Is Maverick dead in most of the movie? The creepy Top Gun theory

The millions and millions of dollars Top Gun: Maverick has grossed in 2022 reflect the global furore for the Tom Cruise film. Word of mouth was extremely effective: it kept the film center stage for months and spawned endless plot theories.

One of them, perhaps the darkest, has to do with the possible death of Pete “Maverick” Mitchellthe character played by Cruise.

What was said? That the protagonist may have died at the beginning of the film due to an accident and that the rest of the film is a dream that Maverick lives in his previous passage to the afterlife. Let’s look a little deeper.

At the beginning of Top Gun: Maverick, Pete must perform a test flight to get a plane up to Mach 10, which is ten times the speed of sound. There is no doubt that he wants to set a record.

But when Maverick forces the ship to go a little further, that is, to exceed the Mach 10 level, the plane cannot catch it and an accident occurs. In one of the most memorable shots of the film we see how Pete disappears after a mystical flash.

Soon after we learn that the character is fine, that he managed to avoid the accident, and, as if nothing had happened, the film continues.

What has been said, then, has to do with this: there are those who believe that Maverick dies in the accident and that most of the film is the product of his imagination.

The word to the director

Far from taking the theory seriously, Joseph Kosinski, the film’s director, took the time to comment on it.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kosinski said: “Films have to be interpreted in different ways, and i love it when people read different meanings into them”.

“So I like to hear this theory, and certainly, there’s a sort of mythic element to the story that I think lends itself to that kind of interpretation, based on who Maverick is and what he stands for and the fact that he’s going through this rite of passage at a different stage in his life. So I like this theory,” he acknowledged.

In closing, Kosinski assured: “Movies are meant to be interpreted in your way and based on how you see the world and the experiences you’ve had. So I won’t throw cold water on this one. It’s a great take on the story.”.

Maverick, an event

The film, sequel to the one released in 1986, means the return of Cruise to one of his most symbolic characters. His story covers the events of a complicated mission that Maverick and his disciples have to complete.

As we said, the rage for the film was reflected in the numbers: with $1,488,732,821 raised, Top Gun finished 2022 as the top-grossing film of the year. Sure: another one from 2022, Avatar: The Path of Waterit just surpassed it in 2023.

In doing so, Maverick became one of three 2022s to pass the $1 billion mark. The others are the aforementioned Avatar and Jurassic World: Domination.

In turn, the production was nominated in 6 Oscar 2023 categories, including Best Picture.

Currently, Top Gun: Maverick can be seen in Argentina on Paramount Plus AND star plus.