Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a high-profile Manhattan shooting, made his first court appearance on Thursday, facing charges of murder, stalking, and firearms offenses. While the arraignment was the focus of legal proceedings, it was Mangione’s viral photos with law enforcement that went viral on socail meida.
At a time when Twitterati were buzzing with excitement over the release of James Gunn’s new ‘Superman’ movie teaser trailer, photos of Luigi handcuffed while wearing an orange jumpsuit were posted online. It wasn’t long before DC fans began comparing his striking similarity to Henry Cavill’s Superman in ‘Man of Steel’ and also a scene of David Corenswet’s ‘Superman’.
“In retrospect, maybe it wasn’t the best optics to parade Luigi Mangione to his extradition on the same day that the Superman trailer came out…” read a tweet.
The case has struck a chord with the public, with Thompson’s murder seen by many as a grim symbol of growing frustrations with the profit-driven American health care model. On social media, Mangione has garnered a surprising level of attention, with some users fixating on his clean-cut looks and seemingly composed demeanour in photographs with police officers.
Tweets and memes comparing Mangione to the DC superhero flooded platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with captions such as “They escorting Luigi like he Superman bruh” and “Hmm. The whole #luigimanigone thing is giving very… #Superman in reality vibes tbh. Just a thought.”
Another said, “they are literally treating Luigi Mangione like superman.”
Another found the lines between fiction and reality blurring and said in a tweet, “This feels like a DC multiverse moment. Luigi Mangione x Superman”
The comparisons have added an unusual dimension to the case, with some social media users controversially framing Mangione as a vigilante figure. However, legal experts caution against glamorizing the accused in such a serious case, emphasizing the need to focus on justice for the victim.
Mangione remains in custody as the case proceeds, with prosecutors expected to push for a swift trial. Meanwhile, the public fascination with his appearance and the ongoing comparisons to fictional heroes highlight the often strange intersections of real-life crime and cultural narratives.
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