Six Flags Magic Mountain’s “Superman: Escape from Krypton,” once among the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the world, has taken its final flight.
The ride, which shut down for maintenance last September, will be closed permanently, park officials told the Orange County Register.
The theme park did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Times Friday.
Originally named “Superman: The Escape,” the roller coaster set speed and height records when it debuted in 1997 — hurtling riders upward at a top speed of 100 mph before sending them back down on a near-vertical 415-foot plummet where they experienced 6.5 seconds of weightlessness, according to theme park’s website.
In 2011, the coaster was redubbed “Superman: Escape from Krypton” and redesigned to run the terrifyingly exhilarating trip backward.
“You’re about to shoot from 0 to 100 miles per hour in seven seconds flat — in reverse,” the Six Flags’ website described the ride. “This record-breaking speed and acceleration has never before been achieved in a thrill ride, let alone backwards.”
Magic Mountain president Jeff Harris told the O.C. Register that the park had initially hoped to reopen the ride, but sourcing replacement parts for the aging roller coaster had proved cost prohibitive.
“Just like other roller coasters within the theme park industry, there’s a life cycle with these coasters,” Harris told the Register. “It’s just reached a point in time where we need to make a wise decision on where we really should reinvest funds that improve the guest experience the most. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense from a business perspective to put it back into Superman.”
“Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom” a ride that is attached to the Superman ride and hoists park visitors 40 stories into the air before dropping them back to earth, is currently undergoing maintenance and scheduled to reopen in April, Harris said.
The end of the line for Superman was met with an outpouring of grief from adrenaline junkies.
“That saying they have about parents and their children applies here: ‘You never know when it will be the last time you’ll be able to hold your child in your arms,’” one user wrote on Reddit. “Same goes for these rides when they go into refurbishment and the same for Superman. I loved Superman … I never knew the last time I rode it would be the last time ever.”
While the extreme ride had a strong fan base, it also experienced technical challenges and several extended periods of closure. Some of these were related to the linear synchronous motor launch system that allowed the ride to reach 100 mph.
Currently, the fastest roller coaster in the world is the Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2010 and boasts a top speed of 149.1 mph.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is now down to 19 roller coasters, but the Valencia theme park has a new suspended motorbike coaster ride slated to open in 2026.
