The Labyrinth Easter Egg You Likely Missed In Top Gun: Maverick

Minor spoilers for "Top Gun: Maverick"

Besides sending you off at speeds that make you wonder if your face is still intact, "Top Gun: Maverick" is blowing critics minds and turning the nostalgia levels through the roof. From the second that classic score kicks in and planes are cleared for flight, director Joseph Kosinski's sequel to Tony Scott's decade-defining action movie fits like a worn pair of aviator sunglasses — and looks just as cool. The effect isn't entirely driven by nostalgia for the original, either. Franchise newcomer Jennifer Connelly gets a wink at the earliest days of her own career, and it's just as fun.

As revealed in the trailer, "Top Gun: Maverick" marks the arrival of Jennifer Connelly as the new but seemingly old love interest of our heroic hotshot (Tom Cruise) in the new sequel, Penelope "Penny" Benjamin. Penny arrives on the scene from behind a bar that's a regular spot for Navy types. Whether this choice was intentional or not, an interesting track plays during the leading lady's debut. It's a song that has absolutely no connection to the Tony Scott-directed classic "Top Gun" from, but for fans of one of Connelly's career-defining roles and those that know how to dance the magic dance, it'll likely ring a few bells.

That's right — Connelly's Penny enters to "Top Gun" franchise backed by the music of her "Labyrinth" co-star and late, great music icon, David Bowie. The two appeared in Jim Henson's wild fantasy that saw the actress enter the titular maze to save her younger brother from Bowie's ball-juggling Goblin King. The song's easy to miss if you're too busy getting hit with the sparks firing between Maverick and his new love interest, but should you manage to pull yourself out of the romance, you can hear Bowie's 1983 classic, "Let's Dance," which still absolutely slaps.

With so many other obviously intentional nods to the iconic 1980s "Top Gun," it's hard to imagine Kosinski didn't know what he was doing when he decided to introduce Penny with this particular track. Thankfully though, it's a song that suits the vibe going off between these two characters, who totally sell a history together that we've never seen before. 

Be sure to keep an ear out for it.