Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Sam Wells (callsign: Merlin) is a Naval Flight Officer and Cougar's radar intercept officer (RIO).
In Top Gun, Merlin was originally Cougar's RIO until Cougar quit. He is later assigned as Maverick's RIO after Maverick graduated from TOPGUN and was recalled back to the USS Enterprise. Together, Maverick and Merlin shot down three of the six MiG-28s in the final engagement.