Why is Luigi Mangione being compared to both Superman and a Batman villain?

Luigi Mangione has cast a long shadow over the zeitgeist.

During the past two weeks, the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO/drunk driver Brian Thompson has been the subject of thirsty memes, YouTube video essays, and mindless column inches from legacy journalists parroting lines given to them by their corporate overlords about how murder is wrong unless there is a profit motive involved. Add in the endless parade of mug shots and countless posts vouching for his whereabouts on the morning of Dec.4, it has been impossible to miss the photogenic suspect.

In his most recent perp walk, Mangione was flanked by dozens of police officers, as well as career criminal and attention seeker extraordinaire, NYC mayor Eric Adams. For reference, domestic terrorists like Timothy McVeigh and Dylann Roof were usually surrounded by between 3 and 7 officers. McVeigh’s bomb killed 168, and Roof murdered 9 innocent African American church-goers.

On the one hand, this is yet another example showing the two-tiered justice system in this country. When you are wealthy, you can commit dozens of crimes that include stealing from charities and aiding and abetting child sex trafficking and still end up the president, whereas the poor have to wait months to have rape kits tested. On the other hand, it was a great opportunity for the internet to do its thing and compare the suspect to a number of D.C characters, including all-American hero Superman.

Others chose to liken Mangione’s perp walk to something from D.C’s other famous series, Batman (don’t worry, Marvel fans, we’re sure Kevin Feige is making a relevant Spiderman meme somewhere).

Many believe that this very public show of force is a blatant attempt to intimidate Americans who are angry with the state of healthcare and wealth inequality into not fighting back. However, it seems to be having the opposite effect, galvanizing anti-establishment rhetoric while also uniting left and right in a way that the most recent election made seem impossible.

Thompson may have been victimized, but the CEO (whose ghastly tenure of UHC saw America’s largest healthcare provider deny around a third of claims) could be said to be responsible for thousands of deaths. After all, if executives are getting the plaudits for rising profits (UHC earned $281 billion in 2023, with Thompson earning a package of $10.2 million), they should take some responsibility for the negative outcomes of policies they oversee.

Thompson’s murder was one of over 300 in New York City this year, but the amount of resources pooled into catching his killer has shown that law enforcement are serious about making sure the rich don’t feel victimized. This theory is backed up by the fact that Mangioni is facing terrorism charges and possibly the death penalty. For context, Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people and wounded 17 others during the Parkland shooting, did not receive the death penalty.

As it stands, the executive class and their lapdogs in the media and law enforcement are discovering that no amount of spin or fear can undo the anger everyday Americans feel at healthcare inequality. In time some canny Republicans may be able to shift the anger onto immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or some other scapegoat, but for now Mangione’s folk hero reputation remains untouchable.