Outlander: Why does Captain Black Jack hate Jamie Fraser? Backstory explained

OUTLANDER won’t be back on screens until 2020, prompting some fans to revisit past seasons. One question which comes up is why Black Jack hated Jamie Fraser so much and how their rivalry started.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Outlander

Jamie and Black Jack became sworn enemies when the Redcoat and a group of his men showed up at Lallybroch demanding supplies.

They were met with resistance, leading Jamie to be beaten and Black Jack threatening to rape his sister Jenny (Laura Donnelly).

Jamie struggled to stop the assault from taking place. Luckily, Jenny was never violated by the evil English solider when he failed to become sexually aroused, leading her to laugh at him.

As punishment, Black Jack knocked out Jenny and left the estate with his men.

Jamie was subsequently taken to Fort William for his defiance but he managed to escape.

Sadly, Jamie was later caught and flogged for trying to evade the authorities but things only got worse after Black Jack ordered he be lashed a hundred more times for theft.

Jamie’s father died from the distress of watching his son being beaten so brutally for a second time. At one point, Jamie appeared to have been killed by the second flogging, causing his father die of shock.

Following the tragedy, Jamie’s friends helped him to escape to France but not before was killed in the process.

Jamie fled to France where he lived for two years before coming home to Scotland.

All of this takes place before the events of Outlander but during the series, Jamie and Black Jack have numerous encounters in which the Highlander seems to fare better.

However, the relationship between the two men is a complex one with Black Jack obsessed with Jamie but just why is never made clear.

There could be a number of reasons, one could be Jamie’s ability to outwit Black Jack and repeatedly defy him without fear and the other could be the captain’s sexual attraction to him.

In season one of the Starz series, Black Jack tortures and rapes an imprisoned Jamie and even uses a perfume to make the Scotsman believe his wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is with him as part of his psychological mind games.

Speaking about filming the harrowing scenes, star Menzies told Entertainment Weekly in 2016: “It was about trying to get the tone right. I was keen for it to be as psychological as possible. I just didn’t want it to feel sensational.

“If you’re going to have Jack rape Jamie, you have to really earn that, really get to a place where that scene is within the realm of the story.

“Sam and I didn’t talk a lot [while shooting those scenes]. We would sort of kept to ourselves between shots. But again, one of the good things is how we had been working together for a year so we had a fair amount of trust.”

Heughan explained: “It’s not about rape. It’s not about the act at all. It’s about two men battling their wills to beat each other.

“Obviously Claire is involved in this so it’s about honor. It’s about a man’s word and this battle that’s been going on between these two characters ever since day one when Black Jack Randall started this never-ending battle. It’s kind of epic and it continues throughout season two.”

Reflecting on how Black Jack feels about Jamie, Menzies said: “I don’t think Jack hates Jamie. I think he is stimulated by him. He’s intrigued by him.

“In some way Jamie represents everything that Jack isn’t, and you both love and want to destroy the thing that you can’t be. He’s drawn to this person.

“Jack is someone who is interested in pain and people’s pain thresholds. He’s sort of clinical in his atomization of Jamie.

“But that’s almost what makes it more chilling, because this doesn’t come out of rage or anger or resentment or revenge. It’s none of those things. It’s calm. It’s precise. And that felt truer to some sort of sadistic quality.”

Black Jack eventually meets his end on the field at the Battle of Culloden with Jamie aptly delivering the final blow.