Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Top Gun: Maverick!

Top Gun 3 has just received a major update, and the newest story details have added fuel to the fire when it comes to theories about Maverick’s death. Maverick returned as the protagonist of Top Gun: Maverick, and while he lived through the second film, some Top Gun fans fully believe that he will see a darker fate in Top Gun 3.

Top Gun: Maverick was the incredibly successful legacy sequel to Top Gun, with it bringing back Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell as he is tasked with training a group of young pilots for a dangerous military mission. Top Gun: Maverick was a box office hit and a critical darling, meaning that the announcement of a third Top Gun is inevitable.

Top Gun 3 is officially in the works, and while the filmmaking team is still holding their cards close to their chests, details are finally starting to get revealed. While there was a lot of speculation that Tom Cruise would not return for Top Gun 3, he will officially be back as Maverick, reigniting a major fan theory that existed ahead of Top Gun: Maverick.

There Have Long Been Theories About Maverick Dying In Top Gun

Even Before Top Gun: Maverick’s Release

As of the end of Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise’s тιтular character is still alive. However, this was not the outcome that many Top Gun fans expected. Ahead of the sequel’s release, there was a lot of speculation that Maverick would die, although this didn’t end up happening.

One of the biggest pieces of evidence that supported this theory came from the Top Gun: Maverick trailers, which show scenes of a military funeral. Some fans believed that this would be Maverick’s own funeral, with him dying at the end of the film. However, the film revealed that this funeral was actually for Iceman, who died at the end of Top Gun: Maverick.

Some fans even speculated that Maverick would die at the beginning of the sequel, not the end. It was theorized that Maverick could introduce the new Top Gun: Maverick pilots to the audience shortly before dying, continuing a trend that has been seen in many legacy sequels.

While the release of the sequel put this theory to rest, the development of Top Gun 3 means that speculation about Maverick’s death is now back on the menu. Fans are already starting to theorize about the third film killing off Tom Cruise’s character, allowing the cast that was introduced in Top Gun: Maverick to take over the franchise.

Top Gun 3 Being “One Last Ride” Supports The Maverick Death Theory

Tom Cruise Is Finished With Top Gun Either Way

Interestingly, the most recent Top Gun 3 update heavily supports the theory that Maverick could die. Director Joseph Kosinski discussed how the third film will handle the return of Tom Cruise’s Maverick, with him revealing that Top Gun 3 will be the last movie in the franchise to focus on the original Top Gun protagonist.

While Maverick will be a big part of the third film, Joseph Kosinski has already confirmed that this is Maverick’s “one last ride.” So, it is clear that Maverick will either be retiring or dying at the end of Top Gun 3, putting an end to the character’s aerial adventures.

Kosinski also revealed that Maverick will be facing an “existential crisis” in Top Gun 3, with the conflict in the film being “much bigger than himself.” While Kosinski is keeping things vague, Maverick’s Top Gun 3 death aligns with all of these teases, meaning that the theory is more likely than ever.

Top Gun 3 is being written by Ehren Kruger, the writer of Kosinski’s F1. Kruger previously wrote Top Gun: Maverick alongside Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, the latter of which has also confirmed that he will be returning. So, the writing team may feel more confident than they did last time, meaning that they may make the leap to killing Maverick.

Why Maverick Shouldn’t Die In Top Gun 3

It Isn’t Right For His Story

Although it is possible that a story could be written that justified Maverick’s death, the Tom Cruise character really shouldn’t die in Top Gun 3. Maverick has been surrounded by death, with him losing Goose in the original film and Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick. Maverick dying as well would be a real downer, and it may not be what the franchise needs.

It is likely that Maverick’s death would be during an air combat mission, and this is something that isn’t needed for the franchise. Having Maverick die in battle would raise a lot of questions about the morality of hero’s deaths and dying for one’s country, and these questions may be a bit too deep for the Top Gun franchise to delve into.

However, if a story is written that justifies Maverick’s death is written, I am open to it. But killing him off for shock value and as an easy way to wrap up the Top Gun story would be a bit too lazy, and a better solution can probably be found for Top Gun 3.

Regardless Of Maverick’s Fate, Top Gun 3 Will Be The End Of An Era

Tom Cruise Has Finished His Two Biggest Franchises

Whether Maverick dies or not, Top Gun 3 will be Tom Cruise’s final Top Gun movie, signaling the end of an era. Kosinski seems pretty firm in the fact that Maverick will not be in a potential Top Gun 4, meaning that Maverick’s trilogy is going to end after the third film. So, this is a big step for Tom Cruise’s career.

Tom Cruise already left the Mission: Impossible franchise with the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2025, which itself was a big step for the actor. Mission: Impossible was one of Cruise’s most popular franchises, with it helping to define his public persona as a stuntman.

If Cruise also leaves the Top Gun franchise, it means that his two biggest franchises will be finished. Tom Cruise has repeatedly stated that he wants to keep acting until he dies, but without these two franchises, he will have to rely on more original movies. Thus, Maverick’s story really needs to go out with a bang in Top Gun 3, even if he doesn’t die.