The following contains spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick, now playing in theaters.
As expected, Top Gun: Maverick delivered tons of action, living up to the original's hype. But this time around, it was a lot more diverse and youth-oriented, with Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell teaching a unique array of graduates to take out a uranium enrichment facility. At the core was the relationship between Maverick and Goose's son, Rooster, which led to them going behind enemy lines in the finale to finish the job. However, while many expected Goose or Maverick to be the biggest hero, that title actually went to someone else.
It was none other than Hangman, a hotshot who didn't get along with anyone else on the squad. He came off like Maverick back in the day; arrogant, self-obsessed and focused on being the fastest around. And sure, he was clocking impressive times during training, but he was still a liability. And given Maverick lost Goose because of his hubris, he couldn't endanger the roster for the final run and left Hangman behind.
No time could get wasted as the team only had two minutes to bomb the facility and escape enemies in their F-18s. Sadly, Rooster and Maverick went down and got stuck in enemy territory. They eventually stole an F-14 from the enemy camp and got out, but they still got chased by superior jets. It led to a dogfight where two were taken out, only for a third to emerge -- primed to blow Rooster and Maverick up.
However, just as it was about to shoot, a missile struck the enemy, blowing them out of the sky. It was Hangman, who finally understood the value of teamwork. He wanted to engage earlier when the guys were on the run, but the Navy kept him back because they didn't want to lose him.
Thankfully, he got the green light to leave the ship, escorting the men back home for a triumphant finish. Without him, the guys wouldn't have patched things up, with Rooster acknowledging Maverick wasn't to blame for Goose's death. It also allowed Rooster to receive plaudits and honor his dead parents, while Maverick garnered recognition for his brilliant strategy and got the happy ending with Penny.
But Hangman wasn't just about this one save; throughout the movie, he kept pushing Rooster to be faster and better. Hangman even got Maverick to step up and make a trial run himself, which set Maverick up to be the squadron leader rather than just calling the mission from the radio. So, ultimately, Hangman evolved the entire crew while accepting his role of hanging back. As juvenile as he was, he became the most mature and a leader in his own right who learned timing was everything.
To see Hangman save the day, Top Gun: Maverick is now playing in theaters.
