Ever since the teaser clip featured at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s been clear that Jonathan Majors would be the main villain of Loki season 2, this time swapping Kang the Conqueror for another of the antagonist’s variants, early 20th century inventor Victor Timely. Marvel even elected to keep the actor in the show following his domestic violence charges, passing on the opportunity to replace him in reshoots.
We can, and have, speculate about how this controversial move could affect Loki going forward, but it’s possible that Marvel’s decision has some logic to it. What if Majors’ Timely isn’t the main villain of season 2 after all, and the God of Mischief’s real foe has been hidden in plain sight in the marketing, in the form of the series’ most high-profile new cast member? Yes, what if Ke Huy Quan is actually a bad guy.
Ouroboros is a name that carries a dark legacy in Marvel lore
Ke Huy Quan joins the staff of the TVA in Loki season 2 as Ouroboros aka OB, who appears to be the Time Variance Authority’s answer to Q from James Bond. Except a Q with a particularly ramshackle working environment and an ever-peppy attitude. The beloved Short Round actor, who recently shot right back to superstardom thanks to his Oscar-winning turn in Everything, Everywhere All at Once, certainly promises to be a fresh source of fun in the show. But what if OB is hiding a secret?
You see, Ouroboros is a name that has history in the Marvel multiverse. Although not the name of an individual, Ouroboros was a villainous group introduced in the Marvel Contest of Champions mobile game (which, for those who care about this sort of thing, takes place on Earth-571). With the game’s premise being that Marvel’s various heroes have been forced to duke it out on Battlerealm, Ouroboros was a group who recreated the powers and weapons of the Avengers to sell for profit, thanks to the aid of a mole within the hero’s ranks. They were ultimately defeated by Civil Warrior, a variant of Steve Rogers.
Obviously, much of this is hardly relevant to the storyline of Loki. With Ouroboros being an ancient mythical term for a snake eating its own tail, a symbol for infinity which fits with the show’s temporal themes, it’s possible the matching names is just a coincidence. On the other hand, Perhaps OB is using his position at the TVA, and his technical genius, to recreate the powers and weapons of the heroes from up and down the timeline. Maybe even on the orders of Kang himself.
The twist that He Who Remains was the real wizard behind the curtain in Loki season 1 was a huge highlight, so season 2 really needs a twist of similar shock value to measure up. And a loveable actor like Quan turning out to be playing a villain would definitely do that.