Ah, the wide world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s variants. You never truly know who you’ll be, or what you’ll look like, once you slip into another corner of the Multiverse; and the Disney+ subscription driver Loki has proven that quite readily. Some recently released concept art from Season 2 has arrived to prove that point yet again, as Ke Huy Quan’s O.B. was almost a variant of another MCU character.
Good luck unseeing this one folks, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Rather, it’s wild to think of a version of Loki’s season on the 2023 TV schedule where Owen Wilson’s Mobius is the template for Ouroboros. Prepare to jump up to another level of crazy, as this rendering from artist Aleksi Briclot redefines that straight laced TVA agent into something much funkier:
Like any junction in the multiverse, there’s pros and cons to discuss. On the more positive side of things, Owen Wilson would have absolutely rocked this version of Mobius. With that ‘70s mechanic style, you can bet that his Cars franchise swagger would have come into play.
Between the Rushmore actor more than likely channeling that racing legend via his performance, and with nods similar to Ke Huy Quan’s Goonies easter egg, Disney/Pixar fans would have probably freaked out. However, this is one of those situations where, much like that time Hugh Jackman almost didn’t land Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, it’s hard to imagine the alternative being the reality.
Though we now know of an alternate plan that could have given us a vastly different O.B., anyone other than the version we saw in the end just doesn’t seem to do, in my eyes anyways. Or just ask Ke Huy Quan himself, as by playing his Loki role, he discovered a “cosmic connection” to his Goonies character, Data. That right there is some Sacred Timeline thinking, if you ask me.
Waiting until after Loki’s Season 2 finale to reveal this alternate character design was probably a wise move on Aleksi Briclot’s part. Unlike fan art that tries to get ahead of major franchise casting, this variation on a theme could have unfairly colored people’s perception of Ke Huy Quan’s O.B.
Now, with his version firmly in mind, we can dig into the fun “What If?” scenario in front of us, while also remembering the charming sci-fi author that helps explain how Time Slipping works in the TVA. And at least we know that if the Multiverse does exist, there’s a chance that Owen Wilson’s O.B. and Dougray Scott’s Wolverine are teaming up in a scenario that would make for a great upcoming Marvel TV show or movie.
You can see Ke Huy Quan’s version of Ouroboros in Loki Season 2, which is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+. The home of any and all adventures involving the God of Mischief/Stories, let’s hope that if the series has reached its conclusion, there’s room for O.B. to pop up in future Marvel TV stories as his usual self.