If this trope is executed poorly, usually because there were more intelligent alternatives to Taking The Bullet, it can come off as a Stupid Sacrifice. For instance, when Kennedy was shot, the agent with Johnson (the vice president) threw him to the floor of the car and then threw himself on top of him until they reached a secure location.

Instead, the human shield will stand in front of the defended individual (hopefully) prior to the shot being fired. In real life, the technique is obviously different, as bullets are far too fast to react to. The United States Secret Service (which protects the president) calls this 'catching the bullet', although it is rarely actually performed. There might also be the possibility that the character who took the bullet is Immune to Bullets (or whatever it is that's thrown at them), has certain protection (usually a Bulletproof Vest) or at least can recover from the injury by themselves. Considering how much could theoretically go wrong with this trope, it's almost surprising how (relatively) rarely it gets played with. Nor will the diver not get there in time to stop the bullet, or the bullet continue through the diver to the original target. Can be done with any other projectiles: a common gag is to do it with something utterly harmless, and really ham up the shot.įor some reason, the Big Bad rarely succeeds at any attempt to empty the next bullet into his original intended target. This turns into a Diving Save if the rescuer pushes the victim out of the way without being hit by the shot. This may be a minor character protecting a major one, or sometimes a villain will do this following a Heel–Face Turn, in which case they're probably not going to pull through. A More Hero than Thou dispute may result, even though it's obviously too late.

Usually results in tears and/or an angry How Dare You Die on Me! moment, especially if the person they took the bullet for loved them in any way. Sometimes they get better, sometimes they don't, but it's close, either way. The leaper will then have a scene where they weeping-ly tell the character how important they are before losing consciousness, while cradled in the arms of the survivor. Time often slows to a crawl, and the shielded one will shout a Big 'NO!'. A form of Heroic Sacrifice where, when a villain fires a weapon at someone and another character leaps into the path of the weapon, receiving the injury instead.

Venom bot blade and soul