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London Brown as Marvin Thomas walking angrily down the street in 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan'
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‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ Star London Brown Hasn’t Seen the Original Series

Power Book III: Raising Kanan showcases the teen years of Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis). Raised by his ruthless, drug queenpin mother Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miller), Kanan has also had the influences of his uncles, Marvin (London Brown) and Lou Lou (Malcolm Mays). Marvin has been extremely influential in Kanan’s life, but interestingly enough, Brown, who portrays …
by Aramide Tinubu
Published on
2 min read

Power Book III: Raising Kanan showcases the teen years of Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis). Raised by his ruthless, drug queenpin mother Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miller), Kanan has also had the influences of his uncles, Marvin (London Brown) and Lou Lou (Malcolm Mays).

Marvin has been extremely influential in Kanan’s life, but interestingly enough, Brown, who portrays the intriguing character, has never seen the original Power.

London Brown as Marvin Thomas walking angrily down the street in 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan'
London Brown as Marvin Thomas in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ | Starz

Marvin in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ is based on 50 Cent’s real-life uncle

In Raising Kanan, Marvin is Raq’s older brother. Though he once reigned over the Thomas siblings’ drug business, his past addictions, incarceration, and anger issues have knocked him down a few pegs. In the past, Raq hasn’t seen her older brother as a reliable figure, especially since he’s managed to drive a wedge between himself and Jukebox. However, in season 2, has was seemingly beginning to redeem himself.

With his obsession with food and his chaotic determination, Marvin has been one of the most enticing characters to watch on Raising Kanan. In fact, he is based on executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s real-life uncle.

My Uncle Horace is a lot like Marvin,” 50 Cent told TV Line. “He’s the kind of person who can handle altercations and do aggressive things, but he gets in his own way. My Uncle Horace made a lot of crazy decisions and moves in business that still don’t make sense when I hear the stories. He’s been like that my entire life. When talking about my uncle with [Power Book III: Raising Kanan creator] Sascha [Penn], I told him about things I experienced with him and gave him a pretty clear canvas to paint the picture on. Uncle Horace wasn’t in all of the scenarios you see on the television, but he’s definitely on his own page.”

London Brown hasn’t seen the original ‘Power’

Though 50 Cent originated the character of Kanan in the original Power, Brown has never watched the original series. “I still haven’t watched Raising Kanan because what happens is I didn’t watch Power because, at the time, I was still in Ballers, Brown told the Atlanta Black Star. “So I wanted to be a part of “Power,” so I didn’t want to watch it because I wanted to do it, and I couldn’t do it. I was grateful for what I had, but I was looking at Power. So I didn’t even tap into it.”

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Marvin may still have anger problems ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’

Over the course of season 2, and following his attack on Jukebox at the end of season 1, Marvin has been working on his anger. He’s been working on his issues in therapy with his therapist, Renée Timmons (Krystal Joy Brown).

However, his latest antics, ordering a hit on his ex-lover Toni (AnnaLynne McCord), has caused things to spiral out of control. The hit ended in the death of mob boss Sal Boselli’s (Sopranos alum Michael Rispoli) son.

This will undoubtedly cause a ripple effect and could possibly destroy the Thomas family’s business for good.

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