Goose Makes A Photo Cameo In The Top Gun 2 Trailer

There was plenty to look at in the new Top Gun: Maverick trailer, including a special cameo from Goose. It was quick, but Goose’s cameo in the Top Gun 2 trailer also happens in a surprising and sentimental way that shows this sequel will still remember one of the previous film’s best characters.

Played by Anthony Edwards, Goose was a key part of the original Top Gun. As Maverick’s level-headed partner-in-crime, Goose stuck by his best friend’s side, whether in the air or on the ground. He would support Maverick whenever he got in trouble with the commanding officers, a sign of a true friend in the Top Gun world. Goose helped Maverick woo Charlie at a bar with a gloriously off-key rendition of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” He even gave Maverick a taste of domestic life, including him in family outings with his wife, Carole, and their son, Bradley. Things took a tragic turn when Goose was killed in an accident during a training exercise. He fatally hit his head as he and Maverick tried to eject out of the cockpit when Maverick’s engines failed. Completly guilt-ridden over Goose’s death, Maverick considered quitting the program and retiring.

As we see in the Top Gun: Maverick trailer, Maverick didn’t quit being a pilot. He put in more than 30 years as a Navy fighter pilot and still isn’t ready to retire. And, it seems, Maverick has a reminder in front of him every day as he gets ready for work why he’s doing what he’s doing: there’s a yellowing photo of Goose hung at eye-level in his locker. The inclusion of Goose’s photo is sentimental, but also a solid Top Gun Easter egg.

There are plenty of other plot developments and character reveals in the Top Gun 2 trailer. The trailer features the first looks at new cast members Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, and the rest of the Maverick cast. There are teases about how the evolution of the Navy and its efforts to modernize threaten to make Maverick as a pilot obsolete. In a particularly notable, Goose-centric, the trailer also gives the first look at Miles Teller as Bradley. Bradley sports a similar mustache to his dad’s and, as glimpsed during a particularly rowdy moment with his fellow recruits, has just as much spirit, too.

The memory of Goose will live on in a few notable ways in Top Gun: Maverick. The appearance of Bradley, who Maverick will no doubt take under his wing, is a big one. But also including a photo of Goose and putting it in a meaningful place in Maverick’s locker is also very notable. It’s the perfect homage to the memory of a good friend.

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