Despite all the success ofthe MCU, the last year proved to be a tough one, as superhero fatigue set in more than ever. Meanwhile, Marvel’s underwhelming series have produced disjointedness in the franchise that wasn’t there before the expansion grew dependent on a multi-pronged approach that became laborious to keep up with.
Despite this,Lokihas been a show shining light in an otherwise dimming attempt to force audiences to dedicate as much of their time and energy to keeping up with all the projects. Hardcore Marvel and superhero fans will have no problem prioritizing everything, but the iconic comic book company-turned-film studio extraordinaire seems blind to the fact that the early phases of the MCU had popularity going for it. While the character’s always been popular in comics, non-comic book fans weren’t likely to know Loki as well as the likes of Spider-Man or Captain America.
Fortunately,Tom Hiddleston’swildly popular portrayal brought him into the higher echelons of characters favored by MCU audiences. After a great season one,Lokifirmly established himself asa likable villain-turned-antiherowho fans can’t help but love, no matter how complex and morally ambiguous he can be.
His initially fractious relationship withMobius(Owen Wilson) has slowly blossomed into one of social media’s favorite TV bromances. Season two provided more of the same, thrilling many fans who wanted to see their friendship grow into something more. After the MCU’s highly publicized recent failings,Lokiis the one show so far that has been immune to the rot that has set in, with Loki and Mobius' friendship at the center of it all. In honor of the BFFs, here are the best moments from their friendship in the show, ranked.
10The Skin Peeling Banter — S2, E1
Season two ofLokikicked off amid a ton of excitement from fans. It didn’t disappoint, as the plot saw Loki finding himself bouncing around in a timeline where no one from the Time Variance Authority (TVA) knew who he was. Meanwhile, in the original timeline, Loki and Mobius are together, with Mobius recognizing thathe’s actually “time-slipping.”
They go to see Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan) to fix him, and O.B. devises a complex solution that comes with a dire warning. He proposes using a temporal aura extractor to wrench him free of the other timelines and back to the present. However, if he takes too long, the consequence is that his skin will peel off.
True Friends Will Know
What ensues is a hilarious scene where Mobius and Loki begin bantering about his skin being ripped off. This made for an understated friendship moment, since the fact that the two of them could still have a conversation with a comical undertone given the stakes was an indication of where they were at as friends.
Anyone who’s ever had a best friendwill know they’re the only ones you’re able to argue with about the most ludicrous of topics at the most inappropriate of times. The fact that it all played out while O.B. watched on in bemusement made it even funnier.
9Getting Vulnerable — Pilot
In the first episode of the show, Loki is arrested by the TVA after he steals the tesseract in New York and causesa branched timeline. He then learns about the TVA and is charged and convicted with crimes against the sacred timeline, and sentenced to be “reset.” It’s Mobius who intervenes, seeing the potential in him.
Related:Does Loki Finally Deserve Thor and Odin’s Respect?
Although they are far from friends at this point, they share a moment of vulnerability in a scene where Mobius questions him and the ensuing conversation inexorably plants seeds that show the promise of how close they could be. It’s also a moment that is revisited in the Season 2 finale, adding more emotional depth to the scene.
Loki Gets Honest About Himself
As he’s escorted by Mobius, Loki soon realizes how quick-witted and clever Mobius can be, since he gets Loki to contradict himself early on. When the truth dawns on Loki that he can’t leave here, he displays some rare authenticity where he opens up and has a moment of vulnerability.
I don’t enjoy hurting people… I don’t. I do it because I have to, because I’ve had to.
After Mobius presses him, he calls Loki’s explanation a desperate play for control and says, “you do know yourself,” to which Loki responds, “villain.” Mobius' answer is simple, but immediately sets the tone for their friendship to come and how he will go on to help Loki slowly embrace who he really is:
“That’s not how I see it.”
By the second episode of the show, Loki had quickly begun to understand how the TVA and their mission worked. Once he’s on-boarded, he immediately proves useful when he figures out where the target, a variant of Loki, is hiding. In a scene in their cafeteria, he disturbs Mobius' lunch and explains that the variant Loki is hiding in apocalypses because whatever else happens in those timelines, they can’t be altered once those apocalypses occur.
“It’s Not Asgard, That’s My Lunch”
To demonstrate what he means, Loki grabs Mobius' salad and ruins it by using it as a prop to demonstrate his apocalypse theory. The scene is low-key hilarious as the characters play off each other. For Loki, it demonstrates how sharp he actually is andhow mischievous he can be, since he didn’t have to ruin Mobius' lunch to prove his theory.
The fact that Mobius allowed it and still decided to eventually test his theory against his reservations showed early on the trust and faith he put in him, as well as a growing affection.
7Loki Tries to Warn Mobius — S1, E3
By the third episode of the first season, Loki comes across the variant Sylvie. As they get to know each other, Loki learns some unsettling truths about the TVA. He later tries to bring this to Mobius' attention, but given that Loki betrayed him, Mobius doesn’t want to hear what he has to say at first.
A Step in the Right Direction
Loki’s complex character developmentis on show here. He had done the wrong thing, chose to be arrogant when Mobius took control of him again, but was still genuinely concerned when he realized Mobius was being played by the same agency he had sacrificed so much for.
6The Hug — S1, E5
At the end of this episode, Mobius uses a TemPad and chooses and return to the TVA to out the agency to its employees. He and Loki experience a genuine shift in their relationship, which culminates in them embracing and Loki saying, “Thank you my friend” for all that Mobius has done for him.
The Greater Context
Loki and Mobius had shared a lot before then, which slowly helped them grow toward a much more sincere friendship. Even though Loki had betrayed Mobius earlier, he helps Mobius learn the truth about the TVA. Meanwhile, Mobius provides Loki a sense of vindication by choosing to see the best in him and helps him realize he doesn’t have to keep seeing himself as some kind of irreparable villain.
As great as the character is, Tom Hiddleston’s magnetism as an actor has played a large part in his massive popularity in the MCU. If you haven’t seen it before, here’s a video of Tom Hiddleston dancing, and we promise it’s the best thing you’ll see all day:
5"You Just Did" — Pilot
Another great moment from the pilot episode came just before Mobius gets Loki to be vulnerable during the interrogation. In this scene, Mobius and Loki share an elevator together and on the way, Mobius catches him in a lie about the fact that he does like to talk. It was a humorous scene, full of the kind of comedic charm that Owen Wilson is well known for.
A Great Precursor
Although they had only just met here, Mobius showed an early penchant for being able to break through his walls and the anger he used as a default to hide his true feelings. It also let him know early on thathe saw him in ways most people never could, and it was that disarming nature that became pivotal to how they were able to later trust each other and become good friends.
4"How About the Word of a Friend?" — S1, E4
After Loki’s betrayal early on, Mobius understandably finds it harder to trust him. However, when Loki tries to warn him about the TVA, Mobius is caught in two minds and questions Loki a lot to decide if he can trust him. He’s left in what he deems an unenviable position since he only has the word of two Lokis to go on. Loki’s answer to this makes for a sweet moment between them.
They Go Hand in Hand
Loki’s words are, “How about the word of a friend?”. By saying this, not only did he acknowledge that they were friends, but that, because of it, Mobius could be reassured that trust was now implicit. After all,friendship and trustshould ideally go hand-in-hand, so by confirming they are friends, Loki lets Mobius know that he truly has his back.
3Mobius Always Saw the Best in Loki — S1, E4
From the beginning, Mobius has always tried to show Loki the fact that he respects him and believes that he is a good person underneath. In the same episode, Mobius uses a line that perfectly captures both these things.
“You could be whoever, whatever you want to be, even someone good. I mean, just in case anyone ever told you different.”
Mobius' words are packed with sentiment that echothe underlying friendship between them. He’s studied Loki and knows all his worst traits, but still chooses to see the best in him, the real him that no one else bothers to see besides, at times, Thor. What makes Mobius' faith in Loki so much more meaningful is that they aren’t brothers, yet he still sees Loki for the good inside him.
2No Judgment — S2, E2
The fact that Mobius chose to see the best in Loki brought them closer, and that friendship continued to grow in season two. Loki actually gets the chance to repay his faith during the second episode of it whenMobius loses his cooland punches a TVA agent.
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No One Understands Better
Loki is stunned and immediately checks on Mobius, asking if he’s okay and saying that he’s never seen him like this. Crucially, he also says “no judgment,” putting Mobius' mind at ease that he isn’t thinking any less of him because of his momentary lapse of control. More than these aspects, it’s the tone of concern in Loki’s voice that made this moment very raw and authentic.
1The Final Goodbye — Season Two Finale
By the end of season two, Loki proveshow much he’s grownand why he’s now one of Marvel’s favorite heroes. The complexity of his journey from villain to someone who fought so hard alongside Mobius and found his true purpose in the process made for a great end to the show.
It also left a deep sense of sadness, as Mobius decides to leave and see what his life is like on the timeline. That goodbye echoed everything about what made their friendship so poignant and real.
An Emotional Farewell
When the pair saya final emotional goodbyeto each other, the scene is dripping with feeling on both sides. As they shake hands and Loki thanks Mobius, his words, tone, body language all convey sincere pain that he has to leave his friend behind. However, it was also a great way for them to part, on genuine terms, having grown to mean a great deal to each other and form a timeless MCU friendship in the process.
