Summary
- The cast of Top Gun 2, including Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell, received praise for their performances in the sequel.
- Tom Cruise's return as Maverick is essential to the franchise, as his character provides a perfect counterweight to the new and unfamiliar faces in the cast of Maverick.
- The cast of Top Gun 2, along with impressive flight sequences, elevates the movie beyond being a simple action reboot, as critical praise focuses on their performances that shine throughout the film.
While Tom Cruise's return to the cockpit after 36 years was a big reason for the excitement of Top Gun: Maverick, the entire cast of Top Gun 2 made for an excellent ensemble that elevated the sequel. Along with Cruise back as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the cast of Maverick boasts an incredible array of talent in every scene. Arguably, one of the movie's greatest strengths stems from the fact that Cruise's legacy provides a perfect counterweight to many unfamiliar yet instantly iconic faces. Since its release, the cast of Top Gun 2 has gained acclaim beyond Tom Cruise, with Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell among others rightly receiving praise for their performances in the Top Gun sequel.
Top Gun: Maverick follows Maverick as he trains a new batch of Top Gun recruits for a dangerous mission. Having spent the previous three decades deliberately avoiding promotion to continue flying, Maverick is viewed with skepticism by his superiors and trainees alike. He is eventually able to win over his new charges, including Rooster, the son of his old wingman Goose. While the flight sequences are undeniably impressive, much critical praise has focused on the cast, elevating Top Gun: Maverick beyond being a simply run-of-the-mill action reboot. From the new characters who stole the show to the touching return of some favorites from the Top Gun universe, the cast of Top Gun 2 really shines.
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Played By Tom Cruise
As the most recognizable presence in the franchise, Tom Cruise's Maverick is the movie's most essential of the cast of Top Gun 2. Unsurprisingly, Tom Cruise performs Top Gun 2's stunts himself. Unlike his role in the original, however, the older Pete "Maverick" Mitchell has been tempered somewhat by his experiences in the Navy, yet retains the same free-spirited air that so endeared him to audiences in 1986. Away from the world of Top Gun, Tom Cruise is internationally recognized as one of the world's most bankable movie stars. His most famous projects include the Mission: Impossible franchise, A Few Good Men and Minority Report.
Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky
Played By Val Kilmer
Among the other Top Gun 2 returning cast members, this is one of the most emotional. Reprising his role as Maverick's main rival from the original movie, Val Kilmer's Iceman wasn't always destined to appear in the Top Gun sequel. After an extensive Facebook campaign and the support of Cruise, Kilmer was finally confirmed in 2018. Unlike Maverick, Iceman has successfully risen through the ranks, becoming a four-star admiral in the intervening decades. Apart from his Top Gun character, Kilmer is best known for his roles in Michael Mann's Heat, as well as Batman Forever and Willow.
Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw
Played By Miles Teller
Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw is the son of Maverick's deceased former wingman, original Top Gun character Goose. Bradley appeared briefly in the original, singing "Great Balls of Fire" alongside Maverick and Goose. While Rooster initially resents Maverick, blaming him for being supposedly held back in his career, the two eventually become close, with Rooster even saving Maverick during the movie's climactic raid. Fans might have expected Roosters mother Carole, played by Meg Ryan in the original, to be among the Top Gun 2 returning cast but she is revealed to have died between the two movies. Teller has appeared in several notable Hollywood projects, including films such as The Offer and Whiplash.
Penelope "Penny" Benjamin
Played By Jennifer Connelly
Kelly McGillis didn't return as Charlie, Maverick's Top Gun girlfriend. Replacing Kelly McGillis' Charlie Blackwood is Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin — a bar owner, the daughter of a former admiral, and Maverick's new love interest. As the drama unfolds, Penny provides crucial advice for Maverick as he attempts to navigate his relationships with the cast of Maverick, especially Rooster. Though not technically a character from the original movie, Penny was mentioned in 1986's Top Gun. Jennifer Connelly's career has spanned nearly four decades, with projects such as Labyrinth, Requiem for a Dream, and A Beautiful Mind.
Why Top Gun: Maverick Recast Penny's Daughter
Top Gun: Maverick initially cast somebody different to play Penny's daughter, Amelia, but the actress was replaced before filming began.Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson
Played By Jon Hamm
One of Top Gun antagonist characters, Jon Hamm's Vice Admiral "Cyclone" Simpson is extremely skeptical of Maverick's dangerous and seemingly foolhardy approach – voicing his concerns before the final mission. However, he is eventually won over, appointing him to lead the team. Jon Hamm is a movie and TV veteran, still perhaps best known for the role of advertising guru Don Draper in the much-vaunted series Mad Men. He has also recently appeared in the third season of The Morning Show and season 5 of Fargo.