Marshall Eriksen has possibly the most straightforward character arc of anyone on How I Met Your Mother. From the very first episode, it's clear that he knows what is coming in life - he wants to marry Lily, have kids, become a lawyer (and then a judge), and make the world a better place in environmental law. And, inspiringly, he manages this goal with only a few minor speedbumps along the way.
If the law-student Marshall of the pilot episode of How I Met Your Mother was to learn where he ends up, though, how would he feel about his future self? Which decisions, moments, and experiences would he be excited to get to and proud of having in his future - and which would he probably want to change?
10 Hate: Still Feeling Left Out With Ted And Barney
Marshall and Ted have been best friends since college, but when Barney joined the group, things occasionally got awkward. Because Barney and Ted were single while Marshall was almost always with Lily, he felt left out of their escapades, their stories, and their suiting up. Even though Marshall was always close with both, he never really stopped feeling just a little left out because his experiences were so different to those of his friends.
9 Proud Of: Still Best Friends With Ted
Much as they have their ups and downs, and Marshall has his occasional jealousies of Barney, at the end of the day he and Ted remain best friends - and that's definitely something to be proud of. No matter what, they are always there, they live together for years, they support each other, they still go on road trips, and they even manage to work together at one point.
8 Hate: Worked For A Big Corporation
Marshall was always determined that he would go into environmental law - he wanted to help change the world for the better, and improve things for the planet. He hated big corporations, and always wanted to work for the little guy... so he would be appalled to learn that his first job out of law school was not for a small environmental law firm, but for the giant corporations being sued by the environmental law firms. He took the job out of love, and to help Lily when she came clean about her credit card debts, but he'd still be unhappy to learn this was in his future.
7 Proud Of: Working In Environmental Law
Thankfully, Marshall's time with giant corporate law didn't last forever - and he eventually did get to move into environmental law like he always wanted.
Of course, this path wouldn't be easy either, especially when he learns that his boss has essentially given up on saving the planet entirely, but he does get to pursue his dream in the end. (And of course, it doesn't stop just with Garrison Cootes).
6 Hate: Learning That Gazzola's Closed
It may seem like a small thing - who would be able to muster up actual hate over the closing of a pizza place that is in a different city? But to Marshall (and Ted), this was the end of an era. As much as Gazzola's was never actually that good, and it definitely had some health code violations, road trips here were what cemented Ted and Marshall's friendship, and hearing that it would eventually close (even if it does reopen in the end) would make pilot-episode-Marshall miserable.
5 Proud Of: Becoming A Judge
In the flash-forwards, it is revealed that Marshall eventually manages to become a judge - something that he has always dreamed of. He would be even prouder to know that he managed this even though he turned down the first opportunity, because he turned that job down in order to move to Italy and support Lily's art career. There's no doubt that Marshall's far future involves a whole lot to be proud of.
4 Hate: Losing His Father
This isn't really something to hate about himself, but something that Marshall would hate to know was going to happen so soon - for obvious reasons. The episode of the show where Marshall's father dies is one of the most heartbreaking and carefully written, and Marshall's loss is palpable.
While he would know that one day, his parents would be gone, Marshall is incredibly close to his father, and it would be heartbreaking for him to learn in the pilot just how soon he would have to say goodbye.
3 Proud Of: Being A Father
Over the course of the show, Marshall and Lily are the only two who really explore new parenthood in the main timeline. Obviously, Ted has children in the future (as he's narrating the show to them), and Barney is revealed to have a daughter in the flash-forwards, but it's Marshall and Lily's journey to become parents that is really front and center. And given Marshall's hopes for the future, he would be thrilled to learn that he becomes a father - and that he is a good one, too.
2 Hate: Moving Out Of The Suburbs
In the seventh season of the show, Lily is gifted a house in the suburbs of Long Island by her grandparents - and while she is dismissive, as she's a city girl, Marshall is thrilled. Turns out, he's always dreamed of moving to the burbs, and giving his own kids the kind of wholesome childhood that he had. So if pilot Marshall learned that he would be literally gifted the perfect suburban home, he would be thrilled - and furious at his future self for eventually giving that up and moving back to Manhattan. Of course, this happens because Marshall actually discovers that he finds the suburbs incredibly boring, but the Marshall of the first episode hasn't had that realization yet.
1 Proud Of: Still With Lily
At the center of Marshall's world is Lily - and they manage to stay together for the rest of their lives. Of course, they do have a seriously rough patch when Lily decides to break off their engagement and move to San Francisco, but they get past it - because there is nothing that Lilypad and Marshmallow can't overcome. The Marshall of the first episode wouldn't even question that he and Lily would be together forever, but he'd still be proud to hear that it happens.
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