In Real Life, this is another term for Taking the Heat. Misguided Missile is when you do this with air-to-air weaponry. Human Shield and Bulletproof Human Shield are the unwilling versions that often happens in hostage situations. On the other hand, there may very well have been No Time to Think.Ĭompare Go Through Me, Jumping on a Grenade, Tuck and Cover, Load-Bearing Hero, Draw Aggro. 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.