For Top Gun 3 to faithfully follow Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel needs to keep the franchise’s silliest tradition going. The Top Gun movies are not designed to be taken seriously. While the character arc of Tom Cruise’s Maverick is undeniably compelling, his journey takes place in a world where empty aircraft hangars are used as classrooms. Top Gun and its sequel Top Gun: Maverick feature absurdly ambitious death-defying stunts, but even in their more grounded scenes, their over-the-top characters and goofy one-liners ensure no viewer could mistake them for reality. As such, the franchise’s most ridiculous traditions are not an issue.

https://screenrant.com/top-gun-3-enemy-no-name-villain-tradition-keep/