The <em>Top Gun: Maverick</em> Theory of Pete Hegseth

When audiences first met Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in 1986’s Top Gun, he was a lieutenant at the Navy’s elite school for fighter pilots. The movie doesn’t give his age, but that would probably have put Maverick, as he teamed up with his buddy Goose in the skies over California and the glistening volleyball pits by the sea, in his mid-to-late 20s. When Top Gun: Maverick was released, 36 years later, Mav was still flying. With his aviators and winsome smile, he looked great for a man in his…