5. Marcus “Sundown” Williams. Sundown is thrust into a no-win situation when he becomes Maverick's new RIO right after Goose dies. He never stood a chance of vibing with a pilot who didn't know how to process his grief in a hypermasculine environment.
Sundown is first seen at the bar when LT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell & LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw sing to Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood. He briefly sang solo to Charlie, with adequate talent. He was later temporarily assigned as Maverick's RIO shortly after Goose's death.
The son of Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) and Carole Bradshaw (Meg Ryan), Rooster and Maverick's relationship is one of the film's most significant sources of tension. After the death of Goose in the first film, Maverick feels guilt but also a duty to take care of Carole and Bradley.
Spoiler alert: Goose dies when his head hits the F-14's canopy. Maverick survives and is recovered from the ocean. The real tragedy surrounding that scene is that another pilot, the one filming the scene, entered the same flat spin, and also could not escape.
Maverick flies the lead F/A-18E, accompanied by a buddy lazing F/A-18F flown by Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace and WSO Lieutenant Robert "Bob" Floyd. Rooster leads the second strike pair, which includes Lieutenant Reuben "Payback" Fitch and WSO Lieutenant Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia.
Maverick blamed himself for the tragic death of his RIO, Goose during a training session in Top Gun, but it wasn't his fault, it was Iceman's. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw's (Anthony Edwards) died in Top Gun, but is it Maverick's (Tom Cruise) fault that Goose died?
Marcus “Sundown” Williams
Sundown is thrust into a no-win situation when he becomes Maverick's new RIO right after Goose dies. He never stood a chance of vibing with a pilot who didn't know how to process his grief in a hypermasculine environment.
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.
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.
There's also the argument that Iceman was to blame because he knew Maverick was right behind him but refused to move and let him take the shot. Either way, Maverick was later forced to face the consequences of Goose's death when he met his son, Rooster, in Top Gun: Maverick.
Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates is a Naval Aviator and graduate of TOPGUN. Warlock serves as the commander of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC).
Just when Hangman thinks that the day can't get any worse, he finds out that his father died. His father, Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. And he doesn't take it well. Luckily, Sarah Kazansky and Maverick are there to help.
It is known that Penny has a daughter, Amelia, and that she is single, implying a messy divorce with her ex-husband. It is also mentioned that Amelia's father is now living in Hawaii with a new wife. Besides that and her mention in the original Top Gun, Penny's history is incredibly mysterious.
At the beginning the movie, which racked up $1.45 billion worldwide, Maverick ejects from a hypersonic fighter plane while speeding along at Mach 10.5. He survives without injury, which is great, but it's solely due to movie magic. “At that air speed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm.
Hondo wasn't in the original Top Gun film making it more curious how he first came across Mitchell.
Hondo is an ally of CAPT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. He worked alongside Maverick during the Darkstar scramjet project and afterwards was able to follow Maverick to TOPGUN. While there, Hondo helped Maverick train an elite group of naval aviators for the special mission.
Penny Benjamin was not in Top Gun, but her name is mentioned a couple of times in the film.
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.
She is Penny Benjamin's daughter.
The night before the mission, Maverick visits Penny in his ceremonial white uniform, presumably to say goodbye in case he doesn't make it back.
Toward the finale, there is an intense sequence when several S-words are used and there is one utterance of the F-word. This moment is probably where "Top Gun: Maverick" actually earned its PG-13 rating.
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.
He seeks advice from Viper, who flew with Maverick's father in the Vietnam War air battle where he was killed. Contrary to official reports faulting Mitchell, Viper says he died heroically. He tells him he can succeed if he regains his self-confidence.
Duke Mitchell was a U.S. naval aviator who was killed-in-action during the Vietnam War. He is the father of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
Although the board of inquiry clears Maverick, Maverick is feeling guilty over the death of Goose and is unable to concentrate. He is thinking about quitting until he talks with Viper, who reveals that he had flown with Maverick's father.