History Main / SafetyInMuggles

%%* Obi Wan Kenobi in ''Film/ANewHope''.

* In the first ''Film/MenInBlack'' movie, K stops J's attempt to kill the bug villain because they are in public.

* This is the point of the Hanzo academy in ''VideoGame/SenranKagura''. The handful of Shinobi students have no classes with the "normies", use a different entrance, try to avoid making friends with the students, and use facilities hidden from the student body. Despite this complete lack of interaction, the sheer volume of normal students mean their clandestine enemies cannot simply storm the school, creating a layer of safety. This does ''not'' apply when Shinobi actually come face-to-face, however, as a [[WeirdnessCensor camouflage barrier]] allows them to throw down in broad daylight without alerting normies.

** ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'': Bond escapes Kamal Khan's palace, [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame only to have him hunting him through the Indian jungle]]. He only gets away when he joins a tourist group which was passing by.

** ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'': Bond escapes Kamal Khan's palace, [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame only to have him hunting him through the Indian jungle]]. He only escapes when he joins a tourist group which was passing by.

** This is a likely reference to a similar sequence in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', when Bond is stalked through a ski resort by the bad guys, but they are deterred from harming him because of the crowd.
** ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. Jaws, TheDragon, is about to strangle Manuela, the tertiary BondGirl when he's interrupted by a group of Carnival revelers. Even more fortunate for her, the distraction lasts long enough for Bond to arrive and rescue her, and another group of partiers saves both of their lives when they not only stop Jaws, they sweep him along with them, away from the couple.

* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch.'' Jumba can't open fire on Stitch because of his close company with Lilo, a member of a "protected species." He enjoys reminding Stitch of it though, such as when he revealed the handle of his plasma weapon from inside a paper sack.

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Killing Eve}}''. Bill is led to a nightclub after following Villanelle, and while generally there is safety in a lot of other people (eyewitnesses, physical blockages), Bill is not safe[[spoiler:Villanelle stabs him repeatedly in the chest so quickly that by the time he falls to the ground, she's gone]].

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Killing Eve}}''. Bill is led to a nightclub after following Villanelle, and while generally there is safety in a lot of other people (eyewitnesses, physical blockages), Bill is not safe[[spoiler:[[Villanelle stabs him repeatedly in the chest so quickly that by the time he falls to the ground, she's gone]].]]

Of course, characters attempting to do this run the risk of the pursuer deciding to use conventional means to separate them from the crowd (like posing as a "common" kidnapper or using a gun instead of a LaserSword) or eschewing collateral damage / breaching the masquerade and trusting people's WeirdnessCensor to convince them it was something mundane after the fact (if they even care). In the absolute worst case, the pursuer may decide to eliminate the characters and uphold the masquerade by the simple expedient of [[LeaveNoSurvivors killing everyone]].

{{Truth in Television}} to a large extent. If a person in danger can escape to a location with many bystanders, a criminal will think twice before continuing pursuit in a place with so many potential witnesses. It is also much easier to summon help in such a place.

* In ''Creator/NorthByNorthwest'', the protagonist takes refuge in an auction, and makes a disturbance in order to be escorted out by security.

* ''Series/SplinterCell'' was going to use this as a game mechanic using the idea of social stealth where Sam would blend in with a crowd and use people rather than darkness as pockets of cover. The idea was eventually scrapped for a more traditional hide in the dark cover shooter system.

* In {{Literature/Worm}}, the Undersider's exploit Armmaster's obsession with reputation by trying to make him look bad in front of the crowd, causing him to hesitate while attacking.

* At one point during ''Film/TheSaint'', Simon Templar escapes the Russian gangsters who are chasing him simply by entering a crowded shopping center. He doesn't hide, doesn't run... he just surrounds himself by witnesses. They ''still'' would have tried to kill him, though, without any hesitation--but they decided it was too much of a hassle.

* At one point during ''Film/TheSaint'', Simon Templar escapes the Russian gangsters who are chasing him simply by entering a crowded shopping center. He doesn't hide, doesn't run... he just surrounds himself by witnesses.

* In ''Film/LicenceToKill'', after Bond "resigns" and escapes to the street, M stops a guard from shooting because they can't risk hitting a civilian.

** In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', two thugs attempt to capture Q in a ski lift, but are foiled when a bunch of tourists get on. Q is able to slip away once the lift stops.

* In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', two thugs attempt to capture Q in a ski lift, but are foiled when a bunch of tourists get on. Q is able to slip away once the lift stops. This is a likely reference to a similar sequence in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', when Bond is stalked through a ski resort by the bad guys, but they are deterred from harming him because of the crowd.
* ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. Jaws, TheDragon, is about to strangle Manuela, the tertiary BondGirl when he's interrupted by a group of Carnival revelers. Even more fortunate for her, the distraction lasts long enough for Bond to arrive and rescue her, and another group of partiers saves both of their lives when they not only stop Jaws, they sweep him along with them, away from the couple.

* A CrowningMomentOfFunny in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', where Seras manages to prevent a meeting between Hellsing and Iscariot in an art gallery from degenerating into bloody violence by impersonating a guide and leading a tourist group into the room. In the same episode, a villainous character tries taking out Alucard and Seras by reporting them as terrorists and having several SWAT teams ambush them under observation by the press. That...does not work quite so well. Alucard simply massacres the SWAT members.

* ''Series/GetSmart'': Max is doing battle with a KAOS agent in his apartment when his aunt and uncle, who don't know he's in the spy business, show up. Max makes the KAOS agent play along that they're business colleagues, and the KAOS agent takes the opportunity to just leave.

* Used regularly by Series/{{Chuck}} when villains enter the Buy More.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheSarahConnorChronicles'', Cameron and a pro-Skynet female Terminator are fighting to the death in a lift when an innocent human family get in. The two Terminators wordlessly break off the fight until the humans have left.

Characters who seek Safety In Muggles manage to avoid being harmed, captured or killed because their pursuer is unwilling to break TheMasquerade in front of a large number of {{Muggle}} witnesses. This can swing in a villain or hero's favor, turning a sure win into a stalemate, or possibly even a win for whoever can manipulate the crowd of bystanders to unwittingly helping their cause. Even causing a scene to get themselves (or their pursuer) arrested can count, since being under the custody of muggle law enforcement (incompetent or corrupt as it may be) can deter immediate harm.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} module ''Death Ascendant''. While the religious service in the temple is going on, the Kargat members take aside worshippers one at a time and drain them of their life force. When they try to do this to a PlayerCharacter, if the protests, the Kargat member backs off so as not to make a scene.

* ''TheElenium'': Sparhawk encounters Martel ... in Arasham's tent, while Sparhawk is pretending to be an emissary to Arasham. Both Sparhawk and Martel really ''want'' to start fighting, but neither feels like being torn to bits by a horde of fanatic Rendors.
* A common tactic in TheDresdenFiles. While supernatural nasties are generally willing to be seen by ordinary people, even the strongest will usually split when they hear police sirens. Bringing in the mortal authorities is considered the "nuclear option" among the supernatural nations--they're all well aware of what mobs of people with torches and pitchforks can do, let alone mobs of people armed with guns. Also subverted when a White Court vampire tries to get Dresden to back down by invoking this. Dresden points out that he's in the phone book under Wizard and the publicity would do great things for his business.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Dean confronts Dick Roman, who is secretly the leader of the [[EldritchAbomination Leviathans]], in public, with dozens of witnesses, and challenges him to kill him. Dick has one simple rule for the Leviathans - don't make the news - and a very harsh penalty for failure. Dick can't just kill him without drawing tons of attention to himself and by proxy the Leviathans.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} module ''Death Ascendant''. While the religious service in the temple is going on, the Kargat members take aside worshippers one at a time and drain them of their life force. When they try to do this to a {{PC}}, if the {{PC}} protests, the Kargat member backs off because they don't want to make a scene.
* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', mages suffer from an effect called "paradox" whenever they do anything that can't be explained away as coincidence. Paradox is bad enough when it's just supernaturals around to witness it, but it gets really bad if a {{Muggle}} sees something that's definitely magic. Therefore, mages of pretty much any faction tend to lay off the really heavy magic when there are civilians around.

* In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', two thugs attempt to capture Q in a ski lift, but are foiled when a bunch of tourists get on. Q is able to slip away once the lift stops.
* ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. Jaws, TheDragon, is about to strangle the random BondGirl when he's interrupted by a group of Carnival revelers. Even more fortunate for her, the distraction lasts long enough for Bond to arrive and rescue her, and another group of partiers saves both of their lives when they not only stop Jaws, they sweep him along with them, away from the couple.

* In an episode of ''TheSpectacularSpiderman'', villain Tombstone not only refuses to attack Spidey as he helps him fight other villains, because he depends on good publicity to keep running his business. As soon as there is no one watching them, though...