Um, Luigi Mangione’s choice of X banner Pokémon might be way deeper than we realized

The internet has become, at this point, a relentless meme machine rallying behind Luigi Mangione, the world’s most popular CEO hater and anti-capitalist. Dubbed “the Gen Z killer” by some, Mangione might just be the most popular — and bizarrely supported — accused killer of the moment.

What makes this social media spectacle even more absurd is the digital footprint Mangione has left behind, fueling a whirlwind of new theories following his arrest on the charge of the murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare. It turns out that being an accused Gen Z gunman also means embodying the essence of a modern technological mogul, complete with an impeccable online presence.

From X to Goodreads and even LinkedIn, Mangione’s entire life is laid bare for the public to dissect. In fact, internet sleuths with their proverbial tinfoil hats have now unearthed a bizarre theory: the man who was charged with gunning down Brian Thompson might have his own version of an angel number trailing him.

Luigi Mangione’s arrest might have been premeditated by the gunman himself

It all started when X user @foxygrandpa_ noticed that Mangione’s banner on X featured none other than Pokémon’s Breloom, whose Pokédex number is 286. If you’re thinking, “Okay…and?” we’d have been right there with you — until a specific X thread connected this seemingly random choice to a web of uncanny coincidences.

According to the X user, Breloom’s Pokédex number, when placed in a Christian context, aligns with Proverbs 28:6: “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” The connection feels oddly fitting, given that Mangione is being lauded on social media as a modern-day Robin Hood — someone who stuck to his principles and challenged the upper class, represented here by Brian Thompson.

However, that’s not the only conspiracy theory linking Mangione to the number 286. User @DiamondEyesFox has compiled a thread detailing all the connections they’ve uncovered between Mangione and this enigmatic number. Highlights include: His cousin, Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, whose follower count on X is 286, the Denial Code 286 — a code used when the appeal time limits for a claim have not been met — and the initial belief that Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s 286 miles away from the New York murder scene in Altoona, Pennsylvania. However, community notes on the posts have debunked this mileage, stating it is actually around 279 miles.

But that’s not all. In their thread, the user also points out that National Insurance Awareness Day falls on June 28th aka 28/6. Additionally, the last three digits of Mangione’s home address in Maryland are, coincidentally, 286. As if that weren’t enough, if Mangione had purchased only a black coffee at the McDonald’s where he was found, the total would have come to exactly $2.86. Wild, right?

Of course, conspiracy theories are often built on strings of coincidences — this much we know. What ties this theory together, however, is a chilling video found on a YouTube channel allegedly linked to Mangione. At the end of a cryptic, 60-second clip, the words “All is scheduled, be patient” appear on the screen. Since Mangione’s arrest, the video and the associated account have been deleted.

This discovery has only added to Mangione’s mystique. Known for his academic brilliance, Mangione attended elite schools throughout his life, graduating as valedictorian from a private high school in Baltimore. He went on to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Pennsylvania on top of being the co-founder of a game development club.

Whether his choice of McDonald’s was a calculated move or a coincidence, we cannot say. After all, Mangione is undeniably intelligent, but perhaps the rest of these links are simply happenstance — or maybe we’re all giving him a little too much credit. Regardless, we have to hand it to the internet sleuths — this theory is undeniably interesting.