 Superman : Escape from Krypton ( originally known as Superman : The Escape ) is a steel <unk> roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia , California . When it opened in 1997 , it was the tallest roller coaster in the world , and its speed of 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) was tied for the fastest with Tower of Terror II , a similar roller coaster which opened two months earlier at Dreamworld in Australia . These two coasters were the first to utilize Linear <unk> Motor ( <unk> ) technology to propel vehicles to top speed . The park originally intended to open the ride in 1996 , but the opening was delayed because of several issues with the launch system . The ride was closed in late 2010 for refurbishment , and it emerged in 2011 as " Superman : Escape from Krypton " . The refurbished ride featured new trains which face backward , and it was painted with a new color scheme . As of 2013 , Superman : Escape from Krypton has the third @-@ tallest structure , the fifth @-@ fastest speed and the third @-@ longest drop in the world . 
