Everything Everywhere Star Ke Huy Quan Joins Loki Season 2 [D23]

From one multiverse to another, Ke Huy Quan is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The news comes via D23 Expo today, where Quan's casting in "Loki" season 2 was revealed as he joined the rest of the show's cast, including Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, and Owen Wilson, on stage at the event.

The actor who played Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" didn't appear at the panel for the latest (and maybe last?) "Indiana Jones" film, which wrapped up shortly before Marvel took the stage. Instead, he made his entrance during the "Loki" portion of the event, reportedly joking that he ended up at the wrong panel. But his presence there was no accident, and his addition to the "Loki" cast is extremely exciting given the actor and stunt choreographer's complex history with Hollywood.

Quan made a name for himself as a child actor in the 1980s in films like the third Indy installment, "The Goonies," and the sitcom "Head of the Class," but he largely disappeared from the spotlight after his early successes, working as a stunt coordinator and assistant director for several decades. He told Yahoo News about the reasons he stepped away from acting earlier this year, saying:

"When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I really wanted to pursue acting and there were just not a lot of opportunities for me. I remember reading a lot of scripts where the Asian character either didn't even have a name, or if they did, they would have two or three lines."

Now, though, Quan has returned to acting with A24's wildly successful, critically acclaimed genre-bender "Everything Everywhere All At Once," where his turn as Waymond, the sweet husband of Michelle Yeoh's hero Evelyn, has earned rave reviews. It's a fantastic performance that, like his costars', is more like three or four performances in one as the character takes on different traits depending on which universe he's in.

Any production would be lucky to have Quan, but it's really thrilling to see him make a return to a blockbuster franchise after working on such cinematic projects from a young age. The "Loki" panel didn't divulge details about his role in the show's second season, but he's not the only talented, super-likable actor coming on board. "Blindspotting" star Rafael Cassal is also reportedly making an appearance in season 2.

"Loki" will air on Disney+ in 2023, though no release date has been announced.