JACKSON - Watch out Batman and Superman, an iconic supervillain is about to crash your party at Six Flags Great Adventure.
In September, the theme park announced that in 2016 it would unveil its 14th coaster, a 4-D, free-fly coaster that will lift riders straight up a 12-story, 90-degree hill before flipping them head-over-heels at least six times along a weightless journey.
The ride was expected to be called Total Mayhem until park officials announced on Wednesday morning that it would be renamed after the DC Comics supervillain The Joker.
"The Joker is undeniably one of the greatest DC Comics Super-Villains ever created. Only someone with his warped sense of humor could provide this level of insanity - or spinsanity - with a new, vertical coaster that delivers gravity-defying somersaults with utter unpredictability," Six Flags Great Adventure President John Fitzgerald said in a release. "It is the perfect addition to our dynamic line-up of award-winning roller coasters because this ride delivers total mayhem with its next-generation, cutting-edge thrills."
Riders on the new coaster will be strapped into churning "wing seats" with no track above or below them as they experience leaps and dives along a horizontal plane, as well as unexpected drops as they tumble from one level to the next.
The Joker's design features include:
- Massive, imposing, floating and twisting I-box track frame in a unique two-tone design.
- One-of-a-kind onboard magnetic technology featuring smooth head-over-heels free-fly flips providing guests the feeling of weightlessness as they soar outside the confines of a traditional track.
- 4-D wing vehicles that seat up to 8 per vehicle with a total of 5 vehicles.
- Face-off seats that allow riders to face each other as they tumble head over heels.
- A 120-foot-tall, 90-degree hill that is ascended by an elevator-style, chain link lift
- Two beyond 90-degree "raven" drops giving the sensation of free-falling.
The coaster is expected to open in the Spring of 2016.
The Joker follows a looping coaster named "El Diablo" - inspired by the Jersey Devil - that was unveiled as the theme park's 13th coaster in May. And last summer, theme park guests also had the opportunity to experience Batman: The Ride in reverse.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.