There were a bunch of fan-favorite characters introduced in Disney+’s Loki – from the bureaucrat to end all bureaucrats, Judge Renslayer, to the band of pruned Loki variants that teams up to slay Alioth – but arguably the most popular of the bunch is the jet ski’s biggest fan, Mobius M. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson.
Wilson’s deadpan delivery style paired perfectly with the MCU’s signature quips, and also made Mobius a hilarious foil for the God of Mischief. That included some of the most memorable quotes from the series.
“The Variant We’re Hunting Is You.”
Fans were introduced to a bunch of different Lokis throughout Loki’s first season, from the “Classic Loki” played by Richard E. Grant to the “Kid Loki” played by Jack Veal. The debut of the Loki-verse was first set up with this tantalizing line from the end of the pilot episode.
The trickster god agrees to comply with a TVA investigation and asks who the target is. Ahead of some mind-bending storytelling, Mobius tells him, “The variant we’re hunting is... you.”
“Why Is It The People You Can’t Trust Are Always Saying, ‘Trust Me’?”
Given his well-documented history of lying and the fact that he was initially their prisoner, Loki has to earn the TVA’s trust. When he goes on his first major mission with them based on his own findings, he tells Mobius, “Trust me.”
Mobius quips, “Why is it the people you can’t trust are always saying, ‘Trust me’?” It’s because the people who can really be trusted don’t need to tell people to do so.
“I Like It. Slap It On A T-Shirt.”
Part of what made Mobius such a great foil for Loki is that he refused to indulge his lofty, self-important ramblings. When Mobius notices the God of Mischief won’t trust him, he says, “Not big on trust, are you?”
Loki replies, “Trust is for children, and dogs. There’s only one person you can trust.” Mobius quips, “Yourself? I like it. Slap it on a t-shirt.”
“If You Think Too Hard About Where Any Of Us Came From, Who We Truly Are, It Sounds Kinda Ridiculous.”
Mobius points out the suspension of disbelief that Marvel’s stories require when Loki contests the notion that three space lizards control the Sacred Timeline. He counters that being a Frost Giant raised by Odin in Asgard sounds equally ludicrous.
The blissfully ignorant Mobius explains, “If you think too hard about where any of us came from, who we truly are, it sounds kinda ridiculous. Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it.”
“Time Passes Differently Here In The TVA.”
While Loki had the burden of taking place right after the Battle of New York, the passage of time in the TVA allowed the series to operate on a flexible timeline. When Loki asks Mobius how long he’s been working for the Time-Keepers, he says he doesn’t really know because “Time passes differently here in the TVA.”
This throwaway line prompted a fan theory that the TVA was actually in the Quantum Realm because Scott Lang uttered a very similar line in Endgame: “Time works differently in the Quantum Realm.”
“Which Apocalypse? Any Time In History, There’s, Like, A Million Of ‘Em.”
After being sent to the TVA library to read a bunch of case files, Loki figures out that the fugitive variant is hiding in the ensuing anarchy of apocalyptic events.
The trickster god tells Mobius, “The answer isn’t in the files, it’s on the timeline. He’s hiding in apocalypses.” But according to Mobius, that doesn’t really narrow it down: “Which apocalypse? Any time in history, there’s, like, a million of ‘em.”
“You’ve Literally Stabbed People In The Back, Like, 50 Times.”
When Mobius calls Loki a backstabber, the trickster god claims that he would never stab anybody in the back because it’s a bland, overwrought form of betrayal.
However, Mobius counters, “Loki, I’ve studied almost every moment of your entire life. You’ve literally stabbed people in the back, like, 50 times.” Loki quips, “Well, I’d never do it again!”
“I Can’t Believe You Were D.B. Cooper! Come On!”
One of the most tantalizing announcements about Loki that built up anticipation while it was still in production was the revelation that Loki is the MCU’s D.B. Cooper.
While some fans expected this to be a major plot point in the series, it turned out to be a throwaway gag in the first episode – and a great one. While Mobius is geeking out over Loki, he says, “I can’t believe you were D.B. Cooper! Come on!” Loki says, “I was young, and I lost a bet to Thor.”
“No, It’s Not Asgard, That’s My Lunch.”
When Loki realizes the pesky variant of himself is hiding out in apocalypses across the spacetime continuum, he finds Mobius in the cafeteria and uses his lunch to demonstrate her ability to remain undetected.
He takes Mobius’ salad and says, “Let’s just say, your salad is Asgard in this scenario.” Mobius sighs, “No, it’s not Asgard, that’s my lunch.” As Loki continues the analogy and dumps salt and juice into Mobius’ salad, the dejected TVA agent says, “I wanted that salad!”
“In The Early 1990s, For A Brief, Shining Moment, There Was A Beautiful Union Of Form And Function, Which We Call The Jet Ski.”
When Loki asks why Mobius is so obsessed with jet skis, the TVA agent explains, “You know, some things... actually, most things in history, are kinda dumb. And everything gets ruined eventually. But in the early 1990s, for a brief, shining moment, there was a beautiful union of form and function, which we call the jet ski, and a reasonable man cannot differ.”
Although it didn’t happen in season 1 as expected, fans are still hoping to see Mobius ride a jet ski in a future episode of Loki. He deserves that simple joy at least after being pruned.