Top Gun 2 Theory: Why Maverick Is Still A Captain

After more than 30 years in the Navy, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is intriguingly still a captain in Top Gun: Maverick — but why would such an excellent pilot fail to progress? The ’80s classic film that introduced the charming flyboy, Top Gun, is finally getting a sequel directed by Joseph Kosinski, which will take flight on July 2, 2021. A delay to the initial release date means that fans will have to wait for a little while longer to learn more about what Maverick has been up to in the last few years, including why he hasn’t moved further up in the Navy hierarchy despite his flying skills.

Maverick’s rank in Top Gun: Maverick will be a focal point of the movie, with the trailers putting a focus on his inability to climb the Navy ranks. In one teased scene, his unnamed superior played by Ed Harris asks him why he remains to be a captain despite his piloting capabilities, not to mention his years in service. “30-plus years of service. Combat medals, citations, the only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years. Yet you can’t get a promotion, you won’t retire, and despite your best efforts you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now. Yet here you are. Captain.” The rear admiral‘s challenge to Maverick gives fans a good idea of where he is in his career when the sequel picks up. Instead of eagerly proving that he wants to move ahead, Maverick seemed unbothered by the question and even refuses to give a straight answer.

The original Top Gun film effectively established how good Maverick is at being a pilot. If it wasn’t for the tragic accident that claimed the life of his former RIO, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), he could’ve graduated top of his class at TOPGUN instead of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer). As Harris’ character also states, he’s remained consistently good in his years with the Navy, so why is he still a captain?

Everything We Know About Maverick After Top Gun

There’s very limited information about what happened to Maverick following Top Gun. Other media franchises that continue their narratives via other avenues, but that’s not the case with the budding Paramount film series. While Top Gun: Maverick will be the first proper follow-up to the 1986 movie, there are certain details from the sequel that gives fans an idea of what happened to the hotshot pilot after the first film.

At the end of Top Gun, Maverick and Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) reunited after a brief separation while the former dealt with the death of Goose. The film’s parting shot showed the pair locked in a kiss. As Maverick now has a different love interest in Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), a bar owning single mother who’s also the daughter of a former admiral, his reconciliation with Charlie didn’t work. It’s uncertain how long they were back together before permanently parting ways but it’s something that Top Gun: Maverick can also shed light on.

In terms of his professional life, Maverick has also been promoted a few times after Top Gun. When the original film wrapped up, Maverick was a Lieutenant (O-3), to be the captain that he is now in the sequel, he would’ve moved up the ranks three times over the last three decades. First, he became a Lieutenant Commander (0-4), then a Commander (0-5), and finally a Captain (0-6). Considering he’s able to consistently climb the Navy ladder before, it makes it more intriguing why he has been stuck as a captain since his last promotion.

Reasons Why Maverick Could Still Be A Captain In Top Gun 2

Maverick still being a captain will be a central mystery in Top Gun: Maverick and chances are that the answer will be saved for the film. Cruise and Paramount made sure that the upcoming blockbuster accurately represents how things work in the Navy. With this, a Navy personnel officer provided three potential reasons why someone who has the same flying caliber and years in services as Maverick is having trouble advancing in his career in an interview with USNI News.

The first option is if someone has a previous enlisted experience, which doesn’t seem to be the case with Maverick considering that he already climbed the Navy hierarchy to become a lieutenant in Top Gun. The second scenario is if he’s technically retired but is allowed to stay in the service for some reason. This is a rare occurrence, however, and is only awarded to officers who bring something special to the table and is based on the needs of the organization as stated in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. The third possible explanation is if he left active duty for a time only to return. This is a plausible scenario assuming that Maverick continued to struggle to accept the death of Goose and the role he played in the tragedy. This is despite his determination at the end of the original film to continue with his career without his RIO. Maverick even threw Goose’s dog tags in the ocean – a symbolic gesture that he’s letting go of his deceased friend and the guilt he put on himself for the accident that claimed his life.

Outside of the aforementioned reasons, there are also a couple of other ways that Top Gun: Maverick can explain why the titular character is still a captain after all this time. As seen in Top Gun, Maverick has the tendency to operate outside of the box — sometimes, even directly disobeying protocols for various reasons. If he has retained his penchant for defying orders, it’s possible that he has ticked off some of his superiors, resulting in him being passed on for any promotions despite his skills. It’s also a sign of immaturity which is something that doesn’t help his chances of further rising through the ranks. However, the final and most plausible scenario given what’s revealed about Top Gun: Maverick thus far is if Maverick is intentionally sabotaging his career, not wanting to move up beyond being a captain. The character is passionate about flying and being promoted to a higher position would mean that he would essentially become an officer behind a desk — making important decisions instead of being on the ground. This is something that he’s not interested in doing as he still wants to be an active aviator instead of simply giving orders to his subordinates.

Will Top Gun 2 End With Maverick Retiring (Or Being Promoted)?

Aside from revealing the reason why Maverick is still a captain after all these years, Top Gun: Maverick is expected to resolve the lingering issue regarding the character’s career stagnation. Based on Harris’ speech in the trailer, Maverick continues to be one of the best aviators in the Navy, meaning he deserves a promotion and is overdue for one. If anything, the fact that he’s being asked about his stagnant career implies that even his superiors are baffled why he’s not moving up. Regardless of the sequel’s explanation to this central issue, it’s curious how the upcoming blockbuster will leave Maverick in terms of his Navy status.

There are two possible cases with regard to Maverick’s final fate in the follow-up movie. Given his age and active years in service, he can walk away from the Navy if he really doesn’t want to be promoted, but the problem there is that it wouldn’t provide a satisfying ending. After waiting for more than three decades for a Top Gun sequel, it’ll be underwhelming to see the hotshot pilot just retire because of the possibility of being grounded. On the other hand, Top Gun: Maverick can also end with Maverick finally getting the promotion he deserves. By going this narrative route, the sequel would have to address why he’s so scared of not being able to fly in the first place which makes for better storytelling. Granted that he’s passionate about being an aviator, it’s odd that Maverick is willing to sabotage his own career, staying as a captain, just so he doesn’t have to stop flying and going on dangerous missions himself. Ending Top Gun: Maverick with Maverick becoming a Rear Admiral Lower Half (O-7) would also be a great jumping point for the character in case Paramount greenlights a third Top Gun movie.

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