How EastEnders villains Nish and Dean could get their comeuppance: All the theories

Control-freak Nish has been terrorising estranged wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), and he's growing more toxic by the day.

Widening his net to threaten Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Nish has also attacked Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), before ordering her death!

Thankfully, Eve survived to find happiness with Suki, but Nish remains a chilling presence in Walford – despite almost dying himself when struck over the head by Denise Fox (Diane Parish) in defence of Suki.

Meanwhile, rapist Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) returned last Halloween, leaving victim Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) broken as he set up a business in Albert Square!

Maintaining his 'innocence,' Dean manipulated Linda into admitting she lied! But surely Dean cannot have been brought back almost ten years after his sickening attack, simply to settle down and get away with his crimes?

As for Nish, he's got to be heading for a fall too. So how might these evil wrong'uns get their comeuppance?

Well, RadioTimes.com has been thinking about it, and you can join us as we delve into all the theories.

How will Nish Panesar and Dean Wicks be brought to justice in EastEnders?

Framed for Keanu Taylor's murder

Remember Dean's presence in The Vic on Christmas Day 2023? After he spied on Linda, the action turned to Nish and Keanu and we've yet to hear whether Dean witnessed Linda's killer move.

Given Dean escaped justice for rape and attempted rape, though, is there a way to turn the tables on him and set him up for Keanu's murder?

Perhaps Dean dropped a possession of his in the pub while he was creeping around, and this item has, unbeknown to The Six, ended up being buried with Keanu's body?

One day that corpse will be unearthed, and who better to take the fall than Dean – especially if he's connected to it through his own decision to enter The Vic without anyone's knowledge?

What an iconic way to vindicate Linda!

Fans agree, with one even hinting that Linda keeping the murder weapon might be going somewhere – might she plant it on Dean?

However, with the café now owned by Nish, maybe he will be the one facing suspicion when Keanu is dug up.

Nish's nasty decision to take the café from Suki could backfire on him in a big way, meaning that his latest attempt to destroy his ex could actually be the catalyst for his downfall!

Arrested for their own vile crimes

Dean was, memorably, never convicted of raping Linda, and attempting to rape Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons). But what if, all these years later, he is finally caught by the police?

EastEnders could reveal that Dean has attacked another woman off-screen. He could then be arrested out of the blue, with viewers soon put in the picture about his latest crime.

With Linda witnessing the scene as Dean is carted away by detectives, maybe this would give her some closure at last – and provide a fitting end to one of the BBC soap's darkest villains.

Now onto Nish, who certainly deserves to be back in jail already. We fear his worst act is yet to come, so what if he attacks one of The Six or kills someone else?

With Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) recently warning Nish that he knows all about what he did to Eve, maybe Jack catches Nish red-handed in some dodgy deal.

Something big enough to send Nish down for years should do it, and it couldn't happen to a more deserving fella – except Dean, obviously.

Murdered by The Six

The idea that The Six might end up with another murder on their hands has been mentioned since before we even knew of the culprit.

With Nish and Dean having been listed as potential victims last year, maybe one - or both - of them will fall victim to the women as they inflict more fatal injuries via self-defence.

Nish's suspicions about Christmas are bound to be leading somewhere, and he's accused several of The Six of attacking him. Will he find out Denise is the culprit and attack her, with another of the women stepping in to end his life?

Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) is currently hiding out in Australia, but when she returns, imagine her walking in on Dean going after Linda.

Just as Linda stabbed Keanu to stop him from strangling Sharon, a shocking parallel could see Sharon forced to attack Dean to save her best mate and return the favour!

Struck down in an accident

Soaps have been known to air sudden deaths, with characters brutally wiped out within the blink of an eye. So, what if Nish or Dean paid for their actions by falling victim to a timely accident?

There are endless innocent scenarios which could see the villains meet their maker while having nothing to do with those they have wronged.

Just as viewers think Dean and Nish's behaviour can't get any worse, one of them could be struck down mid-rant or as they're celebrating a personal victory.

Simple but effective – and certainly powerful.

On the run

Oh, let's not go there, EastEnders! We think this is rather unlikely, but can't ignore that an escape plan may be an option. If Nish and/or Dean cross one too many lines to be able to stick around in Walford, they may decide to cut their losses.

Going on the run is usually, but not exclusively, reserved for soap characters who don't deserve to be behind bars in our eyes. But it could happen for these two – think Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle) in Hollyoaks. Although remember, even he returned and faced a final showdown which ended in his own death.

For Nish, we won't rule it out, hoping he will be back to face the music one way or another.

Dean, though, has already spent years out of the country as a free man, and his comeback surely can't end without retribution at last.

If in need of support, visit the website for Rape Crisis and also contact by calling Rape Crisis's 23/7 support line on 0808 500 2222.

You can also visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.

Read more:

• 7 EastEnders spoilers: Denise hallucinates dead Keanu amid Karen return
• EastEnders first look as Karen Taylor makes controversial return to Walford
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• EastEnders star Kim Medcalf on Sam Mitchell’s exit and how she can “repair things”
• Why EastEnders should bring back Kim Medcalf’s Sam Mitchell as soon as possible
• EastEnders announces surprise Patsy Palmer return as icon Bianca Jackson

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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