For dozens of years, Six Flags has leaned heavily on DC Comics to anchor its roller coaster lineups. On paper, it makes perfect sense, since they are paying millions to do so. These are all globally recognizable characters, built‑in storytelling, and an easy way to market rides without having to explain what they really are.
A name like any of these, tells us something instantly.
- Batman: The Ride
- This ride does not look like any Batmobile that I have ever seen.
- I have never seen Batman, randomly tumble and roll like some of these do.
- Superman: Ultimate Flight
- That is a terribly slow take-off up the lift hill, and the rest of the ride is also slow. None of that is what Super is or does.
- Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
- Nope, not a flying coaster in any way shape or form.
But there’s a problem with all that, and it’s one I’ve talked about before in my broader discussion of coaster confusion. Here are a few blogs to catch up on.
- https://www.lifecycle365.com/coaster-confusion/
- https://www.lifecycle365.com/cedar-point-gets-six-flagged/
- https://www.lifecycle365.com/an-amusement-park-with-cohesively-named-rides/
When multiple parks all use the same names for different ride models and from different manufactures, it ticks-me-off. Sometimes even those names stop being identifiers and start becoming just noise. “Superman” doesn’t mean a specific experience anymore, since four different ride types have owned that name. It could be one of several clones, or it could be a completely different layout depending on the park. The same goes for Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and everything in between.
The Ride Experience Should Dictate the Name
At this point, the names mentioned here aren’t helping myself or the standard general admission guest. It’s working against Six Flags so the question isn’t whether they should abandon DC theming entirely. In fact, I would argue the opposite.
What if the solution isn’t to remove DC… but to evolve how it’s used?
Instead of repeating the same names across the chain, every coaster should have its own identity. A name that reflects the layout and personality along with its place within the park.
All while still keeping the broader DC universe intact as a thematic backdrop. Because at its best, theming should do two things at once create immersion and storytelling along with provide clarity and distinction.
Right now, Six Flags gets the first part right, but consistently misses the second. This blog is my attempt to fix that through renaming a bunch of these rides as noted here in the table.
| Ride Name | Park | Manufacturer | New Name |
| Batman: The Ride | Great America | B&M Invert | No change it was the 1st |
| Batman: The Ride | Great Adventure | B&M Invert | Osprey |
| Batman: The Ride | Magic Mountain | B&M Invert | Harrier |
| Batman: The Ride | St. Louis | B&M Invert | No longer a Six Flags |
| Batman: The Ride | Over Georgia | B&M Invert | Shrike |
| Batman: The Ride | Over Texas | B&M Invert | Strix |
| Batman: The Ride | Fiesta Texas | S&S Free Spin | Velox |
| Batman: The Ride | Discovery Kingdom | S&S Free Spin | Tyrant |
| Superman: The Ride | New England | Intamin Mega Coaster | No change it was the 1st |
| Superman: Ride of Steel | America | Intamin Mega Coaster | Defunct |
| Superman: Escape from Krypton | Magic Mountain | Intamin Mega Coaster | Defunct |
| Superman: Ultimate Flight | Great America | B&M Flyer | Blackbird |
| Superman: Ultimate Flight | Over Georgia | B&M Flyer | Concorde |
| Wonder Woman Flight of Courage | Magic Mountain | RMC Raptor | Claymore |
| The Flash: Vertical Velocity | Discovery Kingdom | Intamin Impulse Coaster | Sabre |
| The Flash: Vertical Velocity | Great America | Intamin Impulse Coaster | No change it was the 1st |
| Aquaman: Power Wave | Over Texas | Mack Rides Power Splash | No change it was the 1st |
| Superman: Krypton Coaster | Fiesta Texas | B&M Floorless Coaster | No change it was the 1st |
| Flash: Vertical Velocity | Great Adventure | Vekoma Super Boomerang | Scimitar |
| Dark Knight | Great Adventure | Mack Rides Wild Mouse | Lancer |
| Dark Knight | Great America | Mack Rides Wild Mouse | Dagger |
| Dark Knight | México | Mack Rides Wild Mouse | Spear |
| Batman: The Dark Knight | New England | B&M Floorless Coaster | Katana |
| The Joker | Great Adventure) | S&S – Sansei 4D Free Spin | Falchion |
| Wonder Woman Golden Lasso | Fiesta Texas | RMC Raptor | Stiletto |
| The Joker | Discovery Kingdom | RMC I-box Hybrid | No change it was the 1st |
| Superman: Ultimate Flights | Discovery Kingdom | Premier Rides Sky Rocket II | Cutlass |
| Supergirl | México | Vekoma Boomerang | Recurve |
| Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast | Over Texas | Premier Rides LIM launch shuttle | Glacier Blast |
| Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast | St. Louis | Premier Rides LIM launch shuttle | No longer a Six Flags |
Aside: The St. Louis Situation
There is one outlier in all of this that actually solves the problem whether Six Flags wants it to or not. Six Flags St. Louis will not remain a Six Flags park going forward. With the transition to Enchanted Parks Mid‑America, the DC licensing that has defined rides like Batman: The Ride and Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast simply won’t carry over.
That means those names are going away and it is not optional, not philosophical, its contractual. In a strange way, this is exactly the scenario this entire discussion has been building toward. For that park, the question isn’t “Should we rename these rides?” It’s “What should they become once they have to stand on their own?” Without the DC umbrella, those coasters will no longer be able to lean on pre‑existing identity. They will need names that reflect the following.
- their ride experience
- their physical presence
- their role within the park’s lineup
Which is the same standard that should have been applied all along. So, while the St. Louis changes might seem like a loss on the surface, they are also an opportunity. A forced reset that eliminates the branding crutch and replaces it with something potentially stronger, original identity. Once the DC names are stripped away, what’s left is exactly what this blog has been arguing for from the beginning… rides that are defined by what they are, not just what they’re called.
Results of the Organizational Change
Former, Batman becomes…
- Cottonmouth
- Coyote
- American Badger
- Black Bear
Former, Mr. Freeze becomes…
- Reverse Blast (simple and exactly what it does)
- Polar Vortex
- Ice Storm
- Frostbite
Closing This Out!
At the end of the day, this isn’t really about DC Comics. It’s about identity:
- of the ride models,
- of the manufactures,
- of the park,
- of the chain,
- of the riders,
- and of the experience.
A great roller coaster name should do more than check a branding box, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to brand/theme over its lifetime. It should immediately tell you that which you are about to ride:
- is distinct,
- is it unique,
- is it tall,
- is it fast,
- is it forceful,
- is it graceful,
- and is it worth remembering?
It should separate one experience from all others, not blur them together under a shared label of gray areas. Because when everything is called Batman, Superman, or The Flash, nothing truly stands out.
By giving each coaster its own name, they solve multiple problems at once as follows.
- They eliminate coaster confusion across parks.
- They make each ride easier to remember and talk about.
- They allow the ride’s personality to actually come through.
- They create a lineup that feels curated, not duplicated.
At the same time, Six Flags will not lose what DC brings to the table. The world, the characters, and the atmosphere can still exist in the background, guiding the tone without dictating the name.
The result is something Six Flags has often struggled with:
- A cohesive park that still feels unique.
- Because the goal was never to remove theming.
- The goal was to make it work better.
And if done right, you end up with something stronger than before, with a lineup where every ride has a clear identity, every name means something, and every coaster earns the right to stand on its own.
No confusion. No duplicates. Just better branding, and better rides because of it.