In Despicable Me 4, the wall-climbing villain is Maxime Le Mal.
Maxime Le Mal is the principal antagonist of the fourth Despicable Me film. He uses a serum derived from cockroach biology to give himself insect-like abilities, including enhanced strength and the capacity to cling to surfaces. His appearance and powers are designed to evoke a cockroach rather than a gecko, although his wall-crawling ability can lead to that comparison.
Maxime has a personal history with Gru through the Lycée Pas Bon school for aspiring villains. Their rivalry supplies the film’s main threat, especially after Maxime escapes and targets Gru’s family. The name is sometimes confused with earlier franchise villains such as El Macho or Balthazar Bratt, but those characters appear in different films.
Despicable Me 4 also introduces Gru Jr., while Gru, Lucy, and their daughters enter witness protection. The film was released in 2024.