The Internet’s obsession with someone signals a major shift
Luigi Mangione: The online fanfic of a convicted murderer and the birth of an internet fanfic: a personal journey through the unknown
WIRED found that there were over 100 different listings with Mangione’s name or image. These include a tote bag with a picture of the alleged shooter on it, and PDF copies of a mocked up cover of Time magazine with Mangione as Person of the Year and the slogan “Healthcare revolutionary, leading the charge to transform”.
Some people use the phrase “Free Luigi” on their shirts and hoodies while others do not, and there are a lot of different styles being sold on different websites.
A lot of the goods are being sold on print-on-demand websites, which give anyone the power to design and sell products. On My Porch Print’s website, there is a mug with the phrase “I love my boyfriend” written on it and a picture of a topless Mangione. A number of merchants selling prints on demand are selling a character from the video games holding a gun and wearing a green hoodie. One of the sweatshirts available on several online stores has a picture of Mangione with love hearts.
The internets main character, Luigi Mangione, probably isn’t who you think he is. Main characters are like that. As soon as someone achieves main character status, they become the screen onto which the world’s opinions and preconceptions get projected. Mangione is believed to be involved in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Within hours of Mangione being charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, online stores flooded with merchandise praising the alleged shooter and featuring phrases like, “In this house, Luigi Mangione is.” End of story.”
On TikTok, people performed songs dedicated to whoever the shooter was. On Bluesky, they marveled over his ebike escape and the backpack found in Central Park full of Monopoly money that allegedly belonged to him. The contest took place in New York City. On Spotify, there were dedicated channels. Archive of Our Own was where fanfic sprung up.
Online, fans exist for almost everything and everyone. Following the shooting death of Brian Thompson, a fandom emerged around his suspected killer that seemed unifying in a way few others have been. Anyone who had ever struggled with a hospital bill could understand his transformation.
Alex Goldenberg, the senior adviser of the National Center for Retarded Indians, told The New York Times that mass shooters and other perpetrators of violence often become meme. It was like Thompson’s death signaled the beginning of a class war.
