'How I Met Your Mother' Season 9 Spoilers: Character's son will be introduced before series finale

How I Met Your Mother has been dropping some major pieces of information throughout Season 9, including the names of Ted's children (Luke and Penny), an entire episode about The Mother and more. Another minor spoiler has now surfaced, and this one involves a long-running but minor character.

The "Spoiler Chat" column at E! Online reports that HIMYM fans will meet the son of Carl the Bartender (much like Marshall, we don't know his last name) before the series ends, and "just like his papa he'll have a strong New York accent." Knowing HIMYM, the character will likely have some random connection to the overall plot, but we'll find out in the next few episodes.

Side note: When did Carl the Bartender get married?!

In other HIMYM news, Series co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas said earlier this month that fans would find out why Ted chose this specific time to regale his children with this absurdly long story. Fans' theories have ranged from depressing to cheerful and everything in between.

Some believe that The Mother is actually dead in 2030, and Ted decided to tell his children everything that happened that led to their meeting. Others think Ted might be sick, and he wants his children to know the story before he passes away. Still others think that it is Ted and The Mother's anniversary and he is celebrating by telling the story (if that's the case, then he's REALLY late for dinner).

We recently compiled a poll to give you all the chance to let us know your theories. We've included our own thoughts in there, but feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas to the comments section if you think there's anything we've forgotten.