Loki Season 2 Theory: OB's Real Identity May Answer A Huge Unsolved MCU Mystery

After just one episode of Season 2, a case can be made the best new addition to the Disney+ series is Ouroboros, a.k.a. OB, played by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan. He's the eccentric overseer of the Repairs and Advancement Department, but a fan theory has emerged suggesting he could have a far more significant role to play in the machinations of the Time Variance Authority. 

In the Season 1 finale of "Loki," the god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston) and his variant, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), encounter the lair of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). They come across four statues depicting Timekeepers, with one of them broken. Redditor u/braulioc99 suggests, "OB is the 4th timekeeper statue destroyed in the citadel at the end of time. Too powerful and was placed in the hidden depths of the tva." It would make for an excellent twist for OB to be more nefarious than he's letting on, and it would explain why he's been given the unenviable position of overseeing a department hardly anyone ever goes to. 

And there might be an interview quote to back this theory up. In 2021, "Loki" production designer Kasra Farahani spoke with Vanity Fair about those statues, including the broken one, admitting, "I can't say anything about it, unfortunately, but the answers will be forthcoming." It sounds like the identity of the fourth statue will come sooner or later, and OB being an all-powerful entity would be an excellent use of Quan's talents. 

Ke Huy Quan delivers a great comedic performance in the first episode of "Loki" Season 2. He manages to provide essential exposition amusingly, and it's clear he knows how things operate in the TVA better than most. Viewers will undoubtedly love seeing him continue to be a crucial component of Loki's team, and it would be the icing on the cake to see him break bad and wind up being one of the Timekeepers. 

Redditor u/BCDragon3000 offers this addition to the fan theory, "Or perhaps OB is a kang variant himself, as variants can look like anyone?" Given Jonathan Majors' recent legal troubles, there's a distinct possibility Marvel may be looking to recast him as Kang for future Marvel projects. Since variants can look very different from one another, as is the case with the various Spider-Men seen in "No Way Home," there's a chance OB could be yet another Kang. But even if he's not Kang, he could still play an antagonistic foil in the show, which is exciting for other reasons. 

Quan has exemplified the range necessary to pull off sweet OB with something more malevolent in the future. Redditor u/pleasedothenerdful has the right idea, "Honestly, I'm on board just to see Quan do a menacing character ... Everyone would flip their s*** if he just suddenly heelturns in an 'I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that' sort of moment. Maybe we saw just a hint of it at the moment he hit the button." After his monumental performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," where he portrays different versions of the same character, he definitely has it in him to switch gears and play a bigger role in the franchise moving forward.