Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Loki season 2

Summary

• Ke Huy Quan s MCU as Ouroboros in Loki season 2, showcasing his acting prowess and adding to the franchise's stellar cast.
• Ouroboros is revealed as the TVA's chief engineer, responsible for maintaining their time travel devices and displaying his genius.
• The ouroboros symbol holds significance in Norse mythology, linking it to Loki himself and hinting at a deeper connection in the season.

Phase 5's Loki season 2 cast.

Loki's season 1 finale ended with Sylvie, played brilliantly be Sophia Di Martino, killing He Who Remains, which created thousands of branching timelines, and trapping Loki in a very different version of the TVA, ruled over by Kang the Conqueror himself rather than the fictitious Time Keepers. While Loki season 2 is set to introduce Victor Timely, another Kang variant, to the franchise, the MCU will also be blessed with the debut of Ke Huy Quan, fresh off a win for Best ing Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Ke Huy Quan Plays Ouroboros In Loki Season 2

Ke Huy Quan assumes the role of Ouroboros in Loki season 2, confirming the rumors before the show's release that this would be his character. Quan is a brilliant addition to the MCU, having been featured as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he was only twelve, and appearing as inventor Richard "Data" Wang a year later in The Goonies. After taking a lengthy break from acting, Quan returned as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once opposite Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Ouroboros' Role In Loki Season 2 Explained

Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros is revealed to be the chief engineer of the TVA - and, in fact, their only engineer. As such, he's responsible for the upkeep and repair of all of the faction's tools, including their time travel devices, which gives him some complicated tech to take care of. Luckily, OB is both shown to be an outright genius, and committed to his work, as the first episode of Loki season 2 sees him spend 400 years toiling away without a single visitor - until Loki himself appears.

Ouroboros In Marvel Comics Explained

There are a few different representations of Ouroboros in the pages of Marvel Comics. The Oculus Oroboros is introduced as a conduit of elemental magic, that depicts a variation on the classic ouroboros shape of a snake eating its tail by featuring a second snake. Doctor Doom once attempted to harness the power of the Oculus Oroboros, though was stopped by Doctor Strange. There is also an iral Ouroboros, who appeared in 2015's Silver Surfer Vol. 7 #11, depicted as an antagonistic character who comes face-to-face with the Silver Surfer after the latter becomes trapped in a time loop, reminiscent of Groundhog Day or Palm Springs.

It's unclear whether these idea will translate into Loki season 2, though the TVA's time-twisting technology has already been shown to trap individuals in time loops, as Loki was berated by Lady Sif over and over again as punishment. Interestingly, the time loop that the Silver Surfer finds himself in is referred to as a Möbius strip - Owen Wilson's Loki character is named Mobius M. Mobius, and Tony Stark utilized an inverted Möbius strip to crack time travel in Avengers: Endgame. It's possible that this time loop theme could play a major role in Loki season 2, but the name Ouroboros could also suggest a deeper connection to Loki himself.

Ouroboros & Jörmungandr In Norse Mythology & What It Could Mean For Loki

The shape of an ouroboros is depicted as a snake forming a circle, with the end of its tail in its mouth. This image has roots in Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek iconography, but also has a deep connection to Norse Mythology, on which most of Thor and Loki's MCU storylines are based. In Norse Mythology, the ouroboros is formed by Jörmungandr, otherwise known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, an unfathomably large snake-like creature that resides in the world sea, and is large enough to encircle the entire Earth and bite its own tail. Legend notes that when Jörmungandr releases its tail, the catastrophic Ragnarök event will occur.

What deepens the mystery, however, is the fact that the Midgard Serpent is actually one of Loki's own children in Norse Mythology, along with Hel, the Goddess of Death, and the wolf Fenrir, both of whom were adapted for Thor: Ragnarok, though Cate Blanchett's Hela was Loki's sister in the MCU. In Norse Mythology, Thor often has run-ins with Jörmungandr, engaging in epic battles with the serpent, even fighting to the death during Ragnarök. It's unclear how much of this will be adapted by Ke Huy Quan in Loki season 2, but it could even point to a deeper link between Quan's character and the God of Mischief himself.

New episodes of Loki season 2 release every Thursday on Disney+