History Characters / TopGun

* AFatherToHisMen: Graduates into this in the sequel when he has to take up the task as an instructor preparing the TOPGUN graduates for an AirstrikeImpossible mission. He takes great care to train the students as best he can to bring them all back home alive despite the great odds stacked against them.
* AGirlInEveryPort: He used to be quite a casanova in his younger days, as implied by Goose and his wife Carole, who says that Maverick "always go home with the hot women!". Even before he charmed Charlie, he used to go out with Penny Benjamin before he got in trouble because she's an admiral's daughter. He seems to grow out of it by the time of the sequel, though, and seems to settle down with Penny for good after he rekindles their romance by the end of the film.

* TakingTheBullet: In the sequel, he pulls a dangerous maneuver during the escape from the uranium depot after it's been destroyed to protect Rooster, via flying over him and taking the missile intended for him (the flares he deploys fail to stop it in time). Luckily, he ejects before impact and survives, but has to be rescued by Rooster immediately afterwards from an enemy gunship.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The plot of the sequel hinges upon his death in the first film, which also ends up being one of the driving reasons he wants his team to come back from the mission alive, especially with Rooster.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The plot of the sequel hinges upon his death in the first film.

-> '''Played by:''' Rick Rossovich

* TrueCompanions: The sequel reveals he became lifelong friends with Maverick. Ice's death from cancer makes this even more tragical.

-> '''Dubbed in Japanese by''': Creator/HirokiTochi (TV Tokyo), Creator/TakuyaKirimoto (NTV), Takashi Taniguchi (Fuji TV), Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (home video)

* SacrificialLion: Is immediately shot down by Mig-28s in the climax, though he and his RIO are able to eject and are rescued.

[[folder:Merlin]]
!! LTJG Sam "Merlin" Wells
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merlin_03.jpg]]

-> '''Played by:''' Creator/TimRobbins
->'''Dubbed in French By:''' Bernard Soufflet
-> '''Dubbed in Japanese by''': Mizuki Saito[[note]]Through Yu Hattori voiced him in some loops.[[/note]] (TV Tokyo), Takayuki Sagazume (NTV), Creator/KenichiOno (Fuji TV), Takuma Takewaka (home video)

* GuyInBack: He's Cougar's R.I.O. at the start of the film. Later he becomes Maverick's new R.I.O. when they have to clash with some enemy [=MiGs=] in real combat.
* NaiveNewcomer: Not to flying, but to being Maverick's backseater.
-->'''Maverick:''' I'm bringing him in closer, Merlin.
-->'''Merlin:''' You're gonna do ''WHAT''?!?
* WhatTheHellHero: When Maverick disengages from the final battle, Merlin angrily tells him to get back in the fight and that they can't just leave Iceman and Slider to die.

!! TOPGUN Instructors and Other Faculty

[[folder:Viper]]
!! CDR Mike "Viper" Metcalf
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/viper_9.jpg]]

-> '''Played by:''' Creator/TomSkerritt
->'''Dubbed in French By:''' Jean-Claude Balard
-> '''Dubbed in Japanese by''': Shinji Ogawa[[note]]Through Mutsumi Sasaki voiced him in some loops[[/note]] (TV Tokyo), Ben Hiura (NTV), Masaaki Maeda (Fuji TV), Creator/AkioNojima (home video)
-> '''Dubbed in Latin American Spanish by''': Creator/HumbertoSolorzano (Mexican dub), Ignacio Campero (Los Angeles dub)

* TheDreaded: He's respected by his students on the ground, but during a hop where he shows up as one of the opponents, the cadets participating in the exercise all collectively piss their pants, except for [[SmallNameBigEgo Maverick]].
* TheMentor: Maverick's, being his teacher and a close friend of his late father. Viper's role is to not only train Maverick, but to help him get his confidence back when he's at his lowest point.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's very reasonable and father-like to Maverick after Goose dies, and doesn't really fault him when Mav's air performance subsequently diminishes. Ultimately he decides to risk his career to reveal to Maverick that yes, in line with what he's been trying to tell himself for years, his father did die honorably in combat.
--> '''Viper:''' First, you've acquired enough points to show up and graduate with your Top Gun class, or you can quit. There'll be no disgrace. That spin was hell; it would've shook me up.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: He discloses classified information to reveal once and for all to an [[HeroicBSOD ailing]] Maverick that his father did indeed go down fighting and not in an act of cowardice.

[[folder:Jester]]
!! LCDR Rick "Jester" Heatherly
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jester_6.jpg]]

-> '''Played by:''' Creator/MichaelIronside
->'''Dubbed in French By:''' Creator/JeanBarney
-> '''Dubbed in Japanese by''': Creator/TakayaHashi (TV Tokyo), Hiroshi Iwasaki (NTV), Creator/{{Mugihito}} (NTV), Kiyomitsu Mizu'uchi (home video)
-> '''Dubbed in Latin American Spanish by''': Alejandro Abdalah (Los Angeles dub), Octavio Rojas (Mexican dub)

* NumberTwo: To Viper. He's also a formidable fighter pilot in his own right.

!! Other U.S. Navy Personnel

[[folder:Cougar]]
!! LT Bill "Cougar" Cortell
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cougar_2.jpg]]

-> '''Played by:''' John Stockwell
->'''Dubbed in French By:''' Creator/PhilippePeythieu
-> '''Dubbed in Japanese by''': Creator/YasuyukiKase (TV Tokyo), Creator/AtsushiMiyauchi (NTV), Creator/KazuyukiSogabe (Fuji TV), Creator/KenjiroTsuda (home video)
-> '''Dubbed in Latin American Spanish by''': Jesus Brock (Los Angeles dub), Creator/EnzoFortuny (Mexican dub)

* HeroicBSOD: After an enemy [=MiG=] screws with him by locking missiles, Cougar suffers a mid-air nervous breakdown.
-->'''Merlin:''' Mav, we got a little problem up here. That [=MiG=] really screwed him up. I don't think he can make it back.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After the traumatic encounter with an enemy [=MiG=], he turns in his wings. He was supposed to go to TOPGUN, but Mav and Goose end up taking his place.

'''Johnson:''' DAMMIT! That's TWICE! ''I WANT SOME BUTTS!!''

* NotSoAboveItAll: Even when he's on death's door, he can't help but tease about Maverick about the fact that he was the one who placed first in their class at TOPGUN.

* FirstGirlWins: Before he ever got with Charlie Blackwood, he's referenced as having had a fling with admiral's daughter Penny Benjamin, which landed him in some ''very'' hot water. The sequel reveals that they've been on-again, off-again for most of their lives, and he finally ends up finally settling down with her.

* FirstGirlWins: Before he ever got with Charlie Blackwood, he's referenced as having had a fling with admiral's daughter Penny Benjamin, which landed him in a great deal of hot water. The sequel reveals that they've been on-again, off-again for most of their lives, and he finally ends up finally settling down with her.

* FirstGirlWins: Before he ever got with Charlie Blackwood, he's referenced as having had a fling with admiral's daughter Penny Benjamin, which landed him in a great deal of hot water. The sequel reveals that they've been on-again, off-again for most of their lives, and he ends up finally settling down with her for good.
-->'''Mav''': [''to Penny, deadly serious'']] I'm never gonna leave you again.

%%** With Iceman, as revealed in ''Top Gun: Maverick''
* HotBlooded: His ego is writing checks his body can't cash.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: James Tolkan was visibly too old to play a Commander, too short to be a pilot, and his position on the ship is vague - he might be XO or CAG (which on an aircraft carrier are positions normally held by a Captain) but more likely he's Maverick & Goose's squadron commander. Ultimately, his position is left undefined.