Why ‘Top Gun’ Action Figures are Hard to Find

The blockbuster movie Top Gun: Maverick has become the highest-grossing movie of the year, earning $1.4 billion, to date, in worldwide box office sales. Credited with bringing audiences back to the theaters this summer, the action-packed sequel to the 1986 Top Gun film starring Tom Cruise has become the most successful domestic film in Paramount Pictures history.

With its unprecedented success, fans who can’t get enough of the naval aviators are anxious to get their hands on some movie-themed toys. But, finding an official Maverick action figure is going to be nearly impossible.

Hollywood’s biggest actor does not want an action figure 

Iconic entertainment franchises such as Star Wars and Game of Thrones include likeness rights in their licensing agreements. It allows studios to sell the images of the main characters to create toys, video games, action figures, and much more.

That is not the case with Top Gun, which is why fans will never see an action figure with the likeness of Cruise (at least not one that is officially licensed). According to BuzzFeed, the Mission: Impossible star “has insisted that his likeness cannot be used for any action figures or video game characters.”

There has been speculation over the years that the Jack Reacher actor has made this decision because of Scientology, but there is no supporting evidence to confirm that claim. Honestly, no one is really sure why an actor of his magnitude would be so protective of his image, especially considering his worldwide media presence since the early ’80s.

This isn’t the first time the actor has denied the use of his image

Cruise reportedly has a clause written into the contracts of his blockbuster movies that prevents using his image for peripheral merchandise. According to WhatCulture, “Even as far back as 1987’s Top Gun, Cruise hasn’t lent his likeness to a video game adaptation nor even agreed to have his face plastered on a game box.”

They note: “Despite the obvious commercial potential of Mission: Impossible action figures, the only Ethan Hunt figures with his likeness are unofficial, fan-made ones.” In 2017, Cruise starred in the reboot of The Mummy, playing U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton. After announcing the release of a POP! Vinyl toy of the popular character, Funko suddenly announced they were canceling the figure.

According to Universal Monsters Universe, while “licensing issues” was cited as the reason for the abrupt cancellation, “there’s reason to believe that Cruise was the reason for the cancellation.” They explained, “The actor is known for not allowing his likeness to be used for merchandising and it is quite possible that this is what ultimately led to the cancellation of the Nick Morton POP!”

MTV questioned the odd choice back in 2006, reporting the award-winning actor refused to have his image used for Mission: Impossible III and War of the Worlds PlayStation video games. They explained his likeness did not appear in the 1987 or 2006 Top Gun NES video games, and for the Minority Report game, the character had blond hair and looked nothing like him.

At the time, they claimed, “Famous people sometimes don’t lend their likenesses to video games for business or personal reasons, though they seldom publicly explain why.”

You can still get a ‘Top Gun: Maverick” plane

While there are no officially licensed Maverick action figures, several non-approved versions are being sold online, with some retailing for as much as $189.99. 

Mattel recently released the next best thing, offering a Top Gun: Maverick Barbie® named Phoenix, a replica of the character played by Monica Barbaro in the film. The figure is wearing a flight suit and, for $39.99, comes with accessories such as dog tags and a helmet.

Gearing up for the holiday gift-giving season, toymakers such as Matchbox are offering toys that look just like the fighter jets used in the film. There is even a Transformer that Hasbro plans to release in November 2022. Retailing for $44.99 and exclusive to Walmart, the toy is described as changing from the iconic Grumman F-14 Tomcat jet into a Maverick robot figure, guaranteeing to take you into the “danger zone.”