Outlander season 4 character questions: Murtagh Fraser

Will Murtagh return during Outlander season 4? There are many questions we are going to ask in the coming weeks in CarterMatt’s new Sunday series: Outlander character questions. Every week we’ll take a look at a significant person within the show’s cast and examine where they could be going as the story presses on. We’re going to stay relatively light on the book spoilers unless it’s something that is fairly common-knowledge; this is more about fun speculation from someone who hasn’t read the books.

One of the fun things about starting off with Murtagh is that he’s on a level playing field for readers and non-readers alike. Nobody knows what’s happened to this man. In the books he died at Culloden; yet, he lives somewhere within the TV show world. It’s one of the most significant departures from the source material to date. You have to imagine that the moment it was decided to keep Murtagh alive there was a larger plan in place. Maybe it’s for Outlander season 4, or maybe he pulls a Morgan from The Walking Dead and is gone for years before suddenly resurfacing.

The easiest way for Outlander to write Duncan Lacroix back into the show is to have Murtagh already settled in America — possibly at Fraser’s Ridge, which is where Jamie and Claire are currently heading. It’s basically family for him and a chance for a fresh start after being involved in so much chaos and imprisonment back in Scotland. He could serve as a conduit between Jamie’s upbringing and his present situation, and a way to help keep the New World from feeling as foreign as it will. It’s a similar role to what Lord John Grey played on Jamaica. He was a familiar face who proved to be quite an asset; while we hardly fathom that Murtagh will be Governor of some specific place he doesn’t need to be. He needs only to serve as a friend and ally – Maybe he could be a battle companion?

As for another possible scenario Murtagh could be back in Scotland where he serves as a protector for someone else who makes it back. Take, for example, someone like Brianna, who could travel back to the past and encounter Murtagh along the way. Maybe he senses her resemblance to Jamie and could work to reunite father with daughter. We could also envision a scenario where Jamie just by happenstance learns that Murtagh is alive back in Scotland and finds a way to correspond with him. As a result of that, Murtagh eventually arrives in America and Jamie and Claire welcome him to their new abode.

There’s a common thread here that we clearly want: Jamie and Claire reuniting with Murtagh in America. Family is one of Outlander‘s greatest themes and family can mean many things to many people. It doesn’t have to just be siblings, spouses, or parents. Murtagh is family to Jamie and Claire and the most acceptable way to bring him back is to reunite these three once again. How it happens is a part of the fun.

Will Murtagh return next season?

Let us know your thoughts on how you want to see it happen! Also, be sure to check out more Outlander odds and ends from yesterday! That’s where we have news both on what’s happening with some producers and former recurring guest stars.

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