Good old Mobius M. Mobius. Each week he’s the highlight of the show, and we’re more intrigued about his fate than that of any other character. Now, Loki season 2 episode 5 might have just revealed what’s in store for Mobius when the series ends, and we’re more than a little bit sad.
Early on in the new season, we’d assumed that Mobius would become curious about his life on the MCU‘s Sacred Timeline and leave the TVA. This was after we watched Mobius resolutely deny that he’d ever considered what his life might have been like had he not been abducted to join the organization. It seemed quite clear that this was where his story in Loki season 2 was heading, but then the pesky Temporal Loom went and got in the way by exploding.
So, since talking about the life he could have lived with Loki over a slice of key lime pie, Mobius has had other things on his mind. Fair enough: all of time and space is at stake, after all. But now we’re thinking about it all over again after one seemingly unimportant line of dialogue in the latest episode, Loki season 2 episode 5.
When Loki time-slips to 2022 he visits an unassuming version of Mobius named Don. Don, as we already know, sells jet skis, and he has two sons (though, no sign of a partner. He could just be single, or perhaps they were a victim of Thanos). This is the life Mobius was destined to live, and in a strange, simple way, it really suits him.
When Loki arrives at the store, Mobius (sorry, we mean Don) naturally assumes that he’s there to purchase a jet ski, and it seems that this version of Don has met Loki before. Confused by this version of the Marvel characeter, Loki asks Don if he remembers him. Don says he does: “You were in the other day, right?”
Across all of Loki’s time slipping this season, this is the first time we’ve seen him meet Don. And we don’t see this earlier meeting between the two by the time the episode ends, leaving a mystery for next week’s finale. Why did Loki visit Don the first time?
Our theory is simple, and it spoils the conclusion of Mobius’ story arc in next week’s final episode. As hinted at in the earlier episodes of the season, over a slice of key lime pie, once the Temporal Loom has been fixed we think Mobius is going to return to his life as Don on the Sacred Timeline. Loki is going to visit him for one last time – which Loki thinks is the first time – to say goodbye.
Don’s main motivation in the episode is saving his sons: they’re the most important thing in the world to him, and keeping them safe is ultimately his motivation for helping Loki. Loki now knows this and would feel too guilty to keep Mobius from that life once the TVA and Temporal Loom are restored, even if it means the end of their friendship. We’re not crying, you are.
If you’re a particularly keen Marvel enthusiast, you probably feel smug right now in the knowledge that there’s one hiccup that undermines our theory. And, yes. You’re right. Deadpool 3 will reportedly feature Mobius in an important role. Aw, shucks.
That does throw a spanner in the works. What we will say though, sticking to our guns, is that this Multiverse saga — Loki and Deadpool 3 included — is about time travel and alternate realities. If Marvel wants to have its cake and eat it too, it can. We can watch Loki let Mobius live out his life in peace, and see a past (or entirely different) version of Mobius get involved with Wade Wilson.
From a storytelling perspective, this is where the story seems to be headed, and Deadpool 3 be damned. So, don’t blame us for spoiling the finale: all the clues were already here. We just pieced them all together.
For more on the Marvel series, check out why we think Loki just became the God of Stories. Or, learn about upcoming Marvel movies like The Marvels before checking out our list of the best TV series of all time.