Penny is first referenced when Maverick and LTJG Nick "
She is never actually seen on screen. In one scene, Maverick's past exploits are said to include "a history of high-speed passes over five air-control towers and one admiral's daughter," and Maverick's BFF Goose mutters Penny's name under his breath — making her the "admiral's daughter" in question.
Before being the central love interest in Top Gun: Maverick, Penny is actually mentioned in the original Top Gun, being one of Maverick's former love interests.
Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter! Goose : Penny Benjamin?
This is something Maverick confessed to Penny but not to Rooster. Of course, the spirit of Goose hangs over Maverick and Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick. In moments of uncertainty, they both say, "Talk to me Goose/dad" and evoke the dearly departed, mustachioed pilot.
How Do Penny and Maverick Know Each Other? Penny Benjamin used to be Maverick's girlfriend, long before Maverick fell in love with Top Gun instructor Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (portrayed by Kelly McGillis in the original Top Gun movie).
Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin
Penny and Maverick have had an on-again-off-again relationship for years, and we see their latest encounter in Top Gun: Maverick. Penny has a daughter named Amelia and owns a bar near Top Gun.
Is Penny Benjamin in the Original "Top Gun"? Penny, played by Jennifer Connelly, is not physically in the first "Top Gun" movie, but she does exist in it, though only mentioned in passing. She is never actually seen on screen.
Meg Ryan's Carole also mentions the incident later in the film, teasing Maverick about the time he went "ballistic" with Penny Benjamin, the admiral's daughter. It's presented as part of a pattern of womanizing and one-night stands that Charlie breaks with true love.
Penny is referred to as the admiral's daughter in the first Top Gun movie, but his name is never mentioned.
Hangman being Iceman's son perfectly explains nearly every element of Top Gun: Maverick's plot and surrounding secrecy.
McGillis first revealed in 2019 that she was not asked to star in the “Top Gun” sequel, saying at the time, “I'm old, and I'm fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is.
Penny is first referenced when Maverick and LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw are getting chewed out by CDR Tom "Stinger" Jardian (after the LT Bill "Cougar" Cortell incident), who indicates that Maverick has been previously disciplined (twice by Stinger himself) for "a history of high-speed passes over five air control ...
He has to prove himself to his superiors and move on from difficult past events, whilst striking up a romance with old flame Penny Marshall (Jennifer Connelly).
Top Gun: Maverick doesn't give many details on Penny's past, only mentioning that she is no longer married, which could mean anything. However, given her proximity to the Topgun program, it wouldn't be surprising if Top Gun: Maverick's Penny Benjamin was married to someone that Maverick knows.
However, Charlie actress Kelly McGillis believes that there's a different explanation for not being called back for Top Gun: Maverick: her age and looks. "I'm old, and I'm fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about," she said in a 2019 interview.
Penny is Maverick's on-again, off-again love in Top Gun: Maverick. While in the first film he was romantically involved with Charlie, a civilian liaison at the Top Gun Fighter School, he's since moved on decades later. Now, he's linked to Penny, a divorced single mom who owns a bar near the Top Gun school.
In the final moments, Maverick is working on his antique plane when he sees that Penny has shown up — in a swanky 1973 Porsche 911 S, making her out as the true top dog in the relationship. The two embrace and then go flying together.
Maverick and Penny may have had a romantic relationship several times over the years but he is not Amelia's father. Her real father is out of the picture and Penny raises her daughter as a single mother.
Penny Benjamin, played by Jennifer Connelly, steps in to fill a difficult gap with her character in the much-anticipated “Top Gun” sequel.
Before the final mission, Goose's son, Rooster is still furious at Maverick and angrily makes the point that it doesn't matter if Maverick comes back from the mission or not. After all, he's got no wife and kids to mourn him. Maverick takes these words to heart and promptly proposes to Penny.
With both of his closest TOPGUN friends no longer around, Top Gun 2's Hondo Coleman is Maverick's dearest and most loyal ally when the events of the Top Gun sequel begin. Despite Hondo and Maverick being so close, however, there's no grand backstory detailing how they meet.
Maverick Had an Affair with an Admiral's Daughter
It is implied that not only was Maverick hot-rodding around with a superior's daughter but that she was a love of his life that he let slip through his fingers. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” we meet Penny Benjamin, who now owns a pilot bar called The Hard Deck (obviously).
Top Gun: Maverick didn't bring back Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), Pete's romantic partner in Top Gun, and instead introduced the character of Penny. Though surprising, the change was ultimately better for the film.
Meg Ryan Was Not Asked to Return
Director Joseph Kosinski told Insider that the return of both Ryan and Kelly McGillis was never even considered during development. Kosinski did not want every storyline in the film "to be looking backwards," and he instead took the time to introduce new characters.