#Duke Mitchell

[sadgoosehours]

James T Kirk and Leonard McCoy, Star Trek Beyond (2016).

[torchflies]

Hi TG Fandom! 

Okay so, I want us to imagine a world where Goose doesn't die, where the good luck that has followed Maverick his entire life is enough to save them both. 

Maverick, who has miraculously survived the craziest things over the years and continues to do so. He was soloing under a lucky star long before Ice became his guardian angel. 

Imagine they go through Ice’s jetwash the same as before and they go into a flat spin, Maverick is pinned down and can't get his hands free, Goose has to eject them, but his fingers are slipping, fumbling before he finally yanks down on the cords. The canopy gets sucked in too close to the body of the jet with the position they're in, it can't clear completely and Goose screams blindly because he knows he’s going to die. 

He knows he's going to collide with the canopy, but instead he feels like he's curled into a person. 

It’s too warm and all he sees is a flash of dark hair and scared green eyes in the chaos. Mav, what? He's horrified that Mav is somehow in his arms, did their chutes get tangled? He doesn't understand. But he fumbles his hand up, grabbing Mav’s tags just in time for the canopy to collide with Mav’s back. Goose screams until he’s suddenly in the water, he's lost time and there's something clutched in his hand. But Mav grabs him, drags him up on his chest. 

“We’re okay, Goose! We’re okay!”

And they are okay. 

They get out completely unscathed and it’s only when they're on deck, shivering like wet rats, that Goose finally opens his hand. It’s a pair of dog tags — kind of. They're old, and barnacles have grown on the metal and stuck both tags together. It doesn't make sense. 

Mav looks at him like he's lost his marbles when he mentions how their chutes tangled up. 

He feels like he's nuts. But when Goose shows the tags to Viper in the base hospital and tells him what happened, the hardened old man seems to crumple before his eyes. 

It’s only then that Goose notices a class ring, an USNA class ring dangling from that crusted chain. There’s no stone, but he would recognize it anywhere. Mav… Mav didn't go to the Academy. 

“Sir?” Goose asks. 

Viper just mutely shows him the tags, the barnacles peeled away to reveal a notch and the words: 

[bo0tleg]

Everyone's dying to meet me...

(Destroyer of Worlds, song by Coyote Kid)

Oh, to be Mav still drowning with the ghosts of the people he loves... Still drowning in the guilt that plagues him, making him believe that all of them were his fault....

If requested, I might post my process behind the stylization choices and meaning behind the artistic liberties taken. I took notes, in case anyones interested!

[gaydaroreilly]

Fleshing out left Mav and my brain went WHAT IF DUKE FLEW IN KOREA TOO AND ENDED UP AT MASH 4077? He got injured in a dog fight, ended up getting fixed up by Hawkeye and became besties with the crew (Cus just imagine Mav with uncles Hawkeye and Trapper and Radar??? and they talk about all the shit that’s the American military. He comes home disenchanted and yet he’s stuck because he’s required to serve in Vietnam.

He makes it home by the skin of his teeth, but he’s fucking angry and done and raises anti-war activist Pete, and brings him to visit his weird commie lefty doctor buddies out East. They spend a lot of time in Maine with Hawk and Trap, especially after Pete’s mom dies of cancer when he’s 10. Pete’s especially close with his ‘cousin’ Carol MacIntyre (Trapper’s daughter who he raises with his ACTUALLY JUST PROFESSIONAL yesverygay partner Hawkeye).

Pete and Duke do their father-son bonding over planes and cars and bikes. Duke does flying lessons and hits up airshows and buys a mechanic shop that he operates with Pete’s help. They do good work for fair prices and they are a community pillar in their small town. Pete starts flying as soon as he can and is an infamously brave sport pilot and folks start calling him Maverick. He goes to college to get a degree in mechanical engineering and there he meets NROTC student Nick Bradshaw. . .

Pete is very cautious cus the navy owns Nick a little, but they become best friends and Nick is pretty bummed he thought his only option for school was through the “service”. With Pete taking him up in planes Nick decides to go for aviation. Ends up becoming a RIO called Goose and also a husband to Carol and dad to Bradley (all in very quick succession). Goose plans to quit the navy as soon as his contract is up (Hawkeye makes him swear on life before the shotgun wedding).

Idk should I write this wild crossover lol?

[k9effect]

Anything Viper and Duke? 👉👈

Young mitchcalf coming right up!

[maccawrites]

Watched Three Men and a Baby today and all I could think about was Viper, Duke and Jester as Peter, Jack and Michael, respectively.

Like baby Pete being left at these three single Navy pilots' door when they come around for Top Gun (do not ask me about the timelime, I haven't thought much about it yet) with only a little letter that says "Duke, this is our son, Pete. I can't take care of him, so I'm trusting you too. With love, Alicia."

They are freaking out. They don't know what to do, they don't know who to call, they don't know anything. There's a baby in their house and they know nothing about babies. Duke is looking at the poor thing like it might bite at any given moment (even though it doesn't even have teeth yet), Jester is three seconds away from a panic attack and Viper is simply trying to bottle all of this up or, otherwise, he might go crazy.

All they know about this cute pie is that Duke is his father, his mother left him and the smell of his shit could kill a man. They don't know anything else. What does he eat? How does he eat? What does he need? Clothes? Diapers? Baby food? They don't know, but, then, suddenly, they need to know because the baby is crying.

And he is LOUD.

Cue to shenanigans, the trio going crazy with little Pete, their whole Top Gun class falling head over heels for the little baby, Duke falling asleep with baby Pete on his arms and waking up because the kid pulled some hairs of his mustache (he laughs loudly at that, the little shit), Jester parading around with the kid for any ladies to see, Viper being a stressed dad and reading two baby books per hour.

Just baby Pete shenanigans and the dad trio going crazy with him.

[avianii]

do you guys ever wonder who Duke Mitchell's backseater was

[loveinwisteria]

Me reading viper/duke: hmmmm old man yaoi going at it like they're still young 🤤

[aesthetic--mood]

Pete Mitchell "Maverick" Aesthetic

[elancie]

Viper’s Mitchell bets

Jester: Mike there is no way little Mitchell will win the Trophy, not with Iceman being here.

Viper: He’s Duke’s boy Rick, don’t underestimate him.

Jester: …It’s because of that stunt he pulled with the MiGs, isn’t it?

Viper: Little shit lost me a bet to his dead father, no way I’m going to watch him lose.

Jester: Duke seriously bet on his son’s style of flying?

Viper: Motherfucker knew his son was just as insane as he was. Christ, makes you wonder where his mother’s education went.

[kathrahender]

So- I had an idea for another Top Gun AU.

The actual fic is centered in Icemav but this is the background story, to understand better Icemav's relationship. This is the first part (1/2), if you want to read the second part (2/2), read the next post.

Imagine an AU where Duke "Ember" (? Mitchell and Konstantin "Frost" (? Kazansky were the original "Icemav" ship.

At first they hated/disliked each other and they almost couldn't stand being in the same room together. And then, the two of them had to go on a mission with other pilots. In that mission, Konstantin got hit by the enemy and Duke, despite his own hate for Konstantin, didn't want him to die, so he saved him. (Duke didn't want to accept it, but part of the hate he felt for Konstantin vanished when he saw how injured he was).

Duke didn't expect their relationship to change because of that, but Konstantin became more... soft with him after the mission, and his jokes, which were meant to hurt him, became more funny, as if Konstantin wanted him to laugh with him instead of making fun of him. Although that only happened when they were alone, just the two of them. When they were around the other pilots, Konstantin acted more respectful towards Duke, but he didn't act friendly.

Surprisingly, at some moment, they started feeling other things towards each other. Both of them wanted to be more than friends, but they only shared a kiss before knowing their relationship wouldn't work. Not in a world where people would see them as "freaks" or "mentally ill". They held back their feelings, even after Duke nearly died. Konstantin saved him, (in the mission where Duke was supposed to die) but holding him in his arms, in the hospital, while he was still injured, made him realize he couldn't lose Duke. He was important to him, and he couldn't bear him dying because of them being together.

Konstantin decided to let go of him and be just friends, but their relationship didn't end well. After the mission, the day Duke woke up (because he was in a comma for a few days), one of the superiors of Konstantin told him he knew about what was happening between Duke and him. He threatened Konstantin, saying he would tell everyone the truth about them if he didn't do what he said (the superior gave Konstantin an option and didn't tell the others superiors Duke and Konstantin were something inmediatly because he didn't want to lose one of his best pilots). Konstantin had to say Duke was a traitor who tried to run away from the battle before Konstantin decided to save his life, and then the two of them were safe (If nobody ever discovered the truth about Duke's "betrayal"). He did it, but his bond with Duke broke for his actions.

They went separate ways after that. Konstantin married a woman and had a son, Tom Kazansky, as well as Duke married another woman and had a son, Pete Mitchell. (This means Top Gun would take place a few years after 1986, not in 1986. It could take place in 1992, for example).

[joohoneybeee]

scanned the photos from the top gun/top gun maverick steel book. enjoy!

[torchflies]

Okay Top Gun Fandom, hear me out —

I adore Tom Selleck as much as the next pal, but we are sleeping on the ANGST FUEL of Mav being the spitting image of a Duke who died young.

Imagine the PAIN of Viper going in to teach TG ‘86 and finding the carbon copy of the wingman he (loved?) lost sitting in front of him. Because if Duke Mitchell canonically dies in his 30s — 30-something Tom Cruise as Duke would DESTROY ME. Just saying… the possibilities… don't make me write this.

[maverickcalf]

Anyway if Duke Mitchell lived Maverick would've spent every summer with the Metcalfs let's be real.

Then we have to have a discussion on if Duke would be the first one to win TOPGUN and would Viper be the second?

Either way I think they would be friends and as whole there is always something about the Duke and Viper, Maverick and Goose parallels.

I mean you can compare Duke and Viper to Iceman and Maverick since they were both wingmen. But really it's about how both Viper and Maverick experienced loss. Which is why Viper says what he says, he is speaking from his perspective on his loss of Duke. Which... might be what he needs in the long run but-

Ah damn sorry i am rambling, i just have a lot of feelings about Duke and Viper.

[gaydaroreilly]

If Mav was a menace growing up in foster care, imagine Mav growing up with his dad and a bunch of feral bisexual doctors (MASH guys duh)

Duke: tries to do some weird birds and bees shit a la the 1970s

Mav: hey dad, I think I like boys too

Duke: fuck, I need reinforcements…Pierce is gonna be so smug about this!

Hawkeye: as a medical professional with experience in both departments, I will take it from here…just ask Radar—I taught him all he knows…

A few years later Mav brings Ice around to meet his extended family, and

Hawkeye: did ya use protection boys, wouldn’t want anyone to end up pregnant and shackled to a disgusting military person forever like my daughter Carole…

Carole: shut up dad you love Goose and Bradley!

Trapper: We’d love your Bradshaw more if he wasn’t in the navy, we do love the little grandbaby though *tickles baby Bradley’s tiny little toes*

Mav: you’d get such good head if you left the navy ice…

Duke: okay everyone please shut up

[k9effect]

Consider this with me, everyone: I know we don't know for certain who plays Duke Mitchell in the photos above that we see in Top Gun but I am face claiming him as Tom Selleck.

Evidence: Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. "Blood and Honor" in 1985