Top Gun: Goose’s Death Isn’t Maverick’s Fault, It’s Iceman’s
Warning: SPOILERS for Top Gun: Maverick
Nick «Goose» Bradshaw's (Anthony Edwards) tragic death in Top Gun wasn't Pete «Maverick» Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) fault, it was Tom «Iceman» Kazansky's (Val Kilmer) instead. The 1986 action-adventure film directed by Tony Scott was all fun and exciting in its first two acts, but its vibe changed drastically after a tragic accident during a training session claimed Goose's life. It was a defining moment in the film as it functioned as a turning point for Maverick who always had a devil-may-care attitude when it comes to flying.
Introduced as flying partners, Maverick and Goose's friendship went beyond their professional careers; they're also great friends outside of work. Top Gun effectively established this when Goose's family came to the academy to visit him. Goose's wife, Carole (Meg Ryan) was particularly fond of Maverick, teasing him about his previous love life in front of his new girlfriend, Charlotte «Charlie» Blackwood (Kelli McGillis). Even when Goose died, Carole didn't blame Maverick for what happened. Instead, she gave him words of encouragement to continue flying knowing full well how difficult it would be for him to pursue his dreams as a Naval aviator without his trusted RIO.
Related: Top Gun: Maverick May Not Have The Same Impact As The Original Movie
This didn't help Maverick, however, and it might have even made things worse for him thinking that it was his fault that Goose died. While he has cleared by the board of inquiry, Maverick continued to harbor regret with what happened to Goose — so much so that he even considered walking away from the Navy. It's understandable that he would feel this way considering that he was piloting the plane he and Goose were riding
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