Power Book III: Raising Kanan was already renewed for a fifth season. Season 4 hasn’t even aired yet, but STARZ has already greenlit the Power prequel for Season 5 — simply because it is that good. It is safe to say that Raising Kanan is one of the best and most popular shows to come out of 50 Cent’s Power Universe, and the show’s characters make it a standout.
The show follows Kanan Stark’s upbringing in the 1980s and early ’90s and what his life was like before he became James “Ghost” St. Patrick’s nemesis in Power. The first season introduces us to a young Kanan, played by Mekai Curtis, who is a well-behaved and smart high school student from Jamaica, Queens. But Kanan’s innocence that fans were introduced to in Season 1 slowly fades away as the seasons progress, and viewers witness the makings of a villain.
His transformation is due to his realization that his mother, Raquel “Raq” Thomas, played by Patina Miller, is not who he believed her to be. While the drug queenpin has devoted her life to being a good mother who tried her best to keep her son out of trouble and the drug business she runs, their relationship fractures when Kanan learns a major part of his life and childhood has been a lie.
Surrounding that core mother-son relationship are Raquel’s brothers, Lou Lou and Marvin, who are the heart of the show. Marvin’s daughter, Jukebox, Kanan’s friend Famous, and a long list of other essential characters and villains help bring this vibrant story to life and give fans of the Power franchise a strong base of how the universe came to be. Each one of the characters is flawed in their own way, some more than others, but that’s what makes them special. While some have gotten better through the seasons, others have changed for the worse. Their chaotic lives of crime have led some to do horrific things, while others have done their best to walk away.
Most characters on Raising Kanan have redeeming qualities, while others are just rotten to their chore. Find out who is the best and the worst in our ranking of the show’s characters, starting from the worst to the best.
10. Ronnie Mathis
Played by: Grantham Coleman
There hasn’t been an unlikeable character like Ronnie on TV in quite some time. Ronnie, Unique’s brother who was released from prison in Season 3, comes in and sets things off balance. Not only was he responsible for Unique’s disappearance, but he also got in between Kanan and Raq and took Kanan down an ever darker road. While Kanan was selling marijuana on his own, Ronnie got involved in his business and introduced him to more powerful and dangerous players in the drug game. Ronnie was menacing in a quiet, calculated way, and those are sometimes the most dangerous of people. Ronnie’s introduction into the show made things worse for everyone, and he came in between the relationship and tight bond that Unique had built with Raq. With his demise at the end of Season 4, there’s no telling how his negative influence and impact will continue to affect everyone he was involved with.
9. Malcolm Howard
Played by: Omar Epps
Detective Malcolm Howard was extremely close to landing at the bottom of this list. There are a few things less honorable than being a corrupt and crooked cop, and he was that as well as being a predator. And he is also incredibly unlikable. What made Howard the absolute worst, aside from his being terrible at his job, was his relationship with a young and underaged Raquel. Not only did he get her pregnant (with Kanan), but he then also had the audacity to, years later, turn Kanan against his mother — even after all she had been through.
So many of his actions throughout the first three seasons of the series have been despicable. Even if he tried his best to keep the Thomas family and his son out of trouble, it just wasn’t enough to redeem him. Ultimately, Howard got what he deserved in the Season 3 finale. But we will see what happens next and how his death will continue to affect Raq’s relationship with Kanan. Omar Epps added so much experience and depth to the show through his role, and though it was necessary to get rid of his character, it is a major loss for the show.
8. Lou Lou Thomas
Played by: Malcolm Mays
Lou Lou started the series off as Raq’s righthand man. As her little brother, Lou kept things in line and kept her protected. When their older brother, Marvin, was a bit of a loose cannon, Lou kept them grounded and in check. Throughout the series, after his attempt to start a music-producing career failed, Lou began to deteriorate. His alcoholism began to cloud his judgment and he became a risk for Raq, the family, and the business. There are few things worse in the drug game than having someone who is out of control in your circle. The Season 3 finale saw him at his wit’s end while in a rehab facility, attempting to end his life. There is no telling whether or not he will survive his attend, but losing him would leave a huge void in Raq’s family and their crew.
7. Shawn “Famous” Figueroa
Played by: Antonio Ortiz
As the saying goes, you are the company you keep. That was the case for Shawn “Famous” Figueroa. Famous was Kanan’s best friend at the start of the series. He is an aspiring rapper and musician, but due to his proximity to Kanan and his family, it wasn’t long before Famous also got wrapped up in their lifestyle. After he was kicked out of his home by his mother, Famous had no other option but to rely on his friend and his new drug money to get by. Famous became Kanan’s partner, and it led him down the wrong path, even driving him to commit murder. Famous still cared about his friend’s wellbeing, and tried his best to control him from going off the deep end, even telling Raq about her son’s wrongdoings. That left Famous in a precarious position with Kanan, and soon enough he lost his friend, too. Famous still has a bit of a conscience left and is nowhere near as far gone as Kanan is. Famous could have had a future in music, but all of that may be at risk simply because he decided to be Kanan’s ride-or-die. While Kanan was born into that life, Famous chose to be in it, and that made his situation worse.
6. Kanan Stark
Played by: Mekai Curtis
Before the show even premiered, fans knew Kanan was no good. This prequel has done a remarkable job of showcasing Kanan’s villain origin story. The more fans know about him and his upbringing, the more they understand why he became the Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) they met on Power. Mekai Curtis, who plays Kanan in Power Book III, has been able to dance between playing the innocent high school kid who loves his mother in Season 1, and the threatening drug dealer capable of anything that we see in the latest season.
Curtis has mastered the way 50 Cent speaks and his mannerisms in order to bring this younger version of his character to life. And while he does that well, the character is now worse than when the show started. Kanan will stop at nothing to get revenge on his mom for lying to him about who his dad was. She led him to believe a gangster named Rondell Def Con Stark was his dad when all along his dad was Detective Malcolm Howard. Finding out truths like those can break a person, but that doesn’t excuse him from becoming everything he hates. Kanan had every tool and avenue possible to not be influenced by his environment and to be better than his parents (he was ever offered to continue his education at a better school at the start of the show), but his anger, resentment and desire to be part of the game outweighed all the promise he had in him.
5. Symphony Bosket
Played by: Toby Sanderman
There are no real good guys in shows like Raising Kanan, but there was one in the beginning: Symphony. Symphony (played by Toby Sanderman) is a bartender and not part of the life, so he is a breath of fresh air for Raquel. He is also intelligent and ambitious and is pursuing a master’s degree when he meets Raq at the bar where he works and a romance sparks between them. He also becomes Kanan’s friend, and continuously has the boy’s best interest at heart. Raq and Kanan don’t have many people they can trust, and Symphony is one of the only few people who only want the best for them without wanting anything in return. But no matter how promising Symphony’s future might have been, hanging around the wrong crowd could have derailed that, so he moves away and hasn’t been seen or heard from again since Season 2. Still, he was proof of the lack of love and protection that both Raq and Kanan desperately needed. Maybe they would be better off had he stuck around.
4. Laverne “Jukebox” Thomas
Played by: Hailey Kilgore
Laverne “Jukebox” Thomas is a victim of her environment. She is Raq’s niece and Kanan’s cousin, and while her family is involved in a life of crime, Laverne wants none of it. Unlike Kanan, Laverne has other aspirations outside of street life. She is a singer and has dreams of making that her career. But due to her sexuality, she feels rejected by her father Marvin at first and seeks other alternatives like the military to set herself free. She also lost her first girlfriend Nicole because of her family’s lifestyle and her own mother abandoned and hurt her. Laverne’s life has been full of sorrow but so far in Season 3, that has not affected who she really is or clouded her judgment. But Power fans know that Jukebox later becomes just as bad as her loved ones, but so far, Laverne has chosen to be better than what she knows.
3. Raquel Raq Thomas
Played by: Patina Miller
Raquel “Raq” Thomas might just be one of the toughest characters in all the Power Universe. Raq plays no games as the head of the family and her drug business, and she is so fierce, powerful, and frightening that everyone around her respects her — even her competition. She has ascended in the drug game since she was a teenager who was surrounded by powerful men like Def Con Stark. She carries the weight of looking after her brothers, her niece and her own son, Kanan, who is her main source of motivation. Through the seasons, Kanan and her relationship has deteriorated, leaving Raq with little option but to see her own child as a threat. While Kanan might not want anything to do with her, during the Season 3 finale, she made it clear that no matter what, she will do whatever it takes to protect him.
2. Marvin Thomas
Played by: London Brown
Marvin is this high up on this list because he is the only character who has changed for the better throughout the series. He has not always been the best father to his daughter Lavern and was especially cruel after finding out about her sexuality. But after spending time apart from her, Marvin sought help learned how to control his anger, and began to rebuild his relationship with his child. Even through his issues, Marvin is as loyal as it gets. He keeps his sister Raq protected, is there for her at a moment’s notice, and is damn good at helping her keep the family business afloat. He is a devoted brother and friend and there is nothing more admirable in a person than a commitment toward progression.
1. Unique
Played by: Joey Badass (sometimes styled Bada$$)
Unique (also known as Nique) may not be a main character in Raising Kanan, but he quickly climbed to the top of viewers’ lists as a fan favorite. Whether it’s the way Joey Badass confidently portrays the character or the way Nique was written, his impact on the show goes beyond being just an antagonist. Nique is the top drug lord on the South Side of Jamaica, Queens and in turn, he is one of Raq’s main rivals. While others may treat Raq as just a weak woman in a man’s world, Nique treated her with respect from the start, even through their high-tension moments.
Eventually, their competition evolves into a romantic fling and he became a pillar for Raq, up until Unique’s big brother Ronnie attempts to kill him. It wasn’t until his disappearance that his popularity hit a fever pitch. Fans demanded that he return, threatening to stop watching the show altogether because of his absence. They were relieved when Nique makes a surprise appearance at the end of the Season 3 finale while standing over his brother’s dead body after Kanan killed him. There is no telling where Nique will go from here, or if he will still hold the top spot as the series continues.
