Summary

• Kelly McGillis wasn't asked to return for Top Gun: Maverick, and the absence of her character Charlie raised eyebrows.
• The decision to not include Charlie in Top Gun 2 was to focus on looking forward instead of backward.
• The absence of Charlie and other original characters didn't hurt Top Gun 2, as the new characters and romances were well-rounded and engaging.

Kelly McGillis didn't return for Top Gun: Maverick, and many wondered why Charlie wasn't in Top Gun 2 when she was Maverick's love interest in the first movie. Charlie was hesitant to start a romance with Maverick, but attraction between them was just too strong. Despite their mutual admiration, Goose's tragic death and Charlie's job caused their brief split, but Top Gun's ending ultimately saw them getting back together, hinting at a long-term future. This is why there being no Kelly McGillis Top Gun: Maverick appearance, and Mitchell with a new love interest in Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), raised eyebrows.

Top Gun: Maverick picks up Maverick's story years after the original. The movie has Maverick forced to confront aspects of his past with the arrival of Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his former co-pilot Goose (Anthony Edwards). In fact, even his new love interest Penny was mentioned in the original Top Gun. The movie's willingness to look into the past makes the Kelly McGillis Top Gun Maverick absence all the more noticeable, yet there are some reasons behind the decision to not include Charlie in Top Gun 2.

Kelly McGillis Wasn't Asked To Reprise Her Charlie Top Gun Role

There Were Never Plans To Bring Charlie Back For Top Gun 2

Kosinski's Top Gun: Maverick isn't scared to lean on nostalgia with various callbacks to the 1986 film. That said, it doesn't bring back many of the characters from the original, and among the absent Top Gun characters is Charlie. There are two reasons why Charlie was one of the Top Gun characters who didn't return. According to director Joseph Kosinski, they wanted Top Gun: Maverick to look forward instead of backward, so they were meticulous in deciding which legacy characters would be back in the new blockbuster.

Ultimately, instead of re-pairing Maverick with Charlie, the decision was made to properly reintroduce Penny Benjamin from Top Gun. However, Charlie actress Kelly McGillis believes that there's a different explanation for not being called back for Top Gun: Maverick: her age and looks. "I’m old, and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about," she said in a 2019 interview. But McGillis harbors no ill-will toward Connelly, saying she's "so glad she got that opportunity."

Maverick Doesn't Mention Charlie At All

It's Not Revealed What Happened To Charlie After Top Gun

Top Gun: Maverick doesn't really provide any sort of explanation as to what happened to Charlie after Top Gun. Maverick's past is important in understanding where the character is when the film starts, but the movie doesn't really get into specifics about what happened to him between the original Top Gun and its sequel. That includes no mention of his past relationship with Charlie, including why and when they broke up.

Considering how turbulent Maverick's TOPGUN career with the Navy has been, it's possible that they just couldn't make it work. Charlie was focused and career-driven, so it isn't outside the realm of possibility that she ultimately chose her professional life and moved up the ranks at the expense of her romantic relationship with Maverick. This is ultimately why Kelly McGillis didn't return and Charlie isn't in Top Gun: Maverick.

Given the success of Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount has confrimed they're moving forward with Top Gun 3. Regardless of whether or not it happens and what the story might be, at this point, it's safe to say that the budding film series has no intentions of revisiting Maverick and Charlie's past romance. So it's unlikely that McGillis will be reprising her role in any of the potential Top Gun sequels — but it would be nice to one day get some closure on their story.

Charlie's Absence Didn't Hurt Top Gun 2

Top Gun: Maverick Worked Without Kelly McGillis

There's plenty of nostalgia to be had in Top Gun: Maverick, and it thankfully wasn't at the expense of a strong narrative. Bringing back Kelly McGillis' character might've actually ruined that. Too often reboots fail because they rely too much on the past to bring out a proper legacy sequel. Top Gun: Maverick cleverly avoided this by ushering in well-rounded, engaging new characters to replace the old. In addition, Maverick and Charlie's romance probably wasn't a happily ever after. The two had barely any foundation for a real relationship, even breaking things off once during Top Gun.

Top Gun 2's romance worked where the original didn't thanks largely to the chemistry between Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly. Even without Connelly's Penny actually appearing in the first movie, there is a palpable history between the two characters. The romance with Penny also gave Maverick a nice inner conflict, having someone who could pay the price for his lifelong trend of being reckless. The effectiveness of this romance makes the Kelly McGillis Top Gun: Maverick absence easier to forget.

The Charlie Top Gun 2 Absence Wasn't Alone

Several Characters From The Original Movie Were Missing

While the lack of a Kelly McGillis Top Gun: Maverick appearance was the most notable, she is not the only actor from the original who is missing in the sequel. After playing Goose's wife in one of her first movie roles, Meg Ryan didn't appear in Top Gun: Maverick. It is explained that her character died before the events of the movie while making Maverick promise that he wouldn't let Rooster go down the same path as his father. However, her absence could have been Ryan's own decision as she has previously said she has stepped away from acting.

Given how Rooster plays into the emotional core of Top Gun 2, it would have made sense for his mother to appear and would have been a lot of fun seeing Ryan return. It is easy to imagine a scene before the climax with Maverick going to her for guidance, but that Top Gun 2 scene was given to Iceman in a powerful moment. In the end, having Carole dead makes sense as it makes Rooster more vulnerable and holds Maverick to more of a responsibility to protect him. Ryan's absence, like the Kelly McGillis, worked for Top Gun: Maverick.