20 Years of Max Branning’s Shenanigans in the Square! | EastEnders

For two decades, Max Branning has been one of Walford’s most explosive forces — a man driven by desire, guilt, pride, and an endless need for redemption, yet forever trapped by his own worst impulses. This sweeping spoiler-style retrospective dives deep into the moments that defined Max’s chaotic legacy, charting the scandals, betrayals, crimes, and emotional wreckage he left behind across 20 unforgettable years in EastEnders.

From the very beginning, Max’s life in the Square was ruled by secrecy and temptation. His complicated relationship with Stacey Slater set the tone for everything that followed — stolen moments, risky lies, and choices that blew families apart. Max convinced himself he could control the fallout, but Walford never forgets, and it never forgives. Each impulsive decision rippled outward, hurting not just his partners, but his children, his brother Jack, and anyone unlucky enough to trust him.

Family should have anchored Max, yet it became his greatest battleground. His marriage to Tanya was marked by betrayal, reconciliation, and betrayal all over again. Tanya loved him fiercely, but even she reached breaking point as Max’s selfishness and obsession with escape poisoned their home. Their relationship became one of the show’s most painful examples of love twisted by resentment, guilt, and unfinished business.

One of the darkest chapters in Max’s story came when his reckless choices crossed into criminal territory. His involvement in dangerous schemes, stolen cars, and shadowy associates pulled him into a world far beyond his control. What started as easy money quickly spiraled into panic as police attention, organized crime, and betrayals closed in from all sides. Max’s desperation grew with every lie he told to cover his tracks.

The tension peaked when Max found himself in the dock, accused of sabotaging a car and causing a deadly crash. The courtroom drama exposed just how fragile his life had become. Witnesses failed to appear, stories conflicted, and the truth blurred under layers of manipulation. Though Max escaped conviction, freedom came at a cost — paranoia, enemies, and the knowledge that justice hadn’t truly been served. He walked out a free man, but not an innocent one.

Prison would later leave its own scars. Max emerged hardened, angry, and consumed by thoughts of revenge against those he believed had betrayed him. His obsession with payback pushed him dangerously close to becoming the very monster others accused him of being. At his lowest point, rage nearly destroyed everything — his family, his future, and his soul. Only at the last possible moment did Max pull back from the edge, proving that somewhere inside, a conscience still survived.

Yet even remorse never lasted long. Back in Walford, Max clashed with Phil Mitchell in a brutal power struggle that stripped him of his businesses and dignity. Outplayed and cornered, Max was forced to sign everything away, watching years of work vanish in minutes. Humiliated and furious, he lashed out at those closest to him, driving an even deeper wedge between himself and his children.

Max’s relationships with his kids — Lauren, Abi, Bradley, and later Annie — became the most tragic measure of his failures. He swore repeatedly that they came first, yet time and again they paid the price for his selfish decisions. Accusations, misunderstandings, and painful confrontations shattered what little trust remained. Each attempt to fix things only seemed to make them worse.

Abi’s story haunted Max more than any other. Her loss became a weight he could never fully escape, a constant reminder that his mistakes had irreversible consequences. Grief fueled his self-destruction, pushing him toward alcohol and reckless behavior. Max often convinced himself that leaving Walford would solve everything, but every departure ended the same way — unfinished business pulling him back.

In one fleeting storyline filled with fragile hope, Max crossed paths with someone chasing their own lost child. For once, Max wasn’t the taker — he was the helper, offering money and support so another parent might be reunited with their son. It was a rare glimpse of the man Max could have been if he hadn’t been ruled by impulse and ego. But even this good deed was tainted by danger, manipulation, and violence, proving that nothing in Max’s world stayed simple for long.

As years passed, Max became increasingly aware of his destructive patterns. He spoke openly about addiction, shame, and the fear that he ruined everything he touched. In quiet moments, stripped of bravado, Max admitted the truth: Walford held too much history, too many ghosts. Staying meant hurting people. Leaving felt like cowardice. He was trapped between guilt and hope, unsure which would win.

New Year moments often brought promises of change. Max vowed to be a better father, a better man, someone his children could finally be proud of. For brief stretches, it seemed possible. Sobriety, honesty, and humility crept into his life. Friends and family dared to believe him — cautiously.

But Max Branning’s story has never been linear. Just when happiness seemed within reach, the past returned with a vengeance. On what should have been one of the happiest days of his life — his wedding — Max’s world collapsed yet again. Police stormed in, arresting him on serious charges that shocked everyone present. Once more, Max stood in the ruins of a future he’d almost secured, watching hope slip through his fingers.

And still, somehow, Max survived.

Twenty years on, Max Branning remains one of EastEnders’ most complicated figures — neither hero nor villain, but a man shaped by bad choices, deep love, crushing regret, and relentless survival. His legacy is written in broken marriages, courtroom battles, lost children, and second chances squandered. Yet it’s also written in moments of remorse, unexpected kindness, and the stubborn belief that change is still possible.

In Walford, few characters have caused as much chaos — or carried as much pain — as Max Branning. And if history tells us anything, it’s that his story is never truly over.