The whole of Emmerdale village might be Team John Sugden right now, blinded by his orchestrated acts of heroism, but his luck has to run out sometime.

With his half-brother and nemesis Robert back in the village, John’s days feel numbered – but who is going to be the first to find out his true colours?

We take a look at the seven villagers most likely to take him down:

1. Robert Sugden

After months of the village blindly accepting deadly John as their hero, it’s been a breath of fresh air to have Robert see right through him! Not only did he pick up on John’s weird vibes, Robert’s also been the first to question whether he’s even really a Sugden.

Returning home to Emmerdale as the local pariah and having to watch Aaron pledge his future to John, it would be deeply satisfying if Robert rumbled his half-brother and was finally vindicated in front of the entire village and his ex.

But with Robert onto John already, is he too obvious a candidate to expose his brother’s evil ways? And would he even be believed? Or could Robert get too close to the truth and end up as John‘s next victim?

2. Mackenzie Boyd

From day one, Mackenzie had John sussed, taking an instant dislike to the evasive stranger. Although John’s true colours hadn’t emerged then, the medic managed to win Mackenzie back round by saving Moria’s life.

Since then, Mack’s been another villager wary of John and Aaron’s relationship and when he discovered John had been lying about his comatose ex Aidan, Mack tried to stop his best mate making a huge mistake.

Although Mack now tolerates John, after he was supportive following the slurry spill (that John secretly orchestrated) there’s a juicy opportunity waiting in the wings – Mack teaming up with Robert!

With both men on the same page over creepy John, they’d make a force to be reckoned with. But there’s still part of us that thinks as Mack was the first to distrust John, he alone should be the one to take him down. But if his flashforward vision is anything to go by, we’re worried about his future…

3. Aaron Dingle

Frustrating as it has been to watch Aaron fall for John’s great hero act, perhaps Emmerdale are simply playing the long game and Aaron will be the one to discover the awful truth! Fans have been dubious of Aaron’s interest in John from day one, especially as Aaron was keen to gloss over John’s familial connection to the love of his life.

But as their relationship sped towards a wedding, it became clear Aaron was awed by John’s heroics and his ‘selfless’ efforts to help cover up Anthony’s death, feeling as if he owed John his life.

The potential for Aaron’s perfect life to come crashing down is explosive. He’s chosen John as the safe and stable option, completely oblivious to everything John has manipulated. We’re certain that Emmerdale will want to capitalise on a powerful performance from Danny Miller, as his character’s life shatters before his eyes.

4. Cain Dingle

No Emmerdale viewer likes seeing Cain made a fool of! Watching John gaslight him over Nate, then pretend to be supportive, all while drugging him, so he could ‘save’ his life is beyond twisted. If Cain managed to piece together the clues to Nate’s death and realised how far John had wormed his way into the family, he’d come out all guns blazing.

As Nate’s dad, perhaps justice would be most satisfying and best served by the wrath of Cain – and we’d expect him to show no mercy! There’s also John’s shifty involvement in the cover up of Anthony’s murder. Could those involved start to doubt their trust in him? With John now infiltrated in the family by marrying Aaron, the Dingles will want their revenge.

5. Tracy Robinson

Poor Tracy has been the prime suspect of her ex-husband’s murder for weeks. Not only has this seen her at odds with her sister Vanessa, but she’s had to deal with the village gossip, the fear of losing her daughter Frankie and her grief over Nate. If she was the one to rumble John, she’d finally be able to clear her name and ease her guilt over letting Nate down.

Tracy’s another villager who John has supported and gaslit. She’s leaned on him in her most vulnerable moments, so her horror to realise that he’s behind Nate’s death would be devastating, but it could finally put to bed her war with Cain.

Tracy knows that John was the last person to see Nate alive, so if he becomes more careless with his heroics, could she start to twig that there’s something odd about his behaviour?

6. Victoria Sugden

Out of all our candidates, Victoria is the one most likely to see the good in someone – and be the most naive. But with that in mind, is she the character who would get the biggest shock to learn her brother is a monster? Let’s not forget she was the one to urge him to stay in the village and reconnect with his Sugden heritage. If she discovered the truth, her guilt would be immense.

However, she seems to have wilfully overlooked any red flags when it comes to John, because she’s so keen to have family in her life again. She was the first to discover that his ex Aidan, was not dead but lying in a coma.

Plus, more recently when Robert pointed out that she barely knows him, she rejected his suspicions and seemingly chose John over him, when she told Robert to leave the village for good. With this kind of loyalty to John, will Victoria continue to ignore the warning signs about her brother?

7. Liam Cavanagh

It’s easy to forget just how far John’s sinister meddling has spread through the village, including his workplace. When Dr. Cavanagh had doubts about John’s capabilities, he made himself dependable, conveniently saving Jacob and Chas – even though once again, he was behind their poisoning. At the time, Liam was convinced his ex Ella was behind Chas’s overdose and harassment, and fans are still calling for her exoneration.

Although everyone in the village seems to have a blind spot when it comes to creepy John, we reckon Liam could be their best hope. Working alongside John so closely should give him a better insight into his colleague’s weird state of mind. After all, he saw how badly John took criticism about his work.

As well as this, both Liam and Manpreet were victims of Meena, so surely they should start seeing familiar signs? But if Liam starts to suspect John is up to no good, how would he break the news to Chas and Aaron?