Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Last updated:
June 11, 2025

Top Gun: Maverick is the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun, bringing back Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in a high-octane, emotionally charged return to the skies. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film manages to balance nostalgia with fresh storytelling, pushing the limits of aerial cinematography and redefining what legacy sequels can be.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

Maverick’s Return to Top Gun

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, now a Navy test pilot, is still flying by the seat of his pants—literally. After a daring flight stunt nearly costs him his career, he’s surprisingly ordered back to TOPGUN—not to fly, but to train a new generation of elite aviators for a near-impossible mission.

He’s a living relic in a world that’s moving toward drones and remote warfare, and not everyone is thrilled to see him back. Especially not Admiral Cyclone (Jon Hamm), who sees Maverick as an outdated liability.

The Rooster Dilemma

Among Maverick’s new trainees is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late best friend, Goose. Rooster blames Maverick for setting back his career and for playing a role in his father’s death. Their strained relationship becomes one of the movie’s emotional core arcs, driving the tension throughout the story.

Other standout recruits include Phoenix, Hangman, and Bob—each with distinct personalities and cocky edge, in the spirit of the original film.

Training the Impossible

The mission they’re training for? A bombing run against a heavily fortified uranium enrichment facility in an unnamed rogue nation, buried deep in a mountainous region and guarded by 5th-gen fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles. It’s basically a real-life Death Star trench run, only deadlier.

Maverick must prepare these pilots to fly low, fast, and with absolute precision—and all while dealing with his own personal ghosts, particularly Rooster.

Maverick’s Gamble

The Navy brass doesn’t believe the mission can be done in time. Cyclone wants to lower the bar. But Maverick goes rogue (again), steals a jet, and demonstrates the exact mission profile himself in a stunning, real-time trial. It’s a jaw-dropping sequence that convinces command that Maverick’s way might be the only way.

He’s given the job of leading the actual mission, despite his age, and personally selects his team—including Rooster, much to everyone’s surprise.

Movie Ending

The final mission is everything the film builds toward, and it delivers big time. The pilots must fly through a canyon at breakneck speeds to avoid radar detection, drop bombs into a narrow exhaust port (hello, Star Wars), and escape before enemy fighters can engage.

Maverick successfully guides the team through the first bombing run but sacrifices his own jet to save Rooster, ejecting into hostile territory. Everyone thinks he’s dead—until Rooster turns back and gets shot down himself while trying to protect Maverick.

Stranded together, the two steal an old F-14 Tomcat—the very plane Maverick flew in the original Top Gun. In a triumphant, pulse-pounding finale, they take on fifth-generation enemy fighters in a completely outmatched F-14 and somehow survive, with help from Hangman, who shows up just in time for the rescue.

Back at base, Maverick and Rooster reconcile. Rooster forgives Maverick, acknowledging both the man his father was and the man Maverick has become. The movie closes with Maverick flying off into the sunset in a vintage P-51 Mustang, with Penny (Jennifer Connelly), his rekindled love interest, by his side.

It’s a complete emotional and narrative loop, tying together legacy, sacrifice, and redemption. Maverick, once the reckless outsider, has finally become the leader he was always meant to be.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No, there are no post-credits scenes in Top Gun: Maverick. Once the credits start rolling, what you see is what you get. Still, the final scenes of the film are so emotionally satisfying that it doesn’t feel like anything is missing.

Type of Movie

Top Gun: Maverick is a military action-drama with elements of thriller, coming-of-age, and legacy sequel storytelling. It’s as much a character study as it is a heart-pounding aviation spectacle.

Cast

Tom Cruise as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell
Miles Teller as Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw
Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin
Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson
Glen Powell as Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin
Monica Barbaro as Lt. Natasha “Phoenix” Trace
Lewis Pullman as Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd
Val Kilmer as Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Film Music and Composer

The score is composed by Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe, and Lady Gaga, who also performs the emotional ballad “Hold My Hand”, the movie’s signature song.

Zimmer’s sound elevates the intensity of the aerial sequences, while Gaga’s contribution underscores the emotional resonance. Faltermeyer’s original Top Gun theme is reprised and modernized.

Filming Locations

Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada
Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego
Lake Tahoe, California
Aerial sequences were shot using real F/A-18 Super Hornets with IMAX cameras inside the cockpits.

The decision to use practical effects and real flight sequences adds a visceral, immersive realism that CGI simply can’t match.

Awards and Nominations

Academy Award Winner – Best Sound
Nominated for:
- Best Picture
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Film Editing
- Best Original Song (Lady Gaga – “Hold My Hand”)
- Best Visual Effects

It also won several Critics’ Choice and Satellite Awards, and was widely praised for bringing audiences back to theaters post-pandemic.

Behind the Scenes Insights

Tom Cruise personally trained the young actors to withstand G-forces, insisting on real flight sequences.
Each actor flew in real jets, undergoing months of aviation training.
Val Kilmer’s role was rewritten to reflect his real-life battle with throat cancer.
Tom Cruise fought to delay the film’s release until it could be seen in theaters, saying, “It’s a movie made for the big screen.”
The cast often vomited during flights. Miles Teller joked that “throw-up was just part of the job.”

Inspirations and References

The film draws heavily from the original 1986 Top Gun, with updated themes around legacy, leadership, and redemption.
The mission design is a clear homage to the Death Star trench run from Star Wars.
Maverick’s arc parallels The Right Stuff, highlighting the transition from old-school pilots to modern warfare.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

No publicly confirmed alternate endings exist, but early cuts reportedly included more background on the enemy nation and extended training sequences. A deleted scene featured Rooster playing piano and singing—a callback to Goose’s “Great Balls of Fire” moment—parts of which made it into the bar scene.

Book Adaptations and Differences

The movie is not based on a book but is a direct sequel to the original film. However, novelizations do exist, which expand slightly on character backstories and internal monologues.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

Maverick’s record-breaking Mach 10 flight in the opening.
Rooster’s barroom piano performance of “Great Balls of Fire.”
Maverick’s surprise solo flight showing the mission is possible.
The F-14 dogfight escape scene—pure adrenaline.
Maverick and Iceman’s emotional reunion.

Iconic Quotes

“It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot.”
“Don’t think. Just do.”
“You fly like your old man. Only better.”
“Talk to me, Goose.”
“This is what I was born to do.”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

Penny Benjamin was referenced (but never shown) in the original film as an Admiral’s daughter Maverick once dated.
Rooster’s mustache and piano antics mirror his father, Goose.
The beach football scene is a modern take on the original’s volleyball scene—shirtless bonding, now with both genders.
Maverick’s old motorcycle and bomber jacket reappear, symbolizing his unchanged spirit.
The F-14 Tomcat dogfight is a love letter to the original film.

Trivia

The actors had to direct their own in-cockpit shots since no cameraman could fit in the jets.
Tom Cruise flew the vintage P-51 seen in the final scene—he owns it.
Val Kilmer’s dialogue was synthesized with AI using past recordings due to his condition.
The Pentagon cooperated with the production but had veto power over script elements.
The film became the highest-grossing film of 2022 and Cruise’s biggest box office success ever.

Why Watch?

Because it’s a masterclass in how to do a legacy sequel right. It blends emotional storytelling, practical action, and character growth in ways most modern blockbusters don’t. Even if you’ve never seen the original, it stands strong on its own.

Director’s Other Movies

Oblivion (2013)
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Only the Brave (2017)
Spiderhead (2022)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)