14 of the most tragic characters on Outlander

With six full seasons, the first half of Outlander Season 7, and the eighth and final season on the way, there's lots and lots of characters introduced on Outlander other than just the main ones. Some are fortunate and have great luck, while others not so much. This is Outlander after all!

Now, hear me out. Just because some of the characters I included below are indeed some of the hated ones, that doesn't make them any less tragic. Their circumstances and luck just don't align. Ready to find out who's on our list? Read on below for the 14 most tragic characters on Outlander.

Frank Randall

I know us Outlander fans have very mixed feelings about Frank. Either you like him, you hate him, or it's a combination of the two. He wasn't perfect, but his circumstances didn't always help either. Imagine one day you're on a second honeymoon with you wife, she suddenly disappears, and then she returns in love with another man and pregnant with his baby. It's a lot for one person to take in. Though I think what makes Frank the most tragic is that during those 20 years together with Claire, he could never earn back her love the same way ever again. Even as the two grew spiteful and distant, he had hope that one day she might "retun" to him in a way. But, we all know that was never going to happen. And he knew it too. When Frank was finally ready to move on and go away with Sandy (though he wasn't right for wanting to take Bree away from Claire!), he died in a car accident.

Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser

Murtagh is such a likable character, and I miss him all the time. This poor Highlander never had the best of luck when it came to romance. He was in love with Jamie's mother, Ellen. But her heart was with his father, Brian. Still, that didn't stop Murtagh from loving her from afar, and in turn his godson. He stuck by and protected Jamie for years, and he's such a wonderful character for that. It's so sad that after he finally found love with Jocasta (funnily enough Ellen's sister), the couple's story was doomed from the start. He wasn't going to back down from being the leader of the Regulators, and she couldn't be with someone who was unstable at this point in her life. Ultimately, Murtagh met his heartbreaking end.

Colum MacKenzie

Colum was such a great laird of Clan MacKenzie. Though he couldn't fulfill the physical duties of his role, he was very smart and level-headed, two important attributes needed as leader of the clan. Hi His story is a tragic one in that he knew because of his degenerative disease, he couldn't do certain things like father his own child or go out and fight battles as war chieftain. Everyday, he had to suffer with the pain he was going through. In season 2, it all comes to a head for Colum and he just can't take it. So he asks Claire to give him something that will allow him to pass peacefully. Colum had so much more potential, and it was due to circumstances that he went through what he did.

Laoghaire MacKenzie

Oh, Laoghaire. The one Outlander character we all love to hate. Since she was a young teen, this girl was just trouble. All her life, she continues to wallow in her spite and hatefulness, and that's tragic in its own way. She has two wonderful girls - Marsali and Joan. And while we can't deny she's a good mother, she could have just accepted her fate and focused on her daughters. But, no. Even when she couldn't have Jamie close due to some of the abuse she went through with her former husbands, she still felt like she "owned' Jamie and held a grudge against Claire 20 years later. She barges in like a mad woman when Claire returns to Lallybroch, then shoots Jamie. Like honestly girl. Get a life.

Lord John Grey

A lot of the characters on this list are tragic due to the unrequited love they experience, but no one is as heartbreaking as Lord John Grey. His feelings for Jamie are so strong, there's no hiding it every time the Highlander is even mentioned, let alone they're speaking together. And yet, he still remains loyal to our favorite Fraser. It's so tragic that Lord John is never going to be able to move on from Jamie. And that also means he's never going to have Jamie's love in that way. That place is of course already taken by our favorite Sassenach. Anytime he's on my screen, my heart aches for Lord John and he does deserve love. I hope he gets that with someone before the story wraps up in Outlander Season 8.

Mary Hawkins

Since the moment we're introduced to her, Mary is very meek and shy. Though she does show some inner strength later as the Paris storyline goes on. This poor girl gets assaulted, but Alex Randall still stands by her side. They love each other too much. Her solider gets very sick, and ultimately passes away. She loses the man she loves, and has to marry Black Jack instead. The one good thing about the Battle of Culloden not being too far at this point in the story is that she didn't have to spend a long time married to Black Jack. That's a fate I wouldn't wish upon anyone. She does have a piece of Alex with her as she's pregnant. But this poor girl doesn't get the happy ending she deserves.

Greg Edgars

Greg Edgars fell for the wrong girl. He did absolutely nothing wrong. Though he was a brief side character in the final episode of Season 2, he stands out to me. Greg was Geillis' husband in 1968, where she goes by Gillian Edgars. She ends up sacrificing him to go through the Stones and travel back in time to what we ultimately see when she meets Claire in Season 1. Geillis believed you had to kill someone to travel back in time, but that's not the case. But by the time Claire, Bree, and Roger put the pieces together, it's too late. He's already gone and Geillis has made her way through the Stones. RIP Greg Edgars.

Young Ian

Young Ian goes through a lot and has to grow up quickly when Claire and Jamie are forced to leave him with the Mohawk. He's separated from his family and has to live a life with strangers. But, the Mohawk eventually accept him and they become his family too in a way. That's obvious when he marries Wakyo'teyehsnonhsa (Emily). The two struggle a lot though, suffering multiple miscarriages. And because of this, Ian loses his wife as he's sent away. This causes him to harden and he's definitely not the same boy we first meet in season 3. He's grown and become a man. But now with the lovely Rachel Hunter in the picture, perhaps there's room for love to grow again in his life?

Geneva Dunsany

Alright, here me out. Geneva is considered to be one of the toxic women on Outlander, but she really doesn't have the happiest story. She was wrong in coercing Jamie to sleep with her. Though for a girl who was only 17 at the time of having to get married to a man as old as her grandfather, she wanted to take control of something in her life. It was very wrong, but I think we can understand her reasons on some level. When she falls pregnant, and it's actually Jamie's baby, she dies after childbirth. Of course, we all know it's the strong and handsome William Ransom! I wouldn't trade in the lovely father-son relationship between William and Lord John, but it is tragic that Geneva died at the age of 18 and wasn't able to raise her son and died so young.

Father Fogden

Father Fogden is a funny character, and brought a bit of an amusing tone to the story where we were all stressed about Jamie and Claire being separated. Again. The priest had fallen in love with a married woman, Ermenegilda. The two run away together and live happily for a couple of years before she dies. This guy kind of loses his mind, being isolated on the island by himself other than his mother-in-law. Aka Mamacita. He spends his days consulting with Coco the coconut. And while it made for some comedy, it's also really sad. He was in higher spirits after Claire and Jamie left. But that doesn't mean my heart doesn't go out to him and his circumstances.

Elias Pound

When there's a breakout of typhoid fever on a British ship, the soldiers take Claire so she can help treat as many men as she can. On the ship she meets precious 14-year-old Elias Pound. He's been on ships since he was seven years old, having lost his mother when he was a child. Unfortunately, he's not spared from the typhoid fever and he passes away. Sometimes, the side characters that are introduced aren't ones I'm very invested in. But Elias was different.

Father Alexandre Ferigault

Father Alexandre finds his way to the Mohawk village where he's been a prisoner. He ended up falling in love with one of the women there, and the two had a child. But he refuses to baptize the child, which leads to the Chief becoming angry and offended. And so, he is tortured and imprisoned by the Mohawk. He wouldn't let go of his certain religious beliefs, and that choice cost him not only his life but the life of the woman who was in lvoe with him. Ultimately, he never changes his mind about baptizing his child, and he's burned alive. The Mohawk woman, seeing this happen to the man she loves, also throws herself into the flames. It was honestly quite shocking the first time I watched this scene.

Ulysses

For years and years, Ulysses worked for Jocasta and was completely committed to her. So much so, it leads to him being sent away. One day when Jocasta is drawing up legal paperwork to divide up money gifts to her family, Gerald Forbes snaps and believes he's entitled to more money from her. Ulysses barges in and breaks his neck. The greedy slime ball got what he deserved, but Ulysses knew he couldn't stay. Even if he was protecting Jocasta, he would still be punished for killing a white man. It turns out he had papers that could have freed him for years, but he chose to stay with Jocasta since he was in love with her. Well, it's clear his love was never meant to be because of their stations, and he had to watch her and Murtagh be together. Poor Ulysses. Hopefully he's now living a better life as a free man. But we just don't know what exactly happened ot him after leaving River Run.

All seven seasons of Outlander are streaming on Starz.