Sumith Prasad
In the third season finale of Starz’s crime drama series ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan,’ the FBI and NYPD close in on Malcolm Howard, who gets interrogated for his connections with Marvin Thomas and the suspicious deaths that occur in the region, including his former partner Detective Shannon Burke’s. Howard realizes that his superiors are not far away from unraveling his secrets, which leads him back to Raquel “Raq” Thomas to ask her to convince Marvin to take the fall for them. Meanwhile, Kanan gets kidnapped by Ronnie, only for his mother and father to team up together to save their son. However, the alliance ends up threatening the life of the detective! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Raq Kills Malcolm Howard
Detective Malcolm Howard is dead. Since Raq shoots at him from point-blank range, it is seemingly impossible for him to remain alive. Raq kills her reliable associate and former partner due to the FBI and NYPD’s efforts to unravel the secrets he has been harboring. More or less, all of Howard’s wrongdoings can be traced back to Raq, her brothers Marvin and Lou, and their son Kanan. The detective kills Shannon Burke after she learns that Kanan was the one who shot the former. Howard has also been working as Raq’s mole inside the police department, which further ensures Raq’s vulnerability if the detective gets incriminated for his crimes.
Raq doesn’t want to take any chance with the FBI as the bureau gets closer to her and Marvin. As far as she is concerned, the best way to erase her tracks is to put an end to Howard’s life, especially since he is well aware of all the crimes she has been committing as the protector of her family and a fearless drug dealer. If Howard starts talking to the officials, there’s a possibility that the authorities will be able to uncover several murders and victims, ranging from Buck Twenty to Detective Burke. By killing Howard, Raq is ensuring that the FBI doesn’t have enough evidence to build a case against her, Marvin, and/or Kanan.
Raq doesn’t hesitate to kill Howard because of the latter’s insistence on sacrificing Marvin. If there’s one thing Raq will never give up, it is her family. Anyone who can hurt her family is a threat to her. Even though Howard is the father of Kanan, he is not her family at the end of the day. That’s why she can shoot him down right in front of their son. Raq knows that Howard is not leaving behind any space in Kanan’s life that cannot be filled by her, which makes it easier for her to sacrifice the detective over her brother.
Omar Epps’ Exit From Power Book III: Raising Kanan
Although neither Starz nor Omar Epps has officially announced the departure of the actor from ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan,’ Howard’s death makes it evident that the actor most likely will not remain a part of the show’s cast from now on. Since Raq doesn’t immerse herself in guilt like Lou, the chances of the detective appearing in her visions like D-Wiz or Scrappy appearing in her baby brother’s case are little to none. Realistically, even if Epps returns to the fourth season, it most likely will be a guest appearance to shed light on something Howard has done before getting killed by Raq.
As a long-time part of Queens’ crime world, Howard may have kept some pieces of evidence against Raq, anticipating her turning against him at some point in their lives. If he has done any such thing, we can expect Epps’ Howard to feature in a scene or two in the fourth installment. Other than such a possible limited appearance, Epps is not expected to appear extensively in the upcoming season. The third installment ends without any ambiguity concerning Howard’s fate, which rules out any possibility of him coming back alive as Unique does in the finale.
Read More: Why Did Lou Kill D-Wiz in Power Book III Raising Kanan?
