7 Ways Iceman’s Top Gun: Maverick Death Shapes Top Gun 3’s Story

While Iceman’s death in Top Gun: Maverick was heartbreaking, it is also a storyline that will have a major impact on Top Gun 3’s plot. Tom Cruise’s Maverick spent most of the original Top Gun feuding with Val Kilmer’s Iceman, only for a triumphant climax to turn the two rivals into unlikely friends. When Top Gun: Maverick jumped three and a half decades into the protagonist’s future, Maverick and Iceman were still as close as ever. However, in Top Gun: Maverick’s saddest scene, Iceman passes away before Maverick’s big mission. This left Cruise’s antihero feeling directionless and despairing.

Fortunately, Maverick pulled it together and took inspiration from both Goose and Iceman in the finale. In Top Gun: Maverick’s ending, Maverick and Goose’s son Rooster successfully pulled off a top-secret mission despite a slew of challenges, allowing Maverick to honor the memory of his late friends. Although Kilmer’s character obviously can’t appear in Top Gun 3, Iceman’s death doesn’t mean that he won’t continue to impact the story of the series. Judging by how much Goose shaped Top Gun: Maverick’s plot, Iceman could be central to Top Gun 3’s story in numerous ways.

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Maverick Will Struggle With The Navy Without Iceman

Iceman was a buffer between Maverick and his superiors

Maverick always struggled with authority in Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, but Iceman made this easier for him in the sequel. Iceman’s status allowed him to help Maverick escape trouble whenever Cruise’s cocky test pilot let his ego get the best of him. Now that Iceman is gone, Maverick will likely have a harder time with his superiors in Top Gun 3. Top Gun: Maverick already hinted at this with the sequel’s opening sequence, wherein a disastrous Darkstar test flight almost led to Maverick’s discharge before Iceman stepped in and vouched for his old friend.

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Maverick’s Top Gun 3 Relationship With Rooster Is More Important

Miles Teller’s Top Gun: Maverick hero is Maverick’s new wingman

While there were plenty of Top Gun characters who returned in Top Gun: Maverick, Iceman’s death may ironically make a relative newcomer the franchise’s most pivotal player. Miles Teller’s Rooster was central to Top Gun: Maverick because he was Goose’s son and Maverick projected his guilt over his wingman’s death onto this young recruit. However, since the pair worked together in the sequel’s finale, Rooster could become Maverick’s new wingman in Top Gun 3 now that Iceman is dead. Teller’s Rooster will matter much more in Top Gun 3 since Iceman’s absence automatically makes him Maverick’s closest co-worker.

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Top Gun 3 Can Fix Top Gun’s Cut Original Ending

Maverick visiting Goose’s grave makes more sense after Iceman’s death

Originally, Top Gun ended with Maverick visiting Goose’s grave to say goodbye to his late friend. However, this maudlin ending was jettisoned when the studio realized that it sapped Top Gun‘s fun, sunny mood. Now, Top Gun 3 can fix this cut ending by having Maverick visit both Goose and Iceman’s graves. Maverick visiting Iceman’s grave would prove that he wanted to connect with his late colleagues, whereas his visiting Goose’s resting place seemed more like an extension of his guilt over his wingman’s death.

Maverick visiting Goose’s grave at the end of Top Gun took some of the joy from the blockbuster’s triumphant ending. The scene brought viewers back to reality after the escapist silliness of the finale, which is the last thing that this fun-focused franchise needed. In contrast, Maverick visiting Goose and Iceman’s graves midway through Top Gun 3 would allow him to seek out their counsel and guidance. This is how Maverick treats Goose’s spirit in Top Gun: Maverick and it is a touching idea that feels more suited to the character’s journey throughout the series.

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Top Gun 3 Can Bring Back Other Original Movie Stars

Tom Skerritt’s Viper could return now that Iceman is gone

Since Top Gun: Maverick never mentioned Viper, Tom Skerritt’s Top Gun character is overdue a comeback in Top Gun 3. Maverick’s mentor knew Iceman, Goose, and the franchise’s protagonist since they were young recruits so he could be a source of comfort for Maverick as he grieves over the loss of Iceman. Furthermore, Viper could be a practical support to Cruise’s character, since Maverick will now need another ally in the Navy. Maverick is still incapable of following orders judging by Top Gun: Maverick’s story, so Viper could back him up now that Iceman is no longer around to bail him out.

3
Top Gun 3 Makes Maverick Less of a Maverick

Maverick will need to be more responsible in his new role

As his name implies, Maverick has always been a renegade in the Top Gun movies. However, Maverick’s rebellious streak may be toned down in Top Gun 3 since there is no one left to rein him in. Previously, his wingman Goose and his lifelong friend Iceman were able to talk Maverick down once he got too hot-headed. However, he will need to fulfill this role himself in Top Gun 3. This could result in a compelling story for Cruise’s character if Top Gun 3 makes Maverick a mentor instead of an active participant in the action.

Early on in Top Gun: Maverick, the title character gets between Rooster and Hangman as the two test pilots prepare to brawl. It’s an unusual role for the antihero, who is usually the one causing fights, not avoiding them. Top Gun 3 could force Maverick into this mentor role full-time and allow the character to finally process his issues with authority as a result.

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Top Gun 3 Can Give One Underrated Top Gun: Maverick Character A Bigger Role

Jon Hamm’s Cyclone could become Maverick’s new confidante

Jon Hamm’s Cyclone was one of Top Gun: Maverick’s most underused characters, but Top Gun 3 could change this now that Iceman is gone. Top Gun 3’s version of Cyclone could be a new wingman for Maverick since the duo’s frosty beginnings should have thawed out after the events of Top Gun: Maverick’s finale. Cyclone eventually had to admit that Maverick was uniquely suited to flying the final mission in the sequel, so if both men can swallow their pride and work tougher, they could build a friendship like Maverick’s bond with Iceman.

1
Maverick’s Mortality Will Be Central To Top Gun 3

After Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick killed off Goose and Iceman, Maverick’s death is a real possibility

Technically, Maverick could have died in Top Gun: Maverick. One Top Gun: Maverick fan theory even claims Maverick didn’t survive the Darkstar test flight and most of the movie is just his dying dream. However, despite what these fan theories claim, Top Gun 3’s existence proves that he did survive the sequel. As such, Top Gun 3 will have significantly higher stakes for Cruise’s character. Maverick will be returning as a grizzled older veteran, which makes his death much more plausible. After Top Gun: Maverick killed off Iceman, Top Gun 3 killing Maverick became a real possibility.