Does Anyone Die in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’?

Anyone who’s seen the 1986 action flick Top Gun knows that the movie wasn’t afraid to kill off the main characters. Over thirty years later, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still mourning the death of his beloved friend Goose, who tragically died in the first film during a training exercise gone wrong. It’s only natural, then, for audiences watching the sequel—which is now streaming on digital platforms like Amazon Prime, Vudu, and more—to wonder who dies in Top Gun: Maverick.

There are plenty of likely candidates for a Goose-like tragic downfall. There’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (played by Miles Teller), aka Goose’s son who still blames Maverick for his father’s death. There’s Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell), Rooster’s arrogant rival, who flies fast and reckless. There’s Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), a sweet-natured nerd and a natural target for bullying. And there’s even Tom Cruise himself, whom some viewers believe actually died in the film’s opening sequence, according to a fan theory about Maverick entering Mach-10 posited by The Bulwark editor Sonny Bunch.

If you can’t take the suspense, read on to learn more about who, if anyone, dies in Top Gun: Maverick.

Obviously, major Top Gun: Maverick spoilers ahead.

Who dies in Top Gun Maverick?

Spoiler alert: Iceman dies in Top Gun: Maverick. It’s an off-screen death, explained by the fact that Iceman, like actor Val Kilmer, has throat cancer. While in real life, Kilmer has come out on the other side of the battle successful—though he now has a tube in his throat, thanks to the two tracheotomies he underwent while treating his throat cancer in 2015, making it difficult for him to speak—in the movie, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky’s illness takes a turn for the worse.

Iceman and Maverick do get to say goodbye, at least, in Kilmer’s only scene in the movie. Most of Kilmer’s “lines” in the scene are typed out on a computer screen, but he does speak (though an AI was used to enhance his voice) to tell Maverick he is needed, both by the Navy and Goose’s son. The two men hug, and it’s an emotional moment. And the last thing Iceman ever says to Maverick?

“Who’s the better pilot, you or me?”

“This is a nice moment,” Maverick quips in response. “Let’s not ruin it.”

A few scenes later, Maverick gets the news that his former rival and longtime friend has died of health issues related to his cancer.

Maverick attends Iceman’s funeral, devastated to have lost both his friend and his protector in the Navy. With Iceman gone, the Naval commander who dislikes Maverick’s tendency to shirk the rules doesn’t waste any time in grounding Maverick for good.

And that’s it! No one else dies in Top Gun: Maverick, if you can believe it. It’s true that poor, sweet Bob and his co-pilot, Phoenix (played by Monica Barbaro) have a close call. But both pilots managed to eject in time, and unlike Goose, neither hit their head on the aircraft canopy. After a stay in the hospital, they’re fine!

Perhaps Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t willing to break audiences’ hearts in the same way Top Gun did. Personally, I’m fine with that.