You saw it. We all saw it. The metal pipe, the blood, the dumpster. For a minute there, the Starz universe felt a lot emptier. If you’re asking who killed Unique on Raising Kanan, the short, brutal answer is his own flesh and blood: Ronnie Mathis. But as any fan of the Power Universe knows, "killed" is a very flexible word in South Jamaica, Queens.
The scene was visceral. It wasn't some grand shootout or a cinematic stand-off. It was raw. Ronnie, fresh out of prison and radiating a level of social awkwardness that bordered on predatory, finally snapped. He felt his brother had gone soft. He felt Unique—once the king of the streets—was too busy playing house with Raq Thomas to care about the game. So, he took a pipe to his brother's head and dumped him like yesterday's trash.
The Brutal Reality of Ronnie Mathis
Ronnie is a different kind of monster. Unlike Unique, who had flair and charisma, Ronnie is a black hole. He doesn't want the girls or the gold chains; he just wants the power and the "work." When he struck Unique down in that parking lot, it felt final. The showrunners, including Sascha Penn, really leaned into the finality of it.
Fans were devastated. Unique, played with incredible nuance by Joey Bada$$, had transitioned from a primary antagonist to a complicated anti-hero we were actually rooting for. His chemistry with Raq was the heartbeat of Season 3. Then, in one swift, violent motion, Ronnie seemingly ended an era.
Honestly, the shock value worked because it felt so earned. Ronnie spent the entire season being a ticking time bomb. You knew someone was going to get it, but seeing him turn on his own brother—the only person trying to help him acclimate to a world that had moved on without him—was cold. It was "Power" at its peak.
Why We All Thought Unique Was Dead
Let’s talk about the evidence. We saw the body. We saw the impact. Usually, when a character gets their skull crushed and gets tossed into a wasteland, they don't come back for seconds. The show even went as far as to remove Joey Bada$$ from the opening credits in subsequent episodes. That’s the ultimate "he's gone" signal in prestige TV.
🔗 Read more: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
Social media went into a tailspin. People were dissecting the frames, looking for a twitch or a breath. But there was nothing. For months, the consensus was that Ronnie had successfully offed one of the best characters in the franchise. It served a narrative purpose: it established Ronnie as the ultimate threat and pushed Raq into a corner she couldn't charm her way out of.
The Season 3 Finale Twist: Unique is Alive
Then came the finale.
The "death" of Unique turned out to be the greatest "gotcha" moment in the history of the prequel. In the final moments of the season 3 finale, a figure emerges. He's scarred. He's looking rough. But it's him. Unique survived the unsurvivable.
This changes the context of who killed Unique on Raising Kanan entirely. Technically, nobody did. Ronnie tried to kill him. He certainly intended to. But Unique is built differently. The man who now goes by the moniker "Breeze" (a theory fans are still vibrating over) managed to crawl out of that ditch.
What This Means for Season 4
If you thought the rivalry was intense before, wait until the revenge tour starts. Unique isn't just coming back for his corner; he's coming back for his life. Ronnie, meanwhile, met his own end at the hands of Kanan and Howard, so Unique won't even get the satisfaction of killing the man who tried to kill him. That leaves a vacuum of rage.
💡 You might also like: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
Unique is now a ghost. In the streets, being a ghost is better than being a king. You can move unseen. You can rebuild.
Addressing the Breeze Theory
You can't talk about Unique's "death" without talking about Breeze. For the uninitiated, Breeze is the legendary figure from the original Power series—the man Kanan eventually kills to make way for Ghost and Tommy. For years, fans have wondered when Breeze would show up in the prequel.
When Unique "died" and came back with those scars and a hardened look, the theory went nuclear. Is Unique actually Breeze? It would be a massive pivot from the source material's implications, but it fits the timeline. He’s lost his identity. He’s lost his brother. He’s lost his connection to Raq. All that's left is the cold, calculated mind of a man who has seen the other side.
The Impact on the Thomas Family
The attempt on Unique’s life shattered the fragile peace Raq was trying to build. It forced her back into the life she claimed she wanted to leave. When she thought Unique was dead, she lost her anchor. It’s a domino effect. If Ronnie hadn’t attacked Unique, Kanan might not have drifted as far toward the dark side as he did by the end of the season.
Every action in this show has a massive, bloody reaction. Ronnie’s swing of the pipe didn't just hurt Unique; it killed the last bit of "normalcy" Raq had left.
📖 Related: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
How to Catch Up Before the New Season
If you're still confused about the timeline or the specific episode, you need to revisit Season 3, Episode 5, "Are You Hommes?" That's where the actual assault happens. But don't stop there. You have to watch the finale, "Made You Look," to see the resurrection.
- Watch for the details: Look at the background of the scene where Ronnie dumps the body.
- Listen to the dialogue: Ronnie’s justification to Julianna says everything about his broken psyche.
- Observe the scars: The makeup team did an incredible job showing the trauma Unique endured.
The reality is that who killed Unique on Raising Kanan is a trick question. Ronnie Mathis ended the version of Unique we knew—the flashy, smooth-talking hustler. But in doing so, he birthed something much more dangerous.
Going forward, keep a close eye on how the show handles Unique's recovery. He won't be the same guy. He can't be. You don't take a pipe to the head and come back looking for a dance at the club. You come back looking for blood. Even if his primary target is already in the ground, the city of New York is going to feel his presence in a way that changes Kanan Stark's trajectory forever.
Next time you're re-watching, pay attention to the silence in Ronnie's scenes. It's the sound of a man who doesn't realize he failed at the one thing he thought he was good at: ending people. Unique is the one that got away, and in this universe, that usually means everyone else is in trouble.