its predecessor, there is a legitimate question as to when the film occurs. The original Top Gun is set in the same year it was released, meaning Maverick also takes place in a contemporary period. Although Top Gun: Maverick was delayed multiple times, it can be safely assumed that the movie takes place sometime between the late 2010s and early 2020s, when the film was in production. The original film was released in 1986, taking place during the Cold War. This means that the film takes place in the mid-1980s, setting it around 30 years before Top Gun: Maverick.

Goose's Death In Top Gun (& Who's To Blame)

Anthony Edwards giving the thumbs up as Goose in Top Gun.

The death of Nick "Goose" Bradshaw is one of the most memorable parts of Top Gun, acting as the crux that completely shifts the film. While who's at fault is still debated, Goose's death results from a training exercise involving Maverick and Iceman. The exercise sees Maverick and Goose in one jet and Iceman with his RIO in another. Both planes are trying to chase down an A-4 aircraft, with speed being one of the things that the teams are graded on. Maverick's rivalry with Iceman soon impairs his judgment, however, leading to Goose's death.

Being a skilled fighter pilot, Maverick tries to speed up to the A-4 to get a higher score. During this, however, Maverick gets caught in Iceman's jet wash. The plane promptly loses both engines and goes into an uncontrollable spin, requiring both Maverick and Goose to eject. While Maverick successfully escapes the plane, Goose is not so lucky. While being launched out of the jet, Goose smacks headfirst into the plane's canopy, instantly dying.

A large part of the rest of Top Gun revolves around Maverick's guilt, believing that Goose's death is his fault. While Maverick is considered innocent by the TOPGUN program, he still feels immense grief and nearly retires. Many viewers of Top Gun consider Goose's death to be Iceman's fault, as he doesn't get out of Maverick's way, causing him to fly through his jet wash. No matter whose fault it is, Goose's death is one of the most important moments in Top Gun and is key to Maverick's character - emphasized by the fact that Miles Teller will play Rooster, Goose's son, in Top Gun: Maverick.

What Happened To Maverick At The End Of Top Gun

Tom Cruise as Pete Maverick Mitchell in Top Gun Maverick

In the second half of Top Gun, after Goose's death, Maverick feels immense guilt over Goose's death and loses his flying abilities. While grieving, a commanding officer named Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt) reveals that he served with Maverick's father, Duke Mitchell, in the past. Although Maverick believed that his father had died due to a mistake, Viper reveals that Duke was performing heroic actions before he was shot down. Maverick uses this story to realize that he needs to regain his self-confidence, choosing to graduate from the TOPGUN program rather than retire.

Later, the TOPGUN class is given orders to deploy, sending Iceman, Maverick, and more to fight hostile enemies that are trying to interfere with the SS Layton. Taking the chance to redeem himself, Maverick quickly gets into the air to back up his crewmates. Tasked with taking down six MiGs, the TOPGUN alumni do not fare well near the beginning. After one of the TOPGUN jets is shot down, Maverick gets put in a similar situation ending with Goose's death. Rather than retreating, though, Maverick rejoins Iceman and shoots down three of the six enemy MiGs. After handling the hostiles, Maverick and Iceman safely land. Having feuded for the entire film, the two pilots finally respect each other for their heroic actions. Following this, Maverick throws Goose's dog tags in the ocean, signaling that he has finally come to terms with Goose's death. Ending the film, Maverick is given the choice of any assignment he wants, choosing to become a TOPGUN instructor and setting up the events of Top Gun: Maverick.

What Happened To Charlie At The End Of Top Gun?

Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis in Top Gun

Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) is a TOPGUN instructor and Maverick's love interest in Top Gun. After attempting to impress her at a bar the night before he starts at TOPGUN, Maverick learns that she is actually an instructor in the program. Although Charlie is impressed with Maverick's flying skills, she dislikes his aggressive tactics. However, she decides to not write about them in her reports. Charlie and Maverick start a romantic relationship, with Charlie comforting Maverick after Goose's death. After Maverick decides to return to the TOPGUN program, he reunites with Charlie at a bar, ending the film.

Although their relationship blossoms throughout the original Top Gun, with the film hinting at a long-lasting relationship, Maverick and Charlie are no longer together in Top Gun: Maverick. Instead, Maverick's love interest will be Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), a character who is mentioned in the original film but doesn't appear. Although Charlie won't be appearing in Top Gun: Maverick, it is likely that the film will explain what happened to her relationship with Maverick.

What Happened To Iceman At The End Of Top Gun?

Ted "Iceman" Kazansky is another incredibly important character in Top Gun, sharing the spotlight with Maverick after the death of Goose. Iceman and Maverick clash consistently throughout the film, with both characters' egos and tempers creating problems with one another. At the beginning of the film, Iceman's primary motivation is to win the TOPGUN trophy, a prize given to the pilot that scores the highest throughout the program's various tests. Because of Maverick's actions in the test that caused Goose's death, Iceman wins the TOPGUN trophy. Even after this, Iceman continues to butt heads with Maverick, something that changes in the film's final fight. While Maverick learns to overcome his guilt and ego during the fight, Iceman learns a similar lesson about respecting Maverick. Witnessing Maverick's heroic actions and skill in taking down three MiGs, Iceman realizes Maverick's talent. Because of this, the two share newfound respect for each other, and as Top Gun: Maverick shows, this respect was maintained over the years.

Now, in Top Gun: Maverick, Iceman is the one who requests that Maverick comes back to teach a new TOPGUN class. The sequel is set to carry on the story of Maverick, Iceman, and Goose, showing how their actions are still influencing a new generation of pilots years later. With Goose's son making an appearance and theories that Hangman is Iceman's son, Top Gun: Maverick will continue developing the themes and stories set up in the original Top Gun.

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