Sumith Prasad
In the seventh season of Starz’s historical series ‘Outlander,’ Jamie Fraser’s son William Ransom joins the British Army to fight against the Rebels in the Revolutionary War. As a courageous young man, William gives his all to the cause he believes in despite the dangers he has to confront because of the same. Even when his superiors ask him to commit to less dangerous assignments, William makes it clear that he is best suited for the battlefield. In the eighth episode of the season, William’s life gets threatened, making the viewers wonder whether he will die in the show. Well, let us share what we know about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does William Die in Outlander?
Ever since joining the British Army, William has confronted several challenges and life-threatening dangers. He gets into an accident while traveling as a messenger with letters, which are intended to be delivered to British spies. The injury he sustains upon the accident makes him severely unwell. However, he gets saved by Young Ian, who helps him after realizing that the young soldier is really the son of his uncle Jamie. He takes William to Denzell and Rachel Hunter, who save and take care of William until he recovers properly. The life-threatening accident doesn’t really stop William from putting his life on the line.
After parting ways with Denzell and Rachel, William rejoins the British Army at Fort Ticonderoga. When one of his superiors asks him to serve the force as an assistant and “mailman” again, he talks to Simon Fraser and explains how he is a good fit to fight on the battlefield. Simon grants William’s wish and the latter takes part in the Battle of Saratoga. In the eighth episode of the seventh season, amid the Second Battle of Saratoga, Jamie’s superior Major General Benedict Arnold asks the former to kill Simon. Since Simon is Jamie’s cousin, the latter intentionally fires off-target, only for the bullet to hit William’s hat. The young soldier narrowly escapes from death while fighting a battle that killed several of his fellow soldiers.
After William’s near-death experience, the viewers cannot be blamed for being concerned about the character’s fate. But William’s life is not in any immediate danger. After the American victory that concludes the Second Battle of Saratoga, the British soldiers accept surrender. The Continental Army orders the surrendered soldiers to not fight in the War again, which means that William doesn’t have to put his life on the line on the battlefield again. Furthermore, William doesn’t die in Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ novels, which serve as the source texts of the series.
Since the show is expected to follow the source novels without drastic deviations, we can expect William to stay alive. If the same books can be considered as references, William’s story arc is far from over. The young soldier’s realization that Jamie is his father is yet to happen in the historical show. Considering the significance of the development, the chances of William getting killed off are little to none. William may learn the truth about his parentage once Jamie and Claire return to America from Scotland individually.
Furthermore, William is an integral part of Young Ian and Rachel’s storyline. The eighth episode of season 7 ends with Arch Bug encountering Rachel. He realizes that Ian loves her deeply, which leads him to try to kill her to exact his vengeance on the killer of his wife in the source novels. When Rachel’s life gets threatened, it is William who comes to her rescue. William eventually kills Bug to protect Rachel, for whom he has romantic feelings. William fights against Ian when the former learns about the latter’s engagement with Rachel as well.
If Gabaldon will not conceive William’s death in the upcoming tenth novel in the ‘Outlander’ book series, it is safe to say that we may not need to worry about William’s fate. He most likely will remain alive but his life is expected to get turned around when he learns the true identity of his father.
Read More: Outlander: Is Major General Benedict Arnold Based on a Real Person?
