Season five of Outlander is confirmed to be airing in the US in Starz on February 16, 2020 with the episode expected to be available on Amazon Prime in the UK the following day. Since Outlander burst onto screens back in 2014, the show has quickly established itself for having some of the strongest female characters on screen with Claire Fraser (played by Caitriona Balfe) taking the lead as a 20th Century nurse who time travels back 200 years where she falls in love with Highlander Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and embarks on many adventures. Along with Claire, there are several other women in Outlander who deserve to be celebrated for steadfastness in the face of adversity.
5. Jocasta Cameron
Jocasta Cameron (Maria Doyle Kennedy) was only introduced last year but she made quite the impression.
Despite her failing sight and age, Jocasta retains every bit of nous and ingenuity as she continues to live on the estate of Riverrun.
She’s managed to survive on her wits through the Jacobite Rising by moving to the New World and to a degree manipulating Jamie to her own ends.
Although her motives may be self-serving at times, there’s no doubt about Jocasta’s ability to survive and thrive in times when a woman’s worth was less than that of a man.
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4. Brianna Fraser
Brianna Fraser (Sophie Skelton) may grate on some fans but there’s no denying that she is every bit a fighter as her mother.
The fact that she chose to forego a life of luxury in the 20th Century and venture alone through the Stones of Craigh Na Dun to be reunited with her mother takes guts.
She also doesn’t put up with any nonsense after she rejected Roger MacKenzie’s (Richard Rankin) hasty marriage proposal and rightly slapped him when he suggested he wouldn’t sleep with a girl he wanted to marry before getting hitched.
Brianna is also a survivor after her horrific sexual assault at the hands of Stephen Bonnet (Ed Speleers) and her strength at forgiving him.
The character doesn’t take any slights from anyone. To stand up to her father also takes the strength of character and she has that in spades.
She’s still going on a journey and is likely to have further dealings with the pirate, however, she will continue to develop and grow stronger.
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3. Geillis Duncan
Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) is one of the most controversial names on this list, given that she’s a murderer and nearly got Claire killed.
Then again, Geillis showed her intelligence (which she used for nefarious purposes) when she travelled through the Stones to Inverness in an attempt to thwart change history and put Bonny Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) on the throne.
She deserves some recognition for successfully embedding herself in 18th Century Scottish society and plotting to alter the history of an entire nation.
Even after it looked like she would be killed for being a witch, Geillis managed to survive and later turned up in Jamaica which showed her ability to make it against the odds.
READ MORE: Outlander: Will Frank and Jamie meet in series finale?
2. Jenny Fraser Murray
Jamie’s sister Jenny Fraser Murray (Laura Donnelly) is another one who is worthy of praise in Outlander given that she and Claire went out to save her sibling in season one.
Jenny was heavily pregnant at the time but that didn’t stop her from going on a mission.
She’s another one who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and from a young age had to take responsibility after her mother died.
Jenny also made the decision to marry her husband Ian (Steven Cree) after kissing him and telling him they would be tying the knot.
She very much knows her mind and wants the best for her family, including her brother Jamie and Claire.
1. Claire Fraser
Claire comes at the top of the list because she is the main character and narrator of Outlander.
Fans have followed her hardships from the beginning when the World War 2 nurse inexplicably ended up in the 18th Century.
Her intelligence has helped her to succeed throughout it all after she positioned herself as a healer after going back through time and trying to escape back to the Stones several times.
Even when she returns back to the future, Claire is a pioneer and becomes one of the few women to become a doctor in the Sixties during her time.
She’s a trailblazer and continues to show bravery and face whatever comes head-on.
Outlander season 5 will premiere on Starz on February 16
