If Top Gun is not a dark movie, but Goose’s death scene does signal a serious turning point for the movie’s tone. Until his sudden demise, the Tom Cruise vehicle has been a light-hearted romp through the titular flight school that is more concerned with Maverick’s love life and shirtless beach volleyball than anything dark or heavy.
However, while Top Gun still cares less about real wars and more about the internal conflicts suffered by its characters, Goose’s ing provides plenty of anguish for the movie’s second half. Maverick’s relationship with Charlie worsens, his feud with Iceman intensifies, and he loses all faith in himself, leading to Top Gun’s saddest scenes. With this in mind, it would be a terrible idea for Top Gun: Maverick to make this even sadder by killing off Goose’s son.
There is a good chance that Iceman might die in Top Gun: Maverick, and there’s even a reasonable possibility that Maverick himself will. However, killing off Miles Teller’s franchise newcomer Rooster — the son of Goose — would be too mean-spirited for the Top Gun sequel, even if it would force Maverick to once again contend with his risky maneuvers and reckless attitude. Top Gun: Maverick’s positive early reviews cited the movie’s more mature tone as one of its best qualities, but this twist would simply be a step too far for a franchise that was once about fun, friendship, and high-flying stunt work.
It would make thematic sense for Iceman to die in Top Gun: Maverick since Maverick needs to face up to the fact that he is getting older and can’t remain a feckless renegade forever. Equally well, although it could be devastating to long-time fans, Top Gun: Maverick killing off Maverick would fit with the sequel’s theme of Cruise’s character teaching his skills to a new generation and accepting that they will someday replace him. However, even though Top Gun: Maverick should be less fun in tone than the original movie, the sequel cannot get away with killing off Rooster.
Killing Rooster wouldn’t teach Maverick anything new, and instead would re-affirm that he has learned nothing since the original Top Gun. Not only that, but Rooster’s death would also kill any chance of the Top Gun franchise continuing after Cruise’s exit. Since Teller is one of the franchise’s most famous newcomers, it would make sense for Goose’s son to take over Maverick’s old role in a third Top Gun movie. However, opting to instead kill him in the same movie where he is introduced would be a bizarrely bleak move on the part of Top Gun: Maverick. As such, it seems unlikely that Top Gun: Maverick will make the mistake of killing off Rooster, both because of his actor’s high profile and these potential tonal issues, but viewers won’t know for sure until the sequel finally arrives.
