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 was tied for the fastest with Tower of Terror II, a similar roller coaster which 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. To date, it is the only reverse freefall coaster left in existence after the dismantling of Tower of Terror II.
The intended opening date of 1996 was postponed because of several issues with the launch system. 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 which face backward, speeds of up to , and it was painted with a new color scheme. As of 2013, Superman: Escape from Krypton has the Second-tallest structure, the Fourth-fastest speed and the second-longest drop of any roller coaster in the world.
History
Superman: The Escape (1997–2010) 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 .
Superman: The Escape was designed by Swiss manufacturer Intamin, and construction began in late 1995. During the final stages, the last section of track was installed at the ride's highest point on May 3, 1996. Originally, the ride was scheduled to open on June 1, 1996, but it was delayed due to troubles 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. Upon opening, it was recognized as the fastest roller coaster in the world. However, its delayed opening allowed Tower of Terror, which also reaches , to open earlier at Dreamworld in Australia. Although tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world, Superman became the first to exceed in height and opened as the tallest roller coaster in the world.
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.
In June 2004, Superman: The Escape's seat belts were modified because of an incident on the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England. California State Regulators asked the park to make modifications to the rides' restraint systems to prevent a similar incident in the future.
Just after 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 which 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.
Superman: Escape from Krypton (2011–present) 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 to 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 Full Throttle roller coaster, Superman: Escape from Krypton was temporarily closed from December 2012. It reopened in mid-January 2013, with Six Flags Magic Mountain stating the ride might have intermittent closures as the construction of Full Throttle continued.