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Top Gun 3 is officially happening, but the upcoming sequel needs to make one risky change in order to ensure the franchise’s continued success. Top Gun: Maverick brought the Top Gun franchise back in a big way, with it revitalizing the series and being credited with saving theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the massive box office returns of Top Gun: Maverick, it isn’t surprising that Top Gun 3 is happening. However, if the franchise wants to continue beyond this, then Top Gun 3 needs to make a serious change that could be controversial with fans.

Decades after the release of the original Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters, continuing the story of Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell while also introducing an entirely new cast of characters. Although legacy sequels tend to get a bad rep, Top Gun: Maverick is oftentimes more critically acclaimed than its predecessor, with many considering it to be one of the best movies of 2022. This is mostly due to the spectacle, story, and performance by legendary actor Tom Cruise. However, one of these elements seriously needs to change in order to preserve the legacy of Top Gun.

Related Tom Cruise flew high in 2022 in Top Gun: Maverick. With its success, Top Gun 3 feels inevitable, and here’s everything we know about the next Top Gun.

Top Gun 3 Needs To Wrap Up Maverick’s Story

If Top Gun wants to continue beyond the third film, Top Gun 3 really needs to wrap up Maverick’s story. Maverick was the main character of the original Top Gun, with the audience getting his perspective as he went through the TOPGUN program. He is also the main character in Top Gun: Maverick, with the ace pilot returning to train a new batch of TOPGUN pilots. Although there were a lot of loose ends after Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick wrapped them up, with Maverick forgiving himself for Rooster’s death, getting into a relationship, and getting promoted to captain.

Because of these story developments, Maverick’s arc is mostly done by the end of Top Gun: Maverick, meaning that there isn’t anywhere for him to go several films down the road. It makes sense to bring Tom Cruise back for one final journey in Top Gun 3, but there isn’t really a natural way to continue his story as the main character. Instead, Top Gun 3 needs to put a bow on Maverick’s story, closing out Tom Cruise’s time in the Top Gun spotlight while setting the stage for his perfect replacement.

Rooster Should Be The Main Character Of Top Gun 3 (& Beyond)

If Maverick’s primary story is wrapped up in Top Gun 3, the franchise would need a new main character for Top Gun 3 and beyond. Luckily, the perfect character is already there: Miles Teller’s Rooster. Rooster is a young pilot with a personality similar to that of Maverick’s, meaning that he could put a fresh spin on the franchise while not changing how it feels. Due to Rooster being young and new to the franchise, there are plenty of stories to explore with him. Plus, Teller is a bankable star who could carry Top Gun on his shoulders.

Related If Top Gun is going to become a long-running franchise with multiple sequels, then Top Gun 3 needs to settle the debate of who can replace Tom Cruise.

Luckily, making Rooster the main character of the Top Gun franchise doesn’t mean that Maverick has to completely disappear. In fact, Tom Cruise’s character could act as a mentor to Rooster in future movies, with him still appearing in the films, albeit in a smaller supporting role. This dynamic would be similar to how the Creed movies handled Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, with the original star taking a back seat to the new star who will lead the franchise into the future.

Top Gun: Maverick’s Ending Sets Up Rooster Taking Over As Top Gun’s Main Character

The idea of Rooster taking over for Maverick as Top Gun‘s main character isn’t all speculation, as Top Gun: Maverick’s ending already set this up. At the beginning of the film, Maverick is clearly the main character. However, as the story progresses, Rooster’s role in the film continues to get bigger and bigger, with him being side-by-side with Maverick through the end of the film. This conclusion has warmed audiences up to the idea of Rooster having a much bigger role in the sequel, which is why he should take over in Top Gun 3.

Top Gun: Maverick‘s ending also sets up the aforementioned mentor dynamic between Maverick and Rooster, with the duo having to work together to escape enemy territory near the end of the film. Rooster is learning from Maverick throughout the mission, with the two making a fantastic team. This partnership should continue into Top Gun 3, carrying on what Top Gun: Maverick set up.

Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.