Top Gun: Maverick is widely regarded as one of the greatest sequels of all time, and its most powerful scene happened thanks to one very specific condition Tom Cruise made before signing on to the movie. The Oscar-nominated box office smash stands as the gold standard in 80s nostalgia, as it perfectly balanced what people loved about the original with a fresh, new direction for the franchise. While Tom Cruise starred again as Maverick, the sequel did an excellent job of introducing a talented young supporting cast that will ideally drive the franchise onward and upward.
Given how much star power Tom Cruise carries (and how much he was paid for Top Gun: Maverick), he was obviously involved in the production of the movie. His participation in the sequel was contingent on one very particular cast member, and the movie was better off for it. In fact, without Cruise lobbying so hard there is a good chance Top Gun: Maverick would not have been the world-breaking megahit that it turned out to be.
Tom Cruise Didn’t Want To Make Top Gun 2 Without Val Kilmer – And It Became The Best Part Of Maverick
While Jerry Bruckheimer and the rest of the producers on Top Gun: Maverick wanted Val Kilmer to return as Maverick’s rival Iceman, Tom Cruise all but refused to make the sequel without him. The rivalry between Iceman and Maverick is central to the original Top Gun, and showing the growth in their relationship wound up being integral to the sequel’s emotional core. Maverick and Iceman evolved from rivals to the very dearest of friends, and when they finally appear on-screen together, more than 30 years after the original movie, the impact is incredible. The emotional scene where Iceman helps Maverick work through his fear and self-doubt is so powerful, especially when the reality of Val Kilmer’s tragic illness is considered.
Val Kilmer has been out of the public spotlight for years following a 2014 tracheotomy to treat throat cancer. He was left nearly unable to speak, and the producers of Top Gun: Maverick smartly integrated that into the story for Iceman, who the audience learns is also dealing with cancer. Iceman and Maverick communicate via text message throughout most of the movie, which makes their in-person meeting so much more significant. When Iceman does speak, it serves as an exclamation point to the emotional scene. This scene means everything to the movie, as it not only serves as a fitting tribute to the character of Iceman and to Val Kilmer himself.
Why Top Gun: Maverick Wouldn’t Have Worked Without Iceman
The reason Top Gun: Maverick was such a critical and box office success is because of how balanced a film it is. While the original Top Gun certainly had emotional moments, it’s mostly remembered as a peak-1980s action film. Top Gun: Maverick earned a Best Picture nomination by not only elevating that action but infusing more real human drama into the story. The relationship between Maverick and Iceman is at the heart of that human drama, with Maverick needing his old friend to push him forward with the mission when his own fear and apprehension take hold.
Chances were good that Top Gun: Maverick was going to be a box office success given how many factors were working in its favor. 80s nostalgia was at a fever pitch when it was released, and that alone would have driven many to the theaters. Add in the return of Tom Cruise as Maverick, Jerry Bruckheimer as producer and a star-studded supporting cast and the movie was all but guaranteed to be a moneymaker. However, the tight script and emotional weight of the movie, highlighted by Val Kilmer’s Iceman scene, is what elevated the movie to be worthy of an Oscar nomination and to blow away the $1 billion mark at the box office.