‘Raising Kanan’ Star Reveals How the Finale Sets up ‘Origins’ – And Why Kanan Was Always Misunderstood

Kanan Stark may have survived the end of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan,’ but his story is far from over. With the prequel now complete, Mekai Curtis is looking back at Kanan’s final moments and teasing what fans can expect when the story continues with ‘Power: Origins.’

In an interview with Deadline, Curtis opened up about Kanan’s reaction to the death of his mother, Raquel “Raq” Thomas. Raq is killed by Jukebox, who wants revenge after Kanan kills her father. When Jukebox later tells Kanan what she has done, he does not react with the anger fans might expect. Curtis says that response comes from everything Kanan has been through.

“It’s acceptance. That’s the ultimate version of Kanan understanding what Raq taught him at the beginning of the series.”

For Curtis, Kanan has finally reached a point where he can look back at his choices and understand the damage they caused.

“When you’ve experienced enough loss and tragedy, there comes a point where you’re going to sit down and just take inventory: you’re going to see where you went wrong, what you did right, where other people went wrong, and how things could have been done differently,” Curtis told Deadline.

That does not mean Kanan feels nothing about Raq’s death. Curtis says the loss still hurts, but Kanan understands why it happened. He knows he played a role in the chain of events that led to it.

“It doesn’t mean it hurts any less, but he understands all the bad he’s done,” Curtis explained. “He understands, ‘Okay, I did it.’ It doesn’t mean that I’m proud that I did it, but I did it.”

Curtis also believes Kanan has often been misunderstood. The younger version of the character is emotional and does not always know how to express what he is feeling. His violent choices are not simply about wanting to cause chaos.

“I feel like Kanan is so misunderstood, especially the younger version of him,” Curtis said. “You see he’s doing things out of emotion, and he doesn’t know how to articulate himself.”

That emotional struggle is especially clear in his relationship with Raq. Curtis explained that both characters loved each other, but neither knew how to express that love in a healthy way.

“It was a constant back and forth between Raq and Kanan showing or saying that they love each other, but missing the mark,” he said.

Now, Kanan’s story is moving into ‘Power: Origins,’ which Curtis has already filmed. The new series will bring young Kanan together with young James St. Patrick and Tommy Egan.

Curtis says that relationship is one of the most exciting parts of the new show. Kanan can see some of himself in the two boys, but he also knows they are still young.

“You can still see a slight shred of care,” Curtis explained. “Kanan sees himself in these two kids.”

That gives ‘Origins’ a chance to show another side of Kanan. Even as he becomes more deeply involved in the world that will eventually define him, Curtis says there is still a part of him that wants to protect and guide James and Tommy.

After five seasons, Curtis may have said goodbye to one version of Kanan, but ‘Power: Origins’ suggests there is still much more to learn about the character.

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