In “Top Gun 2,” Tom Cruise’s maverick was supposed to be a big shot in the Navy, instead he’s just been a captain for decades. How that came about is now revealed by the Navy itself.
Maverick is a lot more down-to-earth in Top Gun 2, but doesn’t spend much time on the ground. (Source: Paramount Pictures Germany)
- Top Gun: Maverick returns Tom Cruise to the cockpit of a Navy fighter jet 36 years after the first film.
- It is surprising that Maverick, as an old Top Gun legend, is still only a captain.
- Before the film explains Maverick’s career, the Navy itself looks for logical reasons.
“More than 30 years in the Navy. Combat medals. Badges of honor. Only person to have shot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years. You still don’t get promoted. You don’t want to retire. And try everything, you die You just don’t. You should be a two-star admiral by now. And yet you’re standing here, Captain. Why?”
The career of Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell puzzles the Rear Admiral played by Ed Harris in Top Gun: Maverick. Maverick’s casual movie response “One of life’s great mysteries, sir.” does not provide any answers here, but the question is quite justified: Why is Maverick, the flying ace, still “only” a captain after more than three decades?
The new “Top Gun” film will certainly answer this question, Maverick probably just wants to continue sitting in the cockpit and not just giving orders. But the Navy itself also commented on how likely it is that a pilot like Maverick would remain a captain.
On the one hand, a captain with almost 35 years of service experience could be declared if he had previously gained experience as a soldier. That’s not the case with Maverick though, he was a lieutenant back in 1986.
It is also conceivable that Maverick retired from active service for a period of time after the events of the first film and only served occasionally in the Navy Reserve. If he then returned to active duty after about five years or more, it would explain why he’s still a captain.
A final Navy theory is that Maverick has been retired but remains in service. This procedure is rare, but not impossible. However, since Ed Harris’ character in the film says that Maverick doesn’t want to retire, it’s unlikely that he’s actually retired yet.
Neither of these options sounds like Tom Cruise could fit them into a casual conversation in Top Gun: Maverick, but the film can be expected to have fairly few factual errors. As with the first Top Gun, Paramount worked closely with the Navy and the script was put through its paces.
“Top Gun: Maverick” starts in Germany on May 26, 2022, so numerous Father’s Day handcarts will roll towards the cinema. Those who prefer to cheer for Tom Cruise in their own four walls should soon be able to see the new “Top Gun” in the stream. If you don’t like Tom Cruise, but you do like the films themselves, you’re sure to find some exciting highlights in our cinema overview.
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