 While in the planning stages , the ride was going to be named Velocetron and themed as The Man of Steel . The ride was announced on January 5 , 1996 as Superman : The Escape , breaking records as the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) , passing <unk> and Phantom 's Revenge at 82 miles per hour ( 132 km / h ) . The ride was designed by <unk> , a Swiss roller coaster firm . It was originally intended to open on June 1 , 1996 . However , due to a range of problems with the launch system , its opening was delayed . In late 1996 , there was a preview for season pass holders . After 10 months of testing and <unk> , the ride opened on March 15 , 1997 . After its opening , the media claimed Superman to be the fastest roller coaster in the world . However , since it was delayed , a similar roller coaster known as Tower of Terror , which also has a 100 @-@ mile @-@ per @-@ hour launch ( 160 km / h ) , had opened about a month earlier at Dreamworld in Australia . Superman therefore lost its claim as being the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) , although it was then tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world . However , the ride became the first roller coaster in the world to go over 400 ft , therefore becoming the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time . 
