Recklessness & Danger
One of Maverick's defining characteristics is his recklessness. When we first meet him, he manages to fly directly above a MiG-28, inverted, and flip the pilot the middle finger. He then goes against orders to land his plane, and flies back up in the air to help a shell-shocked associate land his own plane. He takes risks, and has enough gumption for them to pay off, usually.
At Top Gun, while Maverick's recklessness and taste for danger still distinguish him from his fellow pilots, it also holds him back in many ways. At one point, Iceman tells him that he doesn't like him because he's dangerous, to which Maverick responds, "I am dangerous." It is not until Maverick suffers a tragedy that he learns to be more cooperative and play more by the rules, to channel his dangerous attitude towards constructive collaboration.
Bravery & Altruism
Maverick is not just a reckless thrill-seeker. Rather, he tries to use his risk-taking nature and channel it into a kind of courage and altruism. This is evident in the first mission we see him on, when he helps Cougar land his plane. Maverick might be a hot-head, but he wants to help and he wants to be of service to his fellow pilots. After going through some harrowing lessons at Top Gun, Maverick learns how to channel his devil-may-care attitude towards helping others. He demonstrates the lessons he has learned when he helps Iceman in the rescue mission and saves the day.
Loyalty
Loyalty is a major theme in the film and is encapsulated in the relationship between Goose and Maverick. They are best friends and co-pilots, attached at the hip from the start. When Maverick screws up some training sessions at Top Gun by being foolish and cocky, Goose is disappointed in his friend, but he remains loyal to him. Maverick appreciates Goose's loyalty, and it is part of what motivates him to become a better pilot. Loyalty between friends and colleagues is an unspoken virtue in the film.
Trauma
As slowly revealed over the course of the film, part of Maverick's recklessness as a pilot is connected to the loss of his parents at a young age. He is a very talented naval aviator, but at times his inability to play by the rules seems like self-sabotage, and different characters point out that perhaps it has to do with the loss of his parents, particularly the mysterious disappearance of his father during Vietnam. In this way, Maverick has some past trauma that he has not worked through.
The death of Goose, and Maverick's feelings of responsibility, only trigger more post-traumatic responses. Directly after Goose's death, it is unclear if Maverick will ever be able to fly again, because he is so rattled and racked by guilt. Then when he embarks on the rescue mission in the Indian Ocean, he has a post-traumatic flashback when his plane gets caught in Iceman's jet wash yet again. For a moment it seems like he won't be able to recover, but he calls on the memory of Goose to lead him back into the mission.
Family
While we do not learn many details about the deaths of Maverick's parents, we know that he feels their loss acutely. When he goes to dinner at Charlotte's house, she puts on a record that reminds him of his mother, who used to listen to Otis Redding. He remembers her fondly, and Charlotte feels more intimately connected to him because he tells her about his relationship to his mother. Maverick has a more complicated relationship with his father, who he thinks died dishonorably in Vietnam. As Viper tells him later, however, Maverick's father died saving his fellow naval aviators. This information empowers Maverick to become a more responsible pilot. Therefore, the film shows that making peace with family history helps Maverick to become a hero.
Romance
While at Top Gun, Maverick becomes almost instantly smitten with the sophisticated, intelligent, and beautiful Charlotte. Their courtship is drawn out, with neither of them wanting to go for it until they are sure that it is wise. They share a romantic dinner together, and later, when Charlotte admits that she admires Maverick's flying, they kiss and begin a romance. Romantic love is an important subplot in the film, and is connected to the main storyline as well, in that each of them is interested in the other not simply because of romance, but also because they have something to offer one another in their shared connection to the Navy.
Redemption
A major theme of the film is redemption, as by the end of the film, Maverick redeems himself in the eyes of his fellow naval aviators and saves the day in a decisive mission. After being a brave but inconsistent pilot, Maverick proves that he can be a team player by harnessing his talents to serve the rescue mission. He exchanges a hug with his nemesis Iceman, and is offered any job of his choice by the once-disapproving Stinger. Despite his fall from grace and his worry that he was responsible for Goose's death, Maverick is able to move on and help funnel his gifts as a pilot into helping the Navy. He has learned his lesson and moved on, much to everyone's approval.
