WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 2, "The Variant," streaming now on Disney+.
The first two episodes of the Disney+ series Loki feature the developing relationship between Loki and Mobius. After Loki escapes the battle of New York and creates a branch in the Sacred Timeline, Mobius steps in and recruits him instead of allowing him to be reset. In the second episode, Mobius gives two potential explanations for his decision: one is that he sees Loki as a scared little boy and wants to help him, the other is that Mobius is so desperate to catch the Loki variant that he'll say and do whatever is necessary. One of those options speaks to the inherent compassion Mobius has repeatedly demonstrated throughout the series so far.
Mobius' compassion is actually his greatest strength, not only as an individual, but as an agent of the Time Variance Authority as well. In Episode 1, Mobius travels to Aix-En-Provence, France in 1549 to investigate one of the attacks perpetuated by the Loki variant. The other agent investigating the scene with him is brash and prone to aggression. Meanwhile, Mobius is more patient, which pays off when a young boy interrupts their investigation. Mobius gains the child's trust by showing him kindness and a friendly cartoon.
In doing this, Mobius gets confirmation from the boy that the attack was carried out by the Loki variant. This information was already on the TVA's radar, but it still helps their investigation. Even after he gets the information he needs, Mobius continues to show the boy gentle kindness, which invites a smile from the child. This is where Mobius' compassion really pays off, as the young boy reveals that his teeth have been turned blue by chewing Kablooie gum. The gum ultimately leads Mobius and Loki to the Loki variant's location, which is a Roxxcart store in 2050. Without his unique approach, Mobius may never have located Lady Loki, even with Loki's help.
In Episode 2, Mobius demonstrates his compassion again when the TVA storms the Roxxcart store and finds several people sheltering from the apocalyptic storm raging outside. The other agents show no regard for these people, who are just scared for their lives. In response, Mobius pulls a TVA agent aside to lecture him about this harsh behavior. His kindness may not be able to protect the people from the storm, but it can help them keep calm and maintain their dignity in the face of unspeakable tragedy, which is a noble thing to do. Therefore, Mobius' compassion can be understood as being inherent to him as a person, and not necessarily a pure manipulation tactic.
Mobius doesn't confirm his real reasons for risking his career to work with Loki, but there are hints that he truly does feel for the Trickster God. While Loki does choose to ditch Mobius and follow Lady Loki through the Time Door, they actually work really well together as they track her down. The two end up bonding on a personal level when they talk about the nature of their existences within the worlds of the TVA and Asgard. They also connect over Mobius' wish to ride a jet ski, a humble and pure dream. Mobius doesn't spend the entire episode trying to force Loki into anything, instead treating him like a proper member of the team. He even tries to give Loki back his knives before they track down Lady Loki, though Hunter B-15 puts an end to that rather quickly.
As explored in Thor: Ragnarok Thor similarly showed Loki trust and empathy throughout most of his life. This was arguably the key factor in the Trickster God's character growth over the course of the Thor films. In the end, Loki did show up to fight alongside his brother, something Thor always hoped would happened. Perhaps Mobius will be similarly rewarded for the compassion he has shown Loki thus far, despite Loki's recent escape. It would be nice for Mobius to receive some validation for his noble intentions, because it not only makes him a good person, but also a more capable and effective TVA agent.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, and Eugene Cordero. New episodes air Wednesdays on Disney+.