Episode 5 of Loki‘s second season finally revealed all the secret identities of the core cast, before they were pruned from their respective timelines, brainwashed and basically held hostage at the TVA by He Who Remains.
As expected, Mobius, Casey, O.B., and Hunter B-15 were all living on planet Earth, and as usually happens in these types of shows, they’re all from the U.S., too. Nevertheless, there could be more to their characters than meets the eye, as, of course, fans have already begun theorizing that not all of them are human.
Mobius
Mobius, along with Sylvie, is the second most important character in Loki and has developed significantly since his introduction in the first season. Like everyone else in the TVA, Mobius also found out he was pruned from a life he used to have on the Sacred Timeline, but the trusty analyst wasn’t particularly interested in knowing what it was. Whether it was because he was not a fan of change, was in denial about his double identity, or was hiding something, we don’t know yet, but the events of episode 4 sent him straight back to the reality he was trying his hardest to avoid.
We now know that Mobius’ real name on the Sacred Timeline is Don. He works a 9-to-5 job as a jetski salesman in a retail store called Piranha Powersports and is a single dad of two sons living in Cleveland, Ohio. His wife is presumably dead, and Don, passionate as ever about water sports, seems to be doing a relatively good job of raising his boys, despite their fiery personalities.
There are a couple of leading theories about who Don really is. Some people are convinced the name is short for Donald Blake, whom comic fans are likely to recognize as the temporary fake identity taken on by Thor while living on Earth. Except Donald Blake wasn’t a suburban dad, but a doctor in New York. Another theory frames Mobius as an Odin variant called Don I. (an anagram of the King of Asgard’s name) instead, while his two children — one troublemaker and one snake enthusiast — are actually Thor and Loki.
O.B.
The friendly and ingenious Oroboros probably had the most eventful life on the Sacred Timeline among the TVA crew. Although plenty has been said about this curious character and his possible connections to He Who Remains/Kang The Conqueror, his life on the timeline was relatively harmless (or at least, it appeared that way).
In his branching timeline, O.B. was an aspiring science fiction author living in Pasadena, California in 1994, whose day job was as a theoretical physics professor at Caltech. Known as A.D. Doug, he was the author of suggestive titles like The Zartan Contingent and The Sons of Yoren, which, naturally, fans have already connected to the comics. A copy of the former had actually been featured in the end credits for the show all this time, and viewers had linked it to the G.I. Joe shapeshifting villain Zartan or the beings known as Xartans created by the Celestials in the comics, who can also assume someone’s appearance as well as mimic their powers. Could this be hinting at a possible plot twist in the final episode?
Fans also seem to think O.B.’s timeline name, A.D. Doug, plays with the name of Douglas Adams, the British author and humorist who wrote the popular Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy comedy sci-fi series.
Casey
Fans of unsolved mysteries will get a kick out of Casey’s real identity on the Sacred Timeline, just like they probably enjoyed Loki being D.B. Cooper in the first episode of season one. Turns out, the sweet TVA staffer has been the famous Alcatraz escapee Frank Morris all this time.
The fifth episode of Loki took us right to San Francisco Bay in 1962 when the bank robber and his friends escaped from the high-security prison, never to be heard from again. The leading theory is that the three prisoners eventually perished at sea, but we now know Frank was actually pruned away to the TVA either by He Who Remains or Loki. That makes a lot more sense.
B-15
B-15’s real identity is another fascinating reference to Marvel Comics. Although never mentioned by her name, eagle-eyed fans managed to discern her Sacred Timeline name from the credits as well as her badge. Hunter B-15 is actually Dr. Verity Willis, known in Marvel Comics as a journalist with the power to see through any lie, who develops a close friendship with Loki and plays an important part in him becoming the God of Stories. In the show, Dr. Willis stems from New York in 2012, dangerously close to the invasion of the Chitauri led by the trickster god.
It looks like that’s exactly where Loki is headed in this season of the show, judging by all the little hints dropped about the protagonist “making his own story.” In the comics, as the God of Stories, Loki has the power to generate new realities and versions of history just by telling a story. As he tells them, they become true. While we expect this final stage of evolution for the character to look a little different in the show, the connections to the comics are undeniable.
