Outlander viewers are treated to wild plots revolving around both the 18th and 20th centuries. The time-travel element of the series means that the characters experience the best and worst of both eras. The 18th century is repeatedly shown as a more dangerous time to live in because of war, violence and diseases that can't be cured.
With those circumstances, it's no wonder that the Starz drama has racked up a large number of deaths over the years. And while most have taken place in the past, some have happened in the modern era as well. They all have one thing in common: they triggered extreme grief not only among the characters, but also for the audience watching at home.
Dougal MacKenzie kept dancing between heroism and villainy, in part because he was always changing his mind about whether Jamie and Claire ought to be trusted. He flirted with both aiding them or hurting them, but one aspect of his character that remained constant was his love for his country and his people.
Most of Dougal's actions were meant to protect Scotland's interests. That patriotism was why he attempted to kill Claire and Jamie soon after learning of their plan to assassinate Charles in order to prevent the Battle of Culloden. To him, treason had to be punished, and that sense of duty made him one of the best Outlander characters.
Outlander has had a glaring shortage of funny characters, so fans were relieved to chuckle whenever the goofy Angus appeared on the screen. After surviving the tense Battle of Prestonpans, the Highlander seemed like he was destined to stick around for a while. That made it a massive shock when he suddenly collapsed and died.
It turned out that Angus suffered from undiagnosed internal bleeding that had developed from a cannon blast during the battle. His untimely demise was hugely felt around the Highlander camp, particularly by Rupert, since he only learned about it after waking up from his own coma.
The ever-immaculate Frank Randall wasn't a likable character, but the historian's death via car accident felt unfair because he never really caught a break throughout his time on the series. As if being separated from his wife Claire during World War II wasn't bad enough, he lost her to time travel at the Craigh na Dun stones during his honeymoon.
The two could have grown into one of the most adorable Outlander couples, but when Claire returned from the 18th century, she had changed. Frank had to demonstrate patience and acceptance because the new version of her had not only fallen out of love with him but was also pregnant with Jamie's child.
Outlander might be one of the most accurate book-to-TV adaptations, but that doesn't mean there haven't been some creative liberties taken. One of the biggest examples was Murtagh's fate. The TV series avoided killing him off during the Battle of Culloden, as was the case in Diana Gabaldon's novels. Instead, he died much later during the Battle of Alamance, after being shot by one of Jamie's men.
The delay made his death far more heart-wrenching because Murtagh's survival meant that he developed a much stronger bond with Jamie. For viewers, even greater pain came from watching the protagonist refuse to accept what had happened. Burning with desperation, he implored Claire to try and save his friend, but nothing could be done.
It would have been nice for Jamie and Claire to have a larger family, but Faith's death robbed them of the opportunity. Their child came out stillborn soon after Claire was taken to L'Hôpital des Anges after going into early labor.
Claire went into early labor while she was attempting to stop Jamie from fighting Black Jack Randall. If Jamie had been able to stay away from Black Jack, perhaps that tragedy wouldn't have happened. The scene in which Claire and Jamie buried Faith remains among Outlander's most emotional because of the "what ifs" involved.
Arthur Duncan was unlucky enough to be married to one of the best Outlander villains: Geillis Duncan. A black widow and misandrist, Geillis figured that most quandaries could be solved by simply killing her husband.
Geillis' motive for poisoning Arthur was so that she and her new lover Dougal, wouldn't have to hide their relationship. To her, it was an easy solution to a complex problem. However, Arthur's murder made Outlander fans loathe her even more since the man had done nothing to merit being killed.
Alex Randall was a far nicer human being than his brother, Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall. It, therefore, felt unfair for him to suffer the way he did. The character developed tuberculosis and congenital heart failure, but couldn't be treated because no cure had been invented in the 18th century.
In better circumstances, Alex could have had a beautiful life with Mary Hawkins, who was pregnant with his child. Instead, Mary ended up getting married to Black Jack. Therefore, Alex's death wasn't just a tragedy for him, but also terrible for the woman that he loved and their unborn baby.
Greg -- whom Geillis met while she was a member of the Scottish National Party -- was another of her victims. After shifting her focus away from politics and involving herself with the Society of the White Rose, she sacrificed Greg at Graigh na Dun as part of her effort to travel back in time.
What made Greg's death so emotional was the fact that he truly cared about Geillis. He was deeply upset by the state of his marriage and that made him resort to drinking. He should've gotten the help he needed for his addiction, but instead, he was added to the not-so-short list of Outlander deaths.
Outlander fans wouldn't have had much reason to shed a tear over Geneva's demise, since she blackmailed Jamie into getting intimate with her. However, the circumstances of her death made it particularly heartbreaking, even for viewers who hated her character. The series killed her during childbirth.
It was heavily implied that the trauma brought about by her husband's constant yelling contributed to her fate. Throughout Geneva's death scene, Lord Ellesmere couldn't stop barking at her, claiming that the child wasn't his. Jamie was forced to shoot him -- and as a consequence, William grew up without both of his parents.
Outlander's sixth season ended on a shocking note when Claire found the body of Malva Christie. Ever compassionate, Claire attempted to save Malva's baby by performing a posthumous caesarian section. However, this only led to her being found with the other woman's body and accused of her murder.
Like Geneva, Malva wasn't likable since she had wrongfully accused Jamie of being her unborn baby's father. That didn't mean she deserved the brutal manner in which she was murdered. While Outlander has killed off many characters in various ways, Malva's death was particularly violent and emotional for viewers who felt empathy for her, her child and Claire all in the same scene.
