Max Branning

Max Branning is a fictional character and recurring anti-villain of the iconic BBC show and British soap opera program EastEnders.

He first appeared as a central character in 2006 and went on to serve as a major anti-hero in between 2007-2009 and throughout the 2010s saga - ultimately serving as the secondary antagonist in 2017.

Biography
Many of Max's storylines focus on his interactive relationships, including his marriages to Tanya Branning, and Kirsty Branning, as well as his extramarital affairs with Lucy Beale, Emma Summerhayes, Carmel Kazemi and Fi Browning. Max has also embarked on feuds with his brothers, Jack Branning and Derek Branning, as well as local residents Harry Gold, Janine Butcher, Phil Mitchell, Jay Brown, Charlie Cotton and Ian Beale.

In 2008, Max became central to a whodunit storyline that saw him run over by a mystery assailant who was eventually revealed to be his daughter Lauren Branning. He has also had to come to terms with the death of his son Bradley Branning, being framed for attempted murder by Carl White and Emma's death by conning Ben Mitchell into signing over the garage. In October 2015, Max was wrongly convicted for Lucy's murder. Since his release from prison, Max has been taking revenge on all his neighbours. This has resulted in the Carter family losing the freehold of the Queen Vic, the arrest of Vincent Hubbard, forcing Jane Beale to leave after starting a fire that left her critically injured, the death of Steven Beale - whom Max has been blackmailing in the midst of his vengeful plot - and conspiring with Fi's father James Willmott-Brown to subjugate Albert Square under his nefarious control.

Trivia

 * Max Branning was originally announced as the main antagonist for 2017 since his "revenge plot" served as the central storyline of the year. Though this initially appeared to be the case over the course of the events, the plan was actually depicted to hide the show's true main villain.