There is no denying that Jamie and Claire are the heart of the Outlander story. But befitting the sprawling narrative in Diana Gabaldon's books, the Starz series always has a large rotating cast of characters who pop up in their lives. The next season will be no exception, as there are a handful of exciting book characters who could appear in Outlander Season 6.

Outlander Season 5 shook things up by including plots from both Book 5, The Fiery Cross, and Book 6, A Breath of Snow and Ashes (ABOSAA). But showrunner Matthew B. Roberts told Deadline following the Season 5 finale that the sixth season would cover Book 6, so we'll focus on that in this piece.

While COVID-19 has delayed production on Outlander and there has been nary a casting announcement either, here are some of the possible characters the TV show will introduce upon its return.

Warning: Book spoilers ahead.

1. Malva Christie

Say the name Malva Christie to a person who has read Gabaldon's books and you're bound to get a response — and not a positive one. Like most antagonists, Malva is a tortured soul with trauma of her own. But the amount of damage she causes in ABOSAA, particularly to Claire, still makes her a very despicable character.

When Season 5 began and Marsali was helping Claire in her surgery (a role Malva fulfills in Book 6), theories popped up that the show would skip Malva's storyline entirely. But based on Gabaldon's tweet in reply to a fan proposing that theory, it doesn't seem likely. Plus, executive producer Maril Davis once tweeted that Malva Christie is her favorite Outlander villain, so you should prepare for her to appear.