Even though the long-awaited Top Gun sequel Top Gun: Maverick managed to wrap up the story of Maverick perfectly, Top Gun 3 still needs to happen. It is never easy for filmmakers to know when a franchise needs to end. Some series can go on until critics and eventually fans complain that they have lost their spark, while others end after only two or three installments.
Since there was a 36-year gap between Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, it is tough to tell which camp the franchise will fall into.The historic box-office success of Top Gun: Maverick makes another sequel almost inevitable, but it did take nearly four decades for the first movie to produce a follow-up, even though Top Gun was also a runaway success upon its original release. Moreover, Top Gun: Maverick gives a perfect ending to its hero, meaning there is an argument to be made for the franchise ending with this sequel.
Why Maverick’s Top Gun 2 Ending Was So Perfect
The ending of Top Gun: Maverick manages to artfully wrap up Maverick’s character arc while setting up the story of his replacement. When Tom Cruise’s Top Gun antihero is first seen in Top Gun: Maverick, he is an adrenaline-addicted burn-out who never lived up to his potential since he never got over losing Goose and blaming himself for the death of his wingman. However, by the end of Top Gun: Maverick, Maverick has saved Goose’s son Rooster, earned Rooster’s respect, and learned to forgive himself.
Not only that, but Maverick’s disastrous romantic life gets a positive update in Top Gun: Maverick. Early in the sequel, the Top Gun hero admits that he never really opened up to his earlier love interests, but by the ending, he has been reunited with Jennifer Connelly’s Penny, and, for once, he is seemingly content with where he is at. Unfortunately, since Top Gun: Maverick wraps up every element of his story, Top Gun 3 can’t be a Tom Cruise vehicle in the way that both the belated sequel and the original movie are. However, paradoxically, Top Gun 3 needs to happen, and the film should still feature Cruise.
Why Top Gun 3 Should Still Happen (With Maverick)
Top Gun 3 could allow Cruise to see Maverick transition into a happy retirement wherein the eternal searcher finally settles down and enjoys life. Maverick doesn’t need to be killed off, but he could take on a role similar to the one that Iceman plays in Top Gun: Maverick by becoming a wise older mentor to recruits. Now that Rooster has effectively proven he can replace Maverick as a pilot, Top Gun 3 should turn Cruise’s character into more of a teacher and less of an active participant in the action.
Not only would this give Rooster a chance to take Maverick’s place and show off his flying prowess, but it would also show a new side of Maverick. The character always struggled with humility and knowing when to play it cool, which he shared with Rooster. This held Maverick back for decades, professionally and personally, and cost him promotions and a shot at earlier happiness. As such, Top Gun 3 could show how Top Gun’s hero adjusts to an idyllic but less dramatic life he has built by the end of Top Gun: Maverick.