Stephen Bonnet: 5 Things To Know About The New ‘Outlander’ Character

Courtesy of Starz

Stephen Bonnet will be making his big debut in ‘Outlander’ season 4. Before the season gets underway, here’s what you need to know about the infamous character.

Outlander season 4 will feature the additions of two new characters from Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series: Stephen Bonnet and Aunt Jocasta. Ed Speleers, 30, and Maria Doyle Kennedy, 54, will be playing the characters. Stephen Bonnet is one of the most important characters within the Outlander universe, so get ready to see A LOT of him this season.

Season 4 premieres Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. on Starz. The season will consist of 13 epic episodes. Stephen Bonnet is going to be a major player in season 4, so let’s take a deep dive into this fascinating and often villainous character. WARNING: MINOR BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. Stephen Bonnet is played by a well-known British actor. Ed Speleers, who hails from the United Kingdom, has been cast as Stephen Bonnet. You likely recognize him from Downton Abbey. He played James Kent. He also played the title role of Eragon in the 2006 movie Eragon.

2. Jamie saves Stephen Bonnet. Outlander released a season 4 scene back in Jan. 2018 that “featured” Stephen Bonnet. In the scene, Jamie and Claire encounter Redcoats on their late night journey. One of the soldiers demands to know what’s in their wagon. “Nothing of worth,” Jamie says. Just food and a body. Jamie and Claire say they want to take him to his kinsmen for a proper burial. The person is not actually dead. It’s actually Stephen, who begged Jamie to save him and not let him be killed.

3. Stephen Bonnet becomes another Outlander villain. While he looks like a nice guy, he’s actually a criminal and a rapist. In Drums of Autumn, Stephen rapes Brianna when she and Roger travel back to 1760s America. Later, Brianna discovers that she’s pregnant and doesn’t know for sure whether or not Roger or Stephen is the father of her child. For spoilers sake, we won’t go into what happens in the other books concerning Stephen.

4. The character appears in three Outlander books. Stephen makes his first appearance in Diana Gabaldon’s fourth book in the Outlander series, Drums of Autumn. He also appears in The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

5. He’s loosely based on a real person. Diana has noted that Stephen is a possible descendant of the real-life person, Stede Bonnet, who was an early 18th century pirate that many called “The Gentleman Pirate.”