History Main / WallCrawl

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' episode "No Place to Hyde" the MonsterOfTheWeek can do this. The gang at first suspects an ex circus star, but it turns out that the real villain [[spoiler:doctor Jekyll]] was using suction cups.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Mr. Burns, determined to retrieve his prized teddy bear, sneaks into the Simpson home crawling along the ceiling with suction cups -- then freezes when Homer enters the kitchen, sits down, and eats processed cheese slices all night. Finally the cups give out, Burns hits the floor, and exits with a curt "Good day to you."

* Developments of gecko tape promises this to become reality in some time. Everything works because of Van Der Waals forces. Artificial gecko stickers have potential to surpass nature. The biggest problem is rapid contamination. There is also the fact that the square-cube law dictates that there's no way that a human can scale surfaces as effortlessly as a small gecko.

* ''Film/ThePrincess'': The princess climbs up the side of the castle outside twice to escape.

* Shortly after becoming a vampire, Dio in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' is able to walk up a wall simply by stepping so hard he embeds his foot in it.
** [[Main/HumanoidAliens Mikitaka Hazekura]] from [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondisUnbreakable Part 4]] once gave Josuke this ability by [[Main/VoluntaryShapeshifting transforming into a pair of shoes]] and having him wear them. This manga has "Bizarre" in the title for a reason.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* A major ability in ''VideoGame/{{Knytt}}'' and ''VideoGame/KnyttStories''.

[[caption-width-right:The elevators must be out again.]]

[[quoteright:330:[[Film/SpiderMan1 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wall-crawling-spiderman-does-what-a-spider-can.JPG]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Damn it, I just washed that window![[labelnote:*]] [[WebAnimation/SuctionCupMan I'll smudge your windows all I want, look at me go!]] [[/labelnote]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/CosmosCosmicAdventure'', you can stick to walls with your suction hands. You can't crawl up directly, though. You have to keep jumping and then sticking to the wall again.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', Amaterasu can perform a "catwalk," which is essentially this trope, on walls bearing the mark of Kabegami, goddess of walls. Much like the above example, however, its not so much a walk or crawl as it is a hop.

* SOPHIA tends to be able to do this in the ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' series after obtaining the WALL upgrade. It originally needed a second upgrade (WALL-2) to stick to ceilings, but later games streamlined this. Once the HOVER upgrade is obtained, however, it is rendered largely obsolete. ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZeroII'' replaced it with a WallJump ability that includes the ability to stick to (but not climb up) walls, which is ''also'' rendered obsolete almost immediately since the first upgrade you're forced to get is the Hover module.

** SOPHIA tends to be able to do this in the ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' series after obtaining the WALL upgrade. It originally needed a second upgrade (WALL-2) to stick to ceilings, but later games streamlined this. Once the HOVER upgrade is obtained, however, it is rendered largely obsolete. ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZeroII'' replaced it with a WallJump ability that includes the ability to stick to (but not climb up) walls, which is ''also'' rendered obsolete almost immediately since the first upgrade you're forced to get is the Hover module.

* In the anime ''Manga/MajinTanteiNougamiNeuro'', Neuro can often be found defying gravity. For example, in one episode, you see Yako attending school when Neuro ends up right outside the class window, obviously nowhere near the ground level.

* Before gaining the sandals which grant her flight ComicBook/WonderWoman would occasionally need to scale a wall which she would either do by digging knives or her fingers into it while climbing.

* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'': One of Tanith Low's signature moves is to run up the wall and [[DeathFromAbove attack from the ceiling]].

* ''Oblivion'': A Wall Crawl up one of Chicago's skyscrapers is part of the story "Mister Squishy" in Creator/DavidFosterWallace's short story collection. David Foster Wallace being [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible who he is]], said crawl involves suction cups and is quite obvious to the Chicagoans below, but is left quite unresolved at the end of the story.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' has Szeth who can use his GravityMaster powers to redefine "down" for himself, allowing him to walk on walls and ceilings easily. Also [[spoiler: Kaladin while he hasn't yet figured out that trick, nonetheless managed to get up a sheer chasm wall by magically sticking rocks to it to use as hand and footholds.]]

* In Creator/MickeyZuckerReichert's ''Bifrost Guardians'' series, a character is known as the Shadow Climber due to his almost supernatural ability to climb almost any surface. (Though if the surface is too smooth, he's out of luck just like anyone else.)

* The dwarves in ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' have the ability to absorb moisture through their pores, which enlarge when dehydrated. While this is useful if you are trapped in a cave in, Mulch makes use of their suction-cup pores to scale glass buildings, and avoid cameras once inside.

* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheWell'', due to dying upside-down in a well, Okiku often manifests upside-down, clinging to walls or the ceiling.

* In ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' this is one of the powers granted by Lifebinding, which even works through any shoes or gloves that the user wears, enabling them to climb walls. Sunforged boots also have this property, gripping any surface beyond what any ordinary substance would be capable of.

* Nightbird, a robot ninja from the episode "Enter the Nightbird" of ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'', has this power. It initially seemed to be due to magnetic feet, but then she used it to walk up a cliff.
* One of Danny's abilities in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', though he rarely uses it. 'Course, considering he can just fly around, it's no wonder this is one of the ''least'' used of his bag of tricks.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' and suction cups. Sidekick [[ThisLoserIsYou Ron Stoppable]], on the other hand, has trouble getting the hang of it. In one episode, she uses "magno-rings" to cling to the side of a rocket-propelled vehicle.

* Referred to by [[BoisterousBruiser Aquaman]] in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8C1WWixgc Rousing Song of Heroism]] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''.
* Kif of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is sometimes seen climbing walls or ceiling like a tree-frog. (His species starting life as tadpoles, it's certainly an apt comparison.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Mr. Burns, determined to retrieve his prized teddy bear, sneaks into the Simpson home crawling along the ceiling with suction cups -- then freezes when Homer enters the kitchen, sits down, and eats processed cheese slices all night. Finally the cups give out, Burns hits the floor, and exits with a curt "Good day to you."
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "Baby Cakes", Pound Cake simulates a wall climb when he learns to fly.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'': In "The Surprise", Barney's baby nephew manages to crawl on the surface of the the stone fence into Fred's yard. Similarly, the first episode had Fred walking on the surface of his fence and into Barney's yard.
* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'': Greg/Gekko has this as one of his powers, called "super lizard grip" in-universe. His vehicle, the Gekko-Mobile, can also do it.

* The original 1978 ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movie (of the suction cups variety).

* The 2002 ''Film/SpiderMan1'' gives Peter tiny hairs on his palms that grip vertical surfaces... which, along with the Ultimate Universe-style organic web shooters and the PowerIncontinence, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything gets decidedly Freudian.]] Also, this raises a couple of questions like just [[FridgeLogic makes you wonder]] a) how thin the gloves and shoes of his costume are, and b) how exactly that works when he's sliding down a wall after taking a particularly powerful blow. Wouldn't that hurt?

** LegacyCharacter May Parker, a.k.a. ComicBook/SpiderGirl, inherited the ability; in an odd twist, she can also use it to ''repel'' objects.

* ''Film/{{Spawn}}'': While trying to escape from the cops, Spawn does the Spider-Man routine on the side of a building when he finds that his hand can turn into a sucker.

* ''Film/ResidentEvil'': The Licker -- a mutating monster -- could Wall Crawl.

* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' - Quite a few years after meeting Officer Zodboink, [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20160920.html we learn]] that this is apparently one of his species's inherent abilities.

* ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'': Wallace's techno-trousers in ''WesternAnimation/TheWrongTrousers'' come in very handy when hanging wallpaper.

* ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania'': Both Dracula and his daughter Mavis stand, walk, and dance on the walls or ceiling as casually as on the floor.
* The various Spider-Men in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''. Miles Morales initially has trouble controlling his powers, and tends to stick onto things when nervous (such as Gwen's hair); whereas Peter B. Parker is experienced enough to casually stroll vertically on the side of a building at a 90 degree angle with only his feet clinging. Once he starts getting control of his powers, Miles does the same thing.

[[caption-width-right:330:Damn it, I just washed that window!]]

* Mai Shiranui of ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' also has an attack like this, Musasabi no Mai. In her debut game, ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'', she could only do the move by jumping off convenient flagpoles that only showed up in her stage. This even carried over to ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', where the move could only be used on the England stage. In subsequent games, they changed the command motion and she could use it anywhere.