revenge will be mine...
phantom's revenge is a steel hypercoaster built originally as the steel phantom in 1991 by arrow dynamics. it opened as a record-breaking coaster with the fastest speed and the longest drop of any coaster in the world. this was during the heat of the "coaster wars" in the '80s and '90s, so those records were quickly beat by desperado at buffalo bill's. despite this, steel phantom was more than just a classic janky arrow looper. the first half of the ride - a twisting first drop that speeds into an even l o n g e r second drop down a ravine - impressed coaster lovers far and wide and cemented the coaster's legacy... but it would be short lived.
by the 2000s, steel phantom's back half had gotten very rough and complaints were high. riders would bash their heads on the over-the-shoulder restraints, and earrings would have to be removed to prevent a bloody mess. the park had decided that it was time to retire steel phantom at the end of the 2000 season, almost 10 years into its run. despite lowering ridership and complaints, the defenders came out in full force - how could you take down such a legendary coaster?
so it was decided. with the help of D.H. morgan (as arrow had long-since been defunct by then), phantom's revenge was born out of the ashes of its former self. the dazzling first two drops remained, but the second half was shaped into a series of bunny hills and turns that jostle you around as you weave through the structure of nearby woodie thunderbolt. the over-the-shoulder restraints were replaced with a pool-noodle-esque lapbar and seatbelt, letting you feel each and every pop of airtime. the coaster was wild and everyone loved it.
to this day, it's still topping lists as america's best coaster, most recently winning USA today's "united states best roller coaster" poll in 2025. 25 years after it was seemingly certain that this great coaster would reach it demise, phantom's revenge continues to thrill riders day in and day out.
the first rendering...
some people don't know that the coaster we see today is not the coaster that we were originally going to get in the redesign! there were a few elements that were removed, including a terrain tunnel through the thunderbolt and a double up into the second drop. these can be seen in the below renderings of the coaster from 2001.
kennywood was also able to dig up a copy of the original POV animation as well - fitted with the old theme song and soundbytes from the promo campaign back in the 2000s.
all in all, it's interesting as hell to see what they were originally aiming for. i'd say the version of this coaster we've ended up with is pretty close to this, minus the obvious and some different profiling on the bunny hops at the end.
an anecdote...
i hated coasters as a kid. they scared the crap out of me. i think i also just in general hated amusement parks because as a kid with cerebral palsy my legs would KILL ME by the end of the day. but, i still found myself drawn to phantom. i would watch the original promo video for it over and over again, taking in each curve and dip, watching the smiles of adults and kids alike whip past. "i can do that, too" i would think to myself. if they could, why not me?
cut to a summer's annual kennywood trip (my memories are hazy but i had to have been over the 48 inches height requirement, so i'd say i was 8-9 ish?) and i'm not sure where it came up, but my dad decided that today was the day i was going to ride the phantom's revenge for the first time. i. lost. it. he picked me up, screaming, crying, and took me through the entrance, past the attendant, and through the weaving queue. i remember a few people in front of us trying to calm me down as we waited - they were probably in high school or college - giving me a flurry of soothing words - "it's okay" "it's just a coaster" "it's so fun" - i was having none of it.
my dad agreed with me that if we got to the station and i really didn't want to ride, we wouldn't. and so by the time we got up to the front of the line... i chickened out. he stepped through the coaster car, took me out the exit, and that was that. but i got my first glimpse of the station. my first glimpse of the phantom looming over you as you walk towards your fate. the clickity-clack of that classic arrow chain lift. i didn't know it then, but i would be back.
years later i finally mustered up the courage to get on, and the rest is history.
