Nick “Goose” Bradshaw’s (Anthony Edwards) died in Top Gun, but is it Maverick’s (Tom Cruise) fault that Goose died? In actuality, it was Tom “Iceman” Kazansky’s (Val Kilmer) fault. The 1986 Tony Scott film was fun and exciting in its first two acts, but its vibe changed drastically after a tragic accident during a training session claimed Goose’s life. Maverick and Goose’s friendship went beyond their professional careers. Top Gun established this when Goose’s family came to the academy to visit him. Even when Goose died, his wife, Carole (Meg Ryan) didn’t blame Maverick for what happened.
Instead, she gave him words of encouragement to continue flying knowing how difficult it was for him. This didn’t help Maverick, however, and it might have even made things worse for him wondering whose fault was it that Goose died. While he has cleared by the board of inquiry, Maverick continued to harbor regret about what happened to Goose — so much so that he even considered walking away from the Navy. It’s understandable that he would feel this way considering that he was piloting the plane he and Goose were riding when the latter died, but all things considered, the accident wasn’t his fault — it was Iceman’s fault.
Why Goose’s Death In Top Gun Was Iceman’s Fault
As the top two trainees from their TOPGUN batch, Maverick and Iceman, with their respective RIOs, went into the tandem training session in Top Gun, motivated to come out as the winner. The exercise put them on the same team against their superiors, but points were earned individually. Both eventually got in the position to shoot LCDR Rick “Jester” Heatherly (Michael Ironside), giving them a shot at securing victory for the trainees. While Iceman got in front of Maverick and Goose, he couldn’t get a clean shot. He was repeatedly asked to move out of the way, so Maverick could take over.
However, he stubbornly stayed, trying to take down Jester and prevent his direct competitor from scoring points over him. No matter how hard he tried, Iceman couldn’t get a lock on Jester’s plane, forcing him to ultimately break off. Unfortunately, by the time Iceman got out of the way, it was too late; Maverick was too close to his tail, causing him to fly directly through the jet wash. This resulted in his aircraft suffering a flameout of both engines, ending in a fatal flat spin. While Maverick was able to safely eject, Goose didn’t; he hit the canopy on his way out with the intense impact causing his death.
Is it Maverick’s fault that Goose died? Had Iceman given Maverick the opening when first asked, the accident wouldn’t have happened. Iceman’s actions highlighted how individualistic he was — something Maverick got in trouble for in their previous exercise when he abandoned his wingman, to chase CDR Mike “Viper” Metcalf (Tom Skerritt) on his own. Iceman should’ve been reprimanded. At the very least, he should’ve been investigated like Maverick. Not only was he able to get away with it scot-free, but Iceman also emerged as the top pilot from their TOPGUN class. At the end of Top Gun, Maverick came to terms with Goose’s death enough to mentally move on.
Top Gun 2 Brings Back Goose’s Legacy In Miles Teller’s Bradley a.k.a Rooster
Top Gun: Maverick revisited the tragedy with the introduction of Goose’s son, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller). This character’s influential presence doesn’t allow Goose’s tragic demise to remain in the past. It also brings up whether it is Maverick’s fault that Goose died. In the Top Gun sequel, Rooster and Maverick’s dynamic doesn’t deal with the idea of Goose’s death being Iceman’s fault. However, the late airmen’s demise does play a key role in the former characters’ relationship throughout the film. It’s a natural progression within the franchise to use this as a point of contention. Goose’s death isn’t the only reason Rooster harbors a grudge toward Maverick.
It’s also revealed that the franchise’s star Navy pilot purposely delayed his Naval Academy application in the past, which set Rooster’s military career plans back by years. Though Maverick did so for what he believed was a good cause, the move generated its share of obvious problems. As if there wasn’t enough reason for Rooster to have internal, Maverick-directed angst festering within him, he went into Top Gun: Maverick with extra distrust toward Cruise’s character. Though Top Gun: Maverick’s ending features a satisfying reconciliation between Maverick and Rooster, it was smart to include it because emotionally recovering from Goose’s death was Maverick’s main challenge.
What Top Gun Goose Actor Anthony Edwards Thinks Of Maverick
While Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are the faces of the original Top Gun movie, it wouldn’t have the same impact without Anthony Edwards as Goose. While his character doesn’t live to the end, this was the movie that helped launch his career. In an interview, he said that everyone loves Goose, and he is a tragic character in the movie. “You’re like, ‘Why does he have to die?” (via Yahoo! Movies) With that said, Edwards also said he gets it because Maverick had to suffer to come out a better person in the end.
As for his response to Top Gun: Maverick, Edwards gave it his seal of approval (via PEOPLE). “It’s the biggest movie that I’m in that I never had to show up for a day of work, so it was fun,” he said, referring to his spirit weighing heavily over everyone in the sequel. Edwards also said that the movie did everything that people wanted, which he said was a “mission accomplished” for Tom Cruise and Top Gun.