The epic fantasy Outlander has won hearts with its terrific performances, profoundly romantic premise, and fascinating characters.
The Starz drama, led by actors Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, is gearing up for its sixth season as it follows the time traveler Claire Fraser's intriguing exploits in the 18th century. Aside from the core cast, the series has had a range of interesting supporting characters some of whom fans have loved, and some they have loathed.
Loved: Marsali
Fans loved the spunky Marsali who married fan-favorite Fergus and went on to become Claire's apprentice in time.
Marsali was smart, intelligent and one of the strongest female characters in the series. She was sensible with a mind of her own and inevitably one of the most beloved supporting characters that fans would love to see more of.
Hated: Laoghaire
As much as fans loved Marsali, they hated her mother Laoghaire. The latter first appeared in the first seasons as a petulant young woman who was under the flawed impression that Jamie loved her. She was also the one to send Claire to her witch trial which the latter managed to escape by the skin of her teeth.
Laoghaire later became Jamie's wife but despite her life of hardship, her inherent meanness and spite made her one of the worst and most hated supporting roles in Outlander.
Loved: Raymond
The spirited Master Raymond saved Claire almost miraculously in season 2 when the latter was on the brink of death after her miscarriage.
The French apothecary might have dabbled with the dark arts, and even been responsible for sending another character, the Comte St. Germain, to his death, but fans could never feel anything but love for him.
Hated: The Comte St. Germain
Speaking of the Comte St. Germain, he was one of those despicable people who thought nothing of human life and could go to any length to get what they wanted.
The Comte might have had a slightly debatable ending but he had previously tried to kill Claire, first by poisoning her and then by attempting to have her murdered by a gang of criminals in cahoots with the Duke of Sandringham. He was by far one of the most hateful characters in the show's season 2.
Loved: Lord John Grey
Lord John Grey was an instant fan favorite. Lord Grey is subtle, one of the few queer characters on the show, sensible and adorable.
Lord Grey represents a force of infinite trust and positivity, in spite of working for the British government which always ends up being at loggerheads with Jamie and Claire's interests. Lord Grey is definitely someone the fans love.
Hated: Duke of Sandringham
Someone the fans have really hated is the shifty Duke of Sandringham, the quintessentially slippery customer, who appeared in a supporting role in seasons 1 and 2.
The Duke was self-centered and although he did appear conflicted at times, leading fans to wonder if he was really not so bad after all, he eventually always looked out for his own interests. He even revealed himself to be the one who was responsible for Mary Hawkins' rape, having actually planned to get Claire assaulted. No character, perhaps not even the Comte, was as despicable, for at least the latter was more honest about his villainous nature.
Loved: Fergus
Fergus Fraser first appeared as a pickpocket at a Parisian brothel in season 2. Young Fergus was plucky, loyal to a fault, and a strong lad who had survived sexual abuse and torture by the redcoats.
Fergus is instantly lovable and would have done better with some more screentime. But screentime or not, both actors Romann Berrux and Césare Domboy, who played the young and adult Fergus respectively, have been fan favorites.
Hated: Roger McKenzie
Roger Mckenzie is a conflicted character. He started out as an adorably goofy professor who had a massive crush on Brianna Randall. But his relationship with Brianna turned toxic pretty soon, and fans didn't really enjoy the dose of chauvinism he administered from time to time.
Roger is a sharp young man but his disagreeable nature gets in the way of fans liking him completely. They might not positively hate him, for Brianna's sake, but he is not a sweetheart either.
Loved: Murtagh
Murtagh Fitzgibbons is undoubtedly a beloved supporting character in the Outlander universe. He is Jamie's godfather, and a loyal friend and ally.
He might be grumpy and stubborn at times but Murtagh is someone fans couldn't get enough of. His death in season 5 is one of the most heartrending moments in the series, especially since actor Duncan Lacroix left such a lasting legacy as the adorable Murtagh Fraser Fitzgibbons.
Hated: Black Jack Randall
Most definitely Jonathan Randall is the most hateful of all the supporting characters in the series. He is a sadist, with a complete lack of empathy or humanity, although he has been shown to care for his younger brother Alex Randall, the only time he was shown in a relatively less obnoxious light.
Randall might be inhuman but he is fascinating nonetheless, making him difficult to dispense with. Actor Tobias Menzies had done a tremendous job as the terrifying Black Jack Randall, provoking a kind of revulsion that generates both hatred and intrigue at the same time.