Top Gun: Maverick was a huge critical and commercial success upon its 2022 release, but the sequel raised a major question that Top Gun 3 needs to answer. Drawing on the appeal 1986’s Top Gun while creating something new and exciting, Top Gun: Maverick ranked among the most popular blockbusters of the summer. The long-awaited follow-up broke records at the box office and became Tom Cruise’s highest-grossing movie ever. Because of this, it’s highly likely that Cruise and Joseph Kosinski will reunite for another sequel.
Top Gun: Maverick puts Cruise’s Captain Maverick Mitchell back in the spotlight, following the downtrodden lead as he navigates a Navy that’s left him behind. Maverick’s return to the big screen includes daring action sequences and a new love interest. However, while these things help separate the sequel from the original, the film’s failure to address a major storyline from Top Gun creates a mystery. It’s one that hasn’t escaped notice, so Top Gun 3 will need to address it, even if it’s just in passing.
Top Gun 3 Still Needs To Reveal What Happened To Maverick & Charlie
While Cruise and Val Kilmer make their long-awaited returns in Top Gun: Maverick, the absence of Kelly McGillis’ Charlie raises questions about what happened between her and Maverick in the decades after the first film. If Cruise returns for another sequel, it should explore this dynamic between Maverick and Charlie further. Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t even mention Charlie, which suggests she and Maverick drifted apart after the events of the first film. However, this feels contradictory considering where the pair leaves off during Top Gun’s ending. Charlie is a major character in the first movie, and Top Gun: Maverick feels incomplete without even a mention of her.
The actual reason for Charlie’s absence from Top Gun: Maverick is much simpler than expected. During an interview with Insider, Kosinski revealed that he didn’t want “every storyline to always be looking backwards.” There had to be some connection to the previous movie, which Top Gun: Maverick delivers in the form of Rooster. However, the director also wanted to “introduce some new characters,” like Jennifer Connelly’s Penny. Bringing McGillis back likely would have distracted from that.
Charlie’s Unexplained Absence Sets Up A Big Maverick Story
Although Top Gun: Maverick’s director had reasons for excluding Charlie from the sequel, she didn’t need to be absent altogether. Maverick could have mentioned her in passing, or flashbacks could have offered insight into what happened between the duo. The decision to completely erase her from the narrative suggests there’s a story to tell after all. Jennifer Connelly wasn’t in the original Top Gun, so the sequel establishes new romantic stakes. However, the writers avoid touching on Maverick’s history with Charlie. If she returns in Top Gun 3, Maverick’s existing relationship with Penny may cause some drama and tension.
The ending of the original Top Gun suggests that Charlie and Maverick are securely in love and planning to spend their future together. That makes it difficult to write her character off as a meaningless love interest. The suggestion does a huge disservice to the first movie, which does a great job of building their relationship and demonstrating how good they are for one another. Something big must have happened to override that, pushing Maverick to the point where he no longer even discusses her.
Charlie’s Top Gun 3 Return Can End Maverick’s Story
Bringing Charlie back for Top Gun 3 would be a bold decision, particularly after establishing a new romance between Maverick and Penny. Still, doing so could pay off if it’s handled the right way. Perhaps there’s an important reason that Maverick and Charlie broke up. Whether she knows something that could harm his career or the pair has a child together, there are endless possibilities that could raise Top Gun 3’s emotional stakes and effectively conclude Maverick’s story.
Maverick embarks on a complicated journey over the course of the two Top Gun movies. He lives with the guilt he feels over Goose’s death and grapples with his place in a military that’s advanced way beyond what he’s used to. His character arc is still incomplete, and Charlie could be the key to wrapping up his story. Maverick and Charlie aren’t together anymore, but their emotional connection could resurface if she comes back for Top Gun 3. If she doesn’t, the sequel should at least give viewers closure with a flashback or a line of dialogue explaining her absence.