The shadows stretching across Albert Square have grown longer and darker this week, as a mysterious drug kingpin begins to tighten his grip on Walford’s underbelly. While the face of the operation remains hidden, feverish speculation among EastEnders fans suggests that one of the show’s most notorious villains, Dan Sullivan, may be the architect of the current chaos.

The intrigue centers on Ravi Gulati, who has found himself in a precarious position as a police informant for Jack Branning. Desperate for fast cash after being snubbed by Max Branning for a job at the car lot, Ravi turned to Mark Fowler for a high-risk drug-smuggling assignment. Mark’s description of the “Gaffer” paints a picture of a ruthless leader who recently hospitalized a long-time associate merely on the suspicion of talking. Though Ravi backed out at the last moment to attend to his son Nugget’s medical emergency, the threat remains: Mark has been ordered to root out the informant in their ranks, unaware that the traitor is the very man he tried to recruit.

The description of this unseen boss—tougher than the average Square resident and possessed of a hair-trigger temper—has led many to point toward Dan Sullivan. Portrayed by Craig Fairbrass, Dan was a pillar of early 2000s drama, famously embroiled in the “Who Shot Phil?” saga and a heated feud with the Mitchells. Having fled the country in 2001 after a high-stakes blackmail scheme, a return after 25 years would mark one of the most significant legacy comebacks in recent soap history. Other names floating in the rumor mill include Jake Moon and Paul Truman, but Sullivan’s history with Phil Mitchell makes him a poetically perfect antagonist for this new era of crime in E20.

While Ravi navigates the criminal underworld, the Carter family is facing a more personal brand of villainy. Johnny Carter’s dream of running his own law firm has turned into a nightmare thanks to his investor, Tim Walton. What began as a financial lifeline has curdled into a vile campaign of sexual blackmail. Tim has offered to destroy incriminating footage that threatens Callum Highway’s career, but only if Johnny agrees to sleep with him.

The situation reached a breaking point when Linda Carter, fueled by guilt and maternal instinct, confronted Tim in his office. This outburst only worsened the rift between mother and son, leading a distraught Linda to confide in Max Branning. Seizing the opportunity to play the hero and win back Linda’s affections, Max staged a daring intervention. Posing as Tim’s taxi driver, Max abducted the financier and delivered a chilling ultimatum: leave Walford and never look back.

However, Max’s “heroism” may come at a heavy price. Fans are already drawing lines between this confrontation and the New Year’s Day flash-forward, which teased Max’s future arrest for conspiracy to murder. Whether Tim Walton has been dealt with permanently or if his disappearance will trigger a fresh wave of legal peril for Max remains to be seen. In Walford, “getting rid” of a problem rarely means it stays gone—it usually just means the consequences are yet to arrive.