WhileTop Gun: Maverick’s Iceman death was perfect, this makes it all the more important for the movie’s sequel,Top Gun 3, to steer clear of one regrettable franchise trend. The massive box office success ofTop Gun: MaverickmadeTop Gun 3’s releaseinevitable, and star Glen Powell confirmed earlier in 2024 that the sequel’s production start date was already being discussed. It is very hard to see howTop Gun 3will follow upTop Gun: Maverick’s perfect ending, but the original movie also appeared to end conclusively and yet the story of its long-awaited sequel still succeeded.
Iceman’s Top Gun: Maverick Death Means Top Gun 3 Can Finally Use The 1986 Movie’s Cut Ending (But Better)
Although Top Gun’s original cut ending would never have worked, Top Gun 3 can revisit this scene thanks to Top Gun: Maverick’s Iceman death.
That said,Top Gun 3matchingTop Gun: Maverick’s historic successwon’t be easy.Top Gun: Maverickintroduced a whole host of likable new characters like Powell’s Hangman, Monica Barbaro’s Phoenix, and Lewis Pullman’s BOB, but its sequel will now need to give them more screen time and character development.Top Gun 3also won’t have one famous character to work with, thanks to their demise midway throughTop Gun: Maverick. Any attempts to bring them back from the dead should be avoided by the series since, as tempting as it might be, this trend rarely works for major blockbuster franchises.
Val Kilmer’s Iceman Shouldn’t Appear In Top Gun 3
Iceman’s Top Gun: Maverick Exit Was Perfect
Top Gun 3shouldn’t bring back Val Kilmer’s Iceman after his perfectTop Gun: Maverickdeath, as any cameo from the character would inevitably devalue his final conversation with Maverick in the preceding movie.Iceman’s final scene inTop Gun: Maverickwas the movie’s high point thanks to Cruise and Kilmer’s chemistry, culminating in the poignant sight of the pair unknowingly sharing their last farewell. While de-aging technology means that a younger version of Iceman could appear in flashbacks duringTop Gun 3’s story, particularly given the movie’s massive budget, this would not be a good idea.
There are countless examples of sequels that refused to let their fan-favorite characters stay dead.
Seen as recently asAlien: Romulus' comeback for the late Ian Holms’Aliencharacter Ash, this trend dates back as far as 2000’sScream 3. That slasher sequel, penned byTop Gun: Maverickco-writer Ehren Kruger, featured an unnecessary scene whereScream 2victim Randy Meeks appeared via a narratvely convenient videotape that he recorded for his friends in the event of his death. The scene didn’t add much to the movie outside of nostalgia, but it did kick start a trend that has persisted in the years since.
The Top Gun Movies Don’t Need Posthumous Characters
Top Gun: Maverick Was Stronger For Goose’s Absence
From theFast and Furiousmovies to theIndependence Dayseries to theX-Menfranchise, there are countless examples of sequels that refused to let their fan-favorite characters stay dead. What makes this frustrating is the fact thatIceman’s death can shapeTop Gun 3’s storyeven if Kilmer isn’t seen via flashbacks or video messages, and a similar shoehorned-in appearance fromTop Gun’s Anthony Edwards wouldn’t have improvedTop Gun: Maverick’s plot. Despite many other blockbuster franchises bringing back canonically deceased characters,Top Gun 3should resist the urge to revive Val Kilmer’s Iceman afterTop Gun: Maverick’s perfect exit.
