- (firstly I hope I am responding the correct way)
- The flip-flopping you saw may have been my fault, I had seen the date change (to 1984) and attempted to 'correct' it to what I've always understood to be the correct birthyear - being 1982, as was previously stated on here and as you had also assumed.
- I too have always understood the character to have been around 4 in TG86 and understood (and read) this to be the consensus (perhaps based on the child actor's age, which was indeed 4). Based on a 1982 birthdate he would be (turning) 36 in 2018 (at time of filming) or 38 in 2020 (intended time of release) as you have noted. (I don't think 2022 is relevant as this is 2 years after intended release)
- However I now understand that the personnel file shown in TGM actually shows his DOB as 1984, hence the update to the record here. So I apologise for my error.
- I don't think this really aligns to TG86 - I don't think that kid was 2, would have literally only just turned 2 just one month before Goose died based on the date now listed... But I also note another, (arguably) more significant date (on the 'famous' photo of Ice and Mav) is also incorrect and inconsistent with dates explicit in TG86 (and has been spotted by many a fan of the OG and the subject of much discussion)... so I wonder if those finer details (around dates) were maybe not given much thought.
- Apologies for my role in the flip-flopping - as a longtime fan (well before TGM) it is tricky when a sequel appears to have inconsistencies with an original etc.
Character age?[]
I've noticed recent flip-flopping revolving around the character's age and birthdate. Is there a source confirming any of this? The original Top Gun was shot in 1985 and released in 1986 and set in 1986. It was generalized that Bradley was around 4 years old when his father died (this is potentially based on the child actor's age), which would potentially place his birthyear in 1982.
For Top Gun: Maverick, the movie was shot in 2018, originally scheduled for 2020, then finally released (2 years late) in May 2022. This is a big gap for determining the character's 'current' age, especially when considering the actor's age at time of shooting. Are we going by 2020 or 2022? I believe that is a question that needs to be confirmed by someone related to the production of the film, not just guessed by fans.
Either way, a character born in 1982 would be either 38 or 40 years old 2020 or 2022.