“Top Gun: Maverick” is, without a doubt, one of Hollywood’s biggest success stories. The long-awaited follow-up to the 1986 cult classic film “Top Gun,” “Maverick’s” domestic theatrical gross soared over 700 million; making it one of the top 5 highest-grossing North American films of all time, alongside “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Avatar.”

There are a lot of things about “Maverick” that make it worthy of such sweeping success: epic, adrenaline-pinching stunts performed by the franchise’s frontman Tom Cruise, whip-smart dialogue and heartwarming friendships and relationships that are impossible not to root for.

But one of the elements that audiences are most taken with in the new film is that it is a great throwback experience that provides the perfect dosage of nostalgia from “Top Gun.” With that in mind, we saw it high time we look back at the characters in the...