"Avani doesn’t want to be anywhere near him."
Joel Marshall (Max Murray) will soon be returning to the BBC’s EastEnders.
During his initial stint, Joel cemented his place as one of Walford’s most sickening villains.
The troubled teenager had severely misogynistic views towards women and this led him down an extremely dark path.
His crimes included putting Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) in the hospital and up-skirting a woman on the Tube.
One of his victims was Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James). She and Joel slept together in 2025.
However, Joel filmed the encounter without Avani’s consent. The schoolgirl was later left devastated when the footage emerged online.
Furthermore, Avani fell pregnant by Joel. However, Joel was seething when Avani had an abortion without telling him.
In April 2026, Joel was convicted and sentenced to six months in a Young Offenders’ Institute.
Despite the trauma that resulted from Joel’s actions, his father, Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and Vicki married in May 2026.
However, things will soon take a worrying turn when the Square receives the news that Joel is scheduled to be released.
In his last scenes, the teenager appeared to show remorse for his actions as he pled guilty.
But was this genuine, and has Joel’s time in prison done him any good?
His return will inevitably cause upheaval for Avani and her family, including her mother, Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy).
An EastEnders insider commented: “The news of Joel’s release from Young Offenders is difficult for both Avani and Priya.
“Avani doesn’t want to be anywhere near him, and Priya is desperate to protect her struggling daughter.
“Despite the assurance that Joel will live away from the Square, it’s going to be a tense time for everyone involved.”
Priya is currently hiding a secret of her own. In June 2026, she seduced Max Branning (Jake Wood).
Unable to resist her, Max had sex with Priya, cheating on his fiancee, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), in the process.
The Panesars, Gulatis, and Nandra-Harts are already fragile after Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) chose to leave his family following his return from a mental health unit.
In the episode broadcast on June 24, 2026, Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal) was delighted when she and her wife, Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) were approved for adoption.
However, Suki was unaware that Eve had just punched Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) who promised to hand her in to the police.
Joel Marshall is not the only villain EastEnders is planning to bring back in coming weeks.
The murderous Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) is also due to return for a short stint.
EastEnders continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
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