History Main / SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The Potterverse, in general, has an interesting perspective on this trope. Whilst magic is never described as being anything explicable by ordinary means, it is a force that seems to obey numerous immutable rules (the most thematically relevant of which is that truly reversing the effects of death is just beyond the powers of anyone). There are official research departments in the Ministry of Magic, the Half-Blood Prince's potions textbook is a prime example of a student improving and perfecting potions-making through trial-and-error study and observation, and Lord Voldemort delved further into the depths of dark magic than any wizard who came before him. Dumbledore's development of the uses of dragons' blood might also fall under this trope. The fact that so many magical disciplines can be taught in a school ''at all'' is proof that they have been studied and recorded diligently over the centuries, and nearly all of what witches and wizards learn is simply how to duplicate the spells and potions that their forebears discovered.
** The fact that arithmancy and astronomy are basic, non-optional classes indicates there's a lot more to magic than knowing the incantation and making the right gesture, but none of these details are shared with the audience. The most we know is that students at Hogwarts have to deal with a lot of difficult homework.
* The ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series has a newly created school of magical theoreticians, who use geometry to work out what the effects of various bits of magic will be. Oddly enough, they mix this trope with AchievementsInIgnorance--the theoreticians get started because, after hundreds of years where their nation had no mages, one of the things they don't know is that there are supposedly things they ''can never'' know. There's thus an understandable degree of conflict between them and the actual mages, who take a much more intuitive approach. As the ''Mage Storms'' series reaches its climax, it's conceded by even the most diehard "intuitionists" that the theoreticians have a point, and that their research works.

* ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'': When confronted by the [[GodzillaThreshold entire Justice League]] (save ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}}, & ComicBook/WonderWoman) on Mars [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dr. Manhattan]] is ganged up on by all of their mages at once, including ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]], ComicBook/{{Etrigan}}, and ComicBook/SwampThing among others. After {{NoSell}}ing their attacks, he identifies magic as "the scraps of creation" and compares it to random errors in computer code before using it to send the founding League members flying. Moments prior he had attempted to do the same thing with Guy Gardner's Lantern ring but [[EmotionalPowers since their power is fueled by emotion]] (which Manhattan has very little of) he couldn't make it work for him.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': ComicBook/DoctorDoom is a pro at this trope. Unlike his contemporary and rival, [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]], Doom has a thorough understanding of not just earthly sciences, but magic as well. He's actually used this advantage on a number of occasions to one-up Reed (and most of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse at various points), although the inherent weaknesses of magic (usually, bartering/stealing the energy from a higher power) typically come to bite Doom in the backside. Doom also blends magic and technology, using the sensors in his armor and self-guiding gloves to copy the exact hand movements of spells, thus allowing him to [[PowerCopying copy other wizards' spells]] far more quickly than it would normally take to master them. However, there are limits, as copying the movements without an understanding behind the magic or sufficient level of skill to handle the spell can easily fail. In one story the infra-red vision provided by his mask allowed him to see some advance warning of when magic was about to be cast; the other wizards and sorcerers present seemed to be unaware that their moves were being telegraphed as such.
* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': The [[ExtradimensionalPowerSource Speed Force]] is, by its nature, a completely mystical interdimensional entity that bestows random people SuperSpeed, but is also [[TheLifestream a Valhalla for these speedsters]]. But since this franchise is about a ScienceHero LegacyCharacter, the Speed Force has often been treated as if it was a scientific phenomenon. This has led to some stories involving it being studied for scientific purposes. ComicBook/WallyWest gradually became more receptive to the spiritualistic aspect of the Speed Force, and so he's learnt to invoke its power to a much greater effect than the others.
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': Hal Jordan in the early [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age run]] of his book did quite a bit of this to discover the exact limits and potential drawbacks of his [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower Green Lantern Ring]]. And the tests themselves often kicked off the events of a story.

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' introduces us to the [[MacGuffin Tesseract Cube]], the "Jewel of Odin's treasure room". Though most people who encounter it think of it as divine or mystical, the ComicBook/RedSkull merely thinks of it as highly advanced science which only his genius can fully unlock. When some other Nazi officers derisively refer to his inventions as magic, he even quotes a kind of proto-version of Clarke's Third Law (albeit a much more condescending version than Clarke would have used): "Great power has always baffled primitive men."

* In ''VideoGame/GrimDawn'' the Arcanist mastery utilizes scientific understanding of magical forces. The flavor text for each spell usually treats them like the end result of whole research projects, complete with major breakthroughs that are now basic and students improving on the original formulas. Like a whole field of science, except instead of theorems you get [[RecursiveAmmo self-replicating]] {{Magic Missile}}s.

* Doctor Doom in ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' is similar to the comics incarnation; he appears to possess both advanced science and magical powers from his armor. [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] is bewildered as this version of him has only previously encountered technological threats. However, after further examining the armor Tony concludes that Doom is using extremely next-generation tech [[RealityWarper to manipulate quantum fields]] or some such TechnoBabble, similar to the series Macguffins he and the Mandarin are searching for. Doom even summons an entity (or at least its arm) from another dimension to attack Iron Man and says that primitive people would have called it a demon, meaning that the "magic is advanced science and vice-versa" line in the Thor film may apply to ''Armored Adventures.''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', Varian is a scientist, inventor, and alchemist, and on multiple occasions he has attempted to apply science to try to understand to the magical mysteries of Corona.

* Taking the name literally, Creator/HarryHoudini was an immensely famous StageMagician and EscapeArtist and was so well versed with the magical trades that he spent a lot of time debunking the tricks {{Con Artist}}s used to convince people they were actually supernatural.

* ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'': When confronted by the [[GodzillaThreshold entire Justice League]] (save ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}}, & ComicBook/WonderWoman) on Mars [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dr. Manhattan]] is ganged up on by all of their mages at once, including ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, John Constantine, ComicBook/{{Etrigan}}, and ComicBook/SwampThing among others. After {{NoSell}}ing their attacks, he identifies magic as "the scraps of creation" and compares it to random errors in computer code before using it to send the founding League members flying. Moments prior he had attempted to do the same thing with Guy Gardner's Lantern ring but [[EmotionalPowers since their power is fueled by emotion]] (which Manhattan has very little of) he couldn't make it work for him.

* In ''ComicBook/TheAutumnlandsToothAndClaw'' the animal characters treat magic as a science. It is studied and taught. There are even symposiums on current trends in magic.
* ComicBook/DoctorDoom is a pro at this trope. Unlike his contemporary and rival, [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]], Doom has a thorough understanding of not just earthly sciences, but magic as well. He's actually used this advantage on a number of occasions to one-up Reed (and most of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse at various points), although the inherent weaknesses of magic (usually, bartering/stealing the energy from a higher power) typically come to bite Doom in the backside. Doom also blends magic and technology, using the sensors in his armor and self-guiding gloves to copy the exact hand movements of spells, thus allowing him to [[PowerCopying copy other wizards' spells]] far more quickly than it would normally take to master them. However, there are limits, as copying the movements without an understanding behind the magic or sufficient level of skill to handle the spell can easily fail. In one story the infra-red vision provided by his mask allowed him to see some advance warning of when magic was about to be cast; the other wizards and sorcerers present seemed to be unaware that their moves were being telegraphed as such.
* ''Franchise/DCComics'':
** The [[ExtradimensionalPowerSource Speed Force]] from ''Franchise/TheFlash'' is, by its nature, a completely mystical interdimensional entity that bestows random people SuperSpeed, but is also [[TheLifestream a Valhalla for these speedsters]]. But since this franchise is about a ScienceHero LegacyCharacter, the Speed Force has often been treated as if it was a scientific phenomenon. This has led to some stories involving it being studied for scientific purposes. ComicBook/WallyWest gradually became more receptive to the spiritualistic aspect of the Speed Force, and so he's learnt to invoke its power to a much greater effect than the others.
** ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': Hal Jordan in the early [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age run]] of his book did quite a bit of this to discover the exact limits and potential drawbacks of his [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower Green Lantern Ring]]. And the tests themselves often kicked off the events of a story.
** In ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'', when confronted by the [[GodzillaThreshold entire Justice League]] (save ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}}, & ComicBook/WonderWoman) on Mars [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dr. Manhattan]] is ganged up on by all of their mages at once, including ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, John Constantine, ComicBook/{{Etrigan}}, and ComicBook/SwampThing among others. After {{NoSell}}ing their attacks, he identifies magic as "the scraps of creation" and compares it to random errors in computer code before using it to send the founding League members flying. Moments prior he had attempted to do the same thing with Guy Gardner's Lantern ring but [[EmotionalPowers since their power is fueled by emotion]] (which Manhattan has very little of) he couldn't make it work for him.
--->'''Manhattan:''' "Magic"... It feels good to still learn.

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' introduces us to the [[MacGuffin Tesseract Cube]], the "Jewel of Odin's treasure room". Though most people who encounter it think of it as divine or mystical, the Comicbook/RedSkull merely thinks of it as highly advanced science which only his genius can fully unlock. When some other Nazi officers derisively refer to his inventions as magic, he even quotes a kind of proto-version of Clarke's Third Law (albeit a much more condescending version than Clarke would have used): "Great power has always baffled primitive men."
** This is a plot point in ''Film/{{Thor}}''. Jane Foster is here [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor reimagined]] as an astrophysicist while the Asgardians are depicted as SufficientlyAdvancedAliens for whom magic and science are one and the same. The Destroyer is indistinguishable from any old super-science giant robot with a death ray, and if you took the operational end of the Rainbow Bridge and dropped it in a science-fiction movie, people wouldn't blink twice and would simply consider it a teleporter or stargate. Selvig describes it as an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which Jane helpfully translates as "wormhole" for Darcy (and the audience).

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': The afterlife has an entire research division devoted to studying spiritual powers and coming up with technological applications for them.