Is Barney to Stay on How I Met Your Father After That Explosive Cameo?

For nine happy years, How I Met Your Mother ( HIMYM) viewers enjoyed the company of five Manhattan friends. It was, without a doubt, a legendary ride that came to an end in 2014 to the heartbreak of millions of fans. Now, almost a decade later, the fans have the opportunity to catch up with one of the most beloved characters in the series, Barney Stinson.

Yes, the fan-favorite womanizer is back. Neil Patrick Harris's cameo happened in the first episode of season 2 of the HIMYM spin-off titled How I Met Your Father (HIMYF).

In the final moments of the episode, Sophie (the new Ted Mosby) calls her mother with a shocking update. She has been dating her father. Calling while driving surely leads to a car accident in which she crashes into another car. In truly epic fashion, the driver of the car comes out. It turns out to be Barney. All suited up and handsome as ever, he exclaims "Dude!", the word many HIMYM fans were dying to hear. When Sophie's future son asks her who the driver was, she decides to keep the mystery and says, "We'll get there soon enough."

These words certainly hint at more Barney Stinson in future episodes of HIMYF, leaving many fans wondering: Is Barney back to stay?

Well, according to creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the beloved character will play a pivotal role in the Season 2 story, and fans can definitely expect to see more of Barney and learn what he's been up to all these years.

"Similar to Robin last year, we'll learn some more about where Barney's at, but it'll also have a major impact on the trajectory, and main narrative, of our season," Aptaker told TV Line.

Barney's storyline was one of the most questionable of the original sitcom. He and Robin Scherbatsky got married, only to divorce a few years later. And then Barney found out he was the father of a sweet little girl, Ellie, who has become the most important woman in his life.

It has been in the rumor mill that Barney could be Sophie's mysterious father. But the creators put that fan theory to rest.

"We're not telling a teen dad story. I think given [Sophie's mother] Lori's age, that'd become a pretty uncomfortable story," they explained.