The gang from How I Met Your Mother were the closest of friends and, by their own admission, considered each other family. Although Ted, Marshall, and Lily all met each other in college, Barney and Robin were the newest members of the gang. Barney’s introduction was particularly funny as he acted as though he had known Ted and Marshall for years.
This self confidence went on to define Barney for the whole of the show’s run, and we loved him for it. However, it did mean that he could be a little selfish at times but with Barney being Barney, he always made sure his friends never hurt for long.
He Brought Lily And Marshall Back Together
Lily and Marshall are the power couple of HIMYM. There wasn’t a season that went by where these two lovebirds didn’t support each other. However, early on in the series, Lily suffered some major doubts about marrying Marshall and ran away to San Francisco to enroll in a painting class and called off the wedding.
During this time, Ted and Barney tried to help Marshall get over Lily. Or at least, Ted tried to help. For all his nonchalance and bravado, Barney was secretly devastated that his two best friends broke up and went out of his way to ensure that Marshall was still single when Barney visited Lily to persuade her to come back home.
He Cured The Gang’s Hangovers
Barney could be an incredibly annoying friend, whether he was impersonating you on a night out, or ruining your bachelor party. However, all these antics just hid how much he really cared for all of his friends. The gang only truly learned this in HIMYM’s ninth season when they tried to revive Barney from the worst hangover of his life.
They realized the cure was Stinson’s Hangover Fixer Elixir, which Barney made for them every single time one of them got smashed out of their minds. They attempted to recreate the elixir, only for Barney to reveal that love was the secret ingredient.
Dressed Up As His Doppelgänger To Encourage Marshall And Lily To Try For A Baby
Barney’s main defining trait on the show was that he was the biggest commitment-phobe that ever walked the Earth. He despised any and all kinds of marriage and the thought of having a baby with someone was his idea of Hell.
Therefore, no one was surprised when he objected to Lily and Marshall when they revealed they wanted to have a baby. However, Lily then decided she wasn’t ready to have a baby and Marshall fervently agreed. Realizing that his friends were just scared, Barney dressed up as his doppelgänger to act as a sign for Lily that she was ready to start trying.
Asked For Ted’s Permission To Propose To Robin
The first time Barney slept with Robin, he didn’t tell Ted and as a result, their friendship took a massive hit. Thankfully, Ted forgave him and Barney learnt his lesson. In Season 8, Robin had begun to develop feelings for Barney again but he was in a relationship with her co-worker Patrice, who Robin despised.
Knowing that Barney was about to propose to Patrice, Ted told Robin where he was so that she could stop him. Little did anyone know that this was all a ruse and Barney was actually proposing to Robin, sneakily gaining Ted’s blessing during the whole facade.
His Proposal To Robin
Barney’s proposal gets an entire entry to itself just because of how epic and adorable it was. While Barney is no stranger to taking things to a whole new level, this one took literally everyone by surprise.
The last time Robin and Barney were together was in Season 5 and even three years later, the two had never reconciled. However, Barney’s feelings for Robin never dissipated and so after some encouragement from the Mother, Barney began planning his proposal. He asked Patrice to help him out, knowing that this would make Robin determined to stop their ’engagement’ and even got Ted’s permission, showing how well he knew Robin and his determination to do this the right way.
He Introduced Ted And Robin To Each Other
For all his cynicism regarding love and relationships, Barney just can’t help but play Cupid between his friends. Admittedly, when he first introduced Robin to Ted, his main idea was that she would just become another notch on Ted’s bedpost.
Barney’s actions here also introduced a long running gag in the form of Barney’s favorite wingman line “haaave you met Ted.” He uses this line (or variants of it) to help his friends meet the next love of their lives. When it came to Ted and Robin though, if you think about it, Barney is the sole reason why the show even exists in the first place.
He Let Lily Stay With Him When She Was Homeless
When Lily left for San Francisco, she broke up with Marshall, who was devastated. This meant that when she came back, she had to move back into her old apartment, which was now a restaurant. Lily then ended up renting the worst apartment in the whole of New York. Desperate, she asked Barney for help.
Reluctantly, Barney agreed, and Lily came to stay with him in his amazing accommodation. The arrangement was initially only for two days but when Lily managed to scare off an overly clingy one night stand, Barney allowed her to stay for longer. The two were actually quite happy together and it was nice to see more of this friendship.
He Helped Marshall Get Better Grades
Early in Season 2, Marshall was struggling with the amount of tests he had to pass in order to become a lawyer. One of his lecturers was a particularly harsh marker and was also what Barney described as a cougar. Marshall and Barney’s theory was that she would be a kinder marker if she was sexually satisfied. Therefore Barney heroically stepped up to the plate.
Barney pulled out all the stops, but Marshall’s lecturer carried on with her harsh marking. Barney kept on trying to appease her, getting more and more desperate. It was funny to see Barney defeated but it was also kind of sweet seeing him go to such lengths to try and help out a friend (and himself).
His Entire Relationship With Robin
To be fair, when Robin and Ted were an item, they were actually quite popular with the fans as they didn’t mess around with each other’s feelings and both of them knew when it was time to call it quits. However, there was something about Barney’s relationship with Robin that fans just took an instant liking to.
Barney and Robin were two individuals who were actually very similar to one another. They were both extremely competitive which made for some hilarious scenes together, but they also shared amazing chemistry. Their relationship made Barney into a better, more caring, and selfless person and many viewers were upset when they separated in the finale.
He Made Everything Legen- Wait For It -Dary
Barney was an amazingly outgoing and adventurous friend, which is what many of us need. Barney was that friend who pushed his mates into surreal situations just to see what would happen. Every time the gang went out on an expedition with Barney, they knew they were going to have a wild time.
Even if it didn’t end particularly well, there was no denying that they had fun on the way. Even as early on as Season 1, Barney still managed to convince Ted that they only had one life so they might as well live it to the fullest, resulting in the two of them licking the Liberty Bell.
