"Top Gun" (1986) Character Nicknames Quiz

Answer:

Joker, Vulture, Juggernaut, Pluto, Doomsday, and Whiplash were the wrong answers. Each one of those is an enemy of a superhero in the Marvel or DC Comics universe. Joker is a Batman villain, Vulture is a Spider-Man villain, Juggernaut is an X-Men villain, Pluto is a Thor villain, Doomsday is a Superman villain, and Whiplash is an Iron Man villain.

In "Top Gun", Maverick is the hero, the lead character, and is portrayed by Tom Cruise who reprised that role in "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022).

Ice was played by Val Kilmer, who is somewhat of a nemesis to Maverick, but more accurately his chief rival. By the film's end they become compatriots. Mr. Kilmer also movingly reprised that role in "Top Gun: Maverick" as Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. Mr. Kilmer's real-life health issues were mirrored in the sequel's script, and despite all the fantastic aerial action sequences in that sequel, the reunion scene between Maverick/Cruise and Iceman/Kilmer just might be the most emotionally moving scene in the film and of perhaps the year.

Goose was Maverick's best friend and was played by actor Anthony Edwards. Goose was married to Meg Ryan's character Carole, and she Maverick and Goose were all close friends in the film.

Viper was played by actor Tom Skerritt, and he is a naval aviator and instructor at the Navy's elite fighter weapons school, called TOPGUN. The character is partially based on a real-life naval aviator who served as a technical advisor on the film --Rear Admiral Kenneth Pettigrew.

Lieutenant Commander Rick "Jester" Heatherly is played by actor Michael Ironside, who is called Jester in the film. He is also a flight instructor, and his character issues the famous command, "You never, never leave your wingman."

Actor John Stockwell plays Bill "Cougar" Cortell, a fellow naval aviator who is wingman to Maverick during their training. Early in the film, he experiences a high-stress situation and loses his confidence. He walks away from active flying duty.

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Henry "Wolfman" Ruth, a graduate of the TOPGUN school, is a naval flight officer trained on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and he was played by actor Barry Tubb. Another Lieutenant (Junior Grade) character was Slider, played by actor Rick Rossovich, a radar intercept officer and wingman to the character Iceman.

Actor Tim Robbins plays Sam "Merlin" Wells who winds up becoming Maverick's wingman after Maverick's previous wingman and friend Goose dies in a training accident. Merlin and Maverick shoot down three MiG-28 enemy aircraft in a climactic battle.

Actor Clarence Gilyard Jr. plays Marcus "Sundown" Williams, TOPGUN graduate who trained on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. He is the radar intercept officer for Lieutenant Charles "Chipper" Piper, a student at the TOPGUN school who in turn is played by actor Adrian Pasdar.

The character Rick "Hollywood" Neven, another naval aviator and student at the TOPGUN school, was played by actor Whip Hubley. Hollywood and Wolfman are close buddies in the film.

The USS Enterprise is the aircraft carrier where a lot of the film's action takes place, and Sprawl is the operator aboard that ship responsible for pinpointing the locations of pilots during critical flight operations. He is played by actor Brian Sheehan.

The USS Enterprise is commanded by Stinger. Commander Tom "Stinger" Jardian is played by the actor James Tolkan, who seemed to specialize in tough bald-headed authority figures in films of the 1980s. As commander of the Top Gun school he oversees the training and promotion of elite naval aviators. He's the one who warns, "Maverick, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! You don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."