"Talk to me, Goose," whispered Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) in Top Gun: Maverick. But Goose couldn't because he was dead. That's what die-hard fans of the original film would have already known about when Tom Cruise's heroic hot alter ego took to the skies in the 2022 sequel from director Joseph Kosinski. In addition blowing over the $1 billion markthe second film reunited us with Maverick who had demons to address, most notably getting over the death of his late BFF.

Wingman of wingmen, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw was the glue that kept Top Gun grounded in Tony Scott's 1986 film until he couldn't, and the action-loving world mourned his death. But who was Goose? What was he to Maverick and what was the reason behind his untimely death? Well, to find out who, what, why and when his best friend died, we need to go back to the danger zone and first remember which star brought Goose back to life before he unfortunately had his wings clipped and aged. Mav' has struggled to find a volleyball partner ever since.

Turning on the Top Gun radar, it's not hard to see the impressive cast names that make up this jet-fueled gem of a film. Alongside the likes of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan, however, was Anthony Edwards as Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, who was the Maverick's RIO (radar interception officer) monitoring the skies as his co-pilot blasted through.

In addition to being an integral part of one of the most famous action films in history, Anthony Edwards has had some notable appearances before and after sharing the same airspace as Tom Cruise. Prior to Top Gun, Edwards appeared in Fast Times At Ridgemont High as well as Revenge of the Nerds. It was in 1994 that Edwards gave audiences a weekly dose of hospital drama on the groundbreaking drama "ER." Appearing in 180 episodes of the series, Edwards played Dr. Mark Green, which earned him a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards.

Unfortunately, due to Goose's fate in Top Gun, Edwards did not reprise his role in the 2022 sequel, but he bore no ill will against his former co-star and New Legacy producer. Talking to Fox News on Top Gun: Maverick, Edwards spoke about his former co-star saying, "I know Tom always wants to do things to the nth degree, to the best of his ability, and if you get a chance to fly those planes, I wouldn't blame him for he did it."

As the only casualty among Top Gun's high-flying heroes, Goose's death is felt throughout the story. In the original film, Maverick and Goose are training alongside Val Kilmer's Iceman when things get tricky. Maverick's air-biting rival is dead set on reaching their enemy target, but struggles to do so, leaving Mav to claim the takeover. Iceman ignores his teammate and while he's dead set on his enemy, retreats and sends Maverick and Goose into a tailspin. Caught in the turbulence of Iceman's jet wash, our heroic pair got into a tailspin they couldn't fix. As a result, the pilot and his RIO had no choice but to eject, but Maverick was unable to reach his handle, while Gus, at his co-pilot's request, grabbed his for him.

The goose pulls its handle while the aircraft is still spinning and as a result, the canopy does not make enough distance to separate from it. Edwards ejects from the plane, but has a direct impact with the canopy, breaking his neck and killing him instantly even before his parachute can successfully deploy, landing him in the Pacific Ocean. What follows for Maverick is a difficult road to recovery, overcoming the loss of his friend and returning to the air where he belongs.

Throughout Top Gun, Goose is the best friend who supports Maverick no matter what. From flying maneuvers to wooing women in bars, LTJG Bradshaw may have been a decorated Navy man, but he also earned the top spot as best friend for life. It is this ride or die that ultimately leads to Maverick suffering such a great loss and carrying the grief and guilt that has not left him for 37 years, even as Goose's widow assures him that it is not his fault.

After the mission, an on-board investigation confirmed that Maverick was not responsible for the crash and that a technical malfunction led to Goose's death. Even Goose's wife Carol (Meg Ryan) tearfully assures him that, “God, he wanted to fly with you Maverick. I did it," which shows that the risk of this happening was always there, as much as Carol fought against it.

Nice words and pieces of paper still aren't enough for Maverick, and the loss of Goose casts a shadow over the end of Top Gun: Maverick. What may be the most frustrating thing about Lt. Mitchell's fight, however, is that Iceman had to share some of the burden as well.

Maverick may take some of the blame for his friend's death, but he certainly doesn't deserve all the blame, if any, for his wingman's death. Tom "The Iceman" Kazansky deserves the cold shoulder, too.

Goose's death came about because Iceman refused to back down from his goal. Struggling to get a lock, Maverick asked for him to take over and his teammate refused. As a result, both struggled to keep their sights on the same target which added even more problems to the aerial encounter. This caused Iceman to pull back, creating the effect of Maverick losing control and being forced to abandon his plane along with his RIO.

It is this small detail that is overlooked in Top Gun: Maverick” and could potentially add even more drama to not only Mav and Rooster's relationship, but also to Iceman before his passing. Kazansky is fully aware of the recruit who signed up for Maverick's class and signs up for it anyway, but given the issues, shouldn't Rooster be just as mad at Iceman as his father's best friend? Regardless of the twisted blame game, at least by the end of it all, Maverick can put things to rest and let the dust finally settle between him and the prodigal son of a Goose pilot, Rooster.

While Goose's wife may not have pointed fingers in her husband's death, Goose's son was not so quick to forgive and forget. Ducking and diving from Rooster (Miles Teller) early in the film, teacher and student with an ax to grind finally cross paths and the mood is understandably tense. Still holding Mav responsible for Goose's death, things take a turn for the worse when it is revealed that Mitchell deliberately prevented Rooster from joining the Top Gun program at Carol's request.

Confirmed to have died before the events of Top Gun: Maverick, Mrs. Bradshaw asked Maverick to promise that he would make sure Rooster didn't follow his father's flight path and that another pilot in the family would leave. down on duty. It is this oath that causes a great rift between the old pilot and the newcomer until they eventually put aside their differences and work together. Now that Top Gun 3 enters development(and Miles Teller is gearing up for a 'Top Gun: Rooster' spin-off.) duo Mitchell and Bradshaw could fly around like big balls of fire once again and maybe squeeze in a day at the beach for good measure.