The identity of the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter has taken social media by storm, with memes and jokes focusing on the suspect’s Italian-sounding name.
Luigi Mangione, arrested earlier today at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, has become the subject of a viral internet phenomenon. Despite being born and raised in Maryland with ties to San Francisco and recently living in Honolulu, his name has inspired countless posts across platforms like Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter), drawing comparisons to the video game character Luigi from Super Mario Bros.
“Why would Luigi Mangione go to a McDonald’s when he could just make-a the pizza?” one user quipped.
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In a humorous twist, AI-generated images reimagined the Mario Bros. character as the alleged shooter, depicting a sequence where Luigi receives a medical bill stamped “DENIED,” stands over the body of a CEO holding a gun with a panicked expression, and is finally arrested at McDonald’s. The caption: “A tragedy in four parts.”
Other posts drew on Italian-American cultural references, featuring The Sopranos and stereotypical portrayals of Italians. One screenshot from The Sopranos showed Tony Soprano gesturing with the caption, “In this house, Luigi Mangione is a hero! End of story!” Another post depicted an Italian chef loading a gun with penne pasta, saying, “Mamma mia….”
Historical references weren’t far behind. Some users invoked infamous anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, writing, “Nice to see the Italian violent anarchist tradition revived.” Another quipped, “High-profile assassinations by Italians—it really is the Gilded Age all over again.”
A popular photo of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pinching her fingers in a quintessentially Italian gesture made its rounds, with users playfully tying it to the suspect. One user humorously noted, “Like a true Italian, Luigi Mangione’s fatal error as an assassin was giving himself away by stopping to flirt with the cashier at the cafe before going to work.”
While the memes and jokes continue to dominate the internet, the situation remains deeply serious. Authorities have described Mangione as a “strong person of interest” in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel.