EastEnders teases feud for Max Branning return with another iconic character
Jake Wood is soon to reprise his iconic role as troublemaker Max Branning.
Max Branning looks set to have a new nemesis when he returns to EastEnders.
It was recently confirmed that Jake Wood will be reprising his role as Max this Autumn for a short stint before a full-time return later in the year.
Of course, Max has multiple family connections still in Walford - from his brother Jack (Scott Branning) to his eldest children Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Oscar (Pierre Moullier), plus a love child he doesn’t know about in Annie Carter.
If that wasn’t enough, he’s also got former flames on the Square in the form of Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
However, Max was also never short on enemies, and now one he has never encountered has become clear in Tuesday’s episode (26th August 2025).
Following the exposure of Oscar as the intruder who left Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) shaken, schemer Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) made her anti-Branning feelings very clear.
Speaking to her son and Lauren’s partner, Peter Beale (Thomas Law), in The Albert, Cindy suggested that Lauren had plotted with Oscar to rob the Truemans.
“She is a Branning, I wouldn’t put anything past them,” argued Cindy about Lauren.
Cindy also argued that Peter’s deceased siblings, Lucy (Hetti Bywater) and Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell), would have seen “straight through” Lauren.
Later, in Kathy’s Cafe, Cindy approached Patrick’s so, Dr. Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey), and complained about Oscar, claiming he had “family form” and “like father, like son”.
Cindy then blamed Max for the death of her eldest son, Steven, and claimed the Brannings were “evil”, with Steven’s death “living proof”.
After telling Anthony he should be relieved Patrick didn’t suffer worse and calling out Oscar’s character, Cindy left.
Of course, fans will recall that Steven sustained fatal injuries following a violent encounter with Max back in 2017 during a fire started as part of Max’s revenge against the Beales for his being framed for Lucy’s murder.
Steven died in hospital after learning that Max’s daughter, Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald), was pregnant with his child. Abi also died months later after a fatal fall from the Vic, but her child, later named Abi after her mother, was saved.
Max now lives away from Walford, estranged from all his children, but is still the guardian of his granddaughter Abi, who is also Cindy’s grandchild. Max and Cindy share three grandchildren - Abi Jr., Peter and Lauren’s sons, Louie Beale (Jake McNally) and Jimmy Beale.
In case that history wasn’t complicated enough, Max also had an affair with Lucy before she was killed at the hands of her younger half-brother Bobby Beale.
So, there’s now set to be huge tension when Max returns to Walford.
Yet, given the similar scheming and adulterous behaviour of both Max and Cindy, many fans (with us included!) have speculated that this tension could lead to passion as well as fury.
We’ll certainly be ready for drama…
Read More:
- 3 EastEnders spoilers next week: Zoe Slater and Kat Moon are reunited before character is shot
- EastEnders first look photos show emotional reunion for Zoe Slater and Big Mo Harris
- EastEnders' new boss teases dramatic reunion for old rivals Sharon Watts and Zoe Slater
- EastEnders star confirms filming break: “I won't be on it for a while”
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Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.
