The confirmation of Top Gun 3 should come as no surprise to anyone who paid attention to the Top Gun: Maverick phenomenon. The sequel, released in 2022 after years of delays and uncertainty, not only breathed new life into the franchise but also repositioned Tom Cruise at the center of the Hollywood pantheon, as if he had ever really left. Now, with Top Gun 3 officially in development and even rumors that Les Grossman—the foul-mouthed, dancing producer from Tropic Thunder—may return in a separate project, the question takes on a new tone: are we witnessing a more “relaxed” phase in Cruise’s career?

The strongest clue may lie in the silence surrounding the future of Mission: Impossible. The eighth installment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, set new box office records for the franchise. In the U.S. alone, the film grossed $63 million in its opening weekend, surpassing the $61 million opening of Fallout (2018), making it the biggest domestic debut in the series. It doesn’t compare to Maverick‘s $126 million in its first weekend (or $160 million over four days), but Top Gun had been a dormant classic for 30 years, while Mission: Impossible had been making history continuously in that same period. With eight films, is it time to swap the masks again and focus on Maverick instead of Ethan Hunt?

And who could blame Cruise for wanting a break? It’s been nearly 30 years of running, climbing, stunt jumping, and making films that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Ethan Hunt may be tireless, but Tom Cruise—immortal as he may seem—might be chasing a different kind of adrenaline now.

That’s where Maverick comes in. If Ethan is the man who saves the world, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is the guy trying to save himself—and, in the process, others. Maverick was perhaps the first character Cruise has played in recent years who acknowledges the weight of age, legacy, and human flaws. Even while flying at Mach 10, there was a melancholy that was missing from the frantic world of Mission: Impossible. The film’s success—both with audiences and critics—shows there’s an appetite for this more vulnerable Cruise, even if he’s still absurdly skilled, handsome, and heroic. We’ll see the result in 2027 or 2028.

And there’s another revival project on the horizon: Les Grossman. The possible return of this grotesque yet brilliant alter ego—a satire of the very system that props up Cruise’s stardom—suggests that he’s at least having fun. He no longer needs to prove anything. He can run when he wants, fly jets when he wants, and do bald, fat-man dances when he wants. Where once he needed to be taken seriously, now he can be anything: action icon, nostalgia symbol, meme, and comedian. And speaking of Thunder, Cruise is also reportedly working on a sequel to the 1990 drama Days of Thunder (the film where he met Nicole Kidman). In the absence of new franchises, only legends like Cruise have a catalog rich enough to return to without repeating themselves.

The lingering question: Who is the most iconic character in Tom Cruise’s career—Maverick or Ethan Hunt? It depends on the generation. For those who grew up in the ’80s, Maverick is the symbol of testosterone-fueled rebellion, stylized by mirrored Ray-Bans. For millennials and Gen Z, Cruise is Ethan Hunt—the man who jumps off buildings, clings to planes, and never misses. But perhaps the true icon is Tom Cruise himself: the figure who has spanned decades with an almost superhuman intensity, adapting his roles with the same precision he brings to an action scene.

If Top Gun 3 is truly his new priority, it’s a sign that the actor is betting not just on box office success, but on legacy. And by all accounts, the sky is not the limit—it’s just the beginning.