Content Warning: This list contains mention of sexual assualt.
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The epic fantasy Outlander is replete with sadistic villains and dark, intriguing characters mostly from 18th century Scotland. As the saying goes, a good drama needs a good hero but an even better villain. And some of Outlander's most infamous villains certainly live by that.
However, while the likes of the godless Jonathan Randall have left a lasting impression on fans' minds, there are other villains and evil characters on the show who have done their best to make life very difficult for Claire and her loved ones. These characters might not be as grand as the more high-profile adversaries but they are antagonists all the same.
Louis XV
King Louis XV was slimy and it was impossible to read his mind which made him all the more dangerous. Louis XV seemed initially appreciative of Claire's beauty and sophistication. But by the end of season 2, although a lot had been changed from the Outlander books, Louis was the one who had Jamie locked up in the Bastille and it was to him that Claire had to practically sell herself to get Jamie out.
Louis also put Claire in a very difficult situation when he insisted that she must punish one or the other between Master Raymond, Claire's friend and savior when she had been severely ill, and the Comte St. Germain. Despite Claire's best efforts to save both, the Comte suffered a terrible fate through Master Raymond's trickery, and while fans didn't necessarily bawl after his death, they did recognize Louis as a villain.
Thomas Leonard
The young acting captain of the ship Porpoise proved a tad deceitful when Claire found out that he intended to hand Jamie over to the authorities for treason.
Leonard had indeed been in dire need of help from Claire, the only person who could treat the typhoid fever raging through the Porpoise. However, he soon found out from the despicable Harry Tompkins that A. Malcolm, which was the name Jamie went by those days, was wanted for treason. He then resolved to keep Claire away from Jamie until they had reached Jamaica where Jamie would be arrested before Claire could warn him. Leonard might have been doing his duty, but for Claire and Jamie, he was a threat.
Richard Brown
The brother of the evil Lionel Brown, Richard Brown was last seen warning Jamie that he would avenge his brother's death when the time came, a veiled threat that sent a chill down fans' spines.
Richard is perhaps the more intelligent between the Brown brothers although that isn't saying much. Along with his brother, he had been against young Isaiah Morton who had professed love to Lionel's daughter, Alicia. But being the more cool headed of the brothers, he had come to an understanding with Jamie so that the Brownsville men would fight against the Regulators as per the Governor's wishes. However, after Lionel was killed by Marsali following the harrowing rape of Claire Fraser, fans know that Richard Brown is yet to show his true colors.
Horrocks
A deserter of the British army, Horrocks was the man whom Jamie depended upon to clear his name when he was being hunted down as Red Jamie. Horrocks apparently knew the name of the person who had actually committed the murder that Jamie had been charged with at Fort William.
Unfortunately, Horrocks' information proved futile since he named the notorious Black Jack Randall as the real murderer, a fact that would never help Jamie as no one would believe his word over BJR's. However, Horrocks did know that Jamie was hiding from the redcoats and thus tried to blackmail him for money. A needless threat and complication, Horrocks had to be eliminated and so he was by Jenny's husband, Ian.
Lord Lovat
As the grandfather of Jamie and Jenny Fraser, Lord Lovat's parenting choices on Outlander were questionable at best. He was a lecherous, selfish old man and there had been no love lost between him and his son, Brian, who was Jamie's father.
Jamie and Claire went to Lovat hoping to persuade him to support the Jacobite cause. But Lovat didn't care for blood relations and proved to be an obnoxious fellow ready to make advances on his grandson's wife. He was also only willing to pick the side that he thought would further his own interests and was keen to take over Lallybroch, whose legal heir was now Jamie.
Gerald Forbes
The sly Gerald Forbes had taken a liking to Brianna when she was in River Run awaiting the return of her parents with Roger McKenzie. Naturally, his advances were thwarted since Brianna agreed to marry the much more suitable Lord Grey in case Roger never returned.
Forbes had apparently never forgotten the snubbing. In season 5 he was shown to be colluding with the monstrous Stephen Bonnet. The two had arrived at some kind of arrangement whereby Bonnet as young Jeremiah's father--Jemmy being the heir to River Run--would take over the opulent estate after Jocasta had somehow been got out of the way. And of course, Forbes would get a handsome commission. When Jocasta started giving away a large portion of her estate's money to various people, Forbes tried to murder her only to be killed himself by the faithful Ulysses.
Geneva Dunsany
One of the most overlooked villains in Outlander was the young lady called Geneva Dunsany whom Jamie met during his life on parole in Hellwater.
Geneva knew that Jamie was a wanted man and was immediately drawn to him. She very subtly threatened to expose him as Red Jamie if he didn't sleep with her - sexual assault by coercion and threat. Of course, this eventually led to the birth of Jamie's son, William, but the fact remained that Jamie had been blackmailed by William's mother. However, this Outlander villain at least could not have had a harsher consequence.
Father Bain
A terrifying, yet low-profile villain was Father Bain in season 1. As the evil, fanatical priest who didn't care as much about human life as he did about power and superstitions, Father Bain became an instant nemesis for Claire with her progressive thinking and rationalism.
At the fateful witch trial, Bain pointed out that Claire had indeed saved a young boy in front of him while he couldn't, thus making him unworthy of serving the parish anymore. But this was nothing but a ploy to set the people of Cranesmuir further against Claire since they immediately turned the thing around on its head noting that Satan was working through Claire to drive a man of god away. The cryptic smile that Father Bain gave to Claire before leaving was all that was needed to confirm in true intentions.
Laoghaire
One of the most hateful Outlander characters, Laoghaire was a small-minded young woman who made it the mission of her life to destroy Claire. Feeling snubbed by Jamie whose affections were clearly directed at Claire, Laoghaire resolved to get her revenge, so much so that she was responsible for Claire ending up in that terrifying witch trial in season 1.
Laoghaire wasn't exactly rotten through and through. She did take care of Brianna when the latter first landed in 18th century Scotland and let her stay on as a guest until she had fully recovered from her sprained ankle. However, the moment she realized who Brianna truly was, Laoghaire was a changed woman. In Claire, Jamie, and Brianna's story, she was definitely a troublemaker.
Dougal McKenzie
Like Laoghaire, Dougal wasn't all bad. He was, after all, loyal to the Scottish land and had always fought as a comrade in arms for his older brother Column. However, he was hot-headed and unpredictable. He never trusted Claire completely and always had an inappropriate thing or two to say.
Dougal was never an out-and-out villain but was always antagonistic in nature. He was a bare-faced liar who told Jamie that his sister Jenny was pregnant with Jonathan Randall's child and he had been present during Jamie's deeply disturbing flogging incident without so much as turning a hair. He also had an eye on the throne of the Laird at Castle Leoch. However, Claire had Dougal to thank for being united with Jamie in the first place, thus making fans ambivalent towards this fascinating character.