History Main / MediumAwareness

* As the above image shows, ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, of the ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'', can ''see'' the yellow text boxes that indicate scene transitions ("Meanwhile, in Manhattan...") or that act as substitute thought bubbles. This is connected to the fact that for Deadpool, there is NoFourthWall. Indeed, the Deadpool comics became so famous for this that the dual sublines for the comic were "The Merc with a Mouth" and "Breaking down the fourth wall one brick at a time!"

** One of many, ''many'' [[DynamicCharacter interpretations]] of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' is that he knows he's a fictional character, and ''hates'' the plot he's been saddled with.

* Deconstructed in ''WebVideo/ScottTheWoz'' with, of all things, the blue border that serves as the watermark for every single one of his videos. In the 200th episode, ''Borderline Forever'', it's revealed that not only is the border a tangible InUniverse thing, but it acts like a parasite, obstructing Scott's vision for as long as he can remember.

* Near the end of ''{{Film/Crank}}''. Chev is riding an elevator with a Chinese guy. The guy turns to him and starts speaking to him in Chinese, with subtitles. The camera angle changes a couple times, but the subtitles keep the orientation they had in the original shot (directly in front of the Chinese man at chest level), and Chev starts reading them. looking bewildered. [[SubvertedTrope Then it turns out]] that he was just hallucinating the whole thing.

* In both ''Film/WaynesWorld'' movies, Wayne is constantly talking to and interacting with the camera. Even Ed O'Neil did for a moment, before being reminded by Wayne that "only me and Garth get to talk to the camera".

* ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2'': When Monokuma arrives and transforms Usami into Monomi, she keeps insisting he stop calling her that, until he forcefully overwrites her name, and she is both shocked and annoyed to notice that the game's text boxes have changed to reflect her new name.

[[quoteright:250:[[SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deadpoolfourthwall.jpg]]]]

* MediumAwareness/WebComics

* As the above image shows, ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, of the MarvelUniverse, can ''see'' the yellow text boxes that indicate scene transitions ("Meanwhile, in Manhattan...") or that act as substitute thought bubbles. This is connected to the fact that for Deadpool, there is NoFourthWall. Indeed, the Deadpool comics became so famous for this that the dual sublines for the comic were "The Merc with a Mouth" and "Breaking down the fourth wall one brick at a time!"

* In Creator/DCComics ComicBook/TheJoker from ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' can interact with speech and thought bubbles, grabbing hold of or leaning on them. This is most likely part of the idea - also used to partially explain Deadpool - that Joker is so insane that he has become aware of things other characters have not.

*** So did Harley, once. [[RuleOfFunny Though she was (mostly) sane at the time...]]
*** In [[Film/Batman1989 the movie]], he talked to himself a few times, serving the same narrative purpose, but preserving the [[SeriousBusiness seriousness]]. On the other hand, he sometimes did so while looking straight-ahead, 'coincidentally' right at the camera, sooo...
*** In ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', thanks to a single point-of-view shot, the Joker is the only one in the films to look right into the camera.
*** In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Joker briefly grinned into the camera and said "Admit it, you can't look away."
*** While all of the Game Over screens in the Arkham series are variations of the relevant villain taunting you, Origins features one where the Joker asks if he killed your friend. And then apologizes.

* At times, especially during UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, even ComicBook/{{Superman}} has appeared to be aware of the Fourth Wall; his trademark wink was always directed at the reader/audience. It was used for the last time (in the comics), and most depressingly, in ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow?''
** Actually, it was used at least once more. In ''Superman'' #714, the last issue before the 2011 relaunch, the final panel gives a nod to ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow?''.
* Comicbook/AnimalMan becomes aware of his status as a comic book character and discusses this in a conversation with his writer towards the end of Creator/GrantMorrison's run on the series.

* ''Creator/DCComics'' Earth-2 Lex Luthor and Superboy have both become aware of the real world, threatening 'us' on seperate occasions.
** Superboy-Prime is ''from our real world,'' and has gone so far as to blame [=DC=] for ruining his life, because they wrote the comic books where he's such a villain--''and'' his friends and family read them. ''That's'' trippy.

* The Creator/MarvelComics villainess called The Goddess once gained cosmic power in ''ComicBook/TheInfinityCrusade''. One of the realities she planned to destroy was the real world, presented as a person reading one of the 'Crusade' issues. Later, the 'real' world is seen bursting into flames but it proves only to be a telepathic illusion.

* The Purple Man is a dark example of this in ''Comicbook/{{Alias}}'', a psychopath with mind-control powers who is fully aware that he's in a comic book.
** Like Deadpool, nobody takes these statements seriously due to his insanity. Jessica Jones is simply shown to be baffled when he tries to explain to her that she lives in a comic book.

* In ''[[ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century]]'', psychogeographer Andrew Norton seems to not only be aware he's in a comic (telling a baffled League that he enjoyed the second volume) but that he's in a comic that mashes up characters from literature, calling Orlando "the new Vita" (Vita Sackville-West was the inspiration for Creator/VirginiaWoolf's ''Orlando'') and referring sarcastically to Literature/HarryPotter fans.
* ''Loki'' knows he is (in) a story, he repeatedly told this to people. The only reason he doesn't break the fourth wall more often seems to be because ''that's not the kind of story he is''. When he wants he can pull stunts like reaching out and giving the reader a flyer (''Comicbook/YoungAvengers'' introductory one-shot, it's a teammates and ''readers'' wanted ad).

-->'''López:''' Weird things are starting to happen! It's evident that another Jan comic begins!

* DC canon being what it is, it's hard to know if it counts ''now,'' but at one point, Mr. Mxyzptlk turns out to know that he's in a comic book (and ''many'' other media. Apparently, all print, animated, and live versions of him are one guy who likes to hop around the multiverse and present himself a little differently in each. Of course, it stops being funny if [[FridgeHorror you consider]] the versions in which he's a very far cry from the usual harmless trickster.)

** His creator JimDavis has used this trope in [[ComicStrip/USAcres his other work]]: [[http://garfield.com/us-acres/1989-04-14 Orson told Sheldon their days were "not only numbered, but signed and dated" and he lived each moment as if it was his last panel.]]

* ''ComicStrip/HiAndLois'': This is one possible interpretation of the [[http://hiandlois.com/comics/november-10-2018/ November 10th, 2018 strip]], where Ditto refers to ComicStrip/BeetleBailey as a "cartoon character". Not only is ''Hi and Lois'' a SpinOff of ''Beetle Bailey'', but Ditto is ''Beetle's nephew''.\\
Given the lack of context, it is also possible that there is a cartoon in the strip's universe ''based'' on the real Beetle, which would be RecursiveCanon instead.

--> Sir! Mr. Wolfe, sir!
--> ''For Pete's sake, Brick. You'll wake everyone up.''
--> They can't hear me. They're on another part of the page.

--> '' 'But aren't we videogame characters anyway?' asked Tails, who had joined them by the ailing rabbit.\\

-->''"You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you"''
-->''"You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you, don't you?"''

--> '''Bud:''' I can [[AuthorCatchphrase feel the power!]]
--> '''Buzz:''' That's all those wires down there!

--> '''Bud:''' Hey, this game is violent enough!

-->'''Dougal:''' Here we are at the [[MadLibsCatchPhrase [location]!]]
-->'''Hamish:''' ...why did you say that?
-->'''Dougal:''' Well...there might be blind people around here, not knowing where they are.

* ''ComicStrip/JumpStart'''s male characters were discussing women they considered attractive. One suggested ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}''. The others jeered because she is a cartoon character, only to be reminded.... so are they.

* ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' begins with a [[Creator/RobinWilliams narrator]] telling the viewer to come closer, prompting the camera to come in and hit him in the nose. "Too close, a little too close!"

* The movie ends with [[spoiler: cops arresting everyone]], and one of them covers the camera with his hand.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]

* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', there are a few characters who break the fourth wall enough times to make it clear they're aware they're in a cartoon, with Big M. and Little M. seemingly the most medium-aware of the cast. Little M. casually mentions the viewers and explicitly refers to their previous adventures and mishaps as "previous episodes" while Big M. directly lampshades how the characters have limited mouth movements in an episode of Season 8 when Little M. tries ReadingLips to understand what Happy S. and Smart S. are saying through their CrystalBall when they mess up the sound on it. Strangely enough, this character trait is [[OutOfCharacterMoment completely thrown out of the window]] in episode 36 of Season 8, where Big M. meets the show's production crew and seems genuinely surprised to learn he's a cartoon and Little M. thinks he's insane when [[spoiler:he wakes up from that dream and explains it to him]].