How Luigi Mangione, an accused killer, became a folk hero online after New York shooting

To understand why Luigi Mangione, the American accused of gunning down a healthcare executive, has become an online folk hero you have to first understand the state of the profit-driven US healthcare system.

You also have to appreciate the extent to which Hollywood heroes, from Robin Hood to John Wick, have primed the world to love a good-looking rebel who kills bad guys in the name of the greater good.

You might even want to look up the meaning of the word hybristophilia to wrap your head around the idea that killers can be romanticised — if they are handsome enough.

But first: the story so far.

UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was shot and killed on a New York street last week. In a moment captured by CCTV, a masked man in a hoodie shot Mr Thompson several times before escaping on an electric bike.

Police later released several photos of a suspect, including one in which he was grinning — reportedly while flirting with a hostel worker who asked him to remove his mask.

That photo, coupled with a political message found on the shell casings by Mr Thompson’s body suggesting the killer was motivated by anger over corporatised healthcare, was enough for many on social media to anoint the anonymous suspect a modern day Robin Hood.

Writer Morgan M Page wrote on X: “It’s so fun to have a true, genuine folk hero emerge in 2024. A mysterious stranger whose action represents the frustrations, hopes, and dreams of the people. I hope we never learn anything more about him.”

Another wrote: “All jokes aside it’s really f.cked up to see so many people on here celebrating murder. No one here is the judge of who deserves to live or die. That’s the job of the AI algorithm the insurance company designed to maximise profits on your health.”

That was an apparent reference to a class action against UnitedHealthcare claiming it has been using an artificial intelligence program with a 90 per cent failure rate to reject claims.

In New York, a shooter lookalike contest was held, with contestants donning hooded jackets and face masks.

“People do not feel great about the current state of things in our world,” the winner told the New York Post.

Another contestant had a sign that read “deny, defend, depose”: the three words reportedly inscribed on shell casings left at the scene. The words echo the “delay, deny, defend” phrase used by critics to describe the tactics healthcare companies use to avoid paying claims.

This week Mr Mangione, a 26-year-old from a wealthy Baltimore family, was arrested and charged with gun offences and Mr Thompson’s murder.

Mr Mangione’s arrest has only inflamed the ardour of his fans, while perplexing those who see nothing noble in the allegedly cold-blooded murder of a middle-aged father who was on his way to a work event.

The McDonalds in Pennsylvania where Mr Mangione was recognised was flooded with negative online reviews complaining about the “rats” in the kitchen.

Mangione-themed merchandise is already being sold on Etsy, including hoodies with his likeness and the hashtag #FreeLuigi.

Mr Mangione’s lawyer, who said his client planned to plead not guilty, revealed he had been contacted by strangers offering to cover his legal bills.

Part of what has driven Mr Mangione’s popularity is down to his conventional good looks.

As one X user posted: “new workout goal is to have a body where after I commit a crime, the media posts my shirtless pics and everyone’s like WOW.”

Joked another: “He’s hot as sh.t you must acquit.”

The computer engineer’s digital footprint includes a four-star review of the manifesto of Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, and a mish-mash of left-wing and right-wing political views.

But the bigger story is about what Mr Mangione represents to some: the unfairness of a healthcare system perceived to prioritise profits over patients.

Various allegations circulated about Mr Mangione include that he has suffered from serious back pain in recent years, suggesting his experience with the healthcare system could have radicalised him. There have also been unverified reports that his mother suffered years of pain after a diagnosis of neuropathy.

Investigators have reportedly said that the three-page document found on Mr Mangione when he was arrested suggested “ill will” towards corporate America.

“A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy,” the document was reported by US media as saying. “(Healthcare companies) have simply gotten too powerful and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allwed (sic) them to get away with it.”

It is the perceived righteousness of Mr Mangione’s cause that has made him such a rallying point for particularly Americans who have their own bad experiences with healthcare.

Comparisons to Batman villain The Joker, specifically as portrayed in the 2019 film by Joaquin Phoenix as a mentally ill victim of corporate America who inspired a violent revolution against the super rich, have been made.

“Think about it, a man seeks vengeance on the system that has oppressed society … the parallels between Luigi Maglione and the Joker are right there,” posted one user on social media.

Mr Mangione is not the first alleged criminal to be glorified or lusted after.

Ten years ago the mug shot of since-convicted felon and model Jeremy Ray Meeks went viral and saw him dubbed “the hot felon”.

There’s even a name for it: hybristophilia, which means a sexual interest in those who have committed crimes.

Netflix recently suggested that viewers who found serial killer Ted Bundy attractive in its documentary series, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, should look elsewhere.

“I’ve seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy’s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally THOUSANDS of hot men on the service — almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers,” Netflix’s official X account tweeted.

And Penn Badgley, star of the TV hit You, in which he plays a handsome serial killer, has repeatedly called out fans for their inappropriate and “weird” lustful response to his character.

“Now, to be fair, with our show, you’re meant to fall in love with him,” he said. “That’s on us. Ted Bundy? That’s on you.”