Alex Honnold’s latest feat has people calling him the “real-life Spider-Man”—and it’s easy to see why. In a nail-biting Netflix live special, Skyscraper Live, which aired on January 25, Honnold, previously best known as the subject of the 2018 biographical documentary Free Solo, scaled Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world, without any gear.
No ropes, no harness, not even a web. With nothing but a pouch of chalk, he climbed 101 stories with his hands and feet, reaching the top to a live-streamed audience.
Watch some of his best moments from Netflix below:
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Of course, the climb was meticulously calculated. Honnold had to adjust for gusty wind conditions while maintaining balance on narrow ledges. Viewers watched on with anxiety as he climbed from street level to the top of the building’s spire, completely unaided.
Only after witnessing the live broadcast does it hit just how close this event mirrors pop culture fantasy. Honnold’s Reddit nickname, “real-life Spider-Man,” feels totally justified.
For decades, the iconic wall-crawler or web-slinger Spider-Man has captured the imagination of audiences across comics, cartoons, games, and films, from Tobey Maguire’s earnest Peter Parker to Tom Holland’s MCU iteration. The character’s defining ability—climbing walls effortlessly—is an act most of us only see in pages or on screens.
Needless to say, many fans marveled at Honnold’s climb for that very reason.
The combination of skill, bravery, and spectacle brought a fictional superhero to life, if only for a few heart-stopping minutes.
The world will never see a Spider-Man with real webs, but Honnold’s ascent proved that courage and training can make the impossible feel like something straight out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking of which, you can check out Brand New Day — the next chapter in Tom Holland’s Spidey series — when it hits theaters on July 31 this year.
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