While Top Gun: Maverick’s Iceman death was perfect, this makes it all the more important for the movie’s sequel, Top Gun 3, to steer clear of one regrettable franchise trend. The massive box office success of Top Gun: Maverick made Top Gun 3’s release inevitable, and star Glen Powell confirmed earlier in 2024 that the sequel’s production start date was already being discussed. It is very hard to see how Top Gun 3 will follow up Top Gun: Maverick’s perfect ending, but the original movie also appeared to end conclusively and yet the story of its long-awaited sequel still succeeded.
That said, Top Gun 3 matching Top Gun: Maverick’s historic success won’t be easy. Top Gun: Maverick introduced a whole host of likable new characters like Powell’s Hangman, Monica Barbaro’s Phoenix, and Lewis Pullman’s BOB, but its sequel will now need to give them more screen time and character development. Top Gun 3 also won’t have one famous character to work with, thanks to their demise midway through Top Gun: Maverick. Any attempts to bring them back from the dead should be avoided by the series since, as tempting as it might be, this trend rarely works for major blockbuster franchises.
Val Kilmer’s Iceman Shouldn’t Appear In Top Gun 3
Iceman’s Top Gun: Maverick Exit Was Perfect
Top Gun 3 shouldn’t bring back Val Kilmer’s Iceman after his perfect Top Gun: Maverick death, as any cameo from the character would inevitably devalue his final conversation with Maverick in the preceding movie. Iceman’s final scene in Top Gun: Maverick was the movie’s high point thanks to Cruise and Kilmer’s chemistry, culminating in the poignant sight of the pair unknowingly sharing their last farewell. While de-aging technology means that a younger version of Iceman could appear in flashbacks during Top Gun 3’s story, particularly given the movie’s massive budget, this would not be a good idea.
There are countless examples of sequels that refused to let their fan-favorite characters stay dead.
Seen as recently as Alien: Romulus’ comeback for the late Ian Holms’ Alien character Ash, this trend dates back as far as 2000’s Scream 3. That slasher sequel, penned by Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger, featured an unnecessary scene where Scream 2 victim Randy Meeks appeared via a narratvely convenient videotape that he recorded for his friends in the event of his death. The scene didn’t add much to the movie outside of nostalgia, but it did kick start a trend that has persisted in the years since.
The Top Gun Movies Don’t Need Posthumous Characters
Top Gun: Maverick Was Stronger For Goose’s Absence
From the Fast and Furious movies to the Independence Day series to the X-Men franchise, there are countless examples of sequels that refused to let their fan-favorite characters stay dead. What makes this frustrating is the fact that Iceman’s death can shape Top Gun 3’s story even if Kilmer isn’t seen via flashbacks or video messages, and a similar shoehorned-in appearance from Top Gun’s Anthony Edwards wouldn’t have improved Top Gun: Maverick’s plot. Despite many other blockbuster franchises bringing back canonically deceased characters, Top Gun 3 should resist the urge to revive Val Kilmer’s Iceman after Top Gun: Maverick’s perfect exit.