Six Flags Scraps Another Major Thrill Ride in Ongoing Coaster Shutdowns

For decades, Six Flags has been a proving ground for thrill seekers, home to record-breaking coasters that pushed the limits of speed, height, and endurance. While other parks leaned into storytelling and immersion, Six Flags kept its focus on raw adrenaline. But in 2024, that formula began to change.

The park chain has quietly retired some of its most extreme rides, and its latest closure signals a major shift in priorities. Fans barely had time to process November’s closure of Kingda Ka—the once-tallest and fastest coaster in the world—before another beloved ride got the axe. This time, the blow lands in Southern California.

Superman’s Final Flight at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain, which boasts the largest collection of roller coasters in the world, has officially shut down Superman: Escape from Krypton. The record-breaking launch coaster, which sent riders from 0 to 100 mph in just seven seconds before shooting them 415 feet into the sky, has been permanently retired.

“Just like other roller coasters within the theme park industry, there’s a life cycle with these coasters,” Magic Mountain President Jeff Harris told the Orange County 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.”

Superman first opened in 1997 as Superman: The Escape, one of the first coasters in the world to break the 100 mph barrier. In 2011, it was rebranded as Superman: Escape from Krypton, featuring trains that launched riders backward instead of forward. Despite being a visual icon of the park, the ride was frequently plagued by downtime, and Harris admitted that maintenance challenges were a deciding factor in its closure. “Some of the parts are obsolete,” he said. “It’s really tough to even get parts to keep it alive.”

What’s Next for Six Flags?

Despite Superman’s removal, the towering structure of the ride will remain standing—at least for now. The attached Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom free-fall ride is still operational, raising questions about what Six Flags plans to do with the space in the long term. “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 explained. “That’s yet to be determined, but we’re working through what that potentially could look like for the future.”

With Superman’s departure, Magic Mountain’s coaster count drops to 19, though a new ride set to debut in 2026 will bring it back to 20. Still, with multiple attractions shutting down across the chain, Six Flags seems to be in the midst of a major transformation—one that doesn’t bode well for fans of its most extreme coasters.

What’s your favorite Six Flags roller coaster?