ENDER BEN
Five theories on Ben Mitchell’s explosive EastEnders exit – from murder revenge to prison plot
Max Bowden was the sixth actor to portray the troublemaker.
TIMES are changing in the Square as Ben Mitchell is due for a shock exit in upcoming weeks.
EastEnders actor Max Bowden was given the boot and soap fans have come up with multiple possibilities for his departure.
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1. Prison sentence
BBC One viewers were shocked when Linda Carter was reunited with her son Johnny Carter, who was recently recast as Charlie Suff took over the role from Ted Reilly.
Upon his return to Albert Square, which he was prompted to make after his grandmother Elaine Peacock called him to help Linda, Johnny made it clear he would protect his mother at all costs.
Johnny wondered why his mother had relapsed into her alcohol addiction, although he knew all about the suffering that ensued his father Mick's disappearance at sea.
His jaw dropped when he finally told that Linda's rapist Dean Wicks was back in Walford, tormenting the Queen Vic landlady.
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Johnny instantly took a fighting stance against Dean and punched him in the jaw to warn him away from Linda.
However, in doing so, Johnny was soon reunited with his pal Ben Mitchell who promised him he could get rid of Dean for him, while also vowing to his husband Callum Highway to keep it above board.
Weeks ahead of Max Bowden's departure from the London-based program, viewers believe they've rumbled the start of his exit storyline.
According to them, there is a high chance that Ben may be thrown behind bars after taking care of Dean... and possibly killing him.
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Just as Ben was making Johnny the offer, soap fans swarmed over to social media to share their thoughts.
"Ben and Callum offering to help Johnny get rid of Dean means this could be the start of Ben's exit storyline", one of them commented.
Another agreed: "This will definitely lead to Ben's exit though."
And while Ben is clearly capable of some devious deeds, he's just as able to dodge prison.
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2. Running off
Some viewers may have forgotten that Ben Mitchell is the son of one of Walford's biggest tough men - soap legend Phil Mitchell, played by Steve McFadden.
Across his years on the Square, and as diehard viewers of the long-running show will know, Phil has landed himself into plenty of trouble.
But his luck never seemed to really change as he always managed to avoid spending too long in a prison cell and, surprisingly, he has been said to have a clean criminal record.
With Phil's genes, one could easily speculate that Ben will follow in his footsteps.
While his exit is certain and he can be expected to keep his word about Dean, Ben Mitchell may follow this up by going on the run and avoiding repercussions for his wrongdoings.
This would, in turn, sign the end of his marriage with copper Callum Highway, who could even help him flee.
But there are other possibilities soap bosses may be thinking of for Ben's swan song.
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3. Framed for murder
After reconnecting with Ben Mitchell, Johnny Carter demanded answers from his mother Linda about her current state of mind.
In a shocking twist, completely unbeknownst to Ben and other residents of Albert Square, Linda (Kellie Bright) spoke to her son about the events of Christmas Day.
She thus confessed to killing Keanu Taylor after he'd tried to strangle her best pal Sharon Watts.
This murder, as viewers remember, was followed up with a massive cover-up scheme as Linda teamed up with Sharon, Denise Fox, Stacey Slater, Suki Panesar and Kathy Beale to bury Keanu's body under the Bridge Street café which was under construction at the time following a fire.
By bringing Johnny into her secret, Linda may have gained a new ally rather than jeopardised everything as one soap fan has come up with a new theory.
According to this speculation, Johnny may embark on an affair with Callum (Tony Clay) and not Ben.
As a result, he may be tempted to get rid of his friend by throwing him under the bus and framing him for the murder of Keanu Taylor.
"GUYS IVE WORKED IT OUT!!! Johnny now knows the truth so when he has an affair with Callum and the police find the body he will let Ben take the fall to get him out the way", the viewer penned on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Keanu and Ben have had a complex relationship as the latter once called a hit on the hunk following his affair with Sharon Watts.
At the time, Ben convinced Martin Fowler to kill of Keanu for him and the market trader hatched a plan with Linda to make the Mitchells believe they'd gone through with the murder.
Ben hasn't been Keanu's greatest fan or ally out of loyalty to his father Phil.
Could that be enough for Johnny to betray and frame him for Keanu's murder?
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4. Deadly revenge
Ben Mitchell has been the author of many crimes in the Square throughout the years and these include murder.
One of the troublemaker's biggest storylines involved him unintentionally killing the beloved Heather Trott in 2012.
Heather, portrayed by Cheryl Fergison, was initially introduced as a guest character in 2007 but she quickly became a fan favourite, known for her fondness of karaoke, being a massive George Michael fan and Shirley Carter's eternal sidekick.
Although most of her storylines were on the comedic side, she was given a huge storyline when she found out she was pregnant after a one night stand and the father of the baby was revealed to be a teenaged Darren Miller.
Heather gave birth to a son whom she named George, after her favourite singer.
Despite struggling with motherhood, Heather tried her best to take care of her son.
But in 2012, and as mentioned above, Heather's life was tragically cut short by Ben.
The pair ended up in a brutal showdown after Ben was arrested for perverting the course of justice.
Ben was looking for cash in Heather's home before doing a runner and he was convinced she'd turned him in to the authorities.
The argument escalated and, in the ensuing altercation, Ben hut Heather with a photo frame, causing her to fall and hit her head on the kitchen counter, which was fatal.
After covering up the crime for months, Ben decided to do the right thing and confessed before pleading guilty to manslaughter and being jailed for four years.
Ben has served his time but another, although less popular, theory has emerged according to which someone close to Heather may not think he's done enough for his crime.
George Miller was taken care of by Shirley Carter following his mother's death but he was eventually handed over to his father Darren.
According to one theory circulating on Facebook group Soap Gossip and TV, a fifteen-year-old George Miller may rock up Walford in the search of his mother's killer and get rid of him.
In turn, this could pave the way for his father Darren to come back himself in the aftermath.
Fans have to blast this theory - but could there be some truth to it?
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5. Change of face
What if Ben never actually left the Square but was simply recast, once again?
Recasts are frequent in the long-running show, as it was proven with Johnny Carter, Jade Green, Peter Beale, Martin Fowler or even Bobby Beale, among many others.
Max Bowden was the sixth actor chosen to play Ben Mitchell after Harry Reid, Joshua Pascoe, Charlie Jones, Morgan Whittle and Matthew Silver.
Fans are hoping Ben Mitchell remains in the Square with a new actor taking over the role from Max Bowden.
"If Callum does stay I wonder if Ben takes the initial fall for Keanu’s murder and then returns recast when the truth comes out", one fan theorised online.
Multiple viewers have called for Harry Reid to reprise his role after Max Bowden's exit.
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Could this come to fruition?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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