Superman The Escape from Krypton Six Flags Magic Mountain Television Commercial (1997)

Superman: Escape from Krypton (originally known as Superman: The Escape) is a steel shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world, and its speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) was tied for the fastest with Tower of Terror II, a similar roller coaster that opened two months earlier at Dreamworld in Australia. These two coasters were the first to utilize Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) technology to propel vehicles to top speed. As of November 3, 2019, it is the only reverse freefall coaster left in operation after the closure of the Tower of Terror II.Show more

The ride was closed in late 2010 for refurbishment, and it emerged in 2011 as "Superman: Escape from Krypton". The refurbished ride featured new trains that face backward, speeds of up to 104 mph (167 km/h), and it was painted with a new color scheme. As of 2013, Superman: Escape from Krypton has the third-tallest structure, the fifth-fastest speed, and the third-longest drop of any roller coaster in the world.

During early planning, Six Flags Magic Mountain considered building a new roller coaster named Velocetron themed to The Man of Steel comic book series. Ultimately, the name Superman: The Escape was chosen, and the ride was announced on January 5, 1996. It would surpass Desperado and Phantom's Revenge to become the fastest roller coaster in the world and the first to reach 100 mph (160 km/h).

Designed by Swiss manufacturer Intamin, and during final stages of construction, the last section of track was installed at the ride's highest point on May 3, 1996. Originally, the ride was set to open on June 1, 1996, but it was delayed due to problems with the launch system. In late 1996, there was a preview for season pass holders. After 10 months of testing and reengineering, the ride opened on March 15, 1997. After its opening, the media claimed Superman to be the fastest roller coaster in the world. However, since it was delayed, a similar roller coaster known as Tower of Terror, which also has a 100-mile-per-hour launch (160 km/h), had opened about a month earlier at Dreamworld in Australia. Superman, therefore, lost its claim as being the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), although it was then tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world. However, the ride became the first roller coaster in the world to go over 400 ft, therefore becoming the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time.

By early 1999, the ride remained closed for maintenance. After new brake fins were installed, one side reopened in late February. On March 22, 1999, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that Superman: The Escape was fully operating with both sides running.

Just after the July 4 weekend of 2010, Superman: The Escape ceased operations with no reason given. A sign posted in front of the ride indicated that it would not reopen until the 2011 season, with hints that there would be improvements made to the ride experience. After Superman: The Escape's sister ride, the Tower of Terror II at Dreamworld, underwent a major refurbishment in 2010 which entailed a new vehicle that launches backward, speculation turned to the possibility of a similar modification to the Magic Mountain ride. Six Flags Magic Mountain officials quickly denied rumors that it would receive a Bizarro retheming, similar to roller coasters at other Six Flags parks.

On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced the refurbishment and re-theming of Superman: The Escape, in addition to the construction of two new roller coasters. As part of the refurbishment, the ride was renamed Superman: Escape from Krypton and featured new backward launching cars and a new color scheme. The upgraded ride reopened to the public on March 19, 2011.

Superman: Escape from Krypton closed again on February 5, 2012 (almost a year after the refurbishment), to prepare for the new 2012 attraction Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. Two drop towers, also built by Intamin, were integrated into the existing sides of Superman: Escape from Krypton's structure. The ride reopened when construction was finished on July 7, 2012.

To enable the construction of the park's 2013 roller coaster, Full Throttle, Superman: Escape from Krypton was temporarily closed from December 2012. It reopened in mid-January with Six Flags Magic Mountain stating the ride may have intermittent closures as the construction of Full Throttle continued.

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