A huge part of that character development obviously comes from Cruise’s Maverick. Clearly being an analogy for men who have to grow beyond their immediate ambitions and make choices that cater for those closest to them, Cruise perfectly portrays Maverick’s struggle to be a good mentor to his new recruits, an adoptive father to a friend’s son and even a more reliable and trustworthy lover to an old flame that came back in Jennifer Connelly’s Penny Benjamin. It’s all journey of growth and maturity for him, and it’s one the movie shows well. But none of it would work without an amazing supporting cast, and there’s a tight one here as well. From the aforementioned Penny acting as Maverick’s intellectual equal and romantic foil, there’s Jon Hamm’s Admiral “Cyclone” Simpson essentially being his biggest critic, thinking he’s an antiquated relic not in touch with the modern military or its laws. And it wouldn’t be a Top Gun movie without its rookie trainees now would it, and well this crop brings in some of the most interesting and diverse pilots ever.

From Jay Ellis’ Payback acting as a cool analytical flier, to Monica Barabaro’s Phoenix arguably being the best suited pilot for the mission, to Lewis Pullman’s Bob, who’s a clearly fish out of water type nerd that couldn’t even come up with a cool codename for his missions and of course Miles Teller’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the kid full of nothing but potential and a chip on his shoulder against maverick. The scene stealer however is by far Glen Powell’s Hangman , who essentially embodies every single cocky pilot stereotype you could think of to hilarious effect. He’s a jerk, but the kind of jerk you can’t help but root for and love every time he’s on screen. Add in a few callbacks to the original film including a heartwarming return from Val Kilmer’s Iceman and you have a cast that hits every story beat the movie lines up for itself.