DC Universe (stylized DC UNIVERSE) is a DC Comics themed area at several Six Flags amusement parks. First opening at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2011, the themed area has since expanded into multiple Six Flags amusement parks in North America. Although the layout and attractions are not identical and vary at each park, they all thematically connect with each other.
A new attraction at Six Flags Magic Mountain was announced on October 20, 2010, when Green Lantern: First Flight was revealed to the public.[1][2] The attraction would be placed within a new themed area replacing Gotham City Backlot, a themed area based on the fictional city Gotham City. The themed area would be a major change from the former Gotham City Backlot, and an editor for Theme Park Tourist noted that it switched themes from "dark and gritty" to a "typical comic-style punch of color."[3]
The next DC Universe wouldn't come until more than half a decade later, in 2018, which would be at Six Flags México. When Wonder Woman Coaster opened, it caused the partial re-theme of the Villa Hollywood area, with the re-theme of two rides within the park, with SkyScreamer becoming Supergirl Sky Flight and Splash becoming Aquaman Splashdown, joining existing DC Comics themed rides Batman: The Ride and Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.[4]
The third DC Universe themed area would come with the introduction of Batman: The Ride was introduced at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.[5][6] With the announcement for Batman: The Ride on August 30, 2018, the themed area was not announced until later the following year, in March 2019.[7] Major changes to the area would include the re-theme of multiple rides and shops, including V2: Vertical Velocity, which, with the theme change, would become The Flash: Vertical Velocity. These changes would fit in with other rides already themed to DC Comics, such as The Joker, Harley Quinn Crazy Coaster and Superman: Ultimate Flight.[8][9]
Another DC Universe themed area also opened in 2019, at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This area would comprise both the Rockville and Spassburg areas within the park, and is still connected to the remaining parts of those two areas.[10] The area was also introduced on August 30, 2018, and was officially announced along with The Joker Wild Card (later renamed The Joker Carnival of Chaos), a pendulum ride themed to super-villain the Joker.[11][12][13] Other changes to the area would include the re-theme of Whirligig, which would be renamed Crime Wave, but plans never came through and the ride instead became DC Super-Villains Swing.[14] DC Universe being separate from Rockville and Spassburg would be unclear though, as there is no delineation between the areas.[15]
At Six Flags Great America, after multiple teasers about the re-theme about the park's impulse roller coaster,[19][20]Vertical Velocity, The Flash: Vertical Velocity and DC Universe was officially announced to the public on March 24, 2022, overhauling the Yankee Harbor section of the park, an original themed area which opened with the park in 1976.[21] Besides the re-theme of Vertical Velocity, the newly themed area would feature re-themed versions of original rides, including DC Super-Villains Swing and Aquaman Splashdown. These attractions would join already-existing DC Comics themed rides, including Batman: The Ride and The Joker.[22] DC Universe was planned to open on April 15, 2022, but due to supply chain issues and excessive rain, the area opened on April 23, 2022.[23][24][25]
On April 28, 2022, in honor of National Superhero Day, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced their plans to renovate their DC Universe, due to the addition of Wonder Woman Flight of Courage, which was announced on October 21, 2021.[26] The themed area would receive a new entrance portal sign and the re-theme of the flat ride Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth, in which it would become Teen Titans Turbo Spin.[27][28]
Fiesta Texas announced for the 2024 season, the park will expand its DC Universe into more parts of its Spassburg and the kids themed area of Thill Seeker Park. The new expansion of the land will bring in more themed rides and three new attractions.[29]
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated wheels, the steel roller coasters can provide a taller, smoother, and faster ride with more inversions than a traditional wooden roller coaster.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas, is a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first business in that development. Spanning 200 acres (81 ha), the park was originally built to become a destination musical show park with its focus on the musical culture of the state of Texas. The park was purchased by Time Warner in 1995, and branded as a Six Flags park for the 1996 season.
Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, both of whom had worked for Giovanola.
S&S – Sansei Technologies is an American company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.
Batman: The Ride is an inverted roller coaster based on the DC Comics character Batman and found at seven Six Flags theme parks in the United States. Built by consulting engineers Bolliger & Mabillard, it rises to a height of between 100 and 105 feet and reaches top speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h). The original roller coaster at Six Flags Great America was partially devised by the park's general manager Jim Wintrode. Batman: The Ride was the world's first inverted roller coaster when it opened in 1992, and has since been awarded Coaster Landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. Clones of the ride exist at amusement parks around the world.
The Riddler's Revenge is a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4, 1998, setting multiple world records among stand-up coasters. Originally located in the Movie District section of the park, which later became Metropolis in 2017, The Riddler's Revenge was also the park's single biggest investment at a cost of $14 million. It features a height of 156 feet (48 m), a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), six inversions, and a track length of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).
A fourth-dimension roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster whereby riders are rotated independently of the orientation of the track, generally about a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the track. The carts do not necessarily need to be fixed to an angle.
The Flash: Vertical Velocity is an inverted steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. The roller coaster is themed to the DC Comics character, The Flash. Originally named Vertical Velocity, the ride received a re-theme in 2022.
The Jester is a steel roller coaster located at the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans amusement park in New Orleans. Built and designed by Vekoma, the ride originally opened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 1996 as The Joker's Revenge. After its closure in 2001, the coaster was sent to Six Flags New Orleans where it became The Jester. The ride opened to the public at Six Flags New Orleans on April 13, 2003. Following the devastation to the amusement park in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, the roller coaster ceased operation following the park's closure but remains standing.
Premier Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in the United States. The company was the first to use Linear Induction Motors (LIMs) on their roller coasters. Jim Seay has been the sole owner and company president since 1996.
Goliath is an inverted roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel and Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, Goliath initially opened in 1995 at an amusement park in Japan, and has been operating at Six Flags Fiesta Texas since 2008. It stands at a height of 105 feet (32 m), reaches a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h), and features multiple inversions.
Amusement rides and stunt shows themed to the Batman franchise its derivative elements are commonly found at Warner Bros. and Six Flags amusement parks across the world.
Mr. Freeze is a launched shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, with another installation known as Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. The steel coasters feature a linear induction motor (LIM) launch system that accelerate riders from 0–70 mph (0–113 km/h) in 3.8 seconds. The two installations are mirror images of one another and are themed to the famous Batman villain Mr. Freeze. Originally, they were themed after the 1997 film Batman & Robin prior to a conversion in 2012 to operate backward. The Over Texas version returned to forward operation in 2022. In July 2023 the Over Texas version started operating with one train launching backward and one train launching forward to offer different experiences.
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters. Established in 2001, the company was founded by Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon. The company has built over 20 roller coasters. In 2023, amusement ride manufacturer Larson International merged with Rocky Mountain Construction.
Alan Schilke is an American engineer and roller coaster designer based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. He first made his mark on the industry by designing the 4th Dimension roller coaster, X2, while working with Arrow Dynamics. Schilke now works as a design engineer at Ride Centerline LLC and occasionally works with Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC).
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2015. These various lists are not exhaustive.
The Joker is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. The ride opened on May 29, 2016, as a rebuild of former wooden roller coaster Roar, adding a new steel track on top of Roar's wooden support structure. This hybrid configuration was implemented by Rocky Mountain Construction and is themed to the Joker, a comic book character villain featured in DC Comics publications. The original Roar roller coaster was constructed by Great Coasters International and opened in 1999.
References
Notes
↑ Locations will only include attractions located within DC Universe, and will not include other locations if the same attraction is located at a different park under a different themed area.
↑ The same restaurant can be found at Six Flags America as well, but the restaurant is not located in a DC Universe area, and is instead located in a Gotham City area.[56]
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