There was already an unspoken respect when they were enemies. Maverick and Iceman were so invested in beating each other because they knew how great the other one was. Now that respect is etched in something much bigger than the competition.
At the school, his rival is top student Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer). Top Gun paints Iceman as an antagonist in Maverick's story, and at the end of the film, it is Maverick who saves the day and gets all the glory.
Iceman (Tom Kazansky) - Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer played Iceman - Maverick's nemesis turned wingman.
It is revealed that Iceman is dying of cancer and types out most of the conversation with Maverick, summoning the strength to speak in an emotional moment. Val Kilmer's own battle with throat cancer severely impacted his ability to speak.
Iceman is not the villain. He is Maverick's rival. He is actually true north, a guidepost for Maverick to work toward to be the best he can be. Maverick knows Iceman is right about everything, Maverick is just mad at the world and he hates himself, which is why he's so outwardly arrogant.
Iceman began dating a young mutant named Infectia.
Nick "Goose" Bradshaw's (Anthony Edwards) died in Top Gun, but is it Maverick's (Tom Cruise) fault that Goose died? In actuality, it was Tom "Iceman" Kazansky's (Val Kilmer) fault.
Who dies in Top Gun Maverick? Spoiler alert: Iceman dies in Top Gun: Maverick. It's an off-screen death, explained by the fact that Iceman, like actor Val Kilmer, has throat cancer.
Tragically, Iceman died of throat cancer in Top Gun: Maverick, and the film wove in Val Kilmer's real-life battle with the disease, although the actor is now cancer-free after a six-year fight.
Maverick is naturally in the crowd and personally pounds Iceman's wings into the top of his casket.
Duke Mitchell was a U.S. naval aviator who was killed-in-action during the Vietnam War. He is the father of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
Hangman being Iceman's son perfectly explains nearly every element of Top Gun: Maverick's plot and surrounding secrecy.
Maverick Is More Skilled, But Iceman Is A Machine
His cool-as-ice attitude and by-the-book flying, combined with his impressive aerial skills, make him one of the best pilots the TOPGUN program has ever seen. On top of that, Iceman outranks Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick.
Admittedly, Iceman does constantly square off against Cruise's antihero throughout Top Gun, but Maverick initiates these fights as often as Iceman does, and while Iceman is the de facto villain of Top Gun, the sequel proves his criticisms of Maverick were well-founded.
But Val Kilmer's return as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky was an undeniable highlight for many. And it's all thanks to artificial intelligence. Going into “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kilmer's appearance was a big question mark. The actor lost his ability to speak after going through throat cancer treatment in 2014.
There's also the argument that Iceman was to blame because he knew Maverick was right behind him but refused to move and let him take the shot. Either way, Maverick was later forced to face the consequences of Goose's death when he met his son, Rooster, in Top Gun: Maverick.
In the end, though, these two are brought together and become friends. Maverick and Iceman are both students at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School in the Top Gun program, where aviators compete to see who is the best in the class.
When Rooster is selected to be part of the group of pilots Maverick is training, Maverick is admittedly apprehensive, as he still carries guilt over Goose's death. Rooster, in return, resents Maverick for road-blocking his application to the naval academy, setting his career back years.
Ötzi was wiry, short (5'2”), and about 46 years old when he died. He was left-handed and wore a U.S. men's size 8 shoe. His eyes—still preserved in their sockets—were long thought to be blue, but genomic analysis has revealed otherwise.
At the end of Top Gun: Maverick, he now has a total of two confirmed air combat kills, with Maverick now totaling at five; making Maverick an "Ace".
In the early part of Top Gun when a commanding officer is chewing out Maverick and Goose, he scolds Maverick for his history of high-speed passes — not just of air control towers but of "one admiral's daughter." This causes Goose to lean over to Maverick and whisper the name "Penny Benjamin" into his ear.
Maverick blamed himself for the tragic death of his RIO, Goose during a training session in Top Gun, but it wasn't his fault, it was Iceman's.
Val Kilmer as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Top Gun (1986). After being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, Val underwent two tracheotomies and chemo treatments. Unfortunately, he lost his voice in the process. In his 2020 memoir I'm Your Huckleberry, Val revealed the impact it has on his daily life.
Multiple surgeries left him able to speak only by plugging a tracheostomy tube in his throat, which he often drapes over with scarves, just as his character does in Top Gun: Maverick.
Sarah Kazansky is character in the feature film, Top Gun: Maverick. She is ADM Tom "Iceman" Kazansky's wife.