Eastenders

21 QUESTIONS THAT SCREAM DANGER! Is Max Branning DOOMED to Die in 2027? EastEnders’ Biggest Mysteries EXPOSED

Posted on by Franki

If you thought EastEnders had already put us through enough emotional trauma, think again. As we officially stagger into 2026, Walford feels like a battlefield littered with unanswered questions — and at the center of the storm stands Max Branning.

The New Year flashforward didn’t just tease the future. It threatened it. And the more fans rewind, rewatch, and dissect every frame, the clearer one terrifying possibility becomes:

👉 Max Branning may not survive 2027.

Let’s break down the 21 burning questions that suggest Max’s story is racing toward its darkest, deadliest chapter yet.

🕯️ A Square Still Mourning — and a Target Reappears

2025 was savage. The exits of Nish Panesar and the devastating loss of Martin Fowler ripped the heart out of Albert Square. Martin’s absence still echoes — the market feels quieter, colder, emptier.

And then… Max returned.

Because chaos always comes back to Walford.

👰 Question #1: Who Is Max Marrying in 2027?

The flashforward confirms Max is heading toward wife number five. The bride? A total mystery.

Camera pans lingered on:

  • Chelsea Fox

  • Linda Carter

  • Cindy Beale

  • Denise Fox

Each option is explosive. But weddings in EastEnders rarely end in “happily ever after.” They end in sirens, tears… or body bags.

🤰 Question #2: Who Is the Pregnant Woman in Max’s Flat?

Another woman. Pregnant. Ultrasound on the bedside table.

She’s not the bride.

Is Max hiding a mistress? Protecting a secret? Or unknowingly sitting on a ticking time bomb that will destroy everything? One thing is certain — another Branning baby means another curse.

🚔 Question #3: Who Did Max Allegedly Try to Have Killed?

Police swarm the Square. Max is arrested for solicitation of murder — a charge that screams long-term planning.

The intended victim is never named.

That silence is deafening.

🧊 Question #4: Why Did Lauren Hand Her Own Father to the Police?

Lauren Branning doesn’t hesitate. No tears. No doubt.

That kind of betrayal suggests something truly unforgivable. Lauren isn’t scared of Max anymore — she’s done with him.

👤 Question #5: Who Is the Mystery Man Watching Max?

A man appears in the flashforward. He nods knowingly at Max. Later, he blends seamlessly with the Beales after Max’s arrest.

Too comfortable. Too familiar.

Secret son? Fixer? Someone from Max’s past rising to collect a debt?

🔫 Question #6: Who Is the Leather-Gloved Gunman?

A white van. Text messages. A gun pointed at Max’s children.

This isn’t random crime — it’s targeted revenge.

Someone wants Max to suffer before he dies.

💔 Question #7: Will Max Be Forced to Choose Which Child Lives?

The most horrifying tease of all: Max facing a choice between Oscar Branning and Lauren.

He’s already lost Bradley and Abi.

If history repeats itself, Max may not survive the guilt this time.

👶 Questions #8–10: Who Is Baby Ethan — and Why Did Max Save Him?

Baby Ethan appears suddenly at Jack’s house, and we learn Max once saved Ethan and grandson Jimmy Beale.

Heroic… or suspicious?

In Walford, even good deeds come with consequences.

🧠 Questions #11–14: Who’s Hiding Secrets in Plain Sight?

  • Why is Peter Beale estranged from Max?

  • Why does Lauren exchange secret messages?

  • Why did Denise Fox walk out on Jack?

  • And why is Libby Fox suddenly back in Walford?

Every return feels connected to Max’s fate.

🏥 Questions #15–18: Who’s Leaving… and Who Won’t Make It?

  • Sam Mitchell prepares to exit again after a breast cancer battle.

  • Troubled Joel Marshall’s storyline reaches its grim end.

  • A new arrival, Bea, threatens to expose Linda Carter’s past.

  • And whispers of recasts and shock returns swirl relentlessly.

The cast reshuffle feels ominous.

⚰️ Final Questions: Is Max Branning Being Written Toward Death?

When you stack it all together — the wedding, the gunman, the arrest, the betrayal, the forced choice — it starts to feel less like a mystery…

…and more like a countdown.

EastEnders doesn’t usually kill off characters this loudly.

Unless they want us to brace for impact.