History Main / MagiciansAreWizards

* In Hong Kong film ''Magic to Win'', Charlie is a stage illusionist, but also uses his Metal Magic to perform incredible tricks, in the film he as assisted by Bi Yewu, perform an illusion where Charlie divides himself in 4, then one by one Bi Yewu makes each part of his body vanish.

* The Great Farloss in ''Literature/SsaliaAndTheDragonsOfAvienot'' is a stage magician whose tricks include [[{{Invisibility}} turning himself invisible]] and [[BalefulPolymorph transforming a volunteer with a magic powder]], so the fact there's real magic involved is fairly evident. Not surprisingly, he is later referred to as a sorcerer.

* Zander from ''VideoGame/{{Battlerite}}'' comes from a troupe of performers and has the magician look, but he can still hurt and heal people just by [[DeathDealer throwing cards at them]], shoot giant bolts of energy, [[ThinkingUpPortals open up portals]], and [[BalefulPolymorph turn enemies into sheep]]. His SelfDuplication ''could'' be exaplained as stage trickery, but considering the rest of his abilities they're probably actual magic too.

* In ''Webcomic/WildeLife,'' the witch Zulime has a traveling magic show that she uses to support herself and her crew of runaway teens, [[FriendToAllChildren who seem legitimately devoted to her]]. Which would be fine, if her other activities didn't include [[BalefulPolymorph turning people into monsters]], kidnapping and MindControl.

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace'' when the Wolf of the North is looking for a magic-user to counteract Rikke's SecondSight. One of the people his men find is a travelling showman who makes grand claims about the High Art, clearly panicking that if he can't convince them of his power, he'll be killed. He eventually has to admit that he can't back up his claims and just does tricks and, surprisingly, is only thrown out.

** He apparently also gets calls asking him if he's really [[Literature/HarryPotter a wizard named "Harry"]]. He is however, named after [[RuleOfThree three]] famous magicians (at least) and a city that is famous for being bombed / burned down. [[Creator/HarryHoudini Houdini]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Blackstone,_Sr Blackstone]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Copperfield_%28illusionist%29 Copperfield]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II Dresden]]. This is MeaningfulName UpToEleven as he is a GuileHero OccultDetective who has a "[[DestructiveSavior problem with buildings]]".

* The entire plot of ''WesternAnimation/TheIllusionist'' is that Alice believes that the Illusionist has real magical powers.

* Most of the tricks in ''Film/TheIllusionist'' are impossible without modern special effects. Ironically, the last trick, which wows the audience the most, is actually possible without advanced technology. According to the DVD extras, Eisenheim's effects are largely the result of an UnreliableNarrator, to show how his illusions must have appeared to an audience unaccustomed to CGI. The Orange Tree trick, for instance [[spoiler:is a real trick involving an unbelievably complicated clockwork setup, some sleight of hand, and real oranges pinned to the clockwork tree.]]

* In the ''Series/FreeSpirit'' HalloweenEpisode, MagicalNanny Winnie tries to help Jessie impress a few high school students by performing a magic trick in which Winnie would make Jessie disappear. Unfortunately, Winnie's powers malfunction on Halloween (she blames all the mortals performing stage magic), complicating the process of making her reappear.

** Creator/HarryHoudini himself may have started the trend when he caught a PhonyPsychic in the act and later set up safeguards with his wife to prevent others from 'raising his ghost' after his death.

* In the rebooted ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', the possiblity is still open, but game mechanics discourage it. Using magic for mere personal gain can be considered an act of Hubris and ding your KarmaMeter. Furthermore, "Vulgar" magic (which would be necessary for most stage tricks) risks attracting the attention of an EldritchAbomination. Primarily the difference is that certain classes of effects are now just classified vulgar by definition, and while covert magic can ''become'' vulgar the reverse isn't true. So if you, for instance, conjure a flame the size of a lighter flame on top of an actual lighter, you take the penalty roll regardless of the impossibility of anyone calling you on it. Though it does sometimes work the other way, too. Softening a stone wall to play-dough and digging your way out with your bare hands would get you paradox'd in the old world, but now it's still covert if no-one's watching, even though the effect is pretty... blatant.

* Herman Rucker, who performed under the stage name Black Herman, was trained by his mentor Prince Herman both in conventional methods of stage magic and the folk magic popular in the region. Herman was known to perform both in his traveling shows, cultivating a reputation as a master of spiritual arcana in addition to being a skilled illusionist. This got him into a fair bit of trouble as well, as the law had a thing or to to say about his practice of selling "[[SnakeOilSalesman healing elixers]]".

** Later in that scene, he used his sleight-of-hand skills (which Fistandantilus considered unfitting of a true mage) to steal [[FanNickname Fisty's]] ImmortalityTalisman without him realizing it was gone, thereby allowing the two of them to engage in a WizardsDuel fairly evenly.

* ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} and her father, John Zatara, from Franchise/TheDCU are from a [[WitchSpecies species]] called ''Homo magi'', and they use their powers for both entertainment and fighting evil. In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Zatanna admits to using ''both'' real and stage magic to give her act flair yet also give it PlausibleDeniability. An earlier comic even implies that she actually finds stage magic ''more'' difficult since it requires actual practice.

** Averted in Real Wizards look down upon mere magicians, and consider being called a magician an insult. However, "magicians" are low-level magic users; the people who saw women in half are called "conjurers". Conjurers don't seem to have any magical abilities at all, but are ''still'' higher up the magical hierarchy than thaumaturgists (more or less magical IT guys). It's also stated that conjurers are quite popular: people find tricks done with misdirection and sleight of hand to be more impressive than boring old magic.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' features the Amazing Mumbo, a blue-skinned villain in a cape and top hat who uses elaborate magic tricks to commit his crimes (usually bank robbery). If his wand is broken, he loses his powers and reverts to his normal human form. WordOfGod states that he was an ordinary magician who got his hands on a real magic wand, which gave him magical powers at the expense of his sanity. In a later episode, he has [[DomainHolder his own little world where he controls everything]] tucked away in his hat. Once caught inside, Raven (herself a magic user) [[ArbitrarySkepticism insists that everything Mumbo does is "just" an illusion]] (seemingly just because it's not a kind of magic ''[[UnequalRites she]]'' is used to). She ends up admitting it's real ''enough'', and uses a mundane illusion to trick Mumbo and save the team.

* In the fourth season of the TV show ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', there is an episode that revolves around this trope titled "[[TakeThat Criss Angel is a Douchebag]]". The main characters, Sam and Dean, spend the entire episode trying to find a serial-killer wizard, who is hiding by pretending to be an elderly stage magician. Turns out he has a fondness for entertaining an audience when he's not committing homicide. Ironically enough, he dies when an Average Joe stage magician uses sleight of hand to use his own cursed stage-props to kill him.
%%* Tarot from ''Series/AceOfWands''.

* A strange half-measure in ''Series/DoctorWho'': many incarnations of the Doctor are fond of prestidigitation and stage tricks, even comparatively serious ones like Three. And he's been called a wizard by countless cultures through time and space. His only "magic" may come from advanced technology and his wits, but that still proves more effective than the real deal sometimes.

* In the ''Series/FreeSpirit'' HalloweenEpisode, MagicalNanny Winnie tries to help Jessie impress a few high school students by performing a magic trick in which Winnie would make Jessie disappear. Unfortunately, Winnie's powers malfunction on Halloween (she blames all the mortals performing stage magic), complicating the process of making her re-appear.

** "The Oldest Trick in the Book" is from an Ancient Egyptian tale of a man who would pull the head off a chicken and then re-set it to the chick completely unharmed. It is considered the oldest trick since the man never claimed to use magic or be blessed by the gods, just that he was skilled in ways that the audience was not.

* Averted in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Real Wizards look down upon mere magicians, and consider being called a magician an insult. However, "magicians" are low-level magic users; the people who saw women in half are called "conjurers". Conjurers don't seem to have any magical abilities at all, but are ''still'' higher up the magical hierarchy than thaumaturgists (more or less magical IT guys). It's also stated that conjurers are quite popular: people find tricks done with misdirection and sleight of hand to be more impressive than boring old magic.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', [[TricksterTwins the Weasley twins]] once mention going down to the nearby town to show some magic tricks to a {{Muggle}} girl. The tricks are so good they almost seem like ''real'' magic, don't they?

* Spoofed in an issue of ''ComicBook/{{Rat-Man}}'' that was a parody of Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian: the seemingly all-powerful wizard our "heroine" met fought with playing cards, [[PullARabbitOutOfMyHat a rabbit]] and spells from... a bunch of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' cards!

** MickeyMouse in the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Classic Disney Short]] "Magician Mickey". His tricks become more elaborate and implausible as the cartoon goes on. Most of these tricks are directed at Donald specifically in almost ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' fashion.

** Creator/JamesRandi, aka The Amazing Randi, has an entire foundation dedicated to debunking claims of supernatural powers, with a one million dollar reward for anyone who can demonstrate genuine supernatural powers under laboratory conditions. In regards to this trope, Randi prefers to be called a 'conjuror' as a 'magician' is someone who can actually do magic.

* At least one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'' suggested Presto was an amateur stage magician before Dungeon Master gave him a magic hat. (Jimmy Whittaker in "City at the Edge of Midnight" says that Presto can show him some card tricks at school.) Which might explain why he's called Presto.

* ''Series/ICarly'': One of the episodes features Malika, a stage magician who asks Freddie to the girl's choice dance and seems to be practicing real magic. Even the iCarly gang can't explain her magic tricks, and it's possible she's actually a real sorcerer.

* ''Series/iCarly'': One of the episodes features Malika, a stage magician who asks Freddie to the girl's choice dance and seems to be practicing real magic. Even the iCarly gang can't explain her magic tricks, and it's possible she's actually a real sorcerer.

* ''Series/Icarly'': One of the episodes features Malika, a stage magician who asks Freddie to the girl's choice dance and seems to be practicing real magic. Even the iCarly gang can't explain her magic tricks, and it's possible she's actually a real sorcerer.

** MickeyMouse in the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Classic Disney Short]] "Magician Mickey". His tricks become more elaborate and implausible as the cartoon goes on.

** Another example from the WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts is "Baggage Buster", where Goofy has to deliver a magician's trunk that is obviously magical. HilarityEnsues.