‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’: London Brown Says He Always Knew Marvin Would End up in a Dark Place

Power Book III: Raising Kanan may be the darkest installment in the Power Universe. The ’90s set drama series, chronicles the coming-of-age of menacing Power Universe character Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis). Though Kanan is a carefree teen when we are first introduced to him, fans have watched how certain events in his life and his family, shaped him into the man he became.

Though Kanan would go on to make his own choices, his family also had a powerful influence over him. Raised by his drug queenpin mother Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miller), Kanan has been growing up fast. Raq runs her drug business with her brothers, Marvin (London Brown) and Lou Lou (Malcolm Mays). 

We’ve all known what Raq and Lou Lou are capable of for some time. However, Marvin’s monstrous transformation was somewhat of a shock.

What happened with Marvin in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ Season 1 Episode 9?

When Raising Kanan first premiered, Marvin, seemed impulsive and carefree. Though he is the eldest of his siblings, Marvin’s stint in jail allowed his sister, Raq to take over the family business. Since then we’ve learned much more about the gangster.

In previous episodes, Raq revealed to Kanan that the reason why Marvin went to jail was that he became addicted to his own product. Eventually, he was so far gone that he was selling out of his own home. When he was arrested he even tried to sell crack to the arresting officers because he was so high. As a result, his daughter Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) was sent to live with Raq and Kanan.

We knew that Jukebox and her father had a strained relationship. However, in episode 109, the pair had a confrontation that turned nearly deadly when Marvin discovered Jukebox’s sexuality. He reacted so violently that he nearly choked her to death. “That was the hardest thing to shoot, and I know [costar] Hailey [Kilgore] would say the same,” Brown told TV Line. “It was very difficult. We had tons of questions. I didn’t know how to approach it. Hailey and I even talked about it after the fact. I just needed it to make sense. Why would Marvin get physical with a daughter he’s barely around?”

London Brown says he always knew Marvin would end up in a dark place

Until that scene, we knew that Marvin was capable of violence, but unlike Raq and Lou Lou he had a bit of levity to him. However, Brown said that he purposely infused some comedic elements in his character because he knew that things would get very dark very quickly.

“As much as Marvin is trying to do right by his sister and brother, he has another side to him,” he told TV Line. “That’s why I had to play Marvin lighter at the top of the season because I knew he was going to go somewhere dark.”

Brown also explained that Marvin and Jukebox’s relationship is a major key to Jukebox’s future transformation. As Power fans know she will grow up to be a violent dirty NYPD officer. “Now people can better appreciate why Jukebox became so tough as an adult because of the things she had to deal with growing up,” Brown said. “Her girlfriend died, and she had a strained relationship with her father. All of these layers help us understand why these characters turned out the way they did.”

Is Marvin actually ‘Power’ Universe character Breeze?

Unlike his relationship with his daughter, Marvin is very close to Kanan. In fact, some believe that their bond hints that he’s much more important to the Power Universe than we might expect. Power fans know that Kanan eventually finds himself in business with someone named Breeze. Breeze reportedly shows him the ends and outs of the street life, which means that Raq is no longer in the picture.

Together, the men form their own empire, taking Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and Tommy (Joseph Sikora) under their wings. Eventually, the younger men would betray their mentors, taking over the business for themselves. Seeing Marvin and Kanan’s schemes so far, it’s possible that Marvin is in fact, Breeze. “My character basically introduces Kanan into this lifestyle that Power fans know him for,” Brown told journalist Landon Buford on Instagram. “The only person that my character can use his authoritative energy on is young Kanan.”