Top Gun: Maverick New Cast & Returning Character Guide

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Summary Tom Cruise's return as Maverick in Top Gun 2 was a huge draw, but the ensemble cast, including Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly, shines.

The dynamic between the new characters and Maverick's legacy brings depth to Top Gun: Maverick, elevating it beyond a typical action reboot.

The engaging performances of the cast members, both old and new, add layers to the storyline, with standouts like Glen Powell and Monica Barbaro.

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. Along with Cruise back as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the Top Gun 2 cast boasts an incredible array of talent. 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 entire cast of Top Gun 2 has gained acclaim, with Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell among others receiving praise.

Top Gun: Maverick follows Maverick as he trains a new batch of Top Gun recruits. Having spent the previous three decades deliberately avoiding promotion, Maverick is viewed with skepticism by his trainees. He eventually wins over his students, 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.

Top Gun 2 Cast Member Character In Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Miles Teller Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Jennifer Connelly Penny Benjamin Jon Hamm Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson Glen Powell LT Jake "Hangman" Seresin Ed Harris Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain Val Kilmer Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lewis Pullman LT Robert "Bob" Floyd Charles Parnell Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates Bashir Salahuddin Chief Warrant Officer Four Bernie "Hondo" Coleman Monica Barbaro LT Natasha "Phoenix" Trace Jay Ellis LT Reuben "Payback" Fitch Danny Ramirez LT Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia Greg Tarzan Davis LT Javy "Coyote" Machado Manny Jacinto LT Billy "Fritz" Avalone Raymond Lee LT Logan "Yale" Lee Jake Picking LT Brigham "Hardvard" Lennox Jack Schumacher LT Neil "Omaha" Vikander Kara Wang LT Callie "Halo" Bassett Lyliana Wray Amelia Benjamin

Related Top Gun Cast & Character Guide The Top Gun cast has bona fide movie stars like Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer and '80s icons like Kelly McGillis and Meg Ryan playing its characters.

Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

Played By Tom Cruise

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Actor: 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. 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.

Recent Tom Cruise Movie Year Role Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 2023 Ethan Hunt Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Mission: Impossible - Fallout 2018 Ethan Hunt American Made 2017 Barry Seal The Mummy 2017 Sgt. Nick Morton

Character: Unlike his role in the original, 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. Maverick in Top Gun 2 is a jaded character who's both bitter and fearful of the rise of AI and the role of human pilots in the 21st century.

Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky

Played By Val Kilmer

Actor: Among the other Top Gun 2 returning cast members, this is one of the most emotional due to Val Kilmer's ongoing battle with throat cancer. 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. 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.

Recent Val Kilmer Movie Year Role Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Val 2021 Himself The Birthday Cake 2021 Uncle Angelo Paydirt 2020 Sheriff Tucker A Soldier's Revenge 2020 C.J. Connor

Character: Unlike Maverick, Iceman has successfully risen through the ranks since the events of the original Top Gun, becoming a four-star admiral in the intervening decades. Iceman and Maverick had remained friends, and Val Kilmer's Tom Kazansky managed to settle down with a wife and kids. Unfortunately, the original Top Gun character was also struggling with an unidentified cancer by the events of Top Gun 2, a narrative detail that was included to honor Val Kilmer's battle with the disease.

Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Played By Miles Teller

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Actor: Miles teller is poissbly one of the most recognizable names in the Top Gun 2 cast outside of Tom Cruise and returning Top Gun cast members such as Val Kilmer. Teller has appeared in several notable Hollywood projects, including films such as The Offer and Whiplash. He also appeared in the YA adaptation Divergent as Peter Hayes.

Recent Miles Teller Movie Year Role Spiderhead 2022 Jeff Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Thank You for Your Service 2017 Adam Schumann Only the Brave 2017 Brendan "Donut" McDonough Bleed for This 2016 Vinny Pazienza

Character: 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.

Penelope "Penny" Benjamin

Played By Jennifer Connelly

Actor: While many mistakenly believed Jennifer Connelly was a returning Top Gun cast member, Top Gun 2 was her first appearance in the franchise. However, she experienced the height of her career during the 1980s, which is one reason for the possible confusion. Jennifer Connelly's career has spanned nearly four decades, with projects such as Labyrinth, Requiem for a Dream, and A Beautiful Mind.

Recent Jennifer Connelly Movie Year Role Bad Behavior 2023 Lucy Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Penny Benjamin Alita: Battle Angel 2019 Dr. Chiren Only the Brave 2017 Amanda Marsh Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017 Karen (voice only)

Character: Kelly McGillis didn't return as Charlie, Maverick's girlfriend in the original Top Gun. Replacing Kelly McGillis' Charlie Blackwood is Jennifer Connelly's 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.

Related 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

Actor: 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. This Top Gun 2 cast member holds various accolades such as two Golden Globes and a Primetime Emmy, making him one of the most distinguished names on the cast list.

Recent Jon Hamm Movie Year Role Unfrosted 2024 Don Draper Mean Girls 2024 Coach Carr Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar 2023 Emcee/Klokateer (voice only) Maggie Moore(s) 2023 Chief Jordan Sanders Confess, Fletch 2022 Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher

Character: One of Top Gun 2 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. As far as rank, VADM Cyclone is more-or-less on the top rung of the ladder when it comes to the TOPGUN senior officers.

Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Played By Glen Powell

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Actor: Glen Powell was one of the breakthrough members of the cast of Top Gun 2, and while appearing as Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick was far from his first role it is arguably his most prominent to date. Since the Top Gun sequel, he has subsequently appeared in Richard Linklater's Hit Man, the rom-com Anyone But You, and the upcoming disaster movie sequel Twisters.

Recent Glen Powell Movie Year Role Twisters 2024 Tyler Owen Anyone But You 2023 Ben Hit Man 2023 Gary Johnson Devotion 2022 Tom Hudner Tom Gun: Maverick 2022 Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Character: Glen Powell's Hangman is another daredevil pilot who regularly rubs up against Miles Teller's Rooster. Known for his arrogance, he too is quick to dismiss Maverick's methods and is initially cast in an unfavorable light. However, by the end of the movie, Hangman is eventually redeemed as he saves Maverick and Rooster during their escape from hostile territory. In many ways, Hangman fulfills a similar role to Val Kilmer's original Iceman.

Lieutenant Robert "Bob" Floyd

Played By Lewis Pullman

Actor: Top Gun 2 cast member Lewis Pullman has been involved in a number of interesting projects, including Bad Times at the El Royale and the TV adaptation of Catch-22, although his role in Top Gun: Maverick is probably his most significant yet. Recently, he starred alongside Brie Larson in the limited series Lessons in Chemistry. He is also due to star in the 2024 remake of Salem's Lot as Ben Mears.

Recent Lewis Pullman Movie Year Role Salem's Lot 2024 Ben Mears The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 2023 Lt. Thomas Keefer The Line 2023 Todd Stevens The Starling Girl 2023 Owen Taylor Press Play 2022 Harrison

Character: Another key mission candidate, Bob serves as Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) to Natasha "Phoenix" Trace in Top Gun: Maverick. As part of the final mission, he and Phoenix are paired with Maverick. While Top Gun 2 doesn't have any characters who serve as comic relief as such, "Bob" certainly comes close, with several jokes made at the expense of his callsign being a simple shortening of his name.

Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain

Played By Ed Harris

Actor: Ed Harris is one of the most experienced actors working in Hollywood, appearing in movies such as The Rock, A History of Violence, and Westworld. Much like Jennifer Connelly, many viewers may have mistakenly believed that Ed Harris was in the original Top Gun, as the 1980s were a definite high-point in his career thanks to movies like The Abyss, Walker, and Under Fire.

Recent Ed Harris Movie Year Role My Dead Friend Zoe 2024 Dale Love Lies Bleeding 2024 Lou Sr. Downtown Owl 2023 Horace Jones Get Away If You Can 2022 Alan Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain

Character: Though Ed Harris isn't one of Top Gun 2's returning cast members, Rear Admiral Cain seems to have a history with Maverick. Early in the movie, Cain is determined to ground the controversial captain after his actions result in the destruction of a highly-valued "Darkstar" prototype. However, he is eventually persuaded by Iceman to transfer him to a new assignment.

Related How Fast Is Mach 10? What Speed Maverick Travels In Top Gun 2 Pete "Maverick" Mitchell becomes the fastest man alive as he travels faster than Mach 10, a speed that has never been achieved in real life.

Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace

Played By Monica Barbaro

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Actor: Phoenix is played by Monica Barbaro, who was a relative newcomer when she scored the supporting role in the cast of Top Gun 2. Since then, she has continued to make a name for herself, starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Fubar, and is set to appear in the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet.

Recent Monica Barbaro Movie Year Role At Midnight 2023 Sophie Wilder I'm Charlie Walker 2022 Peggy Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Natasha "Phoenix" Trace The Cathedral 2021 Lydia Damrosch Bullish 2013 Eva

Character: As part of Captain Maverick's team for Top Gun 2's final mission alongside "Bob" Floyd, Phoenix is one of the most important players in Top Gun: Maverick. Like her fellow mission candidates, she is initially disdainful of Maverick's credentials before observing him in action.

Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates

Played By Charles Parnell

Actor: Top Gun: Maverick cast member Charles Parnell has had an active career in the early 2000s, first appearing on the big screen in 2004's Mind the Gap. Since appearing in the cast of Top Gun 2, Charles Parnell has appeared in a number of high-profile projects, from The Mandalorian to Barry to David Fincher's The Killer, and even appeared alongside Tom Cruise again in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Recent Charles Parnell Movie Year Role The Killer 2023 Hodges The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart 2023 Jefferson Twilight (voice only) Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 2023 NRO Spiderhead 2022 Knowles Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates

Character: One of the few authority figures who seem friendly towards Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Rear Admiral Warlock is a key figure in organizing the mission against the uranium enrichment facility — alongside Jon Hamm's Cyclone. Warlock is actually the commander of Naval Education and Training Command, making him play a key role in Top Gun: Maverick's story.

Lieutenant Reuben "Payback" Fitch

Played By Jay Ellis

Actor: Top Gun 2 cast member Jay Ellis, who played Reuben "Payback" Fitch, may be mistaken as a relative newcomer, though he has been active for several years. Beyond Top Gun: Maverick, actor Jay Ellis is probably best known for his role in the horror movie Escape Room, the series Insecure, and the rom-com Somebody I Used to Know.

Recent Jay Ellis Movie Year Role Freaky Tales 2024 Sleepy Floyd Somebody I Used to Know 2023 Sean Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Reuben "Payback" Fitch Escape Room: Tournament of Champions 2021 Jason Walker Escape Room 2019 Jason Walker

Character: Another Naval Aviator and Top Gun graduate, Payback works closely alongside his WSO Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia. The duo team up with Rooster for the main mission, highlighting his skill with an aircraft.

Lieutenant Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia

Played By Danny Ramirez

Actor: In addition to his role in the Tom Cruise movie, actor Danny Ramirez is probably most recognizable for his role as the MCU's new Falcon, who will appear in Captain America: Brave New World. However, Ramirez has also made appearances in shows such as Orange Is The New Black and On My Block.

Recent Danny Ramirez Movie Year Role Winner 2024 Andre Chestnut 2023 Danny Root Letter 2022 Carlos Alvarez Stars at Noon 2022 Costa Rican Policeman Look Both Ways 2022 Gabe

Character: The final member of Rooster's mission sub-team, Fanboy serves as the WSO to Payback. He and Payback were both shot down by Maverick and had to do 200 pushups as a result.

Top Gun: Maverick's Supporting Cast & Characters

Some Of The New Cast Of Top Gun 2 Didn't Get Their Chance To Shine

Manny Jacinto as Fritz – Jacinto's career has included a diverse array of onscreen roles, including a credit alongside fellow Top Gun: Maverick actor Lewis Pullman in Bad Times at the El Royale. He is perhaps best known as Jason Mendoza on the NBC sitcom The Good Place.

Jack Schumacher as Lieutenant Neil "Omaha" Vikander – While Top Gun: Maverick is probably his most high-profile appearance to date, it is by no means Jack Schumacher's first foray into acting territory. The performer has previously appeared in both S.W.A.T and Chicago P.D, highlighting his genre credentials.

Greg Tarzan Davis as Lieutenant Javy "Coyote" Machado – Much like co-stars Cruise and Parnell, Davis also made an appearance in 2023's Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. He had a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy season 18.

Bashir Salahuddin as Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bernie "Hondo" Coleman – Although his role in Top Gun: Maverick is somewhat limited, Salahuddin has a range of high-profile acting credits to his name. The performer has appeared in everything from American Dad to GLOW, while also working as an actor and musician.

Jake Picking as Lieutenant Brigham "Harvard" Lennox – Pickering's other major credits include Robert de Niro's much-maligned 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa and action-thriller Sicario: Day of the Soldado. He also played the lead role of Rock Hudson in the Ryan Murphy series Hollywood.

Raymond Lee as Lieutenant Logan "Yale" Lee – In addition to being one of Top Gun: Maverick's supporting players, Raymond Lee has had roles in several well-known projects. His credits include The Lost City and How I Met Your Mother.

Lyliana Wray as Amelia Benjamin – A former child actress who found fame with a breakout role in 2016's Maximum Ride, Lyliana Wray has gone on to bolster her career with several prominent roles. Her most noteworthy is probably on the Nickelodeon revival of Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Jean Louisa Kelly as Sarah Kazansky, Iceman's wife – Kelly's career has incorporated a number of projects, on both the small and big screen. Her credits include both the original CSI and its spin-off CSI: Miami, as well as the hit 2021 horror movie Malignant.

Chelsea Harris as Flag Aide Angela Burke – Although she has several movie credits to her name, Harris is probably best known for her TV work. In recent years, her credits include the likes of Snowpiercer and Star Trek: Picard.

Which Top Gun Characters Didn't Return For Maverick

Kelly McGillis' Charlie Is A Noticeable Omission

Several Top Gun characters didn't make it into the cast of Top Gun 2 for different reasons. The most notable missing original character is Kelly McGillis' Charlie Blackwell — Maverick's love interest in Top Gun. Also missing in the sequel are Top Gun instructors Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt) and Rick "Jester" Heatherly (Michael Ironside), Maverick's original wingman Bill "Cougar" Cortell (John Stockwell), Cougar's RIO Sam "Merlin" Wells (Tim Robbins), and Rooster's mom Carole Bradshaw (Meg Ryan).

Top Gun: Maverick also doesn't feature TOPGUN program graduates Rick "Hollywood" Neven (Whip Hubley), Ron "Slider" Kerner (Rick Rossovich), Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe (Barry Tubb), Marcus "Sundown" Williams (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), and Charles "Chipper" Piper (Adrian Pasdar). Top Gun 3, however, could still feature some of these original franchise characters. As for why they didn't appear in Top Gun: Maverick, no reason is given. This adds to the realism though — it's been decades since the original Top Gun, and Maverick remaining in contact with all these individuals after so long would be highly unlikely.

Related Top Gun 2: Why Maverick & Charlie Are No Longer Together Top Gun: Maverick introduces viewers to Pete Mitchell's newest love interest, Penny, but why are he and Charlie no longer together in the sequel?

Top Gun Cast Members Who Could Return For Top Gun 3

Certain Top Gun 2 Cast Members Could Be Given More To Do

Top Gun 3 has been confirmed, and presents some opportunities for Top Gun returning cast members to appear. Given how audiences have seemed to respond to Maverick's romance with Penny in the sequel, reigniting his romance with Charlie in Top Gun 3 likely wouldn't be popular. However, as a high-ranking military officer, she could definitely fit into the story. Tim Robbins' Merlin could also return as a retired family man, giving Maverick something to think about for his future. Perhaps Adrian Pasdar's Chipper could return as a rival for Maverick as well.

A Top Gun 3 would also provide an opportunity to expand on some of Top Gun 2's returning characters. The friendship between Maverick and Hondo in Top Gun: Maverick is worth exploring in more detail while the young cast of new recruits could be explored in greater detail.

This is especially true of Manny Jacinto's Fritz, who is only seen in the background despite Jacinto being one of the more widely-known names among the new Top Gun cast members thanks to his role on The Good Place. In addition to bringing back some missing original cast members, Top Gun 3 could rectify his suspicious underuse in Top Gun: Maverick.

Top Gun: Maverick Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film's events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick's late friend, forcing him to confront his past. Director Joseph Kosinski Release Date May 27, 2022 Cast Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris Runtime 130 Minutes