Voyager

James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser was born in 1721 and raised to be the future Laird of his family’s estate at Lallybroch. He is Claire’s second husband and also goes by the names Jamie MacTavish, The Dunbonnet, Red Jamie, Mac Dubh, Alex MacKenzie, Alexander Malcolm, Jamie Roy, Captain Alessandro, and Etienne Alexandre throughout the Outlander series. From a young age, Jamie has had a bounty on his head for his attempts to protect his family. He was sentenced to be whipped by his nemesis, Jack Randall, and had to conceal his identity for decades. Before meeting Claire, he had hidden in France and different parts of Scotland before falling in with his mother’s clan, the MacKenzies. He was attracted to Claire long before their arranged marriage and remained faithful to her for years after her return to the future.

During the Jacobite uprising, Jamie was imprisoned and tortured by Jack Randall and had to be saved by Claire and his kinsmen. He was torn when he learned what was to happen at the Battle of Culloden but ultimately decided it was best to save as many of his friends and neighbors as possible, even if it involved sabotaging the Jacobite cause and even murdering his uncle. When he knew there was no chance of stopping the defeat at Culloden, Jamie knew that Claire had to return to the future with their child. With Claire gone, he was determined to die in battle.

After surviving Culloden and barely escaping, Jamie hid in a cave near Lallybroch for years, knowing the British were still after him. He and his sister Jenny helped to provide for the tenants of Lallybroch who were affected by loss in the uprising, and Jamie had one of these men turn him in for the reward money. After years at Ardsmuir prison, Jamie became the groom for a wealthy English family, the daughter of which extorted Jamie into a sexual relationship. The women had his child, but died shortly after. Though Jamie cared greatly for his son, Willie, he knew it would be best if he returned to Scotland so the boy’s parentage wouldn’t be known. Several lonely years after returning to Scotland, Jenny persuaded Jamie to marry Laoghaire, a widow with two daughters. The marriage was loveless, and Jamie went to Edinburgh to escape it and get a job that would help provide for his family.

Like Claire, Jamie is characterized by his stubborn character and his protection of those he cares about, but also by his strength, convictions, and leadership. When Claire finds Jamie in Edinburgh 20 years later, his circumstances have changed, but at his core, he is still the same: rebellious, justice-oriented, protective, and loyal.

Brianna Randall is the daughter of Claire and Jamie, though Claire and Frank raised her. Brianna believed Frank to be her father until she learned about Jamie at age 19. Born in Boston, Bree’s parents often shielded her from their experiences in Britain, especially Claire’s adventures time-traveling. Like her parents, Bree is stubborn and headstrong but also caring and willing to sacrifice for those she loves. Though she didn’t believe Claire’s stories of the past at first, Brianna eventually encourages Claire to return to Jamie, knowing how much her mother sacrificed for her.

Claire and Frank met Roger Wakefield as a young boy on their 1945 trip to Inverness. Frank was a friend of Roger’s adoptive father, who was also a historian. Roger is also a descendant of the MacKenzies, a clan Claire and Jamie spent much time with in the 1740s. Roger not only takes a historical interest in Claire and Brianna but also feels a friendly connection to Claire and a romantic attraction to Brianna. They work together to track Jamie through history and send Claire back to the past. Though they both appear in the first part of Voyager, Roger and Bree play a more important role in Dragonfly in Amber and later novels, where their own love story expands.

Lord John William Grey is the descendant of a prominent English family and the brother of an army captain during the Battle of Culloden. Shortly before the battle, he spotted the infamous “Red Jamie” and tried to hunt him down but was captured by Jamie’s men. When John saw there was an Englishwoman among the Highlanders, he assumed she had been kidnapped and gave away secret information about the British to bargain for her life. John was shocked that Jamie let him live, though he came back to his troop embarrassed and degraded. John had fallen in love with a man named Hector, who died in battle at Culloden, and always wondered if Jamie killed him. When John was sent to be warden of the remote Ardsmuir Prison due to his conduct with Hector, John had conflicting feelings about Jamie. As the two became friends, John’s desire for revenge against Jamie transformed into attraction. Several times throughout the novel, John helps Jamie to escape trouble. Though Jamie tries to offer his body to John in return for his help, knowing John has feelings for him, John refuses, knowing Jamie offers only out of a sense of debt. John Grey is an important recurring character throughout the Outlander series whose path often crosses with Claire and Jamie. He is also the protagonist of several other novels and novellas in the broader world of Outlander.