Six Flags has closed another record-breaking roller coaster, this time at Magic Mountain.
When Superman: Escape from Krypton opened at the Valencia, California park in 1997 (as Superman: The Escape), it was the tallest roller coaster in the world at 415 feet, along with being the first in North America to break the 100 mph speed mark. Plagued with operational issues throughout its lifetime, the coaster went down in September of last year for maintenance — but that’s now turning into a permanent retirement.
As first reported by the Orange County Register, Magic Mountain president Jeff Harris said the decisions came about because the needed parts to fix the Intamin-manufactured ride weren’t readily available.
“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,” Harris said. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense from a business perspective to put it back into Superman.”
Harris added that Superman’s closure is not due to the suspended motorbike coaster coming to Magic Mountain in 2026. In fact, Harris said the Lex Luthor Tower of Doom drop tower ride attached to Superman’s ride structure will be back in operation next month, meaning any imminent demolition is not in the works.
“It’s too early to disclose what we’re going to do with the actual track, cars, queue, building structure and everything else that comes with the attraction,” Harris said.
Superman’s closure brings Magic Mountain’s coaster count down to 19, which is still the most at any one theme park in the entire world.
For the Six Flags chain as a whole, it marks another sudden closure without a formal chance for coaster fans to say goodbye and get a final ride. Since seasonal parks began their offseason last fall, Six Flags — fresh off its completed merger with Cedar Fair — has closed a total of seven coasters at six of its parks without advance notice.
One of them was even taller than Superman. Six Flags Great Adventure announced the closure of the 456-foot-tall Kingda Ka just days after its 2024 season ended.