Although Top Gun 3 has already established a perfect sequel story, pulling off this plot would mean moving on from Top Gun: Mavericks most important character. The Top Gun movies are ostensibly about the titular flight school, the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, where the Navys best test pilots train to become even better. However, in practice, the series is the story of Tom Cruises Maverick. A cocky but lovable antihero, Maverick is a reckless pilot with a need for speed whose ego and distaste for authority are matched only by his unparalleled flying ability.
https://screenrant.com/top-gun-3-maverick-abandon-premise-best-story/