Medusa
Medusa is a floorless steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and the former Bizarro roller coaster.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Medusa is a floorless steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened on April 2, 1999, as the world's first floorless roller coaster. The ride was developed as part of a major expansion at the park and was one of three coasters included in a $42 million expansion announced in January 1999. The attraction's original identity was Medusa. Its design uses floorless trains, allowing the floor beneath riders to retract during loading and exposing the riders' feet when the train leaves the station. The coaster rises approximately 142 feet, drops 132 feet at an angle of about 55 degrees, and reaches a reported top speed of 61 miles per hour. Its approximately 3,985-foot layout includes a vertical loop, diving loop, zero-gravity roll, cobra roll, helix, and interlocking corkscrews. In 2009, Six Flags redesigned the attraction for the 2009 operating season and renamed it Bizarro, after the Superman villain. The underlying track layout was not changed, but the ride received a new visual and thematic treatment. The track was repainted blue with dark purple supports, and the attraction gained effects including rings modeled on Bizarro's shield, fire effects, themed trains, and onboard audio. Six Flags also used an alternate-reality game as part of the relaunch marketing campaign. The onboard audio equipment was later removed during the 2013 season, restoring the trains' original seating capacity. Six Flags announced in March 2022 that the attraction would return to its Medusa identity. The ride reopened in July 2022 after receiving another repaint, this time with green track and orange supports. The rebranding restored the coaster's original name while retaining the fundamental Bolliger & Mabillard floorless-coaster design. Medusa remains an operating attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure. It is distinct from the similarly named Medusa floorless coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California.
History
Medusa was created for Six Flags Great Adventure's late-1990s expansion program. In January 1999, the park announced a $42 million expansion that included three new roller coasters. Medusa was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and introduced a then-novel ride format: a floorless steel coaster whose trains leave the station with the passenger area exposed below the riders' feet. The attraction officially opened on April 2, 1999, becoming the world's first floorless roller coaster. The original attraction used a lime-green track with purple supports. Its layout was designed as a long, inversion-heavy circuit. After climbing a lift hill of approximately 142 feet, trains descend a 132-foot first drop and reach about 61 miles per hour. The course then directs riders through a vertical loop, diving loop, zero-gravity roll, cobra roll, mid-course brake run, helix, and two interlocking corkscrews before returning to the station. The track is approximately 3,985 feet long. On October 23, 2008, Six Flags announced that Medusa would be redesigned for the following operating season. The redesign did not alter the physical track layout. Instead, Six Flags converted the attraction into Bizarro, a theme based on the Superman villain. Details were formally announced on April 1, 2009, and the rethemed ride opened on May 23, 2009, during Memorial Day weekend. The transformation included a blue track, dark purple supports, Bizarro-themed visual elements, rings based on the character's shield, fire effects, themed trains, and onboard audio. Six Flags also promoted the relaunch with an alternate-reality game. During the early Bizarro period, the middle two seats in the last row of each train were removed to make room for audio-related computer and power equipment. This reduced capacity from 32 to 30 riders per train. Each seat was equipped with speakers that played a montage of movie quotations during the ride. The audio system and computer modules were removed for the 2013 season, restoring the trains' 32-seat configuration. A proposal to transfer the equipment to Six Flags America's Apocalypse coaster was reported but did not come to fruition. On March 2, 2022, Six Flags announced that Bizarro would be renamed Medusa, reversing the 2009 identity change. The ride reopened in July 2022 after its track was repainted green and its supports orange. The return to Medusa restored the attraction's original name while preserving its status as a major floorless coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It should not be confused with Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, another floorless coaster with the same name.
- 2022
Original Medusa identity restored
[1]Six Flags announced the return of the Medusa name, and the ride reopened in July with a green-and-orange color scheme.
- 2013
Onboard audio removed
[1]The audio system and related equipment were removed, returning the trains to their original capacity.
- 2009
Attraction reopens as Bizarro
[1]The ride reopened on May 23 with Superman-related theming, new effects, a repaint, and onboard audio.
- 2008
Bizarro redesign announced
[1]Six Flags announced plans to retheme and redesign Medusa for the 2009 operating season.
- 1999
Original Medusa opens
[1]Medusa opened at Six Flags Great Adventure on April 2 as the world's first floorless roller coaster.
Products and positioning
A landmark high-intensity amusement attraction positioned around its pioneering floorless-coaster format, substantial inversion layout, and periodic comic-book-themed rebranding.
Floorless steel roller coaster · 1999
Medusa
The primary attraction is a Bolliger & Mabillard floorless steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. Its approximately 3,985-foot course includes a 142-foot lift hill, a 132-foot first drop, a 61-mile-per-hour top speed, and several inversions, including a vertical loop, diving loop, zero-gravity roll, cobra roll, and interlocking corkscrews. The attraction operates with three steel-and-fiberglass trains, each consisting of eight cars with four seats in a single row.
Rethemed roller coaster identity · 2009
Bizarro
Bizarro was the 2009–2022 identity of the same physical roller coaster. Six Flags retained the Medusa track layout but added a Superman-villain theme, blue track, dark purple supports, shield-shaped rings, fire effects, themed trains, and onboard audio. The attraction later returned to the Medusa name in 2022.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Bizarro alternate-reality game
United States
Six Flags used an alternate-reality game to promote the conversion of Medusa into the Bizarro-themed attraction.
Outcome. The campaign supported the 2009 reopening and thematic relaunch.
Brand decisions
2022
Restore the Medusa brandStrategyBackground
After operating under the Bizarro identity for more than a decade, Six Flags announced a return to the attraction's original name.
Action taken
Six Flags renamed the ride Medusa, repainted the track green and the supports orange, and reopened the attraction in July.
Aftermath
The coaster resumed operation under its original identity at Six Flags Great Adventure.
2009
Retheme Medusa as BizarroGeneration changeBackground
Six Flags sought to refresh the attraction for the 2009 operating season without changing its existing track layout.
Action taken
The park renamed the ride Bizarro and added comic-book theming, special effects, a new paint scheme, themed trains, and onboard audio.
Aftermath
The attraction operated as Bizarro until its original Medusa identity was restored in 2022.
Recent events
- 2022
Bizarro returns to the Medusa name[1]
Product generation · Product launch · Campaign
Six Flags announced that Bizarro would be renamed Medusa again. The attraction reopened in July after receiving a green-and-orange repaint.
- 2013
Bizarro onboard audio equipment is removed[1]
Product generation
The coaster's onboard audio speakers and associated computer module were removed, returning the trains to their prior 32-rider capacity.
- 2009
Medusa reopens as Bizarro[1]
Product launch · Product generation · Campaign
The attraction reopened under the Bizarro name with new theming, special effects, a repaint, and onboard audio.
- 2008
Six Flags announces redesign of Medusa as Bizarro[1]
Product generation · Campaign
Six Flags announced that Medusa would be redesigned and rethemed for the 2009 operating season.
Sources1 sources
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