WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Outlander season 7

Fans of Outlander were left gobsmacked as Master Raymond (portrayed by Dominique Pinon) made a dramatic return to the series in Claire Fraser’s (Caitríona Balfe) hallucinatory visions, after being absent since season two aired in 2016, hinting her presumed dead daughter Faith might be alive.

This enigmatic character has always been surrounded by secrets, with several hints in both the Starz series and the original books by Diana Gabaldon pointing to his true nature. He was first introduced when he ran an apothecary in Paris, which Claire frequented, and it was there he disclosed his familial connection to her, alluding to the potential both she and Geillis Duncan (played by Lotte Verbeek) are time travellers due to their shared lineage.

In the book world of Outlander, Master Raymond is portrayed as an old time traveller who exists across various epochs, even being labelled as “prehistoric”. His connection to other time-travelling individuals is explored further in A Breath of Snow and Ashes, where Wendigo Donner (acted by Brennan Martin) tells Claire about the guidance he received from a figure known as ‘Raymond’, indicating Master Raymond’s role in aiding others navigate through time.

Additionally, his interaction with the evil Comte St Germain (Stanley Weber), both aware of each other’s time-travelling abilities, adds layers to the mystery of his character. The Space Between, a novella set within the series’ universe, reveals Comte St Germain’s journey back to France seeking Master Raymond’s counsel 30 years later.

The Comte and Master Raymond eventually met, discussing topics such as immortality and time travel. Master Raymond is believed to possess the most potent abilities among all the time travellers in Outlander, reports the Daily Record.

Despite the undefined rules of time travel and magic, it’s evident that Master Raymond had supernatural powers. He even provided Claire with a crystal to shield her from poison.

After Claire lost her baby, he used unconventional methods to rid her of the infection. Master Raymond could perceive auras and identified Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) as having a red one, indicating Viking ancestry, while Claire’s was blue, symbolising healing.

Interestingly, when Claire returned to Scotland, he sent her anonymous packages containing various items, including bear finger bones, a seal tooth, a human molar, rare herbs, and crystals. Initially, these items seemed random, but as the book series progressed, fans realised that the bear’s digit referred to Jamie’s Native American nickname ‘Bear Killer’ in The Fiery Cross, and the human tooth was linked to the skull Claire discovered in Drums of Autumn.

It appeared that Master Raymond was providing Claire with clues about her future. He is a significant and powerful character, but it remains uncertain whether he will reappear after his brief appearance in season seven.

Even so, his message to Claire to “have Faith” and vague apology will be coming into play in season eight with potentially damaging consequences.

Outlander is streaming now on MGM+ via Prime Video