Six Flags Magic Mountain debuted the innovative new Justice League: Battle for Metropolis on July 11 with an event that would even impress Bruce Wayne. I first met Connie and Jerry from the Magic Mountain marketing team last summer at the Midsummer Scream Halloween Convention. They were incredibly gracious to extend an invitation to the grand opening to myself and the Knott’s Communications Team. I live and breath theme parks whether at work or at home on the weekends so being able to experience the latest cutting-edge dark ride was a dream come true.

The Six Flags team pulled out of the stops for the grand opening. A spectacular show themed to all of the Justice League heroes and villains included lasers, fog effects and fireworks. The highlight for me was the purple/green Joker section of the show, which even included “happy face” style fireworks matching the colors of the comic world’s most infamous villain.

During the event, I had the pleasure of meeting Sally Corporation CEO and theme park industry legend John Wood. We chatted for a bit about the ride’s development and about a few of the dozens of different dark rides his company has created at parks all over the world. John’s enthusiasm for the ride and admiration of the teams of people that worked on it was evident in every word. John was kind enough to help try to improve my lousy score by sharing an Easter egg with me. Look for a forklift in the first scene right after the villains appear and blast away to receive a significant number of bonus points. John and the team at Sally Corp. just celebrated the company’s 40th anniversary. Surviving 40 years in the theme park industry as a ride manufacturer is an incredible feat. Sally has managed to not only survive, but thrive with advancements that have delivered one of the most innovative dark rides in the world.