VILLAIN RETURNS EastEnders confirms return of Walford villain – with comeback scenes just weeks away
A NOTORIOUS EastEnders villain has been confirmed to make a return to Walford in just a matter of weeks.
He took to centre stage in one of the show’s best-received storylines last year, exploring the issue of radicalised misogyny.
EastEnders will be revisiting Joel Marshall’s dark storyline after the teen’s plot paused in January, with actor Max Murray already back on set filming new scenes.
Speaking to Digital Spy, an EastEnders spokesperson confirmed that Max will be returning to play Joel, saying: “We can confirm that Max Murray will be returning to EastEnders.”
In previous episodes, Joel was standing on trial on charges of grievous bodily harm, voyeurism and producing and distributing indecent images of a child.
Joel ultimately pleaded guilty to all three charges, despite appearing as smug and unrepentant during the early stages of his trial.
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He broke down in tears in front of his father, Ross, and apologised for everything he’d done.
EastEnders have since aired some scenes about Joel’s sentencing, where he is serving six months in a young offenders’ institute.
Joel’s parents were also seen arguing over who Joel would live with after he finishes serving his time.
Max portrayed the character of Joel from March 2025 up until this January.
Firm details on what Joel’s return will mean for the show have been kept under wraps, so it’s unknown what’s yet to unfold.
it’s unknown what’s yet to unfold.
However, his new scenes are expected to air in the coming weeks.
Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) behaviour spiralled out of control once more, this time while he remained in police custody in EastEnders.
Having been arrested for a shocking, brutal attack on Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig), the partner of his dad Ross (Alex Walkinshaw), Joel was greeted by teacher Julie Bates (Karen Henthorn), who agreed to be his appropriate adult.
Meanwhile, Ross visited Vicki in hospital, where he offered an emotional apology for Joel’s inexcusable actions, and Vicki pointed out that he should have taken action sooner.
But when Ross explained that, though he hated what Joel had done, he couldn’t bring himself to disown him, Vicki was lost for words.tation.
EastEnders revisits Joel Marshall’s dark storyline this year as the teenage villain returns to the show, Digital Spy can exclusively confirm.
Max Murray, who plays Joel, has already returned to filming and will be back on screen in the coming weeks.
Joel took centre stage in one of the best-received storylines of last year, as the BBC soap explored the issue of radicalised misogyny.
The plot came to an end in January this year as he stood trial on charges of grievous bodily harm, voyeurism and producing and distributing indecent images of a child.
An EastEnders spokesperson has now exclusively told Digital Spy: “We can confirm that Max Murray will be returning to EastEnders.”
Joel’s comeuppance played out after he’d brutally attacked his dad’s partner Vicki Fowler and recorded a sexual video of Avani Nandra-Hart without her consent.
While an unrepentant Joel was smug for the early stages of his trial, he started to consider the error of his ways after some home truths from his dad Ross.
Ultimately, Joel changed his plea to guilty on all three charges. Afterwards, there were early signs that Joel could turn a corner when he broke down in tears in front of Ross and apologised for everything.
More recently, EastEnders aired scenes confirming that Joel had finally been sentenced and would serve six months in a young offenders’ institute.
Tensions unfolded between Ross and Vicki, when questions were raised over where Joel would live following his short sentence.
Although Ross pointed out that he had responsibilities to his troubled son, he later promised to put Vicki first and vowed to make arrangements for Joel to live somewhere else upon his release.
But with news of Joel’s return, does this mean that things won’t go as Ross planned? Firm story details are being kept under wraps for now, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Max made his first appearance as Joel in March 2025. During his time on the show, he also appeared in BBC Three spin-off documentary EastEnders: The Manosphere, which further explored the issues raised in Joel’s storyline.
Speaking to last year, Max revealed that he’d had “a pretty positive response from the audience” despite his character not being “the most likeable”.
He added: “The character isn’t meant to be liked. It’s very challenging, but equally I’ve got the best support I can possibly have with the whole team.”