header banner
Default

Loki: Does Ouroboros Mean Evil?


Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros is a fun and energetic new character, but he may be hiding sinister motives that will become clear as Loki Season 2 continues.

Split: Key Huy Quan as Ouroboros in Loki; Jonathan Majors as Victor Timely

Summary

VIDEO: LOKI Season 2 | Why OB Is The TRUE VILLAIN
Heavy Spoilers
  • Ouroboros helped He Who Remains build the TVA—and may still be loyal to him.
  • Ouroboros could have easily plotted Victor Timely's suspicious death
  • OB's real goal is to reset the multiverse before it gets out of control.

The following contains spoilers for Loki Season 2, Episode 4 "Heart of the TVA," which is now streaming on Disney+.

Loki Season 2 is dialing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga to the next level as the franchise hurtles toward the events of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The series picks up directly where the first season left off, as Loki, Mobius, and their friends at the Time Variance Authority desperately try to clean up the chaos left behind when Sylvie murdered He Who Remains and let loose the multiverse. Now, with the destruction of the loom and apparent unraveling of the Sacred Timeline, the entire multiverse is at stak—and there might not be anyone left who can fix it.

Loki has a new ally in Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros, who has been a major player so far in the Disney+ show's second season. Ouroboros, sometimes known as OB, is the Time Variance Authority's chief engineer, who works deep in the recesses of the agency's headquarters. Having been isolated from other agents throughout most of his life, OB comes across as quirky and overly excited, but ultimately lovable. However, as easy to trust as Ouroboros seems to be so far, Loki Season 2 has dropped several hints that he may not be all he seems. In fact, given the events of the season's fourth episode, it's possible that Ouroboros has actually been the villain all along.

Ouroboros Helped Build The TVA

He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, built the Time Variance Authority—but not by himself. In fact, the second season of Loki reveals that He Who Remains had quite a bit of help in harnessing the timeline through the TVA, including from Ravonna Renslayer herself. It is reasonable to conclude that Ouroboros also had a hand in founding the TVA, given that he wrote the actual handbook for the entire agency. The series has brought up this bit of trivia on multiple occasions, going out of its way to establish Ouroboros as a character through whom many of the TVA's rules and stipulations originate. While OB, like the other TVA agents, may have had his memory erased by He Who Remains thereafter, he is still the same man who did the Kang variant's bidding eons ago.

Making Ouroboros Loki's twist villain would fit perfectly with the current trajectory of the season. Much of Loki's second season has been dedicated to its characters trying to reform the TVA despite facing resistance from those who want to keep the agency from changing. As one of the chief bricklayers of the TVA, Ouroboros could represent the original vision for the agency, coming against Loki and Mobius as they attempt to change it to defend—not prune—branch timelines. If OB once helped He Who Remains conquer the multiverse and whittle it down to one Sacred Timeline, he would most likely be opposed to Loki and Mobius's plans to undo all this--even if he does a good job of hiding his objection for the time being.

Ouroboros May Have Killed Victor Timely

Jonathan Majors as Victor Timely in Loki Season 2

Loki's latest episode ends with the apparent death of Victor Timely as he attempts to fix the Loom and save the TVA. Just as Timely steps outside the Loom, he is ripped apart, leaving his allies shocked and bewildered by what they just witnessed. Ouroboros, however, could have easily set up Timely's death from the beginning. As the smartest person in the room, OB would have known exactly what would happen to Timely as soon as he stepped out the door, but he allowed him to go anyway. This would make perfect sense if OB didn't actually want Timely to repair the Loom, instead sabotaging him to make sure that the Sacred Timeline exploded and chaos erupted throughout the multiverse.

Someone who worked for He Who Remains wouldn't be a fan of having a heroic variant of Kang the Conqueror like Victor Timely step in to save the TVA. As such, Ouroboros ensured that Timely eliminated himself before he could do any more good. This wouldn't be the first time that OB had sabotaged the hero's efforts, either. In fact, he openly admitted to running power-dampeners in the TVA to limit Loki and Sylvie's magical abilities. While this came across as a laughable oversight, OB is far smarter than that. As an enemy of Loki and Sylvie, he would naturally want to limit their powers as much as possible, only turning off these power-dampeners when specifically ordered to--so as not to blow his cover.

Why OB Wants A Universal Reset

The TVA comprised of Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, Ouroboros, and Victor Timely

Loki hinted at a universal reset for the MCU in its most recent episode, as the Sacred Timeline seemingly exploded. Despite the hints that this was Ouroboros's plan, it is initially unclear exactly why he would want such a thing to happen. However, if certain theories prove true about an upcoming reboot of the MCU, this could explain OB's plan. If the Sacred Timeline's explosion actually results in a reboot of the universe, then everything begins to fall into place regarding OB's motives. As a former disciple of He Who Remains, OB would be disgusted by the direction that Loki and Mobius have taken the TVA. Furthermore, with branching timelines creating a vast multiverse with infinite Kang variants, the TVA is in complete chaos. By initiating a universal rest, OB could fix everything at once, resetting the TVA and pruning every branching timeline at once.

More importantly, a universal reset would give a new direction to the MCU's Multiverse Saga. A frequent criticism of the MCU's post-Endgame projects has been a lack of direction leading up to The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. However, with a multiversal reset at the hands of OB, Loki could begin to pave the way to the finale of the Multiverse Saga. Characters who survive the reset would certainly try to fight against whoever caused it in the first place, leading them to investigate the multiverse and eventually come face-to-face with the next saga-ending villain, the variants of Kang the Conqueror, who may just have Ouroboros at their side.

Loki continues to plant the seeds for what will come in the future of the Multiverse Saga. While Ke Huy Quan's new character may seem like a new ally in this adventure, audiences shouldn't be so quick to trust him. In fact, he may prove to be a key ally to Kang the Conqueror and his variants in the future.

Watch new episodes of Loki every Thursday on Disney+.

Loki TV Show Poster
Loki

The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Cast
Tom Hiddleston , Owen Wilson , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Sophia Di Martino , Tara Strong , Eugene Cordero

Main Genre
Superhero

Seasons
2

Sources


Article information

Author: Valerie Jones

Last Updated: 1704185882

Views: 1346

Rating: 3.9 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Valerie Jones

Birthday: 1989-10-26

Address: 40814 Maria Hill Suite 929, Port Jeremyville, MI 09375

Phone: +4196442586897391

Job: Film Director

Hobby: Backpacking, Rowing, Role-Playing Games, Skiing, Metalworking, Web Development, Archery

Introduction: My name is Valerie Jones, I am a Gifted, unwavering, Determined, Colorful, irreplaceable, accomplished, talented person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.