Val Kilmer celebrates reuniting with Tom Cruise on the big screen as Iceman and Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick in a sweet social media post.
In a new social media post, Val Kilmer celebrates Iceman and Maverick’s big-screen reunion in Top Gun: Maverick. Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun sequel was more than three decades in the making. But, between Top Gun: Maverick’s box office haul and great reviews, it’s safe to say that it was worth all the wait.
Despite being a direct sequel to Tony Scott’s 1986 cult classic film, Kosinski opted to not bring back the majority of Top Gun’s original cast. Aside from Tom Cruise’s Peter “Maverick” Mitchell, who is the film’s lead star, only Kilmer’s Tom “Iceman” Kazansky was brought in for Top Gun: Maverick. According to the filmmaker, he wanted the follow-up to be forward-looking, but given the film’s emotional core, it made sense that Kilmer returned as Iceman and his reunion with Maverick has been praised as one of the best moment in a movie that has a lot of memorable scenes.
To celebrate this, Kilmer recently took it to his official Instagram account to share a promotional still from Top Gun: Maverick during his and Cruise’s emotional reunion. In the caption, the actor referenced their characters’ relationship in the franchise, saying that after 36 years, Maverick can still be Iceman’s wingman. Check out the sweet post below:
While Kilmer’s involvement in Top Gun: Maverick was long confirmed, Paramount opted to keep him out of the film’s marketing, not showing him physically in any of the trailers. But, although the film is still in theaters and continuously doing solid numbers, it has also been out for a while now, so posting this particular shot isn’t necessarily as it doesn’t give away anything in terms of narrative. Instead, it should make those who haven’t watched the film curious about what’s happening in this scene. Even if it’s somehow spoiled online, nothing can beat actually seeing it play out on the screen. The interaction between Maverick and Iceman was emotional and nostalgic and both Cruise and Kilmer do a great job executing the scene.
The flying stunts in Top Gun: Maverick were always expected given Cruise’s penchant for moviemaking, but the movie’s emotional resonance is what surprised most audiences. Iceman’s role in the narrative is arguably as important as the death of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw which still haunts Maverick, especially after his reunion with Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw. Kosinski was able to strike the delicate balance between offering something new to the audience and leaning on nostalgia. Kilmer’s involvement could have been a shoehorned cameo, but they found a way to make him integral to Maverick’s arc despite having limited screen time.
