Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 Is About Watching a Monster Be Made - Mekai Curtis Interview
- Klep Napier
- Jun 9
- 4 min read
By Klep Napier | WeAreCritiX.com
For years, Power fans have known how this story ends.
Long before Power Book III: Raising Kanan ever premiered, audiences were already familiar with the man Kanan Stark would eventually become. Ruthless. Calculated. Unforgiving. One of the most dangerous figures in the entire Power Universe.
What Raising Kanan has done so brilliantly over the last four seasons is challenge viewers to look beyond that reputation and ask a far more complicated question:
How does someone become Kanan Stark?
With the fifth and final season arriving June 12 on STARZ, that question is finally approaching its answer.
And if the opening episodes are any indication, fans should prepare themselves for one intense ride.
The Beginning of the End
One of the fascinating aspects of Raising Kanan has always been its unique position within the Power franchise.
Unlike most prequels, viewers aren't entering the story blind. They already know where Kanan eventually ends up. They know the violence. They know the betrayals. They know the choices that helped shape him into one of the franchise's most feared characters.
What they don't know are the moments that pushed him there.
That's where Season 5 becomes so compelling.
During our conversation with series star Mekai Curtis, the actor reflected on the unique challenge of portraying a character whose future is already written, while still finding ways to surprise audiences along the journey.
For Curtis, the experience requires balancing two perspectives at once. The actor must understand and justify Kanan's actions from within the story while simultaneously reacting as a fan watching the pieces fall into place.
"You have to justify it as the person portraying this story, but also as a viewer and a fan of what's going on. It's still a shocker. But being a fan since the original Power, it's like, okay... it's all coming together. The puzzle pieces are coming together."
That may be the most exciting part of Season 5.
This is no longer about setting the table.
It's about revealing how every decision, betrayal, and loss helped create the Kanan fans first met years ago.
Nobody Is Safe From the Fallout
One of the biggest takeaways from our discussion was the realization that Kanan's story has never truly been about Kanan alone.
Every relationship. Every friendship. Every enemy. Every family member.
They all matter.
The people surrounding Kanan have always played a critical role in shaping his worldview, and according to Curtis, that remains true heading into the final season.
As viewers prepare for the final chapter, the evolution of characters around Kanan may be just as important as Kanan's own transformation.
That's especially true as alliances continue shifting and trust becomes increasingly difficult to find.
Because if Season 5 establishes anything early on, it's that Kanan is running out of people he genuinely believes in.
Watch Our Full Interview with Mekai Curtis
Mekai Curtis joins WeAreCritiX to discuss the final season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Kanan's evolution, and what fans can expect from the explosive final chapter.
A Kanan Who Trusts No One
One of the most intriguing observations Curtis shared involved Kanan's mindset entering the final season.
The character has reached a point where trust feels almost impossible.
Years of betrayal, heartbreak, and manipulation have left him viewing nearly every relationship through a different lens. While he continues working alongside various people throughout the season, those connections no longer carry the same emotional weight they once did.
Instead, Kanan has become increasingly isolated.
He keeps people close enough to be useful but rarely close enough to truly know him.
That emotional distance may ultimately become one of the defining traits connecting the younger Kanan audiences have grown to love with the hardened figure they remember from the original Power series.
And it's exactly that transformation that makes the final season so fascinating to watch unfold.
The First Episode Pulls No Punches
Without venturing into spoiler territory, one thing is immediately clear:
Season 5 wastes absolutely no time.
The premiere hits hard.
Questions begin receiving answers. Relationships continue evolving. Emotional wounds remain fresh. And the pace feels noticeably faster than audiences might expect.
For longtime fans, the opening episodes feel like the beginning of a payoff years in the making.
The series understands that viewers have invested in these characters for a long time, and the final season appears determined to reward that investment.
According to Curtis, audiences may find themselves experiencing a wide range of emotions as the story unfolds.
Some moments will challenge viewers' perception of Kanan. Others may create unexpected empathy for characters they thought they understood. And if the first few episodes are any indication, fans should prepare for plenty of surprises along the way.
Why Raising Kanan May Be Power's Most Important Story
The original Power introduced audiences to Kanan Stark as a fully formed force of nature.
Raising Kanan gave us something far more valuable.
Context.
The series has transformed a character once defined primarily by violence into one of the franchise's most layered and tragic figures. It has shown how environment, family, loyalty, ambition, and survival can slowly shape a person over time.
Now, with the final season arriving, audiences finally get to witness the last stage of that evolution.
Not simply the making of a criminal.
But the making of a legend.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 premieres June 12 exclusively on STARZ.
New episodes will air weekly throughout the final season.
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