Top Gun: Maverick’s Jon Hamm Explains ‘Friction’ With Tom Cruise’s Character
The interview brings up one rumor that Hamm’s character is actually related to Viper, and while Jon Hamm seems to be side-stepping any sort of direct connection, there does seem to be, at the very least, a thematic one. In the original Top Gun Viper was played by Tom Skerritt and he was the man overseeing all the pilots in the Top Gun program. He and Maverick have a contentious relationship at first, but eventually Viper does take on a sort of father figure role.