EastEnders ‘reveal’ Max Branning’s bride as alliance forms to take down villain
Max Branning is set to marry a mystery woman in 2027 and fans are certain they know who that will be after the latest episode debuted a new relationship for the character
EastEnders ‘unveil’ Max Branning’s bride as secret alliance forms(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Kieron McCarron)
They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but fans think it’ll turn into something more for Max Branning. The EastEnders character is set to marry a mystery bride in 2027, and his newly formed secret alliance on the square might reveal who she is.
In tonight’s episode (21 January), Max grappled with lies Jasmine Fisher was spreading about him. The teen, desperate to make him back off after he revealed that he knew she was up to something, told the Square that Max had tried to kiss her. While Max’s son Oscar, who is dating Jasmine, wasn’t sure who to believe, others were more certain.
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Max was accused of trying to kiss Jasmine(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
One such person was Cindy Beale, who has hated Jasmine ever since the younger woman pushed her down the stairs of the Prince Albert. Cindy spent the episode warning Jasmine that she would expose her.
Rather than spread lies about Cindy too, Jasmine told her that if Cindy kept going after her, she would call the Ford family, who want Cindy d.e.a.d.. Undeterred, Cindy told Max that she would help him take Jasmine down.
Their secret alliance surely spells trouble for the Square, as both can be devious, but fans think they can hear wedding bells too. Despite blaming him for her son Stephen’s d.e.a.th and saying her feelings would never change, Cindy and Max have slept together before, albeit before they knew who each other was. So, if they can put their differences, fans think they could end up in love.
Will Max end up with Cindy?(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
“‘Nothing will change the way I feel about you Max’ this line makes me fear that cindmax is the 2027 endgame,” said one fan. Another added: “Just watched tonight’s #EastEnders! I knew Cindy and Max would work together to bring down Jasmine. This now ties Cindy into the NYD 2027 stuff with Max too.”
A third agreed: “I need Max to team up with Cindy too in a bid to bring down Jasmine – they both have an invested interest in bringing down Jasmine and this is what could tie Cindy into being Max’s woman he’s marrying on NYD 2027.”
Cindy is one of many women that have been teased to be Max’s bride. Linda Carter has also been suggested, as she already has a child with Max and has been getting close to him again since his return.
Another was Chelsea Fox, who has said that she thinks Max is attractive but has not interacted with him since. Others include Chelsea’s mum Denise, who is currently married to Max’s brother Jack, and Priya Nandra-Hart.
The mystery about who Max is marrying has been building for months. In the lead up to New Year’s Day 2026, little hints were constantly being dropped about what might happen in the flashforward episode to 2027.
But perhaps the biggest mystery of the episode was not Max’s mystery bride, but instead the hooded gunman that will take Oscar and Lauren Branning hostage.
The episode ended on a dramatic cliffhanger in which Max was sent a video of his children tied up with gun pointed at them. The video came with a message telling him to pick one to save.
