Why Top Gun: Maverick Fans Love Hangman So Much (There’s A Great Reason)

Ashleigh DurdenJune 6, 2022

3 minutes read

Why Top Gun: Maverick Fans Love Hangman So Much (There’s A Great Reason)

With the record-breaking release of Top Gun: Maverick, many fans have fallen in love with the character of Hangman, played by actor Glen Powell.

Warning: Major spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick.

With the blockbuster release of Top Gun: Maverick, many viewers feel that the character of Hangman might be the best of the bunch and there’s a reason for that. Hangman is portrayed in the sequel to the hit 1986 film Top Gun by Glen Powell, an actor sure to see an even bigger breakout from the blockbuster success of this newest film. Powell, an Austin, Texas native who exudes charm everywhere he goes, embodies a character that seems familiar to many fans of the franchise.

The original Top Gun introduced audiences to Tom Cruise’s character Peter “Maverick” Mitchell, a hot shot know-it-all with a love for adrenaline-fueled antics. Charismatic to his core with a smile that instantly won over many hearts, audiences followed a journey of hoping his reckless nature didn’t get the better of him. Maverick was combative with his superiors and peers alike, often cracking jokes and being flippant with authority. Despite those flaws, he was an incredible pilot; his skills in the air were unmatched, making him both an asset and a danger to his friends and fellow pilots.

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Top Gun: Maverick introduces Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, who exhibits many of the same bad-boy traits that made fans fall in love with Tom Cruise’s Maverick. Everything about Hangman exudes the personality that Tom Cruise gave Maverick, both charismatic and reckless. Like Maverick before him, Hangman’s flying abilities are second to none–save, perhaps, for one: Maverick himself. Fundamentally, Hangman is Top Gun 2‘s version of Maverick from the original film.

The personal challenge for both Hangman and Maverick is that both men know how cocky they are, but they let their egos get in the way of career promotion. Throughout Top Gun: Maverick, Maverick has to explain time and time again why he remains in the position of captain, rather than being promoted based on merit and age. Hangman seems to be on the same path, as he is not picked to fly Top Gun: Maverick‘s vital mission, and has to remain on the ground while his peers try not to die in pursuit of a target. Maverick and Hangman are talented beings stuck in life because their rash personalities block them from achieving their goals.

However, this is the exact reason why fans love Hangman, as he reminds them of the Maverick from the original Top Gun. At the climax of the film, as Maverick and Rooster are sure to meet their maker at the hands of the enemy in the sky, Hangman comes out of nowhere to save the day by killing the enemy. It’s exactly the sort of bold and rebellious, but heroic, move that Maverick would have pulled. Hangman earns the honor of being the ultimate hero of Top Gun: Maverick, thus solidifying his rightful place in the hearts of many fans.

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