History Main / MaybeMagicMaybeMundane

* Many a SlasherMovie will ask whether a character murdered, [[AccidentalMurder accidentally]] or otherwise, at the start of the show has come back for revenge à la ''Film/TheCrow'', or if it's just someone [[JackTheRipoff imitating]] (or [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge avenging]]) them; e.g. ''Film/SororityRow'' or ''Film/MyBloodyValentine''.

* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' ends with Dorothy lying on her bed and her family claim that she'd been knocked unconscious during the cyclone and had a nightmare, but Dorothy insists that Oz is a real place and she enjoyed it. So was it AllJustADream, or did the ruby slippers' magic not only take Dorothy home, but make her family think she had never been gone? The Oz citizens [[ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou resemble Dorothy's acquaintances]], but this could be a coincidence, or imply that Oz is a parallel universe. We never find out the truth unless you count ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'' as canon, which confirms Oz's existence. Once again, this was different in the books, where Oz explictly was a real place.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': During the final battle, Wraith has cornered Scar, an Isvalan, and is about to kill him, when a ray of sunlight reflects off his sword and blinds him for a moment, allowing Scar to fight back. On the surface, this seems like Scar was saved by a lucky ContrivedCoincidence. On the other hand, Isvalan religion associates the sun with the divine, and Wraith had been ranting throughout the fight that divinity doesn't exist and mocked the Isvalans as superstitious fools, implying that Wraith was hit by divine retribution for TemptingFate.

** Nami's ability to detect the weather is most assuredly this. Initially it could purely be her navigation skill since she's studied for years since she was a child. Except at one point during the Alabasta arc she's able to divert the Going Merry away from a freak cyclone that came out of nowhere (the Grand Line is full of WeirdWeather), at which Vivi realises with amazement Nami [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling can detect changes in the weather just by feeling it with her body]]. It's entirely possible Nami is using [[KiManipulation Kenbunshoku Haki]] to achieve this as other East Blue crew members like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp had early signs of Kenbunshoku pertaining to their skills and personalities, so there's a likelihood she could have it as well, or maybe it is really supernatural intuition which is many ways more mysterious than just Haki.

* '''TheSoulmateTimeline''': The nature of [[SoulmateAU Soulbounds]], where they came from, and why is there such a drastic change compared to the all of the time loops [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura]] has been through (where outside of one or two small changes have mostly the same). Homura thinks that it has to be the work of the Incubators granting a wish from a Magical Girl (mostly because she stomach the idea that God would allow the Incubators to run freely if He exists), but Kyubey is shown to be completely clueless about their origin, and is outright continuously thrown off by them (to the point that he mostly leaves Soulbounds alone unless they one happens have a large amount of potential or he thinks that he can take advantage of a situation to get one to turn into a Witch) leaving it unclear if Soulbonds are the creation of magic from another source than the Incubators, some divine blessing, or an unknown source. [[spoiler:And then there is the fact that the Madoka from the most recent timeline that Homura had been in gave Homura a book that fits very much with her current situation in the new timeline and that Homura does not know what that Madoka's fate or if she made a wish before Homura did her reset.]]

* ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' leaves it ambiguous as to how exactly Jason Voorhees [[UnexplainedRecovery survived drowning in Crystal Lake as a child]]. While ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 Part 2]]'' simply presents it as a case of NeverFoundTheBody, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives Jason Lives]]'' presents the theory that Jason did indeed drown in the lake and has always been some sort of supernatural entity.

* FoundFootage film ''The Houses October Built'' has the protagonists encounter haunted house characters outside of their "haunts", still in character and miles away from where they should be- the ending implies that it's just sophisticated stalking meant to mess with them, but that doesn't explain how the performer "Porcelain" is somehow able to [[MakeMeWannaShout scream so loud she shorts out the camera]]. Adding to this, unlike the other haunters, Porcelain never breaks character or is seen out of costume, suggesting she's either LostInCharacter or actually ''is'' the life-sized, living CreepyDoll she appears to be.

** ''ComicBook/KravensLastHunt'' is a magnificent case of this. Throughout the comic, both Kraven and Spidey experience MindScrew events that are clearly supernatural but for most part have perfectly mundane explanations behind them -- such as Peter simply suffering fatigue and grief after Ned Leeds's death causing him to hallucinate and Kraven taking jungle potions that cause him to have a MushroomSamba. Yet the hallucination HandWave doesn't explain how Vermin can "feel" Kraven planning to hunt him before he even steps foot in New York's sewers, nor does it explain why MJ can tell that Peter is in danger with her own premonition. Not to mention that the SpiderSense doesn't warn Peter about Kraven attacking out of nowhere -- while that could be chalked up Peter's mind being in turmoil over Ned and death in general, the spider sense still has an autonomous response to danger regardless of Spidey's conscious thoughts, making this occurrence where it fails him all the more spooky and uncertain. The idea that there's some greater primal jungle mysticism at play here wouldn't at all be out of Spider-Man and Marvel's wheelhouse, yet at the same time it could purely be ThroughTheEyesOfMadness.

** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Is the "Dark Phoenix" some kind of universal force, or just an aspect of Jean's mental crises? As with Thor, this is initially left ambiguous, and resolved later.

** [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] himself becomes a [[InvokedTrope invoked case]] of this in during ''ComicBook/BatmanEndgame''. While it’s generally assumed he’s just a bleached white mortal madman with green hair, Batman discovers evidence of Joker having existed since the formation of Gotham, implying he’s some kind of immortal Clown HumanoidAbomination à la [[Literature/{{IT}} Pennywise the Clown]] which would also explain his [[JokerImmunity immunity to death]]. ''But this is Joker we’re talking about'', a master manipulator who loves messing with his ArchEnemy in such fashion and like Batman himself happily encourages the idea of him being supernatural to his advantage. Still there’s plenty of cases before then of Joker displaying inhuman traits, like getting stronger from pain while fighting Lex Luthor.

** The exact nature of [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Green Goblin]], much like his aforementioned AlternateCompanyEquivalent Joker has been put under question DependingOnTheWriter. Generally Norman has an explicitly scientific explanation for his superpowers and SplitPersonality i.e the [[PsychoSerum Goblin formula]] he discovered in a FreakLabAccident several comics afterwards however broach the idea that there’s something genuinely supernatural spooky and demonic about the Goblin persona with it talking to Norman like a seperate individual and being able “to take him over”. Not to mention that Norman can come back from certain death in ways that other people who took the Goblin formula couldn’t. [[spoiler: ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' truly commits to this supernatural angle by DoingInTheScientist, revealing Norman [[DealWithTheDevil had made a deal with Mephisto]] prior to becoming truly acclaimed and the accident that made him the Goblin, however it’s important to note A) Mephisto is an UnreliableNarrator who lies all the time and B) Norman had actually developed the Goblin personality during his childhood, well before he even made this supposed deal. The Green Goblin could’ve been brought about by Mephisto’s machinations or he’s really just a troubled broken man who found himself down a twisted path and Mephisto is playing off/reveling in that personal darkness to make the currently reformed Norman feel worse about TheSoulless state of Harry. There’s also no getting past the fact Norman was pretty evil from the start, so the real ambiguity is whether it was Mephisto who nudged him in the right direction or not.]]

** Can Angie really hear the voice of her god Atua? She is kind of strange and it's established that she has a lot of difficulty separating "Atua's Desires" from her own, but her 'divine revelations' tend to be absolutely correct, even if only in hindsight. [[spoiler: In Chapter 1, Atua reveals how the culprit ''actually'' escaped the scene, by returning to the hidden room- something only confirmed in the final trial. In Chapter 2, Atua tells her that the students have no real lives outside the academy, and the last chapter reveals that the students were actually mind-wiped and given fake personas (complete with memories) specifically for the killing games. In Chapter 3, Angie destroys a flashback light and claims Atua told her they were dangerous- the flashback lights actually implant false memories to manipulate the cast.]]

** When the original Mysterio comes BackFromTheDead, he appears to have supernatural abilities, supposedly gained in Hell. Given that he was already a MasterOfIllusion, it's impossible to be sure how real these powers are, and in the post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' timeline, he's been sticking to his usual special effects fakery, implying that his demonic phase was more special effects. In general, however, Mysterio has often pulled off things that go well beyond any rational explanations -- including being able to [[https://i.imgur.com/knUAHzw_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand fool and escape from Doctor Strange]], who has universal awareness, suggesting that Mysterio may actually have great powers... or his smoke and mirrors tricks simply ''that'' good.

** When the original Mysterio comes BackFromTheDead, he appears to have supernatural abilities, supposedly gained in Hell. Given that he was already a MasterOfIllusion, it's impossible to be sure how real these powers are, and in the post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' timeline, he's been sticking to his usual special effects fakery, implying that his demonic phase was more special effects. In general, however, Mysterio has often pulled off things that go well beyond any rational explanations -- including being able to [[https://i.imgur.io/ajqItOJ_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium fool and escape from Doctor Strange]], who has universal awareness, suggesting that Mysterio may actually have great powers... or his smoke and mirrors tricks simply ''that'' good.

* ''Film/{{Pilgrimage}}'': Does the religious relic actually have divine power? In one scene, the lost protagonists hold it out and start hearing bell chimes, which factor into the myths surrounding it. They follow the sound to a boatman who is ringing a bell and negotiate passage with him. Maybe the relic led them there, and maybe it was just luck.

* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' makes a strong and intentional case for this with the nature of the Xenomorph and its mysterious origin, before the rest of the franchise goes about DoingInTheWizard and explaining everything. In the 1979 film, it’s apparent the Xenomorph has a phantom-like presence onboard the Nostromo being able to grow in size in a extremely short space of time and indulging in OffscreenTeleportation to increasingly impossible levels. Not mention it has disturbing human-like characteristics with its attack on Lambert being akin to sexual assault and Ash describing it as “Ash’s son” which does not line up with the purely “extraterrestrial predator” side of it. Additionally other Alien media such has ''Alien: Salvation'' has also proposed the idea that there’s something genuinely supernatural and demonic about the Xenomorphs, although it could simply be the superstitious human race projecting onto a terrifying species.

* ''Film/RealSteel'' leaves it up in the air if the robot Atom has a level of sentience, or is merely acting on its Shadow Function (that makes it mimic what it sees). The commentary explains that there would have been a scene showing that it was indeed sentient, but it was later cut out to leave the question up in the air.
** Although it's more science than magic, the champion robot Zeus is implied to be an actual artificial intelligence; his creator explains that Zeus's fighting skills are constantly evolving and improving with experience, and he notably cuts off a reporter before they can ask him if the robot is a true AI. When he passes by Max in the same scene, Zeus gives him a slight nod, which is a very human expression from a machine.

* ''Film/RomasantaTheWerewolfHunt'' never does establish if Romasanta is a werewolf; thinks he's a werewolf; or is just applying ObfuscatingInsanity to escape execution.
* In ''Film/TheRoom2019'', The Room has a complex system of wiring and runs on electricity that often causes brief blackouts when operating, but has the power to not only conjure any object upon request but can also [[spoiler: create life and entire landscapes.]] Blueprints to the Room are briefly seen but are unreadable.

[[caption-width-right:269:So stop harping on it, ComicBook/{{Superman}}.]]

** Goku himself was this during early ''Manga/DragonBall'' which was more mystical as it was unclear how a seemingly human boy not only had a tail but would transform into a giant ape monster during the full moon. This coupled with moments where Goku’s friends like Bulma and Krillin would question what exactly Goku is and when enraged King Piccolo claims he’s a monster Goku agrees saying “that makes both of us”. Subverted in ''Z'' which does a lot of DoingInTheWizard revealing Goku and Piccolo are aliens.
** [[Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan The Legendary Super Saiyan]] [[Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly Broly]] is a case of this. He’s unique for a Saiyan supposedly being a mutant but his power and nature is far more monstrous and terrifying to be solely just a genetic anomaly, he can counter god ki through his own power and even Beerus a God of Destruction is genuinely freaked out by him, his original incarnation in Japanese claims he’s “a demon” which may just be a BadassBoast... ''or maybe it isn’t'' as there’s plenty of other supporting EldritchHumanoid traits to his character from his skin breaking apart as he transforms to his eyes glowing red upon reaching his full power. Then again there’s other Saiyans like Kale who can enter a similar state meaning “The Legendary Super Saiyan” could just simply be a unique genetic strain for Saiyans, although considering the existence of Cumber, the idea of dark demonic Saiyans isn’t out of the question.
** The Hyperbolic Time Chamber definitely counts as this in the anime of ''Z''. It’s a PocketDimension created by Kami where times runs differently being a YearInsideHourOutside allowing for fighters to achieve a massive amount of training in no more than a day. Other than that it appears to be a BlankWhiteVoid that appears to go on forever but nothing else... [[EldritchLocation or is it?]] Trunks describes times where it would be boiling hot and then ice cold in moments and at one point sees Vegeta on fire but upon rushing to help his father is punched down with everything going back to normal at once, Trunks speculates the fire came from Vegeta himself suggesting the Chamber psychically [[YourMindMakesItReal projects]] people’s subconscious — or Trunks was just having a SanitySlippage due to the void of the Chamber. Mr. Popo did warn the heroes that the Chamber can make you go crazy, but this is coming from an overtly mystical person. Additionally when Gohan is in the Chamber he wakes up one night to see Goku training in an icy wasteland, but considering Gohan had lucid nightmares in the Chamber what he sees in the place is questionable.
* ''Manga/HayateCrossBlade'': Did Wanko REALLY curse those two girls in her debut fight, or did they just freeze from fear at her sheer creepiness?

* ''Manga/ShiNiAruki'': The bizarre mix of accidents, suicides, and murders surrounding Tokiko. The Kurosu family, as well as occult researchers Kaoru Akiyama and Professor Mitsuki Kisaragi, believe that the deaths are caused by some supernatural curse that is related to Tokiko in some way. Meanwhile, other characters such as police detectives Shuichi Yashiro and Ryouta Koga, as well as investigative journalist Sou Aoya, insist that there must be a more grounded explanation. Come the end of the manga, while the remaining characters are now willing to entertain the "curse" idea as plausible — [[spoiler:and for what it's worth, the final death tally [[DeadAllAlong does list Tokiko as "dead" rather than "died"]], and the manga is littered with imagery of her with an exposed skeleton]] — it still isn't an agreed upon conclusion and even Kaoru admits that his assessment isn't as definitive as he'd like.

** ''ComicBook/KravensLastHunt'' is a magnificent case of this. Throughout the comic both Kraven and Spidey experience MindScrew events that are clearly supernatural but for most part have perfectly mundane explanations behind them — such as Peter simply suffering fatigue and grief after Ned Leeds’s death causing him to hallucinate and Kraven taking jungle potions that cause him to have a MushroomSamba. Yet the hallucination HandWave doesn’t explain how Vermin can “feel” Kraven planning to hunt him before he even steps foot in New York’s sewer nor does it explain why MJ could tell Peter was in danger with her own premonition. Not to mention the SpiderSense didn’t warn Peter about Kraven attacking out of nowhere and while that could be chalked up Peter’s mind being in turmoil over Ned and death in general, the spider sense still has an autonomous response to danger regardless of Spidey’s conscious thoughts making this occurrence where it fails him all the more spooky and uncertain. The idea that there’s some greater primal jungle mysticism at play here wouldn’t at all be out of Spider-Man and Marvel’s wheelhouse, yet at the same time it could purely be ThroughTheEyesOfMadness.
** When the original ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} came BackFromTheDead, he appeared to have supernatural abilities, supposedly gained in Hell. Given that he was already a MasterOfIllusion, it's impossible to be sure how real these powers were, and in the post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' timeline, he's been sticking to his usual special effects fakery, implying that his demonic phase was more special effects. In general, however, Mysterio has often pulled off things that go well beyond any rational explanations — including being able to [[https://i.imgur.io/ajqItOJ_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium fool and escape from Doctor Strange]] who has universal awareness, suggesting Mysterio may actually have great powers… or his smoke and mirrors tricks simply ''that'' good.

*** The first issue of ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' picks this plot thread up again by revealing Mysterio did make a deal with a certain being to get out of Hell, and that said being has grown fed up with Quentin's inability to live up to the deal. It almost drags him back to hell until Mysterio makes one final desperate plea to be given a bit more time.

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

** ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' has an example of this with Spidey himself. When he gets into conflict with Doctor Strange over the spellcube that would send the alternate universe villains home (to their deaths), Strange performs the up until then uncounterable AstralProjection Palm Strike on Peter forcing his astral form out of his body — yet unlike everyone else who’s been astrally ejected from their bodies Spidey’ body is still able to move and dodge Strange’s attempts to grab the spellcube to the amazed confusion of the sorcerer, who outright claims it shouldn’t be possible before Spidey re-enters his body. On one hand it could purely be Peter’s SpiderSense that has an autonomous response to danger, but on the other hand Peter being able to counter such magic may imply some sort of supernatural basis to his superpower especially as he was able to re-enter his own body against Strange’s wishes. Helping this theory is that unlike the other film versions of Spider-Man, we don’t know if the spider that bit Peter came from a lab or was something more mystical. Although it still may be simply a combination of good luck, quick thinking and the Spider Sense.

* In ''Film/AMatterOfLifeAndDeath'': did Peter Carter's head injuries cause his visions? Or are the angels really discussing the proper thing to do with him?
* ''Film/TheMenWhoStareAtGoats'': The film never answers if there are real psychic powers or not. [[spoiler:The main character does run through a wall at the end. However, a second after he's shown doing so, a picture frame falls off the wall, implying that he may have actually slammed into it but imagined himself going through.]] Like every other "paranormal" incident in the movie, it's up to the viewer to decide.

* In ''Film/TheShining'' film adaptation, it is unclear whether [[HellHotel The Overlook Hotel]] is haunted or not. Creator/StanleyKubrick wanted to suggest that all the events of the story could be just a family going insane from cabin fever. Jack's unstable nature and his resentment of his family are played up from the beginning, making it possible that he decided to kill his family all on his own and the ghosts are merely reflections of his subconscious desires. Most of the explanations for the supernatural stuff are excised, leaving it possible that Wendy and Danny were also hallucinating their encounters with ghosts. The film never actually ''shows'' Grady unlocking the storeroom door, so Jack might have just found a safety lock to open it from the inside. There are still elements that can only be explained supernaturally, such as Danny using his clairvoyance to warn Halloran and a ghost later telling Jack about this, or Jack appearing in a framed photograph in the Overlook lobby dating back to 1921. Notably, this is one of the reasons Creator/StephenKing disliked the movie, as in [[Literature/TheShining his original book]] the ghosts are very much real. [[spoiler: The [[Film/DoctorSleep sequel]] goes with the ghosts being real.]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In ''Film/RogueOne'', [[BlindWeaponmaster Chirrut]] has a religious belief in the Force but does not have Jedi training. Despite this, it seems possible the Force truly is guiding him, as he [[StrollingThroughTheChaos calmly walks through a firefight and is never even grazed]] — and it looks improbable enough that even standard ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy seems insufficient to explain it, considering he's up against [[EliteMooks Death Troopers]], who are all {{Hero Killer}}s.

* Parodied at the end of the ''Avatar'' episode of ''Webcomic/MonsterOfTheWeek''. Mulder and Scully argue about old lady that was haunting Skinner in this episode:

** The exact nature of Green Goblin, much like his aforementioned AlternateCompanyEquivalent Joker has been put under question DependingOnTheWriter. Generally Norman has an explicitly scientific explanation for his superpowers and SplitPersonality i.e the [[PsychoSerum Goblin formula]] he discovered in a FreakLabAccident several comics afterwards however broach the idea that there’s something genuinely supernatural spooky and demonic about the Goblin persona with it talking to Norman like a seperate individual and being able “to take him over”. Not to mention that Norman can come back from certain death in ways that other people who took the Goblin formula couldn’t. [[spoiler: ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' truly commits to this supernatural angle by DoingInTheScientist, revealing Norman [[DealWithTheDevil had made a deal with Mephisto]] prior to becoming truly acclaimed and the accident that made him the Goblin, however it’s important to note A) Mephisto is an UnreliableNarrator who lies all the time and B) Norman had actually developed the Goblin personality during his childhood, well before he even made this supposed deal. The Green Goblin could’ve been brought about by Mephisto’s machinations or he’s really just a troubled broken man who found himself down a twisted path and Mephisto is playing off/reveling in that personal darkness to make the currently reformed Norman feel worse about TheSoulless state of Harry. There’s also no getting past the fact Norman was pretty evil from the start, so the real ambiguity is whether it was Mephisto who nudged him in the right direction or not.]]

*** The series began with an unclear origin for the powers of [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]]. Is he a real God from Asgard, attacked by a rival god with reality-warping powers? Or just a madman with delusions of grandeur, who stole high-tech weapons produced in Europe? In the first two story arcs, both options seemed plausible to the reader. The final answer only came at the end of the second arc: [[spoiler:he's the real deal]].