The hit STARZ historical fantasy drama Outlander might revolve around the exploits of Claire and her dashing Scottish Highlander husband, Jamie, but the series has had a range of other supporting characters with fascinating personalities.
From the conniving Duke of Sandringham to the manipulative Geillis, Claire has encountered a wide variety of people as she has been engaging in escapades around the world. Let's find out exactly how smart these ten secondary characters who appear, or have appeared, in supporting capacity in the series, are.
Dougal McKenzie
Dougal Mckenzie was a conflicted character from start to finish. He was, after all, the one who took in Claire when she was first brought to the McKenzies by Murtagh. He was also shown to have a good heart every now and then, but at other times, his behavior was absolutely loathsome.
Dougal was a bit of a showoff but he wasn't really half as smart or intelligent as he considered himself. He was a narcissist, and maybe he did have a flash of good sense now and then, but overall, he wasn't really very bright and more like a bull in a china shop.
Murtagh Fitzgibbons
Murtagh wasn't stupid by any standards; in fact, it was his quick-thinking that helped save Jamie from the horrors of Wentworth Prison. But other than that, he wasn't very far-sighted although he had a kind heart.
In season 4, he was shown stirring up trouble against the tax collectors. While his principles were undoubtedly sound, he did not stop to think that rebelling against the Governor could hardly end well. Murtagh was a fine man, and a true friend, but wouldn't necessarily win the top prizes for intelligence.
Jenny Fraser-Murray
Jenny was Jamie's older sister and one of the strongest women in the series. Jenny appears recurringly, for god knows Jamie and Claire spend little time in their ancestral home, but when she does make an appearance, she leaves a lasting impression.
Jenny has not had a proper education, nor has she had the same worldly experiences her brother or husband Ian has had. However, within the confines of her home, and around Lallybroch, she is in complete charge, and brave enough to head out alone with Claire to look for her brother who had been taken by the redcoats. Jenny might not be highly sophisticated but she is certainly intelligent.
Fergus
Fergus was the wily young boy whom Jamie first encountered at a brothel in Paris. He was a pickpocketer who was employed by Jamie to help him retrieve and put back in place letters and documents while keeping in the shadows.
Fergus grows up to be something of an adoptive son to Jamie and Claire. He is sharp, quick-witted, and clever, but with larger, more powerful forces at play in the Outlander universe, young Fergus wouldn't rank very high in intelligence.
The Duke of Sandringham
The duke was one of the most despicable people Claire came across along the way during her many escapades. He was wily and deceitful and played fast and loose with both morals and ethics whenever it suited his purpose.
The duke was a disgusting man but that didn't mean he wasn't intelligent. Although always self-serving, he used his slyness to plot and scheme, making him loathsome, but rather intelligent nonetheless.
Frank Randall
Claire's first husband was a professor of history, first at Oxford and then at Harvard, so it goes without saying that he was quite intelligent in academic matters, at least.
Frank was a highly educated, rational, twentieth-century man. He didn't believe in folklore and magic although he was intrigued by them and respected them. He also had the sense to see that Claire wasn't making everything up when she explained where she had been the entire time she had disappeared. Frank was definitely intelligent although he didn't have enough screen space to prove it.
Brianna Fraser
Claire and Jamie's daughter Brianna was initially not much more than a pretty face but soon became a woman of many parts. She left Harvard to find her passion in studying engineering at MIT, so she was certainly intelligent.
Brianna was at first logical enough to reason that her mother's explanation of her disappearance had to be mere rantings but soon rallied and handled the entire matter of time travel wisely.
Roger Wakefield
Roger Wakefield, the descendant of Dougal Mckenzie and Geillis Duncan several generations over, is an intelligent young man, a bit nerdy in fact, being one of the youngest professors at Oxford University.
He very smartly followed up on the clues and research left by his adoptive father, the Reverand Wakefield, in 18th century Scotland, to find out more about James Fraser. He also did some sleuthing of his own and found out about the potential future of Claire and Jamie in the past.
Geillis Duncan
Geillis Duncan was a supporting character in season 1 and then reappeared as an antagonist in season 4. She was always crafty although she did save Claire from being inevitably burnt at the stake as a witch.
Geillis might have been quite unhinged but she was extremely scheming and manipulative, with very sharp faculties, in spite of a dark, rather morbid sort of intelligence.
Lord John Grey
John Grey was a positive force in Jamie's life, a true friend who even nurtured a deep love for him in his heart, being one of the few gay characters in the series.
Lord Grey was rational, intelligent, and thoughtful. He was a level headed man and although soft-hearted where Jamie was concerned, he was one of the most quick-witted of all the folks in the Outlander universe.