Defunctland, a popular YouTube series that looks at the history of defunct or forgotten amusement park attractions, set their sights on the “Green Lantern: First Flight roller coaster in their latest video, describing it as Six Flags‘s worst roller coaster and comparing it to the disappointing Green Lantern movie that came out around the same time as the ride. The story is a bit tragic, since like Green Lantern‘s script, the initial version of the ride was something that fans could get behind — and then somebody at corporate got involved and things went the wrong way, in a spectacular and memorable fashion.
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The video also provides fans with some history on the technology behind the coaster, and the rationale behind the changes. Which, to be fair, is more than fans ever got for what happened with the movie.
You can check it out above.
Per the Six Flags Wiki, Green Lantern: First Flight was a “fourth dimension” steel roller coaster located in DC Universe at Six Flags Magic Mountain, based on character of Green Lantern. The ride opened to the public on July 1, 2011 along with the DC Universe area of the park, and was manufactured by Intamin. It closed in 2017, and eventually was removed during the 2019 season. The coaster will be rebranded as Vipère after it is relocated to LaRonde in Montreal — which was to happen this year, but the park closure due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has delayed that move.
After going up a lift, riders zig zagged along a 825-foot track at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. Riders flipped head over heels several times throughout the ride in a somewhat uncontrolled manner. The project launched with generally positive responses from the earliest fans, but shortly thereafter some tweaks made by the park made it a harsher, less comfortable experience and while it (like basically any thrill ride) had some fans, it was generally not well-liked. It launched alongside other DC-themed attractions like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth and The Flash’s Speed Force. Those, as well as Batman: The Ride, which opened in 1994 and served as the basis for the DC Universe section of the Park, are still active now.
Created by Kevin Perjurer, Defunctland is described on its Patreon as “a video series published on YouTube that documents the history of extinct amusement park attractions. It is also a virtual reality preservation project that is in the early stages of development.”
