James Fitzjames

Commander James Fitzjames was a British Royal Navy Officer and served as Sir John Franklin's first officer aboard the Erebus as well as the third-in-command of the entire Franklin Expedition. A charming and handsome young man Fitzjames had no trouble making friends in the Admiralty, which led to his rapid rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy. As a result of his rapid rise Fitzjames became arrogant and boastful despite his relative inexperience in both sailing and arctic exploration.

Aboard the Franklin Expedition he served as Sir John's closest confidante and as his right hand man. He seemed to admire and respect Sir John, as he always supported Sir John's decisions and believed in his optimistic plans to navigate the Arctic. This sentiment however began to change after Sir John's decision to continue around the Northwest coast of King William Land stranded both the ships in thick ice. Nevertheless he was a faithful friend to Sir John, and seemed incredibly upset at Sir John's death.

He disliked his immediate superior Captain Francis Crozier, whom he viewed as antisocial and disrespectful. However after the death of Sir John at the hands of the Tuunbaq Fitzjames and Crozier were forced to work together in their attempts to lead their men to safety, eventually leading to Fitzjames becoming instrumental to Crozier's efforts as well as becoming a good friend.

He is played by Tobias Menzies.

Biography
Little is known of James Fitzjames' past, except that he was well liked amongst his superiors in the Admiralty. Through stories he tells as well as his own battle experience it is shown that he fought as a rocketeer in China during the Opium Wars. In a flashback to a theater in London Sir John recalls seeing Fitzjames cheerfully conversing with the numerous Admirals and Captains in attendance. His rapid rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy due to simply being liked by his superiors has earned him the envy of other men, particularly Francis Crozier. Crozier, who was forced to work against a bias against his Irish heritage and who had struggled his whole life to get to his position, disliked Fitzjames' easy rise due to his looks and charm. Despite his high rank Fitzjames has little experience in sailing or in arctic exploration, something that becomes evident as the Franklin Expedition begins to break down into disaster. He is forced to abandon his arrogant and boastful personality to begin learning command through genuine experience, eventually becoming a strong second-in-command to his former enemy Francis Crozier.

Franklin Expedition
As the Erebus's second-in-command Fitzjames worked closely with Sir John and acted as a good officer and friend to him, providing him counsel and advice. It is known that he fought in the Opium Wars against China as a rocketeer. During a battle he was wounded when he was shot by a musket. His rocketeer experience helped him later man a rocket to help fight off the Tuunbaq.

He disliked the second-in-command of the entire expedition however, Captain Francis Crozier of the HMS Terror, viewing him as antisocial and rude. This was due to the fact that Crozier himself did not like Fitzjames due to the fact Fitzjames had rather easily rose through the ranks only due to his luck and charm. This caused Crozier to be rude to Fitzjames, at one point interrupting one of Fitzjames' boastful stories to end it. Crozier also was disrespectful to Sir John, often alluding to Sir John's previous failed arctic expedition. This deepened Fitzjames dislike of Crozier, and at one point he even commented to Sir John that Crozier was "nobody's first choice for this position."

After Sir John's decision to continue West got both the Terror and Erebus stuck in thick ice with no hope of sailing Fitzjames began to grow nervous as his inexperience in command becomes evident in the crisis. When Sir John was killed by the Tuunbaq Fitzjames was devastated, and even demanded that Crozier delay his rescue plans for a day to provide adequate time to mourn for Sir John, snapping at Crozier when he appeared to not care about Sir John's death. At the funeral of Sir John Fitzjames appeared very somber and grief-stricken, showing his devotion to Sir John.

Following the death of Sir John there was much tension between Crozier and Fitzjames, who found themselves forced to work together as Captain and First Officer. This tension eventually culminated in a confrontation after Fitzjames discovered Crozier had requisitioned numerous bottles of liquor from Erebus to feed his personal alcoholism. When Ftizjames confronted Crozier he punched Fitzjames and had to be restrained by the other officers. Fitzjames argued that Crozier needed to take command and avoid hiding behind his alcoholism and belief that the world has wronged him. This eventually led to Crozier deciding to stop drinking in order to stop his alcoholism, giving command to Fitzjames while Crozier went through his alcohol withdrawal.

Personality
Commander James Fitzjames was incredibly young to be serving as commander of a ship. This was due to his charming and warm personality, as well as his good looks, which helped him make many friends amongst his superiors in the Admiralty. This earned him a rapid rise through the Royal Navy ranks, however his rapid rise left him in a position of command with little or no experience in sailing or in arctic experience. Despite this his high position left him with an arrogant and prideful personality. This would eventually change during the Franklin Expedition, which would force him to acknowledge and confront his lack of experience and abandon his former arrogant personality.