History Main / DoingInTheWizard

** ...At least in season one. It's been confirmed the Flash will appear in season 2, and [[AllYourPowersCombined AMAZO]] has been hinted to appear as well.

Compare and contrast with HowUnscientific. See also {{Demythtification}}, TheMagicGoesAway, and MagicVersusScience. Diametric opposite to DoingInTheScientist. Inbetween you have MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. Compare {{Jossed}}. Contrast MagicAIsMagicA and TheMagicComesBack. [[IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with]] [[BurnTheWitch the execution of magic users.]]

* Averted in ''TheLongestJourney'', where Arcadia is a world where magic works with no scientific explanation, while Stark is deprived of magic and runs on science and technology (curiously, magical and technological items work fine in opposite worlds, much to April's advantage). On the other hand, April does in the wizard Klacks with a pocket calculator. Don't know why that worked either.

** As revealed in ''{{Dreamfall}}'', after the new Guardian restored the Balance and corrected the flows of magic and science, anything in Stark that was based on magic (AntiGravity, FasterThanLightTravel, etc.) stopped working, as the laws of physics took over. This also explained why there were so many anti-gravity crashes mentioned in ''The Longest Journey'', as magic is inherently chaotic. On the other hand, in Arcadia, anything more advanced than MiddleAges can only work via {{Magitek}}, which includes steam engines and airships of the [[AntimagicalFaction Azadi]] [[TheEmpire Empire]].

** ''Literature/TheAtrocityArchive'' by Creator/CharlesStross follows on this point; the secret agency that deals with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the Laundry, was founded after Alan Turing discovered a math equation that simulated magic. A HandOfGlory is described as specific variables that form a complete circuit with an extradimensional source, and the traditional "gaze of the Medusa" turns out to be triggered by a ''very'' rare form of brain tumor and [[spoiler:can be replicated on a circuit board]].

** Lovecraft's story ''The Dreams In the Witch-House'' starts with the protagonist moving into the titular building ''because'' his curiosity is aroused by rumors that it is haunted by the ghost of the witch who once lived there. In a way it is, but it is heavily implied that the "haunting" is not actually supernatural but an [[AlienGeometries extremely sophisticated science based around the manipulation of space and time]].

* In ''WolverineAndTheXMen'', the Wendigo was a {{SHIELD}} attempt at recreating CaptainAmerica's SuperSerum, rather than the product of an ancient Indigenous curse like it was in the comics.

** ''Literature/TheAtrocityArchive'' by Creator/CharlesStross follows on this point; the secret agency that deals with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the Laundry, was founded after Alan Turing discovered a math equation that simulated magic. A Hand of Glory is described as specific variables that form a complete circuit with an extradimensional source, and the traditional "gaze of the Medusa" turns out to be triggered by a ''very'' rare form of brain tumor and [[spoiler:can be replicated on a circuit board]].

* In ''SuperFriends'', [[CaptainEthnic Apache Chief]] got his [[{{Sizeshifter}} Sizeshifting]] powers from stereotypical (and borderline offensive) "[[MagicalNativeAmerican Apachie magic]]". In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Tye Longshadow (the teen Apache Chief) was born with a [[MetaOrigin Metagene]] that activated after being [[AlienAbduction experimented on by aliens]].

* In ''SuperFriends'', [[CaptainEthnic Apache Chief]] got his [[{{Sizeshifter}} Sizeshifting]] powers from stereotypical (and borderline offensive) "[[MagicalNativeAmerican Apachie magic]]". In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Tye Longshadow (the teen Apache Chief) got his powers after being [[AlienAbduction experimented upon by aliens]].

* The mainstream version of Black Knight is a mystical knight with an enchanted sword from the time of King Arthur. The [[UltimateMarvel Ultimate]] Black Knight is a quadriplegic {{Cyborg}} with ArtificialLimbs and a suit of PoweredArmor.

* In ''Literature/The13thWarrior'', the monster is just a brutal primitive tribe, but no less dangerous.
** In the afterword to the softcover edition of the book, they are strongly implied to be the last Neanderthals, so the wizard was already done in.

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}, Mister Mxyzptlk was a teenager with MindManipulation abilities, rather than a [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] [[GreatGazoo Imp from the Fifth Dimension]] like in the comics.

* ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' famously did this to Force ability. In the original trilogy, Force potential is vague, but could be passed down through the family and sensed by other Jedi. ''The Phantom Menace'' revealed that a person's ability to control the Force is possibly determined by the amount of symbiotic organisms known as midi-chlorians you have in your bloodstream, therefore blurring the lines between magic and science. Thus, Force potential became solidified as a physical property of your body in addition to an abstract talent or metaphysical ability. The Force itself is still just magic, however.

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}, Mister Mxyzptlk was a teenager with MindManipulation abilities, rather than a [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] [[TheGreatGazoo Imp from the Fifth Dimension]] like in the comics.

** The Phoenix is also one of Jean Grey's [[SplitPersonality alternate personality]], rather than a god-like cosmic entity. Though to be fair, Phoenix originally was just Jean in the comics before it was {{Retcon}}ned into being a creature from space.
** In ''Film/{{X-Men First Class}}'', Azazel is just a satanic-looking mutant instead of an actual demonic being like in the comics. [[TheScrappy But since the comic version of Azazel is widely hated]], [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap this change actually went over ''well'' with fans]].

* In the film version of Film/{{Thor}}, what would appear at first to be flat out magic used by what appear to be Norse gods, it is shown that they are actually just a shockingly human looking race of aliens from a distant planet, with technology so advanced that it appears as magic to Humans, and the Norse mythology was sprung from centuries ago when they visited Earth and people thought they were gods. A mixed example; Thor's hammer and Loki's magic are both explicitly called magic by Asgardians.

* In ''TabletopGame/ConspiracyX '', psychic phenomena are simply another aspect of physics which mainstream human science still haven't figured out. All humans (excluding extremely rare mutations) are psychic, to a degree (explaining things like "intuition" or "empathy"). "Magic" and most magical creatures are actually also a result of this: the vast majority of humans produce more psychic energy than they use, and the excess "seeps" out of their body to create a sort of psychic background force, the so called "Collective Subconscious" of humanity. "Magic" is the manipulation of this psychic "seepage" to achieve all sorts of effects (the rituals work because enough people subconsciously believe they should), demons and spirits are intelligent manifestations of people's fears, and vampires and werewolves are people who were "infected" by the seepage until they were physically and mentally transformed into subconscious archetypes: "The Stalker" and "The Predator", in this case.

* In ''TabletopGame/ConspiracyX'', psychic phenomena are simply another aspect of physics which mainstream human science still haven't figured out. All humans (excluding extremely rare mutations) are psychic, to a degree (explaining things like "intuition" or "empathy"). "Magic" and most magical creatures are actually also a result of this: the vast majority of humans produce more psychic energy than they use, and the excess "seeps" out of their body to create a sort of psychic background force, the so called "Collective Subconscious" of humanity. "Magic" is the manipulation of this psychic "seepage" to achieve all sorts of effects (the rituals work because enough people subconsciously believe they should), demons and spirits are intelligent manifestations of people's fears, and vampires and werewolves are people who were "infected" by the seepage until they were physically and mentally transformed into subconscious archetypes: "The Stalker" and "The Predator", in this case.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'', [[spoiler: Ra's al-Ghul is ''not'' ageless and there are no Lazarus Pits: instead, the League of Shadows makes him ''appear'' ageless via a legacy of similar-looking figureheads, while the ''real'' head and TheDragon really have their places switched every time.]]

* ''Film/HouseOfDracula'' sweeps aside the supernatural elements of Film/TheWolfMan1941's curse, gives it a TechnoBabble explanation and ultimately cures it.

* In ''ConspiracyX'', psychic phenomena are simply another aspect of physics which mainstream human science still haven't figured out. All humans (excluding extremely rare mutations) are psychic, to a degree (explaining things like "intuition" or "empathy"). "Magic" and most magical creatures are actually also a result of this: the vast majority of humans produce more psychic energy than they use, and the excess "seeps" out of their body to create a sort of psychic background force, the so called "Collective Subconscious" of humanity. "Magic" is the manipulation of this psychic "seepage" to achieve all sorts of effects (the rituals work because enough people subconsciously believe they should), demons and spirits are intelligent manifestations of people's fears, and vampires and werewolves are people who were "infected" by the seepage until they were physically and mentally transformed into subconscious archetypes: "The Stalker" and "The Predator", in this case.

Compare and contrast with HowUnscientific. See also {{Demythtification}}, TheMagicGoesAway, and MagicVersusScience. Diametric opposite to DoingInTheScientist. Inbetween you have MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. Compare {{Jossed}}. Contrast MagicAIsMagicA and TheMagicComesBack.

-->-- TheDistressedWatcher [[note]]on ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'''s "midichlorian" explanation of the force.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' famously did this to Force ability. In the original trilogy, Force potential is vague, but could be passed down through the family and sensed by other Jedi. ''The Phantom Menace'' revealed that a person's ability to control the Force is possibly determined by the amount of organelles known as midi-chlorians you have in your bloodstream, therefore blurring the lines between magic and science. Thus, Force potential became solidified as a physical property of your body in addition to an abstract talent or metaphysical ability. The Force itself is still just magic, however.