Fans of EastEnders have been wondering how Ben Mitchell could leave Walford, following recent news of Max Bowden’s planned departure from the soap.
But while Ben’s exit is known – following his rumoured ‘axing’ from the soap – the circumstances surrounding this storyline have yet to be revealed.
How could Ben leave EastEnders?
Writing on Reddit, a number of fans shared their theories as to how Ben might leave Walford… ranging from death and murder of another, to a happy ending for the character.
Killing Dean
Writing on the social media site, one poster suggested that Ben might leave the soap due to his vendetta with rapist Dean Wicks. Recent scenes saw Ben team up with Johnny Carter to steal Dean’s phone and delete audio of Linda’s coerced backtracking on her rape allegation.
“Ben kills Dean and initially goes on the run like everyone seems to. At Christmas, Callum is staring sadly at a tree missing his husband when a new Ben appears from the shadows,” the user said.
Mental breakdown
Meanwhile, another user wondered whether Ben’s existing mental health issues could lead to his sudden departure from Walford.
“I suspect he might have a Frank Butcher/Ian Beale style mental breakdown where he just wanders off into the night and stays away for a few years,” this fan wrote.
Sins of the past
“The easiest might be to have a past crime of Ben’s come back to haunt him,” a third user said. “The Walford Attacker story would be a good candidate. Maybe someone was deleting old photos and videos on their phone and they come across Ben in the background beating up someone and they turn it in to the police.”
Could Ben’s shady past finally come back to haunt him?
Ben dies
In the most depressing outcome of all, some wondered whether the BBC might just kill Ben and be done with it.
“Ben dies. I don’t know how it would be done but I should imagine that the BBC are very tired of having to recast Ben EVERY time he comes back… Some people have speculated the idea of a male suicide storyline, which I think would fit Ben as a character very well due to all the trauma he’s experienced,” one user said.
A happy ending
In a similarly unlikely outcome, some suggested that Ben might actually get to see happiness for once – riding off into the sunset with Callum.
“The idea behind this is that Callum gets an opportunity to rise through the ranks of the police… and perhaps Ben wanting to start anew decides that him and Lexi will join Callum and together be one happy family,” this Redditor said.
How do you think Ben will leave EastEnders?
Read more: Who’s leaving EastEnders in 2024? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One
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