Top Gun: Maverick has several call backs to the original film, and even recreates parallels between certain some scenes. Keeping up this tradition, it also does not reveal who the “enemy” is while talking about their high-profile mission.
Is there a reason behind this? Who exactly is this unnamed enemy?
As per clues in Top Gun: Maverick, the unnamed enemy could be from Iran, China, or Russia. It could be a government or a privately-run organization. The reason behind not naming the enemy is to take away focus from any real-life geopolitical conflict.
The first Top Gun movie did the same when they did not name the enemies, but alluded to Russia by calling the enemy planes “MiGs.”
Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski explains to The Big Picture podcast, that the decision to do so (in both the movies) has always been because this is Maverick’s story, and it doesn’t warrant spending any more time than needed on decoding who the enemy is.
This makes sense, since the enemy is never the cause of any conflict or character-building in the film.
It is possible that had they named an enemy, there would be more public reception or commentary on that front, instead of how these characters are dealing with different hardships independent of the mission thrown their way.
Another point he makes is that this decision renders the movie timeless:
We designed the mission to be with a nameless, faceless power and I’m glad we did because the world’s changing every year. We shot this movie in 2018. You could never anticipate what the state of the world would be today. I want this to be a film that people watch ten or 20 years from now and can still enjoy and not feel like it was a product of the early 2020s.
Joseph Kosinski
But if you are still really keen on pinpointing who this unnamed enemy is modelled after, there are plenty of clues hidden in the movie to make an educated guess: The enemy locations and fifth-generation fighter planes shortlist China, Russia, or Iran.
The nuclear superpower plant point to Iran, while the Russian-built Su-57 fighter planes hint at it being Russia or China. What isn’t as clear is if this is a government or private organization.
Ultimately it does not matter — As a tale about Maverick continuing to find his identity, dealing with grief, handing over the baton to the next generation of Top Gun pilots and yes, even showing off plenty of sick moves in his beloved jets, the enemy state takes the back seat.
About Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick is a Paramount film (and sequel) starring Tom Cruise who reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from the 1986 Top Gun. It is directed by Joseph Kosinski, with a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie and a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks.
Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer are part of the cast.
The film sees Maverick’s return to the US Navy pilots as he trains a new squad of aviators, preparing them for a dangerous mission. Upon release, the movie was a massive success and became the highest grossing film of Tom Cruise so far.
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