Good news for Jamie and Claire Fraser, bad news for Outlander‘s fervent fan base.

Tobias Menzies is not slated to reprise his roles of Frank or Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall before the Starz series wraps its eighth and final season, the actor told TVLine exclusively.

“What am I allowed to say?” Menzies mused, chuckling (and inadvertently getting our hopes up… just before dashing them). “It would be great. [But] no, you will not see me.”

TVLine has reached out to Starz for comment.

The news is not a huge shock, given that both Frank — Claire’s husband from her own time — and his sadistic ancestor Black Jack — who tormented the Frasers in various ways for years — are both dead in the story.

owever, thanks to the vagaries of time travel, Black Jack pops up briefly in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, the ninth installment in Diana Gabaldon’s novel series on which the show is based. And there are always flashbacks, dreams and visions… though it appears none of them are in the cards for Black Jack or his much more mild-mannered, 20th-century descendant.

Outlander wrapped the first half of its seventh season in August 2023. (Read a midseason finale recap.) Starz has not yet announced when Outlander will return for Season 7B. In early 2023, the cable network let fans know that the historical drama will end with a 10-episode-long Season 8. In addition, Starz ordered a prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which will tell the stories of Jamie’s and Claire’s parents.

“They’re going to bring it home magnificently, I’m sure,” the Emmy-winner added during the interview, which took place in support of his newest project: Apple TV+’s Manhunt. In that upcoming limited series, Menzies plays Edwin Stanton, the United States Secretary of War/friend of Abraham Lincoln, who worked tirelessly to track down John Wilkes Booth in the days after Lincoln’s assassination. Manhunt begins streaming on March 15.