Was Thomas Wayne stupid for trying to grab the pearls back from the robbers?

[batz1989]

Just wondering. He was up against 2 men and at least one of them was armed. Even if he didn't notice the gun before Jack started shooting, he should've at least inferred the possibility, I mean it is Gotham after all and he seems like a smart guy (being a surgeon and all).
Don't get me wrong I LOVE this film!

[Kamdan]

Not as dumb as when they depicted Thomas thinking he could punch someone pointing a gun DIRECTLY AT HIS FAMILY. The first depiction of the Waynes' murder had him attempt to defend his family in some way that has been part of most of the adaptations, like how he stepped in front of the gun when it was turned on Martha in Batman Begins. That appeared to be a moment of instinct instead of the stupid clenching of a fist and swinging away that got them killed. As you said, he had no weapon in sight and the fact that they were shot appeared to have come as complete surprise for both of the Waynes and even Jack's accomplice.

I'm staring to favor the idea of two being involved in the Waynes' murder instead of just one. It's a better representation of crime, the assailant and the accomplice. Ever notice at the beginning when Batman takes out the two muggers, the one who openly disagreed with how the other pointed his gun at the child got the worst damage by being kicked through a door and had to hauled away in a stretcher? In this case, Batman is severely punishing the person who knew what they were doing was wrong but went ahead with it anyway.

[thecolorsblend]

"Never bring a knife to a gun fight," said somebody who's never been in a knife fight or a gun fight.

The fact is that human response time is slow. A lot slower than you think. Therefore, just because somebody carries a gun doesn't mean they automatically possess an insurmountable advantage. Studies have shown that a combatant armed only with a knife can cross six feet of space to reach a combatant armed with a gun before the gunman can react. This fact is an element of police training, btw. And you'd think that a doctor like Thomas Wayne would probably also be aware of this fact and be willing to play the odds to protect his family.

Unarmed Thomas Wayne had a better chance of taking out the armed mugger than most people realize. Obviously, the story requires Thomas to die. That's sort of non-negotiable. But statistically, he has a very good chance of taking out the gunman before the gunman can fire off even one shot if he moves quickly enough.

[Kamdan]

Thomas' move should have been to deflect the gun at point blank range at his family and THEN attempt to punch out the gunman This brute attempt at protection is what got him killed. I believe the Flashpoint version of the events that leads Thomas into becoming Batman had him be successful but the gunshot still killed Bruce. Either way, the tactic has a fatal flaw that kills someone. It was something I glossed over in The Dark Knight Returns, but it was unbearable to see in Snyder's signature slow motion style. There's a reason it was never depicted like that.

[The Dark Knight]

Just wondering. He was up against 2 men and at least one of them was armed. Even if he didn't notice the gun before Jack started shooting, he should've at least inferred the possibility, I mean it is Gotham after all and he seems like a smart guy (being a surgeon and all).
Don't get me wrong I LOVE this film!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it's always applied afterwards. During the heat of the moment it's another matter. Nobody knows what's going to happen there. Slowing down footage frame by frame and saying '[insert name here] should have done this' doesn't cut it, because that's not real life. Nobody knows how they're going to act in such a situation. The age old saying 'if only I did something' could bring its own level of regret. You just don't know IN THE MOMENT. You can either end up looking like a genius or an idiot.