For the 2023 Golden Issue Awards at ComicBook.com we made a slight change to one category. In years past we had “Best First Appearance” and “Best TV First Appearance” a category where we could celebrate characters making their onscreen debut in some form. Back in 2022 our winners were Werewolf By Night‘s Man-Thing and Stranger Things‘ Eddie Munson, but other nominees included the likes of America Chavez from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This year we’ve changed the category to Best Scene Stealer, opening it up to all new characters — not just those from other material — making sure we can celebrate an entire host of characters from our favorite media.
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With an expanded view on the category, the biggest scene-stealer’s in television were very easy to narrow down. David Tennant’s Huyang had his live-action debut in Star Wars: Ahsoka, making his presence felt in every moment. The Netflix adaptation of One Piece which gave us a truly unhinged take on Buggy the Clown courtesy of Jeff Ward. Thanks to Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan, Marvel’s Loki doubled down on TVA shenanigans in the best way possible. Though the series itself left quite a bit to be desired, there was small glimmer of light in Secret Invasion any time that Olivia Colman’s Sonya Fallsworth appeared. Plus, the unbeatable duo of Bill and Frank as played by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett starred in The Last of Us‘ most soul-shattering episode.
And the winner of ComicBook.com’s 2023 Golden Issue Award for Best TV Scene-Stealer is….
Ouroboros, from Loki!
The unbridled exuberance and contagious enthusiasm of Ke Huy Quan could power a small world, and throughout Marvel’s Loki Season 2 it did just that. Though Tom Hiddleston’s character was clear the center of everything (literally, if you recall the ending), even he couldn’t match the charisma and appeal that Ouroboros brought to the screen with each of his scenes. Loosely based on a character with just one comic book appearance, Ouroboros essentially had to be entirely made on his own. Even with what was on the page, O.B. couldn’t come to life and capture everyone’s attention without a firm grip on the character, which is what Ke Huy Quan managed to bring. It would be very easy for a character whose entire existence is based on a paradox to be tiring, or for audiences to not buy into it, but Quan’s masterful comedic timing and bubbly persona make it work.
Any other TV show that deals with wobbly science and interdimensional trouble could make a character like this a throwaway, and even Marvel might have considered that. But when Ke Huy Quan steps onto frame, you can’t look away, nor can you ignore every word he’s saying. That still proved to be the case even when O.B.’s real identity and tragic backstory are revealed, forcing Quan to flip from galaxy-brained comedy to real-world drama in just one episode. Considering the Oscar gold sitting on the man’s shelf, no one should be surprised to know he has that range. Being able to command the screen in this series, whether he’s being funny or serious, while also not being a lead character, is exactly why Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros in Marvel’s Loki season 2 is our Best TV Scene Stealer for 2023.
The nominees for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best TV Scene-Stealer are:
- Bill and Frank (Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, The Last of Us)
- Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward, One Piece)
- Huyang (David Tennant, Star Wars: Ahsoka)
- Ouroboros / O.B. (Ke Huy Quan, Loki) – WINNER
- Sonya Fallsworth (Olivia Colman, Secret Invasion)
