There’s no shortage of drama awaiting Max Branning if he makes his way back to Walford. Rumors are swirling that Jake Wood may be stepping back into Max’s shoes, following reports in the tabloids hinting at a return to the BBC soap.
Max’s past is littered with turmoil and controversy — from his infamous affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), who was married to his own son Bradley (Charlie Clements), to his on-and-off marriage to Tanya (Jo Joyner). He also faced the devastating losses of Bradley and his daughter Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald), eventually taking in baby Abi, named after her late mother.
After his messy entanglement with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Max left for New Zealand in 2021. When contacted by RadioTimes.com, the BBC declined to confirm or deny the speculation of Max’s comeback — originally reported by The Sun on Sunday.
If Max does return, there’s more than enough going on in Walford to pull him back into the thick of things. Here are six storylines that need to be tackled:
1. Introduce him to daughter Annie Carter
Linda discovered she was pregnant after Max had already departed, and his brother Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) ended up delivering baby Annie.
At the time, Linda’s husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) agreed to raise the baby as his own. However, Jack quickly figured out that Annie was actually Max’s child.
Jack kept this revelation from Max, and when Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) later came back to town, she had a touching first encounter with her half-sister — choosing not to tell Max either.
But will Max take one look at Annie and realise that she’s his child? There’s no way Max can be shielded from this fact once he’s back, so how will he react?
Will Max barge into the Carters’ life and order Linda to give him access to Annie?
Either way, Max’s discovery has to be inevitable.
2. Showdown with Cindy Beale – and more?
Cindy has been anything but kind to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Lauren. She’s manipulated Lauren into silence to protect her own secrets — a pressure that ultimately pushed Lauren toward painkiller addiction.
While there was a brief moment of unity between them when Cindy supported Lauren through her childbirth, the peace was short-lived. Lauren has since distanced herself from Cindy, who now blames her for Peter Beale’s (Thomas Law) decision to walk away from his mother.
Could Max end up in a showdown with Cindy over her treatment of Lauren? Well, yes, but we must point out that Max and Cindy are quite similar.
Apart from sharing a granddaughter in Abi Junior, whose father was the late Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell), Cindy and Max are both serial adulterers and schemers.
Now, the jury’s out on whether we’d favour them as an actual couple, but we could certainly predict some passion erupting between Max and Cindy, possibly mid-row!
3. Walk eldest daughter Lauren Branning down the aisle
Lauren will have a lot to cope with in the coming weeks, as she and Peter come to terms with a big diagnosis for newborn baby son Jimmy.
But if the Branning-Beale wedding goes ahead, Max should be there to walk Lauren down the aisle.
If Max arrives just in time for the occasion, it would be great to see him offer his support while bonding with his daughter and grandsons, focusing on what’s really important.
Poor Lauren is surrounded by Beales at the moment, so it’s about time she had some back-up from her side of the family.
Which brings us to our next point…
4. Build up the Branning clan
Although there are a number of Brannings around, from Jack and Lauren to Penny (Kitty Castledine), the clan feels rather spread out and less tight-knit since the departure of Max’s nieces, Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) and Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer).
Lauren and Peter are keeping the legacy alive now they’re living in the late Dot’s (June Brown) home, so let’s fill it up with more Brannings.
Max’s presence might be just what’s needed to buck Jack’s ideas up; Jack was always the sensible one compared to Max, but he’s hardly been an anchor in Max’s absence! Let Max swoop in and bring everyone together.
5. Reflect on his messy history and catch up on local gossip
With Stacey due to exit this year, it would be a missed opportunity if she and Max didn’t cross paths first.
This isn’t us campaigning for a ‘Stax’ affair 3.0, we just love exploring the bond that Max and Stacey share, as even when they’re not romantically entangled, there’s a lot of platonic warmth between these two.
Max should also have scenes with old enemies like Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Of course, Max and Ian will be in-laws soon, so that dynamic would be interesting to watch.
And, unless Max has dropped Abi Junior off with her other guardian, her great-aunt Rainie Highway (Tanya Franks), we could also see her brother-in-law Callum Highway (Tony Clay) wanting a word with Max.
Beyond revisiting his past, Max has much to catch up on, including the fact that Jack also had an affair with Stacey!
We want to see Max interacting with the locals and getting all the lowdown.
6. Learn from (some of) his mistakes
No, we’re not hoping to see a totally changed man – but let’s not have Max coming in between any other couples, please!
Lauren even caught him in bed with her best friend in New Zealand, so it might be refreshing to see Max really tone it down and take a break from his womanising ways.
He had a few genuine love matches during his original stint, so he is capable of actually committing. How about seeing Max form a proper relationship, or otherwise simply staying away from any liaisons for a while?
Sure, we’d expect Max to return to his old ways eventually, as a completely reformed character would be boring; but for now, a change of pace for Max would be welcome.