Outlander's Angus nearly gave the Grim Reaper the slip at the Battle of Prestonpans.

Fans bid a teary farewell to the comedic Highlander as Jamie's troops celebrated their first battlefield victory in "Prestonpans," and showrunner Ron Moore added salt to the wound in the episodes aftermath. Outlander needed a casualty to drive home the gritty reality of the Jacobite Rising, but Angus (Stephen Walters) was not their first choice.

Willie was actually supposed to take the fall, according to E! Online, but Finn Den Hertog's incompatible filming schedule saved his character's life. The writers settled on Angus instead, knowing that the heartbreaking fallout could carry across multiple episodes. Poor Rupert will have to live without the other half of Outlander's most dynamic duo.

"We thought that Rupert, after that, missing his best friend, would be a great story to still be able to play, to sort of have a character that reminds us all the way through the war story of the cost of war," Moore explained. "Here's this guy and his best friend and the audience knows them as a duo, and it's hard to imagine Rupert without Angus, and now he'll have to live that way."

Way to hit us right in the feels, Moore.

For Walters, the death was well written and seemingly inevitable. If Angus hadn't died at Prestonpans, Walters believes the Scot would have met his end at the infamous Battle of Culloden.

"My one gripe for the character would be is if he was at Culloden, he would be at the front. There's no doubt about it: He would be right at the front, and he would be charging as well," the actor informed TV Line. "It's just the way it goes. He would have certainly died through a battle, fighting for his honor and his people."

Find out what the future holds for Jamie and the Jacobite Rising when Outlander airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on Starz. Check out a preview for the series' next episode, "Vengeance is Mine," by clicking the video below.

Tags: Outlander television Starz