Jamie Fraser holds a special place in the hearts of Outlander fans. The Scotsman accrued a huge fanbase after he seemed to be the only member of Clan MacKenzie that treated Claire with the dignity and respect she deserved. He also earned the respect of fans for his selfless and altruistic ways.
Do fans consider him to be the perfect man? Of course not. Despite Jamie being one of the most popular characters doesn't mean he hasn't got his faults. Don't believe it? Keep reading to discover the 10 worst things Jamie has done, ranked.
Refusing To Give Fergus And Marsali His Blessing
One of the worst things Jamie ever did was refusing to give Fergus and Marsali his blessing. In "The Doldrums," Jamie and Claire were surprised to learn Marsali and Fergus were in a relationship. When they ask for Jamie's blessing, he refuses to give it to them as he doesn't believe their romance is genuine.
In the next episode, Jamie demeans their relationship again after Fergus refuses to partake in a mutiny after Claire is kidnapped. Knowing the idea would result in Jamie's death, Fergus refused to put them all in danger when Jamie didn't have a rational plan. Not liking that he was being questioned, Jamie told Fergus he would never get his blessing as their romance was nothing like his and Claire's. A bit harsh, really.
Leading Laoghaire On
Afraid to say it, but Jamie wasn't exactly the honorable gentleman in the early stages of the show. Back in Season 1, Jamie and Laoghaire seemed to have an ongoing flirtation with each other, with Claire once spotting the Scotsman and maiden kissing in an alcove ("The Way Out").
After Jamie returned from collecting rents, Laoghaire was devastated to find out that he had married Claire. Jamie had called off their relationship after this but eventually went on to marry Laoghaire after Claire returned to the twentieth-century. However, this didn't last as Jamie left her for Claire again, making Laoghaire a laughingstock in the eyes of the community. It wasn't fair to be messing with her feelings.
Letting Ian & Jenny Become Responsible For His Debts
One aspect of the series that many fans have noticed is how Jamie takes Ian and Jenny for granted. In "Lallybroch," Jamie made his return to the family home, where he had not been since his arrest. Instead of thanking Jenny and Ian for taking care of the home, he gets into an argument with his sister about the incident with Jack Randall.
In "Down the Rabbit Hole," the viewers got to see how Jenny and Ian were also responsible for the dowry Laoghaire earned after the Scotsman disappeared on her to start a life in America. He's lucky that Ian and Jenny would bail him out, especially when they had their own responsibilities to deal with.
Releasing Murtagh From His Oath
In the recent episode ("The Fiery Cross"), fans were heartbroken to watch as Jamie and Murtagh ended their friendship after Governor Tryon called for him to join the fight against the Regulators. Fans may recall that Jamie agreed to join Tryon's service after the Englishman offered him land to expand upon Fraser's Ridge.
This wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that Murtagh was the leader of the Regulators. With Tryon ordering Murtagh's death, Jamie releases his godfather from the vow to protect him and tells him to be "hard to find." The gesture also implies that Jamie would kill him if they met again. It's sad that he is even contemplating this.
Pressuring Roger & Fergus To Swear Fealty To Him
One of the most conniving things Jamie has done is pressuring Fergus and Roger into pledging their fealty to him. In "The Fiery Cross," Jamie is told he has a week to sort out his final arrangements before he joins Governor Tryon's search for the Regulators' leader. As a result, Jamie has to ensure the men of the Ridge are loyal to him.
Despite he and Claire discussing the fact that the historian wasn't ready for this responsibility, Jamie calls for Roger to pledge and names him as one of his Captains. He then pressures Fergus, who is caught off guard as the Frenchman had already refused to join the cause. Jamie knew they couldn't refuse him in public because they would be deemed cowards otherwise. It's a very sly plan indeed.
Keeping The News Of Bonnet's Survival
In "The Fiery Cross," Brianna and Jamie were caught off guard when Lord John announced that Stephen Bonnet had survived the explosion at the prison in "Providence" and escaped. While Jamie was unaware that Brianna had overheard the two friends talking, he chose to keep this information to himself and let the celebrations continue.
However, the next day, Jamie still hadn't revealed to Claire, Roger, or Brianna that Bonnet had been spotted. Considering the fury he felt when Claire hid the identity of Brianna's attacker, he should have told them so they weren't surprised if he did reappear. He also should have told Claire so that Brianna wouldn't be suffering in silence.
Beating Claire For Disobeying Him
In Season 1, Jamie had been portrayed as an honorable and kind gentleman. However, this reputation was tarnished a bit when he beat Claire for being disobedient. In "The Reckoning," Jamie and Claire's relationship was strained after the Scotsman was forced to beat her after she ran away from him and was captured by Jack Randall.
Although Claire apologizes for putting the Clan at risk, it's not enough to earn their forgiveness, which forces Jamie's hand. The viewers then watched as Jamie beats Claire with a belt, to the amusement of the other men. Even though Jamie later apologizes for his actions, it still made fans uncomfortable to know that the supposed hero could exhibit such primitive behavior.
Accusing Brianna Of Lying About Her Assault
Jamie fans couldn't help but scream at their televisions when the Scotsman accused Brianna of lying about her assault. In "The Deep Core's Heart," Jamie and Brianna's relationship became strained after the former Harvard student found out that Jamie had sold Roger to the Mohawks after mistaking him for Brianna's attacker.
When Brianna confronts her father over his actions, Jamie becomes angry and accuses her of lying about her assault because she has now found herself pregnant. As expected, Brianna doesn't take the accusations lightly and slaps her father. Out of all the things Jamie could have said, this has to be the worst thing he could have ever contemplated.
Beating Roger To Near-Death
Another event the fans couldn't condone Jamie for was how he beat Roger to near death and sold him to the Mohawks. In "The Birds & The Bees," Jamie violently attacked Roger after he believed that he was the man who attacked Brianna. He and Ian then sold Roger off to the Mohawks and didn't tell anyone else about it.
As fans know, Jamie is one of the most irrational and stubborn characters you would ever meet. He is a man of action who only thinks of the consequences afterward. However, Jamie should have dealt with this situation differently as he jumped to conclusions instead of asking Brianna herself if Roger was the perpetrator. As a result, a lot of people got hurt.
Betraying Clan MacKenzie
The worst thing Jamie did was betraying Clan MacKenzie and their cause. For the first two seasons, the writers had been building up to the Battle of Culloden, where Jamie and Claire had been working to change the future. However, their plans were exposed in "Dragonfly in Amber" when Dougal overheard the couple conspiring to kill Bonnie Prince Charles.
This leads to the War Chieftan and the young Fraser fighting. After Claire and Jamie kill Dougal, the Scotsman then has to face the repercussions of this as Rupert walks in afterward. It was now a lose-lose situation for Jamie because if the Jacobites won, they would have him executed for killing their War Chieftan, and his family would have been disgraced.