All Hail the Queenpin: Why Raquel Thomas Runs the Power Universe
By Trinity Barnette
When I was first introduced to Power, I was used to powerful men running the show. Then Power Book II: Ghost shook things up by giving us Monet Tejada, a powerful Black woman at the center of the story. But Monet didn’t hold that crown for long. After finishing Ghost, I stepped into Raising Kanan—and that’s when Raquel Thomas entered my world.
From the first moment we meet Raquel (or Raq), she’s not just a mother. She’s a boss. A strategist. A queenpin whose ambition and ruthlessness rival every man in the Power universe. The scene where she walks Kanan back to the park to avenge his beating, calmly smoking a cigarette like it’s just another Tuesday? That told me everything I needed to know: Raq doesn’t play.
Raq vs. the Men of Power: Why She’s Different
When we think about the Power universe, the men usually dominate the narrative—Ghost, Tommy, Tariq, even Kanan himself. These men built legacies, but they were flawed by one fatal weakness: ego. Ghost was obsessed with going legit, chasing an image of success while still dipping in the game. Tommy? Pure chaos—reckless, emotional, and explosive. Even Tariq, as brilliant as he is, moves with the impulsiveness of youth.
Then there’s Raquel Thomas. Raq doesn’t just play the game—she rewrites the rules. While the men of Power make moves based on pride or personal ambition, Raq moves like a strategist. Every decision is calculated, every risk weighed. She’s three steps ahead, quietly orchestrating power plays while everyone else is reacting. And the beauty of it? She does it without needing validation. Raq doesn’t need to look powerful—she is power.
What truly sets her apart is her ability to blend two worlds: the ruthless queenpin and the devoted mother. While Ghost and Tommy let their family ties crumble under the weight of their ambition, Raq makes family a pillar of her empire. Her loyalty isn’t weakness—it’s leverage. She knows the streets, but she also knows the human heart, and she uses both to win.
The Introduction: When Raq Showed Me Who She Was
I’ll never forget the first time Raquel Thomas really stepped into the frame and said, without words, “I run this sh*t.” It wasn’t in some boardroom deal or a dramatic shootout—it was at a park.
Kanan was just a kid then, getting jumped by two boys while Jukebox was held back. The whole fight started because Kanan wouldn’t hand over his money when they pressed him. He fought hard—swinging until he couldn’t take it anymore—then ran home bloody and humiliated.
And that’s when we meet her. Raquel. Calm, collected, but with that look in her eyes like, Who the hell put their hands on my son? She doesn’t scream. She doesn’t panic. She simply grabs a sock, loads it up with batteries, and hands it to Kanan like, Handle your business.
Next thing I know, this boy is back at the park serving vengeance with a battery-filled sock, and Raq? She’s leaning against a fence, smoking a cigarette, watching her son beat the breaks off the same kid who embarrassed him minutes ago. No hesitation. No fear. That scene told me everything: Raq is raising a soldier, and she’s willing to get her hands dirty—or in this case, let Kanan get his bloody—for the sake of respect.
It was parental tough love on steroids, and honestly, I was gagged. Not because of the violence (okay, maybe a little), but because of what it said about her character: Raq is the kind of woman who will never let the streets swallow her family. If you come for hers, you better come correct.
Analysis: Why That Scene Crowned Her Queen
That park scene wasn’t just entertainment—it was a thesis statement for who Raquel Thomas is and what Raising Kanan would become. In a single moment, the show established her duality: a mother and a mastermind. Where most TV moms might hug their son, Raquel handed Kanan a weapon and said, “We’re going back to that park.” That decision wasn’t about violence for the sake of violence—it was about survival, pride, and power in a world where weakness gets you killed.
In the Power universe, respect is currency. And Raq understood that better than anyone. By sending Kanan back to that park, she wasn’t just teaching him how to fight—she was teaching him the first rule of the streets: You can’t let anyone punk you. The cigarette in her hand while she supervised? That was the punctuation mark. Calm. Composed. Completely in control.
This scene set the tone for everything that followed. Raq doesn’t play defense; she plays offense, always ten steps ahead. And that’s why she’s in a league of her own.
Building an Empire While Being a Mother
One of the most fascinating things about Raquel Thomas is how she balances two roles that shouldn’t coexist: nurturing mother and ruthless queenpin. Most of the men in the Power universe failed at this balance. Ghost tried to separate his family from the game and ended up destroying both. Tommy never even attempted family life, and Monet from Power Book II ran her kids like soldiers but crumbled under the weight of her lies.
Raq? She threads that needle like a pro. From the jump, her empire isn’t just about money or power—it’s about legacy. Every move she makes is calculated to keep her family afloat and her son alive. But here’s the twist: in protecting Kanan, she’s also pulling him deeper into the world she claims she wants him to avoid. It’s a contradiction that makes her so compelling.
The way she talks to Kanan about his future is almost tender—she wants more for him, but every lesson, every choice, drags him further into the streets. Her love isn’t expressed through hugs and safety; it’s shown through strategy and survival. And unlike Ghost, who tried to build walls between his ambition and his family, Raq fuses them together. The family is the business. Her brothers Marvin and Lou-Lou aren’t just relatives; they’re her soldiers. Every dinner table conversation could double as a strategy meeting.
And yet, even in her coldest moments, you see flashes of vulnerability—those quiet stares, that slight hesitation when Kanan challenges her decisions. It’s this complexity that elevates her beyond the trope of a “female drug lord.” She’s layered. She’s human. She’s a mother who knows the game won’t love her back but is determined to bend it to her will.
The Power of Presence: Calm in Chaos
Every time Raquel Thomas steps on screen, the energy shifts. She doesn’t need to raise her voice or flash a gun to command respect—her presence does all the talking. Raq is the calm in the middle of the storm, the eye that watches everything while others scramble in chaos. That park scene with the cigarette? That was just the beginning of a pattern: when things get messy, Raq gets quieter. Calculated silence is her weapon.
Even in the most high-stakes moments—negotiating with rival dealers, checking her brothers, or redirecting Kanan—she’s composed. And when she does speak, every word carries weight because she doesn’t waste them. In a world of loud men trying to prove themselves, Raq is proof that true power whispers.
Then there’s her style. Let’s talk about it: tailored coats, clean lines, subtle luxury. Raq’s fashion choices are intentional—elegant but never loud, feminine but never soft. Her look reflects who she is: sharp, strategic, always in control. That cigarette she’s constantly holding? It’s more than a habit—it’s a symbol. While everyone else is reacting, Raq has time to pause, think, and plot her next move.
Her presence isn’t just about dominance; it’s about contrast. She can walk into a room full of killers and command respect without lifting a finger, then turn around and gently fix Kanan’s collar before he leaves the house. That duality is what makes her magnetic and terrifying at the same time.
Why Raquel Thomas Runs the Power Universe
The Power universe has given us plenty of memorable players—Ghost, Tommy, Tariq, Monet—but none of them have Raquel Thomas’ balance of brains, composure, and sheer audacity. Ghost had ambition but let ego cloud his vision. Tommy had loyalty but no impulse control. Monet had strength but let paranoia unravel her empire.
Raq? She’s the blueprint for controlled dominance. Every move is intentional. Every risk is calculated. She built an empire in a man’s world without sacrificing her femininity or authority—and she did it while raising Kanan, grooming him to survive even as she secretly hoped he’d escape.
She’s not just a character; she’s a thesis on power, ambition, and survival in a game where love is weakness and trust is a liability. Her story is tragic and beautiful because we know how it ends—Kanan becomes the very man she feared he would be—but watching her fight to control fate is what makes Raising Kanan so addictive.
If Ghost was the king of the Power universe, Raquel Thomas is the queen who redefined the game. And if we’re being honest? The crown fits her better than anyone else.