In Top Gun: Maverick, Val Kilmer opens with an emotional reunion between Iceman and Maverick. Top Gun: Maverick stars Tom Cruise as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who is tasked with preparing a fresh group of TOPGUN grads for a risky mission in hostile territory, more than 35 years after Tony Scott’s original film. The film was a huge hit with both fans and reviewers, and it was Cruise’s largest box-office hit to date, grossing over $156 million in its opening weekend.
In addition to Cruise, Kilmer reprises his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from the original film in Top Gun: Maverick. The original Top Gun had a big rivalry between Maverick and Iceman, with Iceman condemning Maverick’s penchant for danger and disrespect for protocol. The film concludes with the two working together to beat a bunch of enemy warriors, eventually resolving their conflicts and ending with mutual respect. The pair rejoin in Top Gun: Maverick, although unlike Maverick, who remains a pilot, Iceman has risen to the rank of Admiral.
Kilmer discusses his reunion with Cruise for Top Gun: Maverick in a new interview with USA Today. The actor says he was “extremely affected” when he saw it for the first time on screen, and that he and Cruise “laughed all day” when filming the sequence. Finally, Kilmer praises his erstwhile on-screen adversary, calling Cruise “excellent and shockingly humorous!” Check out the rest of Kilmer’s remark below:
