Ke Huy Quan has been a breath of fresh air in the second season of Loki as the increasingly frazzled TVA technician Ouroboros, aka OB. But actually, we think there might be more between Loki and OB than we’ve been told so far. In fact, we reckon OB might be Loki’s son.
Bear with us, MCU fans. As with many of the Marvel characters we’ve met in the newest Marvel series, Ouroboros has roots in Norse mythology. Of course, Loki’s status as the God of Mischief is well-known, but Ouroboros is perhaps less recognizable for those who aren’t devoted students of Thor and his family members.
The term ‘ouroboros’ occurs throughout various global mythologies as the image of a snake eating its own tail, symbolizing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In the Norse version, the symbol of the ouroboros is formed by Jörmungandr or The Midgard Serpent – one of the children of Loki.
Loki fathered the Midgard Serpent with his giantess partner Angrboða, known as the mother of monsters. As our theory goes, in Norse mythology Jörmungandr – an ouroboros symbol – is Loki’s son, which would make OB Loki’s son in the MCU. We never said it was simple.
In Norse mythology, the pair’s other offspring were the wolf Fenrir and the ruler of the dead, known as Hel. The latter, of course, has already appeared in the MCU as one of the deadliest Marvel villains, Cate Blanchett’s Hela.
This presents something of a problem for our theory as Hela, it was made very clear, is Thor and Loki’s sister in the Marvel spin on the mythology. She’s not going to be revealed as his daughter, unless the multiverse gets involved to make things even more complicated than they already are for one of the best TV series in the Marvel world.
But that doesn’t mean OB can’t have a familial connection to Loki. This series has shown us a world in which there are dozens of Loki variants. If we can have one in the shape of an alligator and another in the shape of Richard E. Grant, there’s no reason that we can’t have one capable of fathering Ke Huy Quan.
The Midgard Serpent is depicted as being large enough to encircle the entire planet. When it releases its own tail, this is deemed to herald the beginning of the apocalyptic battle known as Ragnarok. Of course, we’ve already had Ragnarok in the MCU, but the ongoing destruction of the Temporal Loom is a similarly apocalyptic event.
OB has been actively involved in the battle to fix the Temporal Loom and restore order, so his role is every bit as pivotal as that of Jörmungandr. The use of the name Ouroboros can’t be a coincidence, so we’d put money on OB somehow making good on the circular image evoked by his name. We can certainly imagine the circular nature of OB, either physically or metaphorically, holding the Temporal Loom in place.
Either way, we believe that the enigmatic OB is key to everything happening in Loki season 2, and perhaps further into Marvel Phase 5. This week’s episode gave us a new Kang variant in Victor Timely, but he himself expressed an admiration for OB as the writer of the TVA handbook from which he gained all of his knowledge.
It’s not clear whether Marvel has borrowed OB’s parentage from Norse mythology, but we know that Kevin Feige and his team of creatives are willing to manipulate and borrow from all manner of material. It would be a heck of a plot twist, worthy of a multiversal Jerry Springer Show.
We’re fascinated to continue watching Loki, having really enjoyed the first few episodes, as we explained in our Loki season 2 review. For further reading, learn about the cute Lokius detail in episode 3 and find out why Ke Huy Quan has been part of the MCU before.
Of course, you’ll already be taking the time to watch the Marvel movies in order over and over again so that you’re ready for all of the upcoming Marvel movies on the way, as well as what’s new on Disney Plus. Next up, The Marvels.