EastEnders – Who is the mystery gunman in Max Branning flashforward cliffhanger?

It’s been over nine months since EastEnders’ New Year's Day flashforward episode, setting up a huge year for returning Max Branning. There was a lot to unpack in that mysterious half hour, but the biggest shock was concerning the unknown individual who rocked up in Walford sporting a pair of black gloves and concealing a gun.

As a very chaotic wedding day unfolded for Max, this character snuck into No.45 and pointed their weapon at Lauren and Oscar. That evening, Max was sent a video of the Branning siblings held hostage, and he was forced to choose which of his children lives.

Over the course of 2026, Max has made a number of enemies in Albert Square, meaning that there’s no shortage of characters who could carry out a deadly revenge plot on New Year’s Day. After a dramatic couple of weeks with Max at the centre of the actions, here’s who we suspect could be the black-gloved kidnapper…

1. Ravi Gulati

Over the last few weeks, Ravi has become the prime suspect to take revenge on Max on the first day of 2027. While engaged to Cindy, Max was having a secret affair with Priya – who was single at the time, as Ravi was away from the Square getting his mental health back on track.

When Ravi returned, he was determined to find out who Priya had been sleeping with. He soon got to the truth, so promptly took Max hostage and violently attacked him. He eventually decided to move on with now fiancée Priya, though, especially when she told him that she was pregnant.

But Ravi jumped to conclusions and assumed that he is the father of the baby, not realising that the dad is in fact Max. We know that this secret won’t stay buried forever, especially now that the truth is spreading like wildfire around Walford – Penny now knows, and Cindy uncovers the baby bombshell in next week’s episodes.

Could this latest betrayal tip Ravi over the edge, and lead to this shocking incident at New Year? It’s been reported that actor Aaron Thiara is leaving the show next year, so this revenge plot could serve as an explosive farewell…

2. Cindy Beale

Cindy has probably been hurt more deeply by Max than any other Walford resident this year, even though up until recently, she was predicted to be his New Year bride. The whirlwind couple got married earlier this month instead, and not even Linda could put a stop to proceedings after discovering his affair with Priya.

The day descended into chaos when Max had a heart attack during the reception, then ended his relationship with Cindy from his hospital bed. As Max’s fling with Priya was exposed to Cindy, he and Linda confessed their feelings for one another and are currently hiding their new romance.

Cindy doesn’t yet know about this latest twist, but she has already vowed to make Max pay for what he’s done to her – and that’s before she learns he’s the father of Priya’s baby!

In the flashforward, Cindy was seen getting ready for the wedding, as one of the potential brides teased, so she may not have time to be holding Oscar and Lauren hostage. But could vengeful Cindy be working with someone else?

Related: Best streaming services

3. Kat Moon

Before recently, Kat didn’t have much to do with Max – but her daughter Zoe’s death this month changed everything. Zoe fell and hit her head while stealing Charlie’s cab, causing a bleed on the brain that killed her overnight. But in the hours before she died, she had an altercation with former flame Max when she caught him and Linda kissing.

Max followed Zoe to her bedroom where he urged her to keep this secret under wraps, but as Zoe’s condition deteriorated, Max ignored her cries for help and unknowingly left her to die.

This week, Kat discovered that Zoe made a largely incoherent 999 call where she was heard saying, “he left me”. Kat is determined to find out who was with her daughter before she died – and she told Max that once she identified him, she would kill him.

The truth about Zoe’s death is another secret that’s bound to come out at some point, so could Kat’s grief for her child push her to do something crazy, and could she threaten to take one of Max’s children as revenge?

4. Another Slater-Moon

While Kat is suffering the most in the aftermath of Zoe’s death, the whole Slater-Moon family has been affected by this tragedy, and everyone is dealing with their grief in different ways. The reveal that Max saw Zoe before she died and didn’t do anything to help her would undoubtedly send shockwaves through the tight-knit group.

Perhaps Kat is too obvious a choice for the mysterious assailant at this point – could someone else close to her wait until Max’s big day and take revenge on him on Kat’s behalf?

5. Someone else

Despite this growing list of suspects, there are still several months to go until all the flashforward mysteries are solved and the remaining puzzle pieces slot into place. That means there is plenty of time for Max to get on the wrong side of many more members of the community.

Could the gunman be a character with a grudge against Max that is yet to be explored? Or could they be a returning face from Max’s past biding their time to take revenge? Lacey Turner is tipped to return as Stacey for some episodes that will air around New Year, so could this shocking plot link back to her?

Three months is a long time in Walford, after all…

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.