Summary

• Val Kilmer's Iceman cameo in Top Gun: Maverick was a touching nod to his real-life battle with cancer, adding depth to the storyline.
• Tom Cruise played a pivotal role in bringing Val Kilmer back as Iceman, showcasing their strong on-screen chemistry once again.
• Despite minimal dialogue, Iceman's presence in the sequel was a powerful tribute to the original film and the enduring bond between Maverick and Iceman.

Val Kilmer's Iceman Top Gun: Maverick character returns with noticeably very minimal dialog in the movie, and there are both real-world and story reasons why Val Kilmer doesn't speak. Overcoming numerous delays, the Top Gun sequel became a massive box-office success and was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise return as hotshot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as he is now tasked with training TOPGUN graduates for a challenging mission. He is also joined by his co-star from the original, with Val Kilmer's Iceman Top Gun character appearing in a very special cameo.

The Iceman Top Gun arc saw him rise through the ranks between the movies, and Val Kilmer's character is now an admiral who vouches for Maverick and gets him a job as an instructor at TOPGUN. When Maverick has doubts that he can train his team in time, Iceman summons him to his house to give him a pep talk. It is revealed that Iceman is dying of cancer and types out most of the conversation with Maverick — and there is also a very real reason why Val Kilmer's Iceman Top Gun storyline took such a tragic turn.

Top Gun: Maverick is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. The original Top Gun is available to stream on Paramount+.

Iceman Doesn't Speak Because Of Val Kilmer's Real Life Illness

The Award-Winning Actor Was Diagnosed With Throat Cancer In 2015

Val Kilmer's own battle with throat cancer severely impacted his ability to speak, and the actors illness was incorporated into the Iceman Top Gun story for his appearance in the sequel. Kilmer now communicates through an artificial voice box, making his scene in the movie Top Gun: Maverick even more emotional with the actor being a real-life cancer survivor. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, but he kept this condition private and didn't let many people into his inner circle as he battled the disease.

However, while he was cancer-free by 2016, the tracheostomy surgery he had to have destroyed his vocal cords. Kilmer went on to film his Iceman Top Gun role in 2019, but it was shelved for years thanks to the pandemic. He actually released his documentary before that movie came out and in Val, he admitted that he can't speak without plugging the hole in his throat, and he has to still use a feeding tube to eat.

Since that time, Kilmer has worked with Sonantic, who helped create his voice based on old movies and video footage. He is still able to work and get around, but the illness severely impact the award-winning actors career. The Iceman Top Gun cancer arc was as much a homage to Kilmer's incredibly life story and defiance in the face of his illness, making the cameo all the more emotional.

Top Gun: Maverick isn't Val Kilmers only appearance since his throat cancer diagnosis, and despite the difficulties he has faced he's managed to make several on-screen appearances:

Top Gun 2 Used Val Kilmer's Real Illness To Move The Story Forward

The Iceman Top Gun Story Arc Mirrored The Actor's Personal Story

Iceman's faith in Maverick re-instills Maverick's faith in himself, and Kilmer's cameo is one of the most powerful moments in the Top Gun sequel

Tom Cruise's Maverick and Val Kilmer's Iceman have a headbutting relationship in the original Top Gun, with Iceman viewing Maverick as a reckless, insubordinate pilot. The Maverick and Iceman Top Gun relationship nonetheless gradually grew to respect one another through their travails. With Maverick and Iceman's rivalry essential to Top Gun, the bond they developed has held strong throughout their respective careers as naval aviators and shined through in the sequel even though Val Kilmer can't speak.

Following their meeting, Iceman passes away, and Maverick and his students attend his funeral. However, Top Gun: Maverick's attention is very much on Iceman's cameo — Val Kilmer can't speak, but this has done nothing to dampen his cheerful, free spirit. At a time when an irrepressible thrill-seeker like Maverick is haunted by uncertainty, especially around his friction with Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late friend Goose from the original Top Gun, Iceman reminds him of the world-class pilot he's always been.

Iceman's faith in Maverick re-instills Maverick's faith in himself, and Kilmer's cameo is one of the most powerful moments in the Top Gun sequel, with its layered subtext of the actor's own real story, including A.I. being used to recreate Kilmer's voice. The fact that Val Kilmer can't speak in real life gives an even deeper meaning to Iceman's appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, rendering it a heart-warming tribute to his performance in the original film.

Val Kilmer's Last Confirmed Performance Made Maverick A Triumph

The Iceman Top Gun Return Was Part Of The Sequel's Emotional Core

Val Kilmer's Iceman cameo in Top Gun: Maverick was a rare treat — very few people get to make a resounding comeback, wrap up a character, make the story better, and get a 21-gun salute for their troubles. It was the film's emotional core that helped Maverick reach its thundering success, honoring its roots while allowing the characters to move on. This was only possible through Iceman's presence.

Undeniably, contemporary entertainment's obsession with '80s nostalgia peaked with Top Gun: Maverick, and one of the key elements to this is the perfect way in which Val Kilmer's real-life circumstances were written into the evolution of Maverick and Iceman's rivalry. Though the Iceman Top Gun appearance was only brief in the movie, his presence as Maverick's only real ally in the ranks of the Navy was still felt throughout key scenes — and with Iceman's goodbye being wholly faithful to Top Gun: Maverick's epic '80s action movie roots, Val Kilmer could not have asked for a better farewell to mainstream movies.

Tom Cruise Was Pivotal To Both Val Kilmer Top Gun Appearances

The Star Was An Essential Part Of The Top Gun Iceman Return

In an interesting connection between the original and the sequel, Tom Cruise played a big role in bringing Val Kilmer's Iceman abroad in both circumstances. Though it took a 34-year delay to bring the Top Gun star back to the franchise, Cruise was adamant that the sequel also needed Kilmer to return as well. As it turns out, this mirrors how Cruise pushed for Kilmer to be cast opposite him in the original movie as well. In an interview (via: EOnline) Cruise explained:

"In the first one, I really rallied hard for him to be in the movie, because he's such a tremendous actor, and [I wanted] to have him play that character."

While Cruise pushed for Kilmer to be cast, Kilmer himself was eager to reprise his role as Iceman in the sequel. While the actor had been away from the big screen to deal with his health issues, he pushed to be included in Top Gun: Maverick, returning to a role that had helped launch his Hollywood career years ago. Both Cruise and Kilmer clearly knew the impact of seeing them sharing the screen again would have, and how the real-life events of their lives would make their scene one of the most memorable aspects of Top Gun: Maverick.