You’d think Max Branning (Jake Wood) no longer capable of shocking us after two decades of lying and cheating but the EastEnders lothario will be up to no good once again this coming year, as confirmed in the flashforward episode.

A special offering of the BBC One soap last month took audiences one year into the future, which saw Max set to tie the knot on January 1.

In typical Walford fashion, the big day doesn’t go without a hitch (poor choice of words?), with a hostage situation, more family fallings out and a police raid.

Just your average day in the Square then!

Speculation has been rife on all the above ever since the unique offering hit screens on New Year’s Day but the two biggest mysteries that have fans donning their detective hats relate to the two women in Max’s life.

The identity of his bride-to-be remains a mystery, though EastEnders did imply that one of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) will be the (un)lucky lady.

It’s also entirely possible that someone else could be the bride, which has led to theories aplenty.

In addition to his intended, Max was also seen in the future – on the day of his nuptials – with a pregnant woman, whose identity was also withheld from viewers.

With just under a year to go before we get any sort of answers, fans are watching every step Max takes, hoping to pick up on any clues that EastEnders might have to offer.

And they reckon they’ve worked out the identity of at least one of the women that will play a role in Max’s life in the year ahead.

Earlier this week, the character shared a number of scenes with Gina Knight (Francesca Henry), who he’s barely – if ever – interacted with.

Max arrived at Harry’s Barn well-dressed in a bid to win back ex Linda Carter’s (Kellie Bright) affection, with a bunch of flowers in tow.

While at the bar, he spoke to Gina, who joked that he’d missed her birthday when she spotted the flowers. When Linda rejected his advances and told him that she doesn’t want to be with him, Max gave the flowers to Gina to mark her birthday.

Speculation from worried fans soon followed, as they voiced their fears that Gina would become entangled in Max’s storyline.

‘They’re gonna do max and gina as a couple,’ wrote one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the scenes in question.

‘I refuse to be in a reality where Gina and Max have a baby,’ said another, worried that Gina is the pregnant woman beside Max seen in the flashforward episode.

‘me watching max and gina interact,’ added a third fan, using a gif to share their concern.

If Max and Gina do get together, it would prove quite a troublesome situation not only for them but also for everyone involved.

Gina, as viewers know, is thought of by Linda as a sister after mum Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) married George (Colin Salmon) two years ago.

While Elaine and George are no longer together, the bond between Linda and Gina is still presumably intact so it’s safe to say that Gina being with L’s ex would lead to quite the conflict.

Gina, meanwhile, is also on the cusp of reuniting with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) so any potential romance with Max would certainly throw a spanner in the works on that front.