Loki Season 2: Why The TVA Tech Guy Looks So Familiar
The "Loki" Season 2 trailer focuses heavily on all of the show's returning characters — namely, Mobius (Owen Wilson), the God of Mischief himself (Tom Hiddleston), and his formidable female variant (Sophia Di Martino). However, the trailer also introduces a handful of new characters, none more noteworthy than OB, a friendly and nonchalant tech repairman for the Time Variance Authority. In its first scene, the season's trailer sees Mobius and Loki meet up with OB to request help with the latter's sudden, disorienting case of "timeslipping."
OB is one of several new characters set to be featured throughout "Loki" Season 2, and odds are, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will recognize the actor who plays the already beloved TVA worker. That's because OB is played by none other than "Everything Everywhere All At Once" star Ke Huy Quan. A former child actor, Quan has once again become one of the most beloved and recognizable faces in Hollywood over the course of the past two years. For that reason alone, it's easy to see why the actor's seemingly charming performance as OB is given as much of a spotlight as it is in the "Loki" Season 2 trailer.
For those who might not be familiar with Quan's impressive career, here are some of the films and TV shows that "Loki" viewers may have seen the actor in before.
Ke Huy Quan made his screen debut in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Ke Huy Quan made his film debut in 1984 when he appeared as Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." A shockingly dark prequel to 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the Steven Spielberg-directed follow-up introduces Quan's Short Round as a trusty, unwaveringly loyal young sidekick to Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. In the decades since its release, "Temple of Doom" has proven to be one of the most divisive blockbusters Spielberg has ever made, and its characterizations of its Chinese and Indian characters have come under intense, justified scrutiny over the years.
The same can't be said for Quan's performance as Short Round, who ranks high as one of the most beloved and likable characters featured in any "Indiana Jones" film. That's due solely to Quan's performance as the character, which radiates a level of wholehearted compassion that stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming darkness of everything else in "Temple of Doom." Nearly 40 years after its release, it's one of the only things about "Temple of Doom" that has aged well. The film's reputation certainly hasn't improved much, but Quan's screen legacy has.
He captured moviegoers' attention again in The Goonies
A year after he made his big-screen debut in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," Ke Huy Quan gave another iconic performance in 1985's "The Goonies." Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner, the film follows a group of young kids as they set out on a quest to find an infamous pirate's long-lost treasure and unknowingly put themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless Italian crime family. Quan stars in the film as Data, a member of its eponymous group of friends. In a cast that also counts Sean Astin and Josh Brolin among its stars, Quan still manages to make an undeniable, lasting impression with his turn as Data, a James Bond-obsessed, prodigious inventor.
"The Goonies" is, by no means, nearly as dark as "Temple of Doom." Nonetheless, Quan still emerges as a bright light in the film, one who shines with a kind of innate charisma that is, frankly, hard to come by. Despite the mark he so quickly made on-screen, though, it wasn't until 2022 that Hollywood finally gave Quan the chance to fulfill the unspoken promise of his first two film performances.
Quan made his triumphant comeback in Everything Everywhere All At Once
In 2022, Ke Huy Quan made his return to stardom when he appeared in the Oscar-winning, A24-produced smash hit, "Everything Everywhere All At Once." The film, which was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, gave Quan his first major leading role in over 20 years. He stars in the sci-fi dramedy as Waymond Wang, an empathetic husband who, thanks to the movie's multiversal story, gets the chance to be dashing, charismatic, hilarious, heartbroken, desperate, and romantic over the course of its runtime.
For many, Quan's performance was seen as a long-awaited, unexpected validation of their belief in his early potential as an actor. The film itself, meanwhile, not only went on to earn over $140 million at the worldwide box office but also turned out to be crowning career achievements for both Quan and his co-star, Michelle Yeoh. In April, Quan won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his performance in the film, while Yeoh also took home the award for best actress the same night.
Quan's multifaceted, rightfully acclaimed performance in "Everything Everywhere All At Once" single-handedly made him a household name again, and it's clearly put him back on a lot of filmmakers' radars. As a matter of fact, "Loki" isn't even the first major TV series that he's starred in since the film was released last year.
He gave a scene-stealing performance on American Born Chinese
A little over a month after he won his Oscar, Ke Huy Quan gave another impressive performance on the Disney+ original series, "American Born Chinese." Based on Gene Luen Yang's lauded graphic novel of the same name, the series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a Chinese American high schooler who finds himself caught up in a mythical battle involving various gods and celestial figures. For his part, Quan plays Freddy Wong, an actor from a fictional 1990s sitcom whose character was not only based on hurtful stereotypes but consistently made the butt of the joke.
When "American Born Chinese" begins, Freddy's former sitcom is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, but he's initially hesitant to participate in a live reunion special for the show. When he does, he takes a moment to explain how Hollywood let him down and refused to give him a chance to play the kind of heroic, complex roles he was interested in. "I hope there's a kid out there watching this who feels he doesn't have to be a punchline," Freddy says.
It's a powerful moment, one that speaks to the importance of on-screen representation, and Quan expresses it beautifully. The parallels it shares with his own career are, of course, obvious, which is why the actor initially turned the role down. Ultimately, it's a testament to Quan's talent that he not only agreed to play the character, but ended up bringing so much grace, elegance, and compassion to his scenes as Freddy.
Now, viewers can look forward to seeing Quan again in "Loki" Season 2.