The things Marshall Eriksen is capable of on How I Met Your Mother are truly limitless. He can use his body to race through New York and nearly outrun all the machines nearby. He can even communicate telepathically with his wife, Lily, and even some of his friends.
However, what defines Marshall the most on the classic CBS comedy are the things that make him human. Just like all great television figures, some characters are given great character arcs while others suffer at the hands of poor writing. There are some clear arcs in Marshall's life that are better than others, even if many of them are resolved over the course of the episode.
Best: Robin's Attraction
One particular arc for Marshall that is not resolved over the course of one episode is his relationship with Robin. As many fans remember, Marshall and Robin don't hang out often. However, when they do spend time together, the viewers are often provided with comedy gold.
Remember when he tracked down a Canadian-themed bar to make her feel less homesick? Or the numerous dance-offs they had at MacLaren's? These are only a few examples of that sort of arc and it's one of the peaks of their stories together.
Worst: Superstitious Character Arc
Another recurring character arc for Marshall throughout How I Met Your Mother was his superstitious nature and his refusal to ever compromise on that. This results in some good moments, like his bonding with Lily over the belief in mythical creatures.
However, it also results in some tough to watch moments, like when he insists on licking an airplane before take-off. It's definitely disgusting and shows that Marshall's enthusiasm for life has a tendency to go way too far, at times.
Best: Slap Bets
While the slap bets on How I Met Your Mother also tend to go too far, they usually do so for comedic effect. In fact, Marshall's arc with never foregoing a slap against Barney is one of the show's best overall arcs, regardless of character.
In many ways, the slap bet is an anti-arc, as Marshall never learns or changes over the course of it. Instead, he becomes more and more deranged as he comes up with creative and new ways to catch his future best man by surprise.
Worst: Game Proclivity
Unquestionably, the slap bets are an amazing part of How I Met Your Mother. However, the rest of Marshall's overly exuberant and competitive nature is probably in service of one of his worst character arcs.
Is Marshgammon an amusing concept? Of course. But between this sense of competition and the elitism that he inhabits bring out the worst shades in Marshall. His arcs were at their best when they had nothing to do with games.
Best: Life After Lily
One of the seminal moments in HIMYM that showed audiences this was not their average sitcom came when Lily and Marshall shockingly split up at the end of the show's first season.
While it's tough to watch Marshall's depression in the fallout of this, it does result in one of his best arcs. For the first time, fans were able to see what Marshall could be without having his identity tied to his relationship with Lily. He's at his best with her, undoubtedly, but it was vital to see him prove his mettle without her too.
Worst: Having A Baby?
Returning to Marshall's intensity for a moment, a vital side of his marriage with Lily helps position one of Marshall's worst character arcs. When the couple debate whether or not they should have a baby, Marshall becomes too obsessed with his need to have one.
As a result, he manipulates Lily by lying to her and deceives her every step of the way. It's Marshall at his slimiest and a totally terrible look for him - especially when he is usually a perfect and rational husband.
Best: Parting With His Father
While Marshall did get off to a rocky start as a father, it's hard to say the same about his own relationship with his dad. In fact, his father's death is one of the emotional strong points of HIMYM since the viewers had seen how close the duo was.
What begins with Marshall breaking down in tears results in his parting from his father with a knowledge of peace, love, and acceptance. It's not just Marshall's arc at its most beautiful, it's also one of the loveliest HIMYM instances ever.
Worst: Lying About His Job
In the final season of How I Met Your Mother, every character had a lot of growing to do before they could reach their happily ever after. At the outset of the season, Marshall's character arc is truly terrible, though.
After he promises Lily that he would keep her in the loop, always support and never lie to her, he goes back on every promise and accepts a judge position that would keep them grounded in the United States. It's willfully deceitful and awful to rewatch.
Best: Doing What He Loves
Before he ever entertained the notion of becoming a judge, Marshall found a way to work his dream job at the National Resources Defense Council. It's an instance of a How I Met Your Mother character achieving their career-based goals.
As such, it's one of Marshall's best arcs, for sure. How can anyone not love seeing one of the show's best characters abundantly happy, after all? It was all coming together for Marshall when he nabbed this position.
Worst: Goliath National Bank
The sweetness of the NRDC achievement was made all the better by Marshall's earlier career-centric arcs that were truly abysmal. For example, his tenure at Goliath National Bank is one of the worst arcs any character experienced throughout the entire show.
Marshall was not only working for a deplorable organization, but he was also compromising his own values. It's horrid in every conceivable way and a clear contender for Marshall's worst character arc.