particle physics - Is "quantum superposition" just a fancy way of saying that a system is in one state or another with some probabilities?

When we say that an electron is in a quantum state that is a linear combination of two eigenstates, one with the probability of 75% and the other 25%, what is actually happening?

1. Is the electron "really" somehow magically in these two eigenstates at once?

OR

2. The electron is in only one of these eigenstates at a time point, we just can't tell which one it is without observing it. And when we observe the electron many times, we find it in one eigenstate in 75% of the time, and in the other eigenstate in 25% of the time, because the electron switches between these two states and just spends three times more time in one eigenstate than the other?

Obviously, I think the second case is correct.

But which case is correct? The 1st or the 2nd?

My reactions to your possible answers:

---

If the 1st case is correct: That's insane, thank you!

---

If the 2nd case is correct: Then, isn't the principle of superposition just an "assumption" that should not be taken literally? That is, the electron is not at two eigenstates at once, but one of them at a certain time point, and we just have no way of finding out which state, before observing it? So we just say that it is in an eigenstate X with a probability P(X), such that the sum of probabilities for all eigenstates equal to 1?

I could also, for example, say: I don't know where my friend Max currently is. He could be at school with a probability of 75% and at a bar with a probability of 25%. We all know that Max is not at school and the bar simultaneously, and we can just call him to find out where he is. But before calling him, for the sake of being able to conduct our calculations, we can "assume" that he is at school and the bar simultaneously, with the assigned probabilities, but we actually know that we just made this assumption to be able to carry on with our calculations about Max.

Isn't it just a fancy way of saying that something is in state X with P(X) and state Y with P(Y), and it is in only but only one of these states at all times, however, we just can't find out which state before observing that something, but can merely say with which probability we're likely to find it at a certain state?

Then why is everyone so surprised about the superposition principle?