EastEnders Joel Marshall’s long lost sister ‘revealed’ in new adoption twist

EastEnders fans believe they’ve uncovered the true parentage of Joel Marshall in a surprising twist that could shake up two Walford families.

In April, Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) made her return to the Square from Down Under just in time for her uncle Martin’s funeral, bringing along her new flame Ross (Alex Walkinshaw) and his son Joel (Max Murray).

Initially, Ross admitted to being under financial strain due to Joel borrowing a hefty amount to settle debts. However, Ross soon revealed the truth about Joel’s murky past involving a girl, leaving Vicki stunned.

Ross’ anger flared when he discovered his son in a compromising position with fellow student Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James). Joel recorded himself getting intimate with Avani and shared the video with Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) in an attempt to win him over.

Joel has since persuaded Tommy to view explicit adult content on his dad Alfie’s (Shane Richie) laptop, reports Belfast Live.

On Monday (June 16), the teenager’s behaviour took another dark turn as he crossed a legal boundary and Joel attacked a stranger on the tube while Tommy captured the incident.

Joel has also confided in Tommy about his past, revealing his deep-seated resentment towards women after his own mother abandoned him when he was just a lad.

In the same episode, Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) made her return after a 20-year hiatus, and it’s fair to say she’s not got her life sorted. However, some fans are speculating a link between Joel, Zoe, and another Walford icon.

Why did Zoe leave Walford?

In 2003, Dirty Den, played by Leslie Grantham on EastEnders, made a jaw-dropping return to Albert Square after pretending he was d.e.a.d for years.

His son, heartthrob Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), arrived shortly after and sparked a romance with Zoe Slater; however, things took a turn when he started an illicit affair with his adoptive sister Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

Following the scandal of their affair coming to light, Den manipulated Zoe’s heartbreak to win her over.

He cunningly persuaded Zoe to sleep with him so she could claim her baby was Dennis’, aiming for them to live blissfully ever after.

The ploy seemed successful until Dennis stumbled upon Den and Zoe together in bed, prompting Dennis to leave – but not before spilling the beans to Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman).

Pregnant with Den’s child, Zoe was then influenced by his wife Chrissie to have an abortion as part of her scheme against Den.

The plot thickened, and in 2005, Den met his demise at the hands of Chrissie, Zoe, and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), joining forces against the notorious womaniser at the Queen Vic.

Despite all this, some fans theorise that Zoe never went through with the abortion and that Joel Marshall, who’s supposed to be 15 years old, might be the offspring of the infamous villain. This would make Vicki, who is also Den’s daughter, Joel’s half-sister rather than his step-mum. Could Joel be lying about his age?

A speculative EastEnders viewer voiced their theory online: “I was wondering about that myself but surely Zoe wouldn’t have abandoned Joel – she’s not the type to do that in EastEnders! What if Dirty Den was his real father all along ?? #EastEnders.”

A second fan shared their theory online: “I reckon it will transpire Joel is actually adopted and his real parents are Zoe Slater and Dirty Den! I’m here for it! #EastEnders.”

One intrigued viewer on Reddit pondered the timeline, questioning: “How long after Den’s dying did Zoe leave? If she were to be his mum, could it potentially lead to a DNA revealing Ross isn’t Joel’s dad and his dad was actually…Dirty Den. Would be absolutely ridiculous but would explain Joel’s behavior lol.”

Another theory came flying in from a different user, who speculated: “Theory and not sure if this is possible with timelines, but could Joel be Zoey and Den Watts’ baby?”.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer