steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel Railway track, track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely ...
based on the
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
at two
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...
theme parks in the United States. Both
hypercoaster
A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least . The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200, which features a height of . Th ...
s were manufactured by
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing Amusement ride, thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other e ...
and feature identical layouts, opening one year apart;
Six Flags Darien Lake
Six Flags Darien Lake (also known as Six Flags Darien Lake Resort and formerly known as Darien Lake Fun Country, Darien Lake, and Darien Lake Theme Park Resort) is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Darien, New York ...
in 1999 and
Six Flags America
Six Flags America is an amusement park in Woodmore, Maryland, United States,park will close at the end of the 2025 season on November 2, 2025. The status on the future of the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster was not given at the time of the announcement.
VR experience
On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a
Samsung Gear VR
The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on August 21, 2015.
When in use, a compatible Samsung Galaxy device acts as ...
headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from
Lex Luthor
Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...
's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This theming was also added to Superman: Krypton Coaster at
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Fiesta Texas, is an amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the ...
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–1999), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Opening in ...
.
Ride layout
Once the train has been dispatched from the station it makes a winding, 180-degree turn. The train ascends up the lift hill and then drops at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540-degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500-degree helix and several more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station.
Elements
* 5 airtime hills (4 airtime hills and a twisted airtime hill)
* 2 helixes (540 degree and 500 degree)
Rankings
Image:Ride of Steel.JPG, The Ride of Steel station, Six Flags Darien Lake
Image:Superman - Ride of Steel (Six Flags America) 01.jpg, Superman's lift and first drop, Six Flags America
Image:Superman - Ride of Steel (Six Flags America) 02.JPG, Superman's first airtime hill, Six Flags America
File:Ride of Steel first hill.jpg, (Superman) Ride of Steel, Six Flags Darien Lake
Incidents
* On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered minor injuries.
* On July 8, 2011, a disabled Iraq War veteran who lost both legs during his deployment in Iraq died after being ejected from the front seat of the Darien Lake coaster. The state's Department of Labor cited "operator error" as the cause of the accident and issued two violations, in which the park responded by retraining staff and updating ride safety signage before reopening the ride. A final report from the local sheriff's office detailed the negligence by employees, who should have been aware that the restraints required passengers to have both legs. Witnesses reported seeing the disabled vet reaching for his hat that flew off before he was ejected, and evidence suggested that the rider died instantly from blunt force trauma to the head when he came in contact with the front of a train car.