Summary
I lovedTop Gun: Maverick,but I need Tom Cruise’s character to mentor his true successor inTop Gun 3.Director Joseph Kosinski’s 2022 blockbuster is the much-awaited sequel to Tony Scott’sTop Gun, which originally catapulted Cruise to his Hollywood status.Top Gun: Maverickgarnered nearly $1.5 billionintentionally and was also a critical success, receiving a Certified Fresh 96 percentRotten Tomatoesscore following its release. The franchise will continue with a third installment, with Cruise’s Maverick returning alongside Miles Teller’s Rooster and Glen Powell’s Hangman.
It will be great to seeTop Gun: Maverick’s casttogether again in the next movie installment. As seen in the sequel, the ensemble has clear chemistry. While Cruise was its true protagonist, some of the franchise’s new players were able to make themselves stand out, even with limited screen time. It would be beneficial forTop Gun 3to maintain its core cast, especially the new breed of TOPGUN pilots in the budding franchise. That said, I want Cruise’s character to finally focus on mentoring his true successor — something thatTop Gun: Maverickdidn’t do.
Top Gun 3: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know About The Maverick Sequel
Tom Cruise flew high in 2022 in Top Gun: Maverick. With its success, Top Gun 3 feels inevitable, and here’s everything we know about the next Top Gun.
Tom Cruise & Glen Powell’s Friendship Is Inspiring After Top Gun: Maverick
The Maverick And Hangman Actors Have Connected Off Set
In July 2024,Tom Cruise played"wingman"to Glen Powell at theTwisterspremiere. Powell posted a photo of the castmates standing side by side on his social. Cruise had his arm around Powell, and they were both clutchingTwisters-branded popcorn buckets in what appeared to be a moment of pure bliss. Seeing the actors continue their friendship after working together onTop Gun: Maverickis inspiring. The Instagram caption read:“When your wingman follows you into the storm…”
Days after theTop Gunactors appeared at theTwisterspremiere, Glen Powell spoke about their friendship in an interview withE! News. The Hangman actor noted that Cruise had been a mentor and friend to him, saying,“It’s been such a special part of my life.”However, their friendship didn’t start just this year. They struck an easy dynamic while filming Top Gun: Maverick, and have become close friends since then. The real-life friendship between Cruise and Powell outside theTop Gunset is inspiring. It also better positions Hangman to be Maverick’sTop Gunfranchise successor.
Hangman Is Maverick’s Real Top Gun Franchise Heir (& Top Gun 3 Needs To Establish That Properly)
Hangman Is Reminiscent Of Cruise’s Maverick In The Original Top Gun
I believeTop Gun: Maverickshows thatHangman is Maverick’s natural successor, not Rooster. Though Hangman plays an antihero character, antagonizing Rooster and his fellow TOPGUN graduates, he is the film’s hero. Hangman swoops in at the last minute to save Maverick and Goose from an enemy fighter jet. With much tenacity, Jake “Hangman” Seresin leaves the Navy warship to defend his comrades, defying a direct order to stay. Powell sneaking up on the jet and shooting it down was the most memorable combat moment ofTop Gun: Maverickand proves that Hangman is Maverick’s natural successor.
The duality of Hangman completely emulates the Maverick character. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the pair barely interacted inTop Gun: Maverick.After holding him back at the Naval Academy, Maverick has had to focus on his responsibilities to Rooster. Fixated on their hang-ups aboutGoose’s tragic death inTop Gun, Mav ultimately chooses Rooster as his wingman. WhileMaverick doesn’t choose Hangman as his wingman, it makes perfect sense. Hangman is too much like Maverick to fly with him. Instead, Hangman is a maverick in his own right, operating independently inTop Gun: Maverick.As such, he is the franchise’s rightful heir.
Hangman Needs A Bigger Role In Top Gun 3
The Jake Seresin Character Needs More Room To Grow
Ultimately,Top Gun: Maverickis everything it needs to be. Reviving Goose and Maverick’s storyline through the Rooster character is an epic way to continue the story while embedding rich depth and nostalgia into the narrative – perfect for a sequel made 30 years later. Miles Teller is the natural choice for Goose’s descendant (despite Glen Powell initially wanting the role) since, from certain angles, Teller is genuinely Nick Bradshaw’s spitting image. It is great to see Rooster and Mav repair their unique bond, but the franchise should move on from this inTop Gun 3.
Powell stands out inTop Gun: Maverickdespite his supporting role. His relationship with Teller is reminiscent of the one betweenMaverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman. Hangman’s confidence effortlessly translates into his flying, honing an intuitive quality needed in active combat. The way Hangman emulates Mav’s instincts could not be more opposite to Maverick and Rooster’s relationship, where Mav is more of a mentor. As a character who requires no guidance, Hangman is already Mav’s successor. As the franchise builds its future, Powell’sHangman needs a more prominent role inTop Gun 3to take overfor Cruise.
Following his success inTop Gun: Maverick,Glen Powell starred inHit Man(2023),Anyone But You(2023), andTwisters(2024).
Glen Powell is just more fun to watch inTop Gun: Maverick.Now that Powell is a prominent name following the film’s success,Top Gun 3should capitalize on his momentum. Centering Powell’s Jake Seresin character would be an excellent way for theTop Gunfranchise to build on Powell’s success while securing a character capable of supporting the franchise’s future. WhenPowell didn’t get the Rooster role, he helped to rewrite the Hangman character, and his success doing so proves Powell can continue to evolve the character as theTop Gunheir inTop Gun 3.
Top Gun: Maverick
Cast
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
