Marshall and Lily are the golden couple in How I Met Your Mother and used as an example to showcase healthy love. They're college sweethearts who have only ever been with each other, and as Ted said in his best-man speech, they still couldn't spend a night apart even a decade into their relationship.
There are ways Marshall and Lily are the dream couple on How I Met Your Mother, but there are also ways they aren't. Marshall and Lily's marriage often wasn't as wholesome as it was made out to be, and there are several occasions in which the two should've split.
When Lily Lied About Marshall's Fiero
Because HIMYM is a sitcom, the situation with Marshall's Fiero isn't taken as seriously as it would be in the real world. It's put in the show for a laugh, but that doesn't change how bad it was. Lily breaking Marshall's rule by having food in the car is minor, but the way she tried to cover it up is cause for concern.
Lily and Robin smoked inside the car to mask the smell of the food and broke the windows to make it look like the car had been broken into. Lily lied to Marshall to get herself off the hook and destroyed something he loved to sell her story. It's questionable why she didn't feel like she could tell him the truth.
When Marshall Took A Job As A Judge
Marshall and Lily reached a point where life was taking them in different directions. They both had the chance to follow their individual dreams, but it required them to be on two separate continents. If they wanted to prioritize their careers over their relationship, that alone could be a good enough reason for a split.
However, Marshall taking a job as a judge in New York, knowing he and Lily were about to move to Rome, is a better reason. He made a decision that completely changed the trajectory of his family's future without consulting his wife.
When Lily Tried To Cheat On Marshall With Robin
There's incredible chemistry between Lily and Robin, so a romance between them would be worth exploring. But because Lily is married and in a monogamous relationship, every time she tries to come onto Robin, she's being disloyal to Marshall.
She hits on Robin with Marshall present, and it's clear that he's not comfortable watching his wife flirt with someone else. Lily has tried to be physical with Robin on several occasions and took things too far when Barney made them kiss to seal the "broath." The worst part was that viewers could see Marshall reaching out to stop it.
When Lily Pressured Marshall To Work At GNB
Marshall has the best work ethic of the How I Met Your Mother characters, but Lily was still willing to let him put his dreams on hold. The two do have to make the decision together as a family, and Marshall trusted that Lily had his best interests at heart.
But Lily didn't want to stop spending money on new clothes, so she manipulated Marshall into going to a business dinner to learn about the GNB position. If the job were something Lily really believed would be best for Marshall, it would be understandable, but she pushed him to take a job he would hate for her own selfish reasons.
The Entire Jenkins Situation
Nothing about what happened with Jenkins made Marshall and Lily's relationship look good. Marshall lied to Lily about Jenkins being a woman and tried to justify it by avoiding pronouns when he spoke about her. The fact that Marshall felt like he had to hide his friendship with Jenkins meant he knew he was doing something Lily might not like.
When Jenkins kissed him, Marshall did go home straight away to tell Lily, but when she didn't believe the kiss happened, he asked Jenkins to tell Lily in order to make her jealous. There's already an abundance of things wrong with this situation, but Lily beating up Jenkins after finding out the truth just adds to the list.
When Lily Tried To Run Away To Spain
Marshall was putting a financial strain on Lily by taking an unpaid position that could help him eventually get his dream job. Adding to the toll, Lily told Marshall that he had her full support, despite not really meaning in. Marshall could and perhaps should have realized earlier what his decision was doing to Lily, but he had only taken the job because she told him she was okay with it.
Lily tricked Ted into driving her to the airport so she could run away to Spain while Marshall was completely in the dark about everything she was going through. Ted convinced Lily not to go, but her consistent lack of honesty and her willingness to leave her husband behind shows how strained their marriage actually was.
When Marshall Forced Lily To See Her Father
Just because Marshall had a good relationship with his father doesn't mean he was right to force Lily into seeing her own. Marshall was coming from a place of love, but inviting Mickey over for dinner was not OK. Mickey may have been Lily's dad, but she had no obligation to maintain a relationship with him if she didn't want to.
Mickey didn't treat Lily well as a child, and he doesn't get a pass just because they're related. Marshall pushing Lily to let someone into her life who caused her serious emotional harm isn't something that can be brushed under the rug.
When Lily Lied About Her Credit Card Debt
Lying to Marshall about her credit card debt was one of the worst things Lily did on How I Met Your Mother. Not only did she keep it from him for years, but she allowed Marshall to unknowingly ruin his own credit by marrying her.
Lily even let Marshall believe his student loans were responsible for their high interest rate when buying a house, and she stayed quiet while he apologized for letting her down. Although it would've also made financial sense, Marshall should have divorced Lily for more serious reasons. She ruined the trust between them and put her own material wants above him.
When They Argued About Who Was The "Settler" and Who Was The "Reacher"
Marshall forcing Lily to choose whether she was the reacher or the settler in their relationship was wrong on many levels. A couple in a healthy relationship wouldn't need to have such a degrading discussion and would never see one of them as better than the other. Marriage is all about teamwork, and spouses should see each other as equals.
Lily calling herself the settler after Marshall dragged it out of her implies that she thinks she can do better. It's especially disheartening because Lily doesn't appreciate how rare it is to find someone like Marshall. Fans consider her lucky for being loved by someone as incredible as him.
When Lily Wanted To Leave Her Family And Not Come Back
Lily wasn't in the wrong for being overwhelmed by parenthood or even for wanting to run away. She couldn't help what she felt, and the important thing is it was just something she had to get off her chest rather than something she was actually considering.
The real problem lies with why Lily felt that way and why she hadn't communicated it with Marshall before the situation grew as bad as it did. Lily's confession makes it sound like she feels trapped, which is the exact opposite of how a marriage should be.