10 Best ‘Outlander’ Characters, Ranked
Hannah Furnell has six years of experience writing about pop culture and entertainment. She graduated from Montclair State University College of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She began her career as an intern for Floor 8 where she covered the MCU, ‘Game of Thrones,’ and celebrities. Her work was also published on Mental Floss. Then, as a Freelance Writer for The Things, she wrote evergreen articles about celebrities and little-known movie facts. As a Staff Writer at Showbiz Cheat Sheet, she wrote about similar topics until she was moved to the music team, where she became a top performer writing about classic rock stars like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Hannah is currently a list writer for Collider, where she likes to cover ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,’ ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ and ‘What We Do in the Shadows.’ She is also a staff Showbiz and TV reporter at The Daily Express US, covering entertainment news and everything from The Bachelor franchise to ‘Outlander.’ She is also a freelance writer at Ranker, writing listicles of the best scenes of shows like ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and movies like ‘Harry Potter.’ Outside of writing about entertainment, her hobbies include scrapbooking and writing in calligraphy, which her father taught her when she was 12.
Despite all the backstabbing (sometimes literally), some of our beloved characters have great moral compasses most of the time. They love fiercely and fight for what they believe in even more. Nothing is impossible for them, especially in a world with time travel. Outlander‘s story would be nothing without its intricate multi-layered characters.
10Fergus Fraser
While living in Paris, Jamie and Claire meet Fergus (then Claudel), an orphan who grew up in a brothel. Jamie takes him under his wing and hires him as a pickpocket. Fergus was a mischievous kid, but he becomes fiercely loyal to Jamie. Eventually, Jamie gives him the Fraser name, and he marries Marsali.
Fergus isn’t too complex, but he is tragic. He lost a hand in a scuffle with a redcoat and has trouble finding work and providing for his family. Shame nearly eats him alive, and he constantly feels worthless. Thankfully, Jamie helps him before it’s too late. He’s not worthless; he’s truehearted.
9Black Jack Randall
Jack Randall, a.k.a. Black Jack Randall, is one of the most vicious villains in Outlander. We know what he’s about after he attacks Claire in her first moments in 1743. He’s the reason why Claire has to marry Jamie and why Jamie has those horrible scars on his back.
It’s chilling when he tells Claire how he feels about flogging Jamie. He called it a masterpiece. For a minute, he seems to want to repent, but he’s lying. As the show progresses, he becomes more of a soulless monster. Jamie puts it perfectly; Randall likes to play with his toys. Thankfully, Jamie kills him at the Battle of Culloden.
8Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser
Murtagh is one of the most loyal characters in Outlander. He’s Jamie’s godfather and companion, but he’s more like Jamie’s father and right-hand man. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time and is instrumental in getting Jamie back in Season 1. Murtagh is there at every turn, especially when Claire and Jamie forge a life on the American frontier.
There are many layers to Murtagh. He doesn’t show his softer side very often, but it’s reflected in his loyalty. He’s a fierce protector and dies like a warrior on the battlefield at the Battle of Alamance.
7Dougal MacKenzie
Dougal MacKenzie gave fans whiplash with how quickly he could switch his humanity on and off. One minute he’s making honorable decisions for the well-being of the clan. In the next, he’s brutal or acting in his own interests or the interests of his many hidden agendas. He always seems to have an ulterior motive in every instance.
Dougal was also a tragic character. He wants to be his brother, a laird in a castle but loves living on the road. He wants a romantic relationship, but things never work out. Dougal loves Scotland more than anything else and is willing to restore it to its original glory no matter what. He dies trying.
6Frank Randall
At Outlander‘s beginning, everything is taken from Frank. He spends months looking for Claire, who seemingly vanished into thin air. After some robbers hoodwink him, he decides to leave Scotland and give up his search. When Claire returns, Frank tries to give her and Brianna a happy life, but Claire never gets over Jamie.
5Brianna Randall Fraser
Thanks to Claire and Frank, Brianna has a stable upbringing. Eventually, things get complicated when her mother tells her that her father is an 18th-century Highland warrior. She encourages her mother to return to Jamie, but after seeing a news clipping about their death, Brianna decides to go through the stones at Craigh na Dun with Roger right behind her.
Life is rough for Brianna in her first moments in the 1700s. She has a temper, like her parents, but she has a caring streak, just like her mother. Many fans think she’s annoying, but she’s gutsy, confident, and headstrong, some of her father’s strongest traits. She continues to prove herself.
4Ian Fraser Murray
The stubborn Fraser trait lives in young Ian as he haggles with Jamie to take him to the New World. He has one of the greatest character arcs in Outlander. He started as a floundering boy and has turned into a responsible and loyal man.
3Roger Wakefield
Roger is one of the most honorable characters in Outlander. His life changes forever when Claire and Brianna arrive at his doorstep, asking about the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He eventually realizes he’s a time traveler like them and falls in love with Brianna. However, his first months in the 1700s could be better. He’s sold to Ian and Jamie, who think he assaulted Brianna.
Roger has many layers to him, and that could be because he’s a direct descendant of Dougal. In the beginning, he’s good-natured and sweet but soon turns erratic and is hesitant to return to Brianna after learning about her assault. Sometimes, he’s as unpredictable as Dougal and has the same internal battles with morality. However, he’s a family man more than anything else.
2Jamie Fraser
Jamie Fraser isn’t like his fellow Highlander warriors. In the beginning, he’s sweet and protective toward Claire, but there’s a rougher side to him. He’s been through a lot, being flogged twice by Black Jack. However, Jamie grows as a man when he marries Claire and becomes a laird, even if he’s still a fugitive. Jamie also grows to be a great problem solver and negotiator, which helps when he and Claire found Fraser’s Ridge.
Jamie has a stable moral compass but will do anything to protect Claire and his family. Like Murtagh and Roger, he’s honorable and fair. It’s safe to say that he is the only reason Claire stayed in the 1700s. His temperament had to have helped.
1Claire Fraser
Claire is more than just Outlander‘s protagonist. She’s the series’ guiding light. The maternal, caring figure everyone craves to be around. She’s clever, cunning, and smart, even if some of her plans don’t always work. Even in another time, she’s strong and confident. Her experiences as a wartime nurse gave her the skills to survive the rough Highlands.
