10 Unanswered Questions From 2022's Biggest Movies

Much like the original Top Gun, Maverick purposefully obfuscates the national identity of the enemy "rogue state," with no language, insignia, or other identifiers which would indicate a single country.

Naturally, then, fans were left curious about precisely which nation Maverick (Tom Cruise) and co. were up against, prompting numerous outlets to try and figure it out using the scant clues provided in the film itself.

There's no conclusive answer, though a few obvious possibilities - namely Russia and China, whose military both operate fifth-generation aircraft.

The enemy aircraft are based on Russian Su-57 stealth fighters, too, though both nations already have well-established nuclear arsenals, so the creation of a uranium enrichment plant wouldn't raise any more eyebrows than normal.

North Korea and Iran are meanwhile both deemed rogue nations by the U.S. but lack the fifth-gen aircraft seen in the film.

Ultimately Paramount didn't want to ruffle any geopolitical feathers or endanger their precious box office by naming the enemy, so in effect the antagonists can be whoever you want them to be.