Summary
Glen Powell is quickly becoming a household name, but I thinkTop Gun 3might be better off without him reprising the role of Hangman. InTop Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell played Hangman, one of several graduates of the Top Gun academy who were brought in for a new mission. It was one of Powell’s breakout roles that landed him some major movie roles in the future, and Powell added quite a bit toTop Gun: Maverick. Even though they were both great for each other, I don’t think Glen Powell’s Hangman should be inTop Gun 3.
Top Gun 3was confirmed in January 2024, but it has already had a few problems in its development. Tom Cruise, who played Maverick, is currently working onMission Impossible 8, and it’s not clear when his schedule will allow him to filmTop Gun 3.Powell also offered a crypticTop Gun 3updatethat didn’t reveal many details and left more questions about the upcoming sequel than answers. Despite those setbacks,Top Gun 3is almost certainly still happening, but I’m not sure that Glen Powell’s Hangman should be part of it.
Glen Powell’s 10 Best Movie Performances, Ranked
Glen Powell’s career has featured some impressively diverse performances, although some films have been more successful than others.
Glen Powell Has Become A Major Leading Actor Since Top Gun: Maverick
Since he appeared inTop Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell has become a huge movie star with several leading roles.He has starred in a few big films just since 2022, likeAnyone But You,Hit Man, andTwisters, all of which found massive success. BothAnyone But YouandTwisterssurpassed major box office milestones just weeks after their release dates, andHit Manbecame Powell’s best-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Powell is veritable box office gold, and he’s proven himself as one of the best - and most profitable - leading actors currently working.
Every Glen Powell Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
After starring in indie movies for years, Glen Powell shot straight to Hollywood stardom with a string of popular romcoms and action movies.
While Powell’s rise in popularity seems like a good thing forTop Gun 3, I don’t think he should return to the role of Hangman.He’s on an extremely hot streak with new, original movies, and seeing Powell in another new role is a more exciting prospect than seeing him in a sequel. He can play almost any character, from the lead of a romantic comedy to a fake assassin, and his next film should continue to highlight his versatility. Playing the same hot shot pilot again would not exactly highlight Powell’s range. On top of that,Top Gun 3could even break Powell’s career momentum.
Hangman Would Likely Play A Supporting Role In Top Gun 3
Powell’s start to his time as a lead actor may have been too good forTop Gun 3.Hangman was a supporting character inTop Gun: Maverick, and he doesn’t seem like he’ll be much more important toTop Gun 3. Much of Hangman’s character development inTop Gun: Maverickwas about how he learned to work with his fellow pilots and not hang them out to dry so he could have the glory for himself. It worked well for his character, but that character development also means he couldn’t be in the spotlight forTop Gun 3.
Powell has finally shown audiences and studios that he can draw in crowds on his own without a bigger name attached, butTop Gun 3would put him back in the copilot’s seat.
The problem with Powell taking a supporting role inTop Gun 3is that it would be a step backwards in his career.Powell’s recent work has proven that he can be the lead actor in a movie, and it seems like taking a back seat to Tom Cruise and Miles Teller again would undo some of the momentum his recent films have built. Powell has finally shown audiences and studios that he can draw in crowds on his own without a bigger name attached, butTop Gun 3would put him back in the copilot’s seat.
Top Gun 3 Needs To Be Maverick & Rooster’s Story
The only way Powell can be inTop Gun 3without his career experiencing a setback is if Hangman becomes a main character.I really don’t want Hangman to become a main character, though, becauseTop Gun 3needs to be about Maverick and Rooster’s relationship, especially after seeing how their relationship developed inTop Gun: Maverick. Rooster and Maverick are the most interesting pairing inTop Gun- because of their history together - and trying to fit Hangman in as another main character would only distract from that central pairing.
30 Best Top Gun Quotes
With Top Gun: Maverick making audiences feel the need for speed once again, now is a good time to look back on the best Top Gun quotes.
On top of just the chemistry that Maverick and Rooster had together, I think the progression of their relationship is the most interesting storyTop Gun 3could tell.Top Gun: Maverickwas all about them reckoning with Goose’s death, settling their differences, and learning to trust one another.Maverick and Rooster finally established a good relationship, and I really want to see how they work together as true wingmen and friends inTop Gun 3. I think the movie should focus almost exclusively on Maverick and Rooster’s relationship and Rooster taking the reins of the franchise, even if that means cutting Hangman out entirely.
How Top Gun 3 Can Write Out Glen Powell’s Hangman
IfTop Gun 3does decide to cut Hangman out of the film, there will need to be a satisfying reason for his absence. Luckily, I think I’ve found the perfect way to explain Glen Powell’s absence. Bythe end ofTop Gun: Maverick, Hangman had gone from a self-centered jerk into a team player who cared about his fellow pilots. It’s almost the same character development Maverick went through in the originalTop Gun, aside from Goose’s death. Hangman and Maverick are already similar characters, meaning Powell could get the same ending Cruise did.
At theend of the originalTop Gun, Maverick decided to become an instructor for the Top Gun program.Hangman could get the exact same ending as Maverick: becoming a Top Gun instructor. It would perfectly fit with the character development he’s experienced so far, as his newfound care for other pilots would make him want to train new recruits to be the best they can be. It would also explain why Powell isn’t inTop Gun 3: Maverick and Rooster are on a mission, while Hangman is at a completely different air base preparing the pilots of the future.
Top Gun
Cast
In this classic action flick, Tom Cruise stars as daring young pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Among the other students at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school, he competes to be best in the class, and learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Making Hangman a Top Gun instructor wouldn’t just work for his character, it would also set up the future of the franchise perfectly. If Maverick does end up passing the torch to Rooster, then he’ll need a new wingman. That would open the door for Hangman to get back into actively flying again inTop Gun 4, which would also let Powell co-star with Miles Teller instead of playing a supporting character. Alternatively, Rooster’s search for a new wingman could lead him to Hangman’s new batch of students. All in all, I think it’s in both Glen Powell andTop Gun 3’s best interest to leave Hangman out.
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
