At the end of Act 2 in Top Gun, just when Maverick is set to overcome Iceman, the top pilot in their eponymously named Naval Aviation program, the unthinkable happens. Usually cavalier and devil-may-care, Maverick plays by the rules this time, allowing Iceman plenty of time to get his shot. It’s unselfish, professional, and by-the-book. Very Virgo energy.

However, when Maverick is finally able to engage, his plane gets caught in the jet wash of Iceman’s aircraft, causing the engines on his plane to fail. Maverick’s rig spins out to sea. Unable to recover from the accident, he and Goose, his best friend and RIO (co-pilot), must eject.

Goose reaches up and pulls the emergency release for the cockpit shell. Maverick’s seat explodes upwards, launching him safely from the tumbling rig. Sadly, Goose suffers a terrible fate. Because of the rotation of the plane, Goose’s seat is ejected directly into the cockpit shell. It’s clear from impact that his collision was fatal, and his death immediate.

His body plummets downward into the sea below, delivered to the choppy waves of the Pacific and the waiting arms of Maverick. It’s one of the most difficult cinematic moments ever captured. A heartbroken man holding the lifeless body of his best friend. An accident. No one to blame. So, Maverick takes the blame in the form of guilt, which is the shadow of Virgo.

Virgos always need a reason for why something happens. If a reason doesn’t exist, they will manufacture one even if it means becoming the reason themselves.

What is a Virgo Shadow?