How Did Nick Goose Bradshaw Die In Top Gun?

“Talk to me, Goose,” whispered Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) in “Top Gun: Maverick.” But Goose couldn’t due to being dead. That’s what die-hard fans of the original film would’ve already been aware of when Tom Cruise’s heroic hot shot alter ego, took to the sky in the 2022 sequel from director Joseph Kosinski. Besides blowing past the $1 billion mark, the second film reunited us with Maverick who had demons to address, most specifically getting over the death of his late BFF.

The wingman of wingmen, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw was the glue that kept “Top Gun” grounded in Tony Scott’s 1986 film right up until he couldn’t, and the action movie-loving world wept from his death. But just who was Goose? What was he to Maverick and what was the reasoning behind his untimely demise? Well, to find out the who, what, why, and when of his best friend’s passing, we need to head back to the danger zone and first be reminded of which star brought Goose to life before he sadly had his wings clipped and poor old Mav’ struggled to find himself a volleyball partner from then on.

Switching on the radar for “Top Gun,” it’s not hard to see the impressive cast names that made up this jet-fuelled filmic gem. Besides the likes of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Meg Ryan however, was Anthony Edwards as Nick “Goose” Bradshaw who was Maverick’s RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) that monitored the skies while his co-pilot tore through them. 

As well as being an integral part of one of the most iconic action movies in history, Anthony Edwards had some notable appearances before and after he shared the same airspace as Tom Cruise. Before “Top Gun,” Edwards appeared in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” as well as “Revenge of the Nerds.” It was in 1994 when Edwards gave audiences a weekly dose of hospital drama in the groundbreaking drama, “E.R.” Appearing in 180 episodes of the series, Edwards played Dr. Mark Greene, 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 held no ill will against his former co-star and producer of the new legacyquel. Speaking to Fox News about “Top Gun: Maverick,” Edwards spoke about his former co-star saying, “I know that Tom always wants to do things to the nth degree, to the best of his ability, and if you have the opportunity to fly those planes, I wouldn’t blame him for doing it.”

As the only casualty among the high-flying heroes of “Top Gun,” Goose’s death is felt throughout the story. In the original film, Maverick and Goose are on a training exercise along with Val Kilmer’s Iceman when things get tricky. Maverick’s air-biting rival is dead set on getting to their enemy target but struggling to do so, leaving Mav to request taking over. Iceman ignores his teammate though and while dead set on his enemy, pulls up and sends Maverick and Goose into a tailspin. Caught in the turbulence of Iceman’s jet wash, our heroic pair went into a tailspin that they couldn’t rectify. As a result, the pilot and his RIO had no choice but to eject, but Maverick was unable to reach his handle, while Goose at his co-pilot’s request grabbed his instead.

Goose pulls his handle while the aircraft is still in a spin and as a result, the canopy doesn’t make enough distance to detach from it. Edwards ejects from the plane, but makes a direct impact with the canopy, breaking his neck and killing him instantly even before his parachute successfully deploys, landing him in the Pacific Ocean. What follows for Maverick is a difficult road to recovery, overcoming the loss of his friend and getting back in the air where he belongs.

Throughout “Top Gun,” Goose is the best friend who backs Maverick up no matter what. From flight maneuvers to wooing women in bars, LTJG Bradshaw may have been a decorated Navy man, but he also earned first place as a best friend for life. It’s this ride or die that ultimately leads to Maverick suffering such a great loss and carrying the grief and guilt that didn’t leave him for 37 years, even when Goose’s widow assured him it wasn’t his fault.

Following the mission, a board inquiry confirms Maverick not being responsible for the crash and that a technical malfunction led to Goose’s death. Even Goose’s wife, Carole (Meg Ryan) gives him a tearful assurance that, “God, he loved flying with you Maverick. But he would’ve done it anyway … without you. He’d have hated it, but he would’ve done it,” indicating that the risk of this happening was always there, as much as Carole fought against it.

Kind words and bits of paper still aren’t enough for Maverick though, and the loss of Goose casts a shadow right up until the end of “Top Gun: Maverick.” What might be the most frustrating thing about Lt. Mitchell’s struggle, however, is that Iceman should’ve shared some of the load as well.

Maverick might carry some of the guilt for his friend’s death, but he certainly doesn’t deserve all of the blame, if at all, for his wingman’s passing. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky deserves the cold shoulder, as well.

Goose’s death all came about from Iceman refusing to pull away from his target. Struggling to get a lock-on, Maverick requested that he take over and his teammate refused. As a result, both fought to set their sights on the same goal which added even more issues to the aerial encounter. This led Iceman to pull up, creating the effect of Maverick losing control and being forced to abandon his aircraft along with his RIO.

It’s this little detail that seemingly is overlooked in “Top Gun: Maverick” and could’ve potentially added even more drama to not just the relationship between Mav and Rooster, but Iceman before his passing as well. Kazansky is fully aware of the recruit enlisting into Maverick’s class and signs off on it anyway, but given the issues, shouldn’t Rooster be just as mad at Iceman as his Dad’s best friend? Regardless of the skewed blame game, at least by the end of everything, Maverick is able to lay things all to rest and let the dust finally settle between himself and Goose’s prodigal son of a pilot, Rooster.

While Goose’s wife may not have pointed fingers regarding her husband’s death, Goose’s son wasn’t so quick to forgive and forget. Ducking and diving from Rooster (Miles Teller) at the start of the film, the teacher and the student with an ax to grind finally cross paths and the mood is understandably tense. Still holding Mav responsible for Goose’s death, things are made all the worse when it’s revealed that Mitchell intentionally held Rooster back from joining the Top Gun program at the request of Carole.

Confirmed to have passed away before the events of “Top Gun: Maverick,” Mrs. Bradshaw asked Maverick to promise that he’d make sure Rooster wouldn’t follow in the flight path of his father and that another pilot in the family would go down in the line of duty. It’s this oath that is the cause for the great divide between the old pilot and the newcomer until they eventually put aside their differences and work together. Now that “Top Gun 3” is entering development, (and Miles Teller up for a “Top Gun: Rooster” spin-off) a Mitchell and Bradshaw duo could be flying around like great balls of fire once more and maybe squeeze in a day at the beach for good measure.