History Main / DoingInTheScientist

* ''Manga/DevilMan'' starts off with the demons being explained as simply powerful shapeshifting creatures from Earth's distant past whose ability to "possess" people came from absorbing them on the cellular level not unlike ''Film/TheThing1982''. Then God himself shows up.

* ''Comicbook/BlueBeetle'' was originally a case of DoingInTheWizard; in the Dan Garrett stories, {{t|ransformationTrinket}}he [[EmpathicWeapon Scarab]] was magic, and [[LegacyCharacter his successor]] Jaime Reyes ''assumes'' that it's magic for a while, only to learn that it's actually alien technology tampered with by magic (or something). As of Comicbook/DCRebirth, however, [[FlipFlopOfGod they've flip-flopped again]], and now it's a magical artifact that ''tricked'' Jaime into thinking that it's alien technology.
* [[LegacyCharacter Each incarnation of]] Franchise/TheFlash originally gained their powers due to a FreakLabAccident, but later the origin was retconned into the accidents connecting them to a mystical entity called the Speed Force.

* The AU miniseries ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'', which takes place in an Elizabethan version of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, does this for practically all of the Marvel superheroes' origins. The ComicBook/FantasticFour, for example, get their powers after wandering into a magical sea storm that turns them into [[FourElementEnsemble physical avatars of the four elements]]; this universe's Bruce Banner becomes [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]] after being hit by a blast of mystical energy from a tear in the fabric of space; and this universe's Peter Parker gets his spider-based abilities after being bitten by a spider that's hit with the same blast of energy. Played with in the finale, which reveals this anomaly only exists in the first place due to a malfunctioning time machine, but the parallels are also due to the presence a time displaced [[spoiler: Steve Rogers]] shifting the universe to emulate his present by recreating the origins of his contemporaries.

* Franchise/SpiderMan's superpower origin used to be a radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker and mutated him. Then Creator/JMichaelStraczynski went back and said, "The radiation gave a mystical spider-totem spirit a chance to infuse Peter Parker with its power." In this case, it was because fans and writers had gradually become more aware that [[HowUnscientific radiation doesn't work that way]], although that said the Scientist is NotQuiteDead -- Spidey didn't entirely buy the magic angle, and has shown enough scientific understanding of his power to poison a magical enemy who assumed he was just like any other totemic hero. ComicBook/{{S|carletSpider}}torylines [[ComicBook/SpiderVerse involving the mysticism angle]] still come up from time to time.

[[folder:Fanworks]]

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Kyubey is a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien, not a magical creature, and he wants to prevent the universe's heat death by breaking the second law of thermodynamics. However, he does this by performing genuine miracles and drawing out real magical potential in human girls so he can collect energy generated by emotions; none of these are governed by thermodynamics or any kind of science and that's why they suit Kyubey's purpose.

* In the comics, Franchise/SpiderMan's webs are made from an artificial chemical and Spidey fires them with a wrist device [[GadgeteerGenius of his own invention]]. However, in the Creator/SamRaimi films (and the [[OlderThanTheyThink earlier failed adaptation]] by Creator/JamesCameron), the web is naturally created and fired directly from Spidey's wrists as a result of a mutation caused by him being bitten by a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically-engineered]] spider. ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' and the Film/MarvelCinematicUniverse return to the comics' mechanical device.

This is often seen in "updated" superhero origins. Once upon a time [[ILoveNuclearPower being on the range during a Gamma-bomb test]], or being [[MagicGenetics bitten by]] and/or [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke spliced with]] a [[Franchise/SpiderMan radioactive spider]], sounded semi-plausible. Nobody thought it could work (hopefully...) but it sounded vaguely ''like'' something that could happen. However, ScienceMarchesOn and now there are some things that ''no'' scientific origin can plausibly excuse. Magic, on the other hand, can (by definition) [[HouseRules do anything the author wants it to]]. Sure, it loses a lot of realism but sometimes that's what you're after--maintaining WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief through a simple handwave that doesn't try to be scientific is often less taxing than trying to swallow nonsense about something that really exists.

* ComicBook/ImmortalHulk introduces the One Below All and reveals all gamma rays are emanations of him, explaining why gamma mutations are based on the person's psyche. [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in that Puck notes gamma is both magic ''and'' science - it can be measured and understood scientifically, but when it makes "Metaphor people" it is behaving magically. It's all a matter of perspective.

* Franchise/SpiderMan's superpower origin used to be a radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker and mutated him. Then Creator/JMichaelStraczynski went back and said, "The radiation gave a mystical spider-totem spirit a chance to infuse Peter Parker with its power." In this case, it was because fans and writers had gradually become more aware that [[HowUnscientific radiation doesn't work that way]], although that said the Scientist is NotQuiteDead - Spidey didn't entirely buy the magic angle, and has shown enough scientific understanding of his power to poison a magical enemy who assumed he was just like any other totemic hero. ComicBook/{{S|carletSpider}}torylines [[ComicBook/SpiderVerse involving the mysticism angle]] still come up from time to time.

* The Death Star from ''Franchise/StarWars'', while always an extremely powerful superweapon, was originally known as a "technological terror" distinct from the ways of the Force, something the ''Legends'' continuity ran with. When the ContinuityReboot rolled around, the new Expanded Universe refined the concept of "kyber crystals", Force-powered crystals which not only power lightsabers but also were used to power ancient Sith superweapons - as well as to power the Death Star's superlaser. In other words, the Death Star was retconned from being pure technology into being Dark Side {{magitek}} - something which puts Vader's "the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force" into a new light.

** The series danced with a scientific explanation for everything in seasons 4 and 5. Season 6, meanwhile, reverts back to fantasy, focusing the plot around two people who seem to be immortal demigods (one of whom has even been theorized to be an outright ''genie'', since he claims to be able to grant wishes to his followers and who is being kept on the Island like a cork keeps wine in a bottle) while introducing rules about not being able to kill somebody if they speak to you first, a healing spring that turns you evil when it's grimy, and so on.

* ComicBook/ImmortalHulk introduces the One Below All and reveals all gamma rays are emanations of him, explaining why gamma mutations are based on the person's psyche. [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] in that Puck notes gamma is both magic ''and'' science - it can be measured and understood scientifically, but when it makes "Metaphor people" it is behaving magically. It's all a matter of perspective.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' leaves it ambiguous why the animatronics at the titular SuckECheese want to kill you; Phone Guy says that it's a programming malfunction, but several easter eggs imply that the robots are actually haunted by the spirits of murdered children. The sequel makes it clear that the supernatural explanation is ''definitely'' correct, as the death minigames show the story of ''how'' the animatronics came to be haunted.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' canon, [[PowerUpFood Devil Fruits]] are treated as FantasticScience. In ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse'', [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma and his companions]] simply refer to Devil Fruits as "magic", goaded by the fact their DimensionalTraveler Umok, TheImp and a self-proclaimed wizard, explicitly calls the energies within Devil Fruits "magical" and even says they seem similar to the energies of Jusenkyo curses.

** After two films stating that the Asgardians are actually just SufficientlyAdvancedAliens instead of gods, ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' contradicts this and establishes that no, they really ''are'' PhysicalGods, and Loki, Hela, and Thor are repeatedly addressed as God of Mischief, Goddess of Death, and God of Thunder, respectively. Thor realizing Mjölnir was only a conduit for his [[ShockAndAwe powers]] rather than their source is a major plot point. In ''Series/{{Loki|2021}}'', the titular character's abilities don't work in the TVA's AntiMagic field, while advanced technology still does.

** The first expansion, ''The [=WarChiefs=]'', addressed criticism by having two more history-based campaigns (one set in the American Revolution and another in the Sioux Wars) despite still following members of the same family. However, the new [[MagicalNativeAmerican Native American]] civilizations also got bonuses from ritually dancing around firepits and could recruit wild animals into their forces, which didn't sit well with some Native American groups.

* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': Tony suggests that the Hulk (A.K.A "The Other Guy") is not triggered by Bruce's heart rate ''per se'', but that the Hulk deliberately manifests to protect Bruce in dangerous (i.e. heart-pounding) situations. Thus, it is an ally to be embraced instead of a monster to be caged. The events of the movie support this view. [[spoiler: Bruce tells TheTeam that Hulk interrupted his suicide attempt and later it emerges in the final battle because Bruce told it to.]]

* In the comics, Franchise/SpiderMan's webs are made from an artificial chemical and Spidey fires them with a wrist device [[GadgeteerGenius of his own invention]]. However, in the Creator/SamRaimi films (and the [[OlderThanTheyThink earlier failed adaptation]] by Creator/JamesCameron), the web is naturally created and fired directly from Spidey's wrists as a result of a mutation caused by him being bitten by a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically-engineered]] spider. The Film/MarvelCinematicUniverse returns to the comics' mechanical device.

* After two films stating that the Asgardians are actually just SufficientlyAdvancedAliens instead of gods, ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' contradicts this and establishes that no, they really ''are'' PhysicalGods, and Loki, Hela, and Thor are repeatedly addressed as God of Mischief, Goddess of Death, and God of Thunder, respectively.

* ''Series/WandaVision'': In previous movies, Wanda's powers were given a "scientific" explanation (HYDRA experiments with the Mind Stone granted her psionic abilities). Here, the witch Agatha Harkness explicitly identifies her powers as magical, and they follow the rules of Agatha's own magic. Agatha theorizes that Wanda was born with a modicum of magical talent, which awakened into the infinitely powerful [[RealityWarper Chaos Magic]] by exposure to the Mind Stone. Wanda herself at first denies this explanation, sticking with what HYDRA told her, but she later copies Agatha's runes for her own benefit and accepts her identity as [[TheChosenOne the Scarlet Witch]].

[[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in-universe if TheMagicComesBack. If magic is the whole basis for a civilization's technology, see {{Magitek}}. Contrast HowUnscientific (a supernatural episode in an otherwise non-supernatural universe) and MagicVersusScience (when magic and science/technology are enemies). May lead to MundaneFantastic (where magic is so common it's not even considered unusual), MagicalRealism (magic is present in an otherwise non-magical setting), BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy (the retconning of a historical figure as a supernatural being), and MaybeMagicMaybeMundane (when the new magic is implied, but not confirmed and there are alternate explanations). Can be the result of a show becoming DenserAndWackier.

* The theory of the evolution of species by natural selection was first formulated by UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. One reason you don't hear as much about Wallace these days is that he outlived Darwin for 30 years and bought hard on the Spiritualism fad of the Turn-of-the-Century, becoming a prominent advocate of it and the non-material origin of the human mind.

* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' has pulled this in some of its modern incarnations. ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' popularized this; the entire point of the film was that the gang had spent several years debunking hauntings as [[ScoobyDooHoax hoaxes and criminal plots]] and the film explored how they would react when finally faced with the supernatural for real.
** [[Film/ScoobyDoo The first live-action film]] included actual demonic creatures controlled by [[spoiler:the pissed-off Scrappy Doo]].
** In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'', the ominous coral-monster that'd been lurking around the beach turned out to be an actual coral-based sea monster ... which had nothing to do with the crime the gang solved as they investigated its presence!
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Initially, Shego's hand blasts were implied to be devices in her gloves. Later it was firmly established to be a superpower given to her by a MagicMeteor.
* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': The MutagenicGoo that's a mainstay of the franchise is magical, rather than chemical, though with a hint of {{Magitek}}. The {{Mutants}} it creates were specifically turned into {{Youkai}}, though they're still called "mutants" to distinguish them from natural youkai (including the one who made the ooze, who still considers himself a scientist).

* Obviously, science is a study of the real world and its laws but there have been many times the discovery of things have ended up being a lot weirder than the mundane explanation or remain inexplicable.

* It's been said that a scientist's job is destroy magic and turn it into science. It's been said that an engineer's job is ''destroy science and create magic.'' There is a reason several engineers refer to themselves as Wizards. An engineer's job is to create solutions to problems that are usually intentionally obfuscating as possible within budgetary constraints, otherwise people can copy you/your employer. Most engineers are also taught to [[BlackBox "black box"]] as much as possible to save time, again taking the known and making it the unknown. And at the end of day, an engineer should have taken simpler components and made them into something more complex, and therefore less knowable, even if they aren't trying to throw people off.

* In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', it was revealed that all the advanced fictional technology Linkara has been using ([[Franchise/StarTrek phasers and tricorders]], [[Franchise/PowerRangers morphers]], Franchise/{{poke|mon}}balls, etc.) are actually just toys that he's been enchanting using a magic book that can turn the image of something into the actual thing. Oddly, there's still genuine sci-fi stuff; its quite explicitly only the borrowed technology that was actually magic.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' has this in their origin story. In G1, the Autobots and Decepticons were manufactured by the Quintessons as slaves and weapons respectively (though prior to this story, super-computer Vector Sigma gave sentience to the Transformers while their origin was left unanswered). In later series it's said that they were created by an actual god, Primus, that is their planet. As in, their planet transforms into a god. (This doesn't entirely count, however, as some continuities follow the Primus origin and some follow the Quintesson origin.)

** The first expansion, ''The [=WarChiefs=]'', addressed criticism by having two more history-based campaigns (one set in the American Revolution and another in the Sioux Wars) despite still following members of the same family. However, the new [[MagicalNativeAmerican Native American]] civilizations algo got bonuses from ritually dancing around firepits and could recruit wild animals into their forces, which didn't sit well with some Native American groups.

* Though the units and techs are still history-based, ''Videogame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' deviates from its predecessors in having a fantasy campaign about a highly fictionalized version of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsHospitaller and their American descendants battling a secret society called The Circle of Ossus (implied to be descendants of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar in supplementary material), for exclusive access to the FountainOfYouth (which exists, and does extend your life to ''superbicentenarian''). This [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks didn't go well]] with fans of the franchise.
** The first expansion, ''The [=WarChiefs=]'', addressed criticism by having two more history-based campaigns (one set in the American Revolution and another in the Sioux Wars) despite still following members of the same family. However, the new [[MagicalNativeAmerican Native American]] civilizations algo got bonuses from dancing around firepits and could ritually recruit wild animals into their forces, which didn't sit well with some Native American groups.

[[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in-universe if TheMagicComesBack. If magic is the whole basis for a civilization's technology, see {{Magitek}}. Contrast HowUnscientific (a supernatural episode in an otherwise non-supernatural universe) and MagicVersusScience (when magic and science/technology are enemies). May lead to MundaneFantastic (where magic is so common it's not even considered unusual), MagicalRealism (magic is present in an otherwise non-magical setting), and BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy (the retconning of a historical figure as a supernatural being). Can be the result of a show becoming DenserAndWackier.

If it happens to in-universe ''retellings'' of past events and people, but the events and people remain non-supernatural in 'reality', it is LegendFadesToMyth and ShroudedInMyth, respectively.

* Though the units and techs are still history-based, ''Videogame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' deviates from its predecessors in having a semi-fantastic campaign about a highly fictionalized version of the Knights of Malta and their American descendants battling a mysterious secret society called The Circle of Ossus (implied in supplementary material to be descendants of the Templars), for exclusive access to the Fountain of Youth (which exists, and does extend your life to beyond bicentenarian). This didn't go well with fans of the franchise.
** The first expansion, ''The [=WarChiefs=]'', addressed this criticism by having two more history-based campaigns (one set in the American Revolution and another in the Sioux Wars) despite still following members of the same family. However, the new Native American civilizations algo got bonuses from dancing around firepits and could recruit wild animals into their forces through rituals, which didn't sit well with some Native American groups.
* Through most of ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms Hell's Highway'', Matthew Baker's dead squadmate, Kevin Leggett, appears in either {{flashback}}s or as Baker's presumably guilt or PTSD-induced hallucinations. But then Legget appears as a ghost in the last cutscene, "Farewell is Goodbye".

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has an odd progression. At first, Tedd was a TeenGenius who invented a TransformationRay gun. Then it was retconned to be [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Alien Technology]], which was then retconned to be {{Magitek}}, which was then retconned to be full-on magic [[spoiler: only possible due to the intervention of immortal beings in the area]]. "Take THAT Science Fiction!". Tedd is still a TeenGenius, but now his specialty is in SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'': It was originally implied that Oasis was the creation of MadScientist Dr. Steve, being either a robot he built or a human girl he {{Brainwashed}} and physically enhanced. Several years later, it's revealed that Dr. Steve didn't create Oasis at all; while exactly ''what'' she is remains unclear, researchers have labelled her "proof-positive paranormal" and stated "[[http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=090608 nobody made Oasis into a weapon but God]]." Also, her magical ability? [[spoiler: Pyrokinesis. People STILL don't know how she survives being dead!]] {{fantasy}} elements have been part of ''Sluggy Freelance'' since day one, so this revelation isn't as jarring as it might be in other series.
** [[spoiler: [[DoingInTheWizard Subverted again later]], as explanation given to both her "Pyrokinesis" and apparent immortality, is her being a satellite station housing her mind and being equipped with advanced weaponry.]]
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' featured robots for many chapters, before it was revealed that some--if not all of them--are {{magitek}}, and capable of operating without motors, actuators, or any visible power source. In retrospect, this helps to explain how Antimony--who by her own admission doesn't know the first thing about how robots work--was able to single-handedly reassemble Robot S13.
* Webcomic/{{Suppression}} takes an interesting twist on this trope AND DoingInTheWizard. Both wizards and scientists are trying to figure out what's up with Ebon Creek. Neither of them have all of the answers in so far.
* ''WebComic/WoodenRose'': [[spoiler: Eric originally attributed his wife's pregnancy to infidelity but when he saw that the child was a tree spirit, and that it came to term in a week instead of nine months, he had no choice but to accept that the supernatural was involved]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'': laughed at the idea of anyone using ''magic'' (especially the kind inspired by a tabletop game) and thought "Spirit of the Tiger" was an euphemism for steroids. Then Mecha Maid tells her that the latter is ''not'' an euphemism of any kind and Alexis performs the Ritual of Lolth for real.

* The AU miniseries ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'', which takes place in an Elizabethan version of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, does this for practically all of the Marvel superheroes' origins. The ComicBook/FantasticFour, for example, get their powers after wandering into a magical sea storm that turns them into [[FourElementEnsemble physical avatars of the four elements]]; this universe's Bruce Banner becomes [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]] after being hit by a blast of mystical energy from a tear in the fabric of space; and this universe's Peter Parker gets his spider-based abilities after being bitten by a spider that's hit with the same blast of energy.

** The first expansion, ''The [=WarChiefs=]'', addressed this criticism by having two more history-based campaigns (one set in the American Revolution and another in the Sioux Wars) despite still following members of the same family. However, the new Native American civilizations algo got bonuses from dancing around firepits and could recruit wild animals into their forces, which didn't sit well with some Native American groups.

* Early on in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', it's revealed that there's a kind of cloning technology called "fomicry". How it operates isn't explained but it's assumed to be scientific. [[spoiler:Turns out that's only half right. The ''process'' by which it is done is technological but the thing that ''allows'' it is actually magic: that thing being the energy given off by the local CrystalDragonJesus.]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's a lot less jarring than most examples]], however, since this world (and most of the franchise) runs on {{Magitek}}. The resident wizard and most prominent scientist don't just get along; they're the same person.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'', it's shown that the {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le Nova monsters can be harmed by [[LightEmUp a special kind of energy]] given off by Sophie. Later, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Sophie is actually a RobotGirl created by the people of a different planet... except ''then'' it turns out that the thing that powers her mysterious attacks is actually the mystical energy of the planet]]. Similarly, the laws of the world of Fodra were thought to be entirely natural until [[EldritchAbomination Lambda]] was discovered in its core.
* ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms Hell's Highway'' implies this trope. Throughout the game, the protagonist, Matthew Baker, is plagued by what seems to be a hallucination of a dead squadmate, Leggett, whom Baker is revealed to be partially responsible for the death of, and the hallucinations of other squadmates as well. One would dismiss this as the result of severe PTSD and shell shock, until the last cutscene, where Leggett asks Baker how he feels about snow. This being right after the infamous Operation Market Garden, and before the Battle of the Bulge, which occurred in the bitterly cold winter of 1944-45, a mere hallucination would not be able to predict the future of the squad, suggesting that Leggett is there in more than just Baker's mind.
* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Gastly and its evolutions, the first generation's only Ghost types, were said not to ''really'' be ghosts but just lifeforms made of some kind of gas. Subsequent generations have abandoned this and feature things like the souls of dead children who starved to death in the forest and abandoned dolls animated by ThePowerOfHate.
* ''Videogame/{{Tekken}} 4'' took a sudden and drastic turn towards DoingInTheWizard compared to the supernatural and soft sci-fi themes in the first game. Most notably, the Devil possessing Jin and Kazuya was first referred to as "the Devil Gene" in this game and described as a mutation. Ogre, similarly, was called a "bioweapon" instead of an ancient warrior god. The only robot was Combot, a ClockworkCreature rather than the {{Ridiculously Human Robot|s}} JACK series, and there's only one "fighting animal"--Kuma, who is pretty much an ordinary bear. Following games in the series brought the supernatural elements right back, but also folded most of the scientific elements right on top of them. The Devil Gene, for instance, is revealed to be a genetically-inherited curse.

* The final scene and sequels of FleshEatingZombie movie ''Film/{{REC}}'' reveal that the virus responsible for the zombies is actually a form of transmissible DemonicPossession.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', after extended use of duelling using shock-collars, Kaiser develops heart problems. This was initially explained as overuse of the shock collars, but the reason was done away with in favor of the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique dark power of his deck]], which [[DeceptiveDisciple he stole from his mentor]].
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' has gone into this full-force with ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'', where it is revealed that Stands, at least in ''that'' continuity, are caused either by coming into possession of the remains of a Saint's body [[spoiler:it's most likely Jesus's]] ''or'' travelling through a cursed, ever-changing-location, region in the United States. This is strange seeing that Stands received the opposite treatment in the previous continuity, although it should be noted that many of the Stand Users in both ''Stardust Crusaders'' and ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' gained their Stand by [[SuperEmpowering being struck with a magic arrow]].
* ''Manga/OutlawStar'': Gene's caster gun looks like futuristic super science but it's revealed to be a really old model that was formerly used by mages. It can counter Tao magic because the two are based on a similar principle. That's why it's called a ''Cast''-er.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Kyubey is a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien, not a magical creature, and he wants to prevent the universe's heat death by breaking the second law of thermodynamics. However, he does this by performing genuine miracles and drawing out real magical potential in human girls so he can collect energy generated by emotions; none of these are governed by thermodynamics or any kind of science and that's why they suit Kyubey's purpose.
* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'': Lil' Slugger is not a human delinquent. He's a [[spoiler:supernatural phantom unwittingly created by Tsukiko to escape responsibility for the death of her dog]].
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', both Orochimaru (as well his disciple Kabuto) and Madara Uchiha believe that the Rinnegan is obtained by combining both Senju and Uchiha DNA; which is backed up by Madara himself gaining it after integrating Hashirama Senju's DNA into himself. However, it's revealed later on that the Rinnegan is actually obtained by having the chakra of the Sage of the Six Paths, either by receiving it directly from the man himself, or recreating it by combining the chakra of his two sons, who Hashirama and Madara are reincarnations of.

* Franchise/SpiderMan's superpower origin used to be a radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker and mutated him. Then Creator/JMichaelStraczynski went back and said, "The radiation gave a mystical spider-totem spirit a chance to infuse Peter Parker with its power." In this case, it was because fans and writers had gradually become more aware that [[HowUnscientific radiation doesn't work that way]], although that said the Scientist is NotQuiteDead - Spidey didn't entirely buy the magic angle, and has shown enough scientific understanding of his power to poison a magical enemy who assumed he was just like any other totemic hero. ComicBook/{{S|carletSpider}}torylines [[ComicBook/SpiderVerse involving the mysticism angle]] still come up from time to time.
** Around the end of the ''Other'' arc, Peter discusses this with a South American shaman who says that the answers aren't mutually exclusive. He says that a scientist would say that the sun rises in the morning because the Earth spins, while a mystic would say the sun rises because it is meant to, and they're ''both'' right, it's just different perspectives. In this sense, the Wizard and Scientist are different sides of the same coin.
** The [[ForeignRemake Indian]] Spider-Man went with magic from the beginning. Pavitr gets his powers from a yogi, and his versions of the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom are demons that possess humans.

* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' started off as a man who had turned into a plant-monster after getting splashed with chemicals, but under Creator/AlanMoore's stint as writer he was {{retcon}}ned to be a mass of walking plant matter that ''thought'' it was a man. Eventually, he discovered his connection to the mental dimension 'the Green', and found that he was only the most recent in a long line of plant elementals. That second part was inspired by a series of experiments involving the memories of planarian flatworms [[ScienceMarchesOn which has since been discredited]].
* Same thing with the new ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'', where Buddy Baker once gained his power from being experimented on by aliens, it is revealed to be a plot made by the Totems of 'the Red', counterpart of 'the Green'.
* ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight's'' Sasquatch originally had the same origin as the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk (with a bit of babble about the aurora borealis to explain why he wasn't green). Then it turned out he actually gained his power from one of the Arctic demons Snowbird was born to fight, and that he wasn't shapeshifting as much as switching bodies. He later gained the ability to change under his own power, but this too was magical and explicitly so.

* ''Comicbook/BlueBeetle'' was originally a case of DoingInTheWizard; in the Dan Garrett stories, {{t|ransformationTrinket}}he [[EmpathicWeapon Scarab]] was magic, and [[LegacyCharacter his successor]] Jaime Reyes ''assumes'' that it's magic for a while, only to learn that it's actually alien technology tampered with by magic (or something). As of Comicbook/DCRebirth, however, [[FlipFlopOfGod they've flip-flopped again]], and now it's a magical artifact that ''tricked'' Jaime into thinking that it's alien technology.
* ComicBook/ImmortalHulk introduces the One Below All and reveals all gamma rays are emanations of him, explaining why gamma mutations are based on the person's psyche. [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] in that Puck notes gamma is both magic ''and'' science - it can be measured and understood scientifically, but when it makes "Metaphor people" it is behaving magically. It's all a matter of perspective.
* The Savage Land is a portion of Antarctica that still has a tropical climate and dinosaurs. In the mainstream universe this is because of aliens that used machines to keep things that way. In the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, those dinosaurs are there because of the Scarlet Witch's reality-warping powers.

* In ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'', a {{prequel}} to ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', Oz is a real place. Dorothy just saw all the parallels between people she met in Oz and people she knew earlier and ''assumed'' it was AllJustADream (Note that this [[AdaptationDisplacement only applies to the movies]]; in the books it's always clear that Oz is a real, magical place.)
* ''Film/ThePrestige'' has an odd variant of this that falls somewhere between this trope and DoingInTheWizard. From the beginning, the movie is presented as a fairly mundane PeriodPiece about a pair of Victorian stage magicians battling over trade secrets for their magical acts. Naturally, we assume that all of their magic tricks can be explained away as clever illusions, even when both men come up with magic tricks that apparently let them teleport instantly from one side of a stage to another. [[spoiler: Neither trick is ''magic'', per se, but one of them turns out to have been accomplished with a replication/cloning device invented by Nikola Tesla, unexpectedly pushing the movie into science fiction territory.]]

* Speaking of the MCU, after two films stating that the Asgardians are actually just SufficientlyAdvancedAliens instead of gods, ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' contradicts this and establishes that no, they really ''are'' PhysicalGods, and Loki, Hela, and Thor are repeatedly addressed as God of Mischief, Goddess of Death, and God of Thunder, respectively.

* The early SlasherMovie ''Film/DontGoInTheHouse'' ended with a TheEndOrIsIt, which revealed that the voices that had been driving the villain to kill and which the viewer had assumed to be hallucinations were actually a real supernatural force of evil that had moved on to bait someone else.
* The final scene and sequels of FleshEatingZombie movie ''Film/{{REC}}'' reveal that the virus responsible for the zombies is actually a form of transmissible DemonicPossession.
* The Death Star from ''Franchise/StarWars'', while always an extremely powerful superweapon, was originally known as a "technological terror" distinct from the ways of the Force, something the ''Legends'' continuity ran with. When the ContinuityReboot rolled around, the new Expanded Universe refined the concept of "kyber crystals", Force-powered crystals which not only power lightsabers but also were used to power ancient Sith superweapons - as well as to power the Death Star's superlaser. In other words, the Death Star was retconned from being pure technology into being Dark Side {{magitek}} - something which puts Vader's "the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force" into a new light.

* In the comics, Franchise/{{Spiderman}}'s webs are made from an artificial chemical and Spidey fires them with a wrist device [[GadgeteerGenius of his own invention]]. However, in the Creator/SamRaimi films (and the [[OlderThanTheyThink earlier failed adaptation]] by Creator/JamesCameron), the web is naturally created and fired directly from Spidey's wrists as a result of a mutation caused by him being bitten by a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically-engineered]] spider. The Film/MarvelCinematicUniverse returns to the comics' mechanical device.
* ''Film/AfterEarth'' was inspired by a real story involving a father and son having a car accident in the woods and the son going to look for help. It was changed to a father and son crashing a spaceship in a future Earth where everything has been designed or altered by aliens to kill humans. The monster ''Ursa''? Likely first conceived as a [[BearsAreBadNews grizzly bear]], ''Ursus arctos horribilis''.
* ''Film/Beowulf1999'': Despite the SettingUpdate to TheFuture AfterTheEnd, Beowulf is [[AdaptationalSpeciesChange changed]] from a mere human to a superpowered [[HalfHumanHybrid half human, half demon]] warrior.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}''

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' is a predominantly {{Fantasy}}-based show, so characters that exhibit faith and association in science (or at least the ScienceFiction-based science native to alternate worlds) are few and far between. The biggest distinction (or rather, the lack thereof) made with science and magic in ''[=OUAT=]'' is that both science and magic have a give-and-take "PowerAtAPrice" law that predicates the universe. While magic users are fully aware of this principle, (with "magic comes at a price" being Rumpelstiltskin's CatchPhrase) and will either warn others of this or arrogantly try to have others pay that price, science-users like Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll believe in progress's inherent goodness and end up screwing themselves over in the process, not learning a thing. When this fallout inevitably happens, then they will reluctantly come to rely on magic, such as when Victor acquires a magically-removed heart to finish his experiments to resurrect his dead brother, and later asks Rumpelstiltskin to use his magic to reattach his severed arm.

* The original ''Series/LifeOnMars2006'' hints that the TimeTravel is just in Sam Tyler's head from the opening narration ("Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?"), and the series strongly suggests that it is all AdventuresInComaLand as it progresses, with random bits of the modern day/real world slipping into Sam's [[TheSeventies 70s]] world. The scripted finale [[spoiler:confirmed this by having Sam wake up from said coma, finding his new life so empty that he decided to commit suicide, after which the screen switched to [[TheNothingAfterDeath black]].]] However, the aired finale turned this scene on its head by adding a scene after where [[spoiler:Sam meets his friends from the 70s, thus turning the coma dream into an AfterlifeAntechamber.]] Later on, the sequel ''Series/AshesToAshes'' had a new different character thrown in the same place, [[spoiler:and revealed that Nelson and Gene Hunt, of all people, were spirit guides helping recently deceased cops.]]

* ''Film/Beowulf1999'': Despite the SettingUpdate to TheFuture AfterTheEnd, Beowulf is [[AdaptationalSpeciesChange changed]] from a mere human to a [[HalfHumanHybrid half human, half demon]] warrior.