When you think about the Power Universe and its vast and varied characters, the ones who come to mind first are usually the big players.
Ghost. Tommy. Kanan. Tariq.
A series of men known by one name alone who shaped this Universe and made it into what it is today.
But for every big player, there’s someone else beside them, a sidekick, if you will. Or better yet, a partner. Someone who helped them succeed and, for some, caused their eventual downfall.
There are many duos across the original Power and the three spinoffs currently airing, and we decided to look at some of the very best.
Related: TV’s Best Hate-Driven Relationships
Join us as we discuss the top partnerships in no particular order. In the comments, let us know if you agree with our choices and if we missed out on any!
Enjoy, Power fanatics!
Ghost & Tommy
We said this was in no particular order, but IF we were ranking things, Ghost and Tommy must be at the top.
They are the blueprint—the OGs. Everything starts and ends with those two.
Ghost and Tommy were childhood best friends who learned the game and then turned themselves into the biggest drug dealers in New York City, and they did so with aplomb.
Ghost and Tommy built their empire through anonymity, and while we all know where things went wrong (hint: Angela Valdes in that red dress), no other duo in the universe achieved as much as they did, and in the end, there were still brothers.
These two fought more than they got along, but they loved one another. And they had a bond that had been severely fractured at times but never broken.
Tariq & Brayden
Tariq has spent so much of his life trying to get out of Ghost’s shadow, yet he also found a childhood friend with which he teamed up to create a drug dealing business that brought him money, women and a lot of enemies.
Where Ghost was more the business and Tommy the muscle, at least in the beginning, neither Tariq nor Brayden is the enforcer type, though as time has passed, both have shown themselves to step up when things reach a fever pitch.
Tariq and Brayden’s partnership has been fraught with tension at times, as they don’t always see eye to eye, nor are they always honest with one another. But they’re both intelligent and when they work together, they’re unstoppable.
When things are good, their loyalty is unmatched. They have each other’s backs, and at this point in the story, they’re all each other has.
No other duo on this list depends on each other as entirely as these two do.
Kanan & Famous
Before Kanan helped mold Ghost and Tommy into men who would take everything from him, Kanan and Famous were running the streets in South Jamaica, Queens.
Like some of the others on this list, they were friends who became business partners, but unlike the others, Famous was mostly forced into it, and their relationship has rapidly deteriorated since then.
At their peak, though, they were thick as thieves, and their friendship was one of the best things either had going for them at certain times.
When times were hard, they relied on each other, and their roommate’s era was one for the books.
During the third season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, we truly started to see flashes of the Kanan we learned in the original series. The friendship deteriorated quickly, but when it was on, these two would have done anything for each other.
Tommy & Liliana/Tommy & Diamond
When Tommy left New York City for Chicago, he had to start again. And starting all over again, he had to find a new ride-or-die to build a business with.
He and Liliana were a formidable pair. Enemies turned business partners can be very dangerous, especially if the trust is never solidified. But these two found common ground, and they gained trust in one another over time.
They not only worked well together but there was respect and general care for one another. Liliana’s death during Power Book IV: Force Season 1 Episode 10 left Tommy shaken, as the person who currently had his back more than anyone was gone.
While avenging Liliana’s death, Tommy also entered into a new business venture with Diamond, with whom he’d had previous dealings.
Look, these two keep secrets from one another, and their partnership is much less about their bond and more about their similar goals, but their combined street knowledge and drug dealing acumen make them a killer combo.
They’ve been coming hot and heavy for Chicago, and I wouldn’t bet against two minds like theirs.
Raq & Marvin
Raq’s a one-woman show, really. But she can’t do everything alone, and as of late, she’s depended on Marvin more than anyone.
Raq has unique relationships with her brothers, but as things have shifted between her and Lou-Lou, her dynamic with Marvin has only strengthened.
Marvin’s loyalty is unmatched, and he’s worked hard to be a better person in many ways. Raq has not only seen it but rewarded it by giving him more responsibilities and opportunities.
Together, they make an efficient and strategic team that has each other’s best interests at heart.
Marvin’s at a place where he’s reliable and ready to be the problem-solver Raq needs him to be at a moment’s notice.
Dru & Diana
The Tejada siblings have a lot on their plate, and while they’re all independent in their own ways, Dru and Diana have recently become a little conniving twosome.
Whether you like them or not, they turned themselves into little machines as they set a plan in motion whose sole objective was to take out their mother.
Their plan hit a major snag, but if nothing else, they established themselves as a duo capable of masterminding chaos, which isn’t necessarily something you’d expect from the pair.
Related: Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 Episode 4 Review: The Reckoning
Should New York be put on notice about this new sibling threat? We wouldn’t go that far.
But they did prove that if pissed off enough, they’re capable of banding together and making things happen.
Marvin & Lou-Lou
Marvin and Lou-Lou are in a unique situation, as they’ve both dealt with the drug dealing game and being underneath their sister in the pecking order for a long time.
The brothers are close, but there’s also a distance between them as well at times, which has only grown more extensive as Lou-Lou’s substance abuse issues and depression have worsened.
But they’re still brothers, and we’ve seen them support and protect each other at various times.
Like many of the duos on this list, things are complicated between them sometimes, but when they’re both intelligent guys who would have never survived without the other watching their back over the years.
Damn the business side of things. Here’s hoping their brotherhood continues improving as they become better men.
Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.
