According to the director of Top Gun: Maverick, filming the reunion between old rivals Maverick and Iceman was an emotional experience. The sequel to 1986’s action blockbuster Top Gun is a massive success even 36 years later, reinvigorating theatergoing at the behest of Tom Cruise and proving to be a riveting film in its own right. Even decades later, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still flying fighter jets when he suddenly gets pulled back into the Top Gun program, this time as a trainer. His task: to prepare a new class for a high-stakes mission they may not make it out of alive.
While a central narrative element of the film involves Maverick’s relationship with Rooster, the son of his late friend and co-pilot Goose, the film offers ample opportunity to bring back fan-favorite characters from the 1986 original. The prime candidate was Iceman, Maverick’s nemesis-turned-friend, played by rising star Val Kilmer. Even though Kilmer never wanted to be in Top Gun, the film launched him to success in the late ’80s and ’90s, and the actor was a shoo-in for the long-awaited sequel.
Per EW, Maverick director Joseph Kosinski recalls the process behind Iceman and Maverick’s heartwarming reunion scene. Iceman and Maverick’s meeting in the film serves as a way to pay tribute to Kilmer and assure Maverick about his instincts in training the Top Gun class for their dangerous operation. Kosinski says that the crew spent a lot of time perfecting the scene and that it was worth the effort due to how beautiful it turned out. Check out the quote below:
Obviously we spent a lot of time on that scene, writing it, getting ready,” says the filmmaker. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. Chris McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible franchise director and Top Gun: Maverick cowriter) put the final touches on the scene and really convinced me that that scene was going to work. And he was right. It’s a really beautiful scene. We shot it in Los Angeles in a really beautiful house up on a park. Very special to see not only Val and Tom, but Maverick and Iceman back on the screen together.
Kilmer was also touched when he finally saw the scene on the big screen, remarking that it was great reuniting with Cruise in a film after nearly 40 years. Kosinski gives no specifics as to what “finishing touches” went into the segment other than shooting in an admittedly beautiful house, but the result is both inspirational and sad. Kilmer and Cruise have a natural chemistry that makes it easy for Iceman to comfort Maverick, but his inability to speak well is disheartening.
Despite their brief moment on screen together, Kosinski and McQuarrie turned out a moving scene that made Iceman’s death shortly after impactful for both the story and Maverick’s character. Nostalgic fans of Tony Scott’s 80s thrill ride likely appreciated the tender care that went into crafting a surprisingly gentle conversation between two characters that used to be fierce Top Gun rivals. And although Iceman will not be returning for a third movie, his role in Top Gun: Maverick is pivotal and handled perfectly by Kosinski as a memorable send-off for a storied pilot.