Although Glen Powell’s success sinceTop Gun: Maverick’s release makes oneTop Gun 3story more likely, that doesn’t mean the series should take this route. By the timeTop Gun: Maverick’s endingrolled around, it was obvious that its sequel would have its work cut out for it. It tookTop Gun: Maverick36 years to reach cinema screens, yet the much-delayed sequel turned out to be more than worth the wait despite the odds.Top Gun: Maverickdeepened the story of Maverick, spotlighting one of star Tom Cruise’s best performances in the process.
As an older, wiser Maverick, Cruise was equal parts charismatic and tragic. His finalTop Gun: Maverickscene with the late Val Kilmermanaged to be a highlight of the entire high-flying franchise even though it was a brief conversation that took place entirely indoors. That Kilmer and Cruise’s repartee outshone the high-octane action set-pieces proves just how much the sequel prioritized character development over pure spectacle. Critics agreed that this was the right choice, withTop Gun: Maverickoutdoing the original movie both critically and commercially.
Maverick Could Retire In Top Gun 3 (Thanks to Glen Powell’s Hangman)
Powell Could Replace Cruise As The Face of the Franchise
The only issue withTop Gun: Maverick’s self-contained story was that the movie made it hard to tell whatTop Gun 3’s storycould possibly be. The original movie left a lot of story elements open-ended, andTop Gun: Maverickused the long wait between sequels to make these details tragic. Maverick’s seemingly promising romance with Charlie ended off-screen at some unspecified point, his career in the Navy stalled thanks to his infamous need for speed and his distaste for authority, and he never really got over the death of Goose and his guilt over the accident.
The problem is that all three of these unfinished stories were neatly wrapped up inTop Gun: Maverick’s ending. By the time the sequel ended, Maverick was in a happy romantic relationship with Penny, he had gotten over his guilt over Goose’s death by saving his former wingman’s son Rooster from certain death, and he finally had the respect and recognition of the Navy’s top brass.Maverick’s story seemingly has nowhere to go afterTop Gun: Maverick, unless the aging character retires from the Navy and becomes a mentor to new pilots.
This might seem like a major demotion for Cruise’s Maverick, who has always lived up to his name with his risky flying. However,Top Gun: Mavericksupporting star Glen Powell’s rapid ascent to the A-list since the sequel’s release makes this twist much more likely. After the success of2024’s blockbuster rebootTwisters, Powell could replace Cruise as the face of the franchise inTop Gun 3. His cocksure but undeniably charming character, Hangman, was a thorn in the side of Rooster and Maverick throughout the sequel but ended up stealing the finale by eventually saving them.
Retiring Maverick Could End His Top Gun Story Perfectly
Top Gun: Maverick Left Maverick With A Happy Family
Powell’s Hangman taking over from Maverick as the franchise’s main character might sound like a surprising twist, but it makes a lot of sense from some angles.Powell’s career has gone from strength to strength sinceTop Gun: Maverick’s release, with his 2023 rom-comAnyone But Youearning a staggering $220 million on a budget of only $25 million, whileTwistersbecame a $370 million hit in the summer of 2024.
Powell’s next movie will be Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King’s satirical dystopian sci-fi storyThe Running Man, another likely hit.Powell’s post-Top Gun: Maverickcareer successis well-earned, arriving after over a decade of supporting roles in both major and minor movies and shows. The actor also earned critical acclaim for his central turn in Richard Linklater’sHit Man, a Netflix success that Powell co-wrote.
Maverick transitioning to a teaching job full-time would be a humbling challenge for Cruise’s character that would force him to face his aging, his mortality, and his legacy.
In terms of story, Maverick retiring inTop Gun 3and becoming a full-time teacher to the next generation of pilots would technically be very satisfying. After all, Maverick’s role in the earlierTop Gunmovies was defined by his rebellious, feckless attitude, and it was already intriguing to see him try his hand at teaching inTop Gun: Maverick. Maverick transitioning to this job full-time would be a humbling challenge for Cruise’s character that would force him to face his aging, his mortality, and his legacy.
Top Gun 3 Is More Likely To Retire Maverick With Two Replacements
Miles Teller’s Rooster Was Already Positioned To Replace Cruise
However, the failure ofTop Gun: MaverickdirectorJoseph Kosinski’s underrated follow-upSpiderheadexplains whyTop Gun 3wasn’t necessarily certain to take this route. Miles Teller is great asTop Gun: Maverick’s Rooster and, since his breakout roles in 2013’sThe Spectacular Nowand 2014’sWhiplash, the actor has often impressed critics. However, his career was defined by box office failures in the years running up toTop Gun: Maverick’s release.
2015’sFantastic Four, 2016’sThe Divergent Series: AllegiantandBleed For This, and 2017’sOnly The BraveandThank You For Your Servicewere all box office failures. Teller’s only major release sinceTop Gun: Maverickwas2025’sThe Gorgewhich, while moderately successful with critics, went straight to streaming on Apple TV. Thus,Top Gun 3could be more likely to replace Cruise with Powell than Teller, since he has proven a more consistent box office draw.
The aviation dramaDevotionhad a lot in common withTop Gun: Maverick, but it bombed at the box office despite solid reviews
Even this would be a risky proposition since Powell’s biggest flop came only a few months afterTop Gun: Maverick. The aviation dramaDevotionhad a lot in common withTop Gun: Maverick, but it bombed at the box office despite solid reviews. This means that both potential replacements for Maverick have uncertain box office histories, but Powell’s track record makes him a much safer bet.
Top Gun 3 Shouldn’t Retire Maverick Despite Powell’s Success
The Top Gun Franchise Is About Tom Cruise’s Character
Even if Powell’s box office record didn’t have one unfortunate outlier,it would be tough to justify sidelining Maverick inTop Gun 3. Cruise’s character can’t just transition to being an Iceman figure becauseTop Gunhas never been a franchise about planes or the flight school, but rather his individual character arc. This doesn’t mean that the series won’t retire him to a less active role, but it does mean that this twist would be tough to pull off successfully. Even afterTop Gun: Maverick’s ending, it is hard to imagineTop Gun 3centering on anyone other than Cruise’s lead character.
