Max Branning

Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBCsoap operaEastEnders, portrayed by Jake Wood and first appeared on 27 June 2006. Wood departed the role in 2021 following 15 years, with his final scenes airing on 19 February. In July 2025, it was announced that Wood would reprise the role, with Max returning on 3 September. On 1 January 2026, Max was the focus of a flashforward episode to one year in the future, New Years Day 2027, with the events of 2026 set to focus on the Brannings' and Max's journey towards 2027.

Many of Max's storylines focus on his numerous relationships, including his marriages to Tanya (Jo Joyner) and Kirsty Branning (Kierston Wareing) alongside both Tanya's sister Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks) and fellow spouse Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) respectively, and several romances that often end up becoming extramarital affairs; most notably with his daughter-in-law Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and later with their close acquaintance Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

In 2008, Max was the subject of a whodunit storyline after being run over, with the culprit revealed to be his daughter Lauren. He later struggled with the death of his son Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), established feuds with many people such as Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), became embroiled in many family problems, and was wrongfully convicted for the murder of Lauren's best-friend Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) murder in 2015; the true killer was later revealed to be Lucy's younger half-brother Bobby. Following his release from prison, Max orchestrated a revenge plot against those he blamed for his imprisonment alongside notorious villain James Wilmott-Brown (William Boyde) that culminated in the death of Ian's stepson Steven (Aaron Sidwell) and a rooftop confrontation at the Queen Victoria public house in which both his daughters fell and Lauren survived whereas her sister Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) died.

In 2025, Max returned in flashback scenes involving Stacey's estranged cousin Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) before making his full return to Walford. His storylines since his return include discovering he had a daughter with Linda, trying to bond with his younger son Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier), being accused of sleeping with Oscar's girlfriend Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), clashing with Phil's brother Grant (Ross Kemp) and later with the latter's son Mark (Stephen Aaron-Sipple), and being engaged to Cindy before their wedding ended with Cindy discovering that Max cheated on her with their wedding planner Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy).