Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't taken the opportunity to watch Top Gun in the 31 years since it's been released. While Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell made it out of the 1980s military classic unscathed, his buddy, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, wasn't so lucky. Goose's death marked a significant turning point in Top Gun, and more than three decades later, the wingman's presence will still be felt in Top Gun: Maverick, albeit indirectly. That's because his son will have a role in the sequel.
It's being reported that in Top Gun: Maverick, Goose's son, Wrigley, will be a member of the Top Gun class that's being taught by Tom Cruise's principal character. However, if you're expecting Maverick and Wrigley to have a mentor/mentee relationship right for the bat, you'll want to pump the breaks. Apparently these two will have an antagonist dynamic when the story begins, even though they're remarkably similar. No details were provided on why Wrigley specifically has a beef with Maverick, though the casting description for the character states that he "distrusts Maverick and dislikes everything he stands for." One could surmise that Wrigley holds a grudge against Pete Mitchell because he holds him responsible for his father's death. For those who need a refresher, Goose died when he and Maverick were ejecting from their jet when it went into a flatspin. Goose unfortunately hit his head on the jettisoned aircraft canopy, instantly killing him.
We can't say that's officially the reason for Wrigley's initial hatred for Maverick yet, but regardless, supposedly these two will eventually patch things up later in Top Gun: Maverick, as Maverick will be forced to save Wrigley after the latter is forced to eject into enemy territory. By the end of the movie, Wrigley will grow to respect Maverick and his techniques, though that doesn't guarantee that the two of them will build an incredibly close bond afterwards. Along with these details about his relationship with Maverick, the casting description for Wrigley reveals that his callsign will be "Riot," he used a football scholarship to go to an Ivy League university, and he's in love with one of the movie's other pilots, who's only known now as Sugar.
Along with the information about Goose's son, That Hashtag Show also dropped details on nine other characters who will appear in Top Gun: Maverick, from pilots in the Top Gun training program like Sugar and Ryan "Kansas" Kendrick to superior officers like Admiral Robby "Caspar" Benjamin. The most notable of this bunch, however, is Penny Benjamin, who will be Maverick's new love interest since Kelly McGinnis will not reprise Charlie Blackwood. She is Caspar's sister and mother of Penny, and Maverick will fall in love with the "tough" woman, wearing her down with his charms.
Directed by Tron: Legacy's Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick will fly into theaters on July 12, 2019. To learn about movies landing sooner than that, look through our 2017 premiere guide and 2018 premiere guide.
