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Just as we come to like a character, he’s taken from us. What happened to Walter Woodcock in the Outlander books.

We no sooner get to like a character and then he’s taken from us. We met Walter Woodcock at Fort Ticonderoga in Outlander Season 7, Episode 5. Claire had to leave him behind in the escape from the fort, and he’s in the pig pen with the other prisoners when she is captured by the British in Episode 6.

Claire does everything she can for him, but there is no saving Walter Woodcock. He dies of a pulmonary embolism during the episode. Is this what happens in the books? What does become of Walter?

Walter is MIA in the Outlander books

Claire doesn’t come across Walter again after amputating his leg. He doesn’t have to face the pulmonary embolism in the show. We’re left to believe that there is a chance the British looked after him and he was able to recover. However, Claire also notes in her thoughts that he will have likely died.

She never gets any official confirmation, though. When she ends up meeting his wife, Mercy, she can’t give the woman any news. Mercy is classed as married, which makes her relationship with Henry Grey extremely questionable. There are already issues due to her race and the side of the war she is on compared to the Grey family.

Why would the show change so much? This is likely to bring closure to Walter’s fate instead of leaving it hanging. Honestly, sometimes, Diana Gabaldon leaves a few too many things in question and it can get annoying. Plus, it’s difficult to like Mercy when she’s pining over Henry Grey while her husband is still potentially out there.

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What did you think of the change to Walter’s storyline in Outlander? What do you hope to see in the coming episodes? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander* airs on Fridays on STARZ in the U.S. and on Sundays on W Network in Canada.