Luigi Mangione’s perp walk photos drew comparisons to Superman and Jesus Christ after The New York Police Department (NYPD) released photos of the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter arriving in New York City following his extradition from Pennsylvania on Thursday.
Authorities may have intended to cast Mangione in a dangerous light via their heavily armed stroll (which included New York City Mayor Eric Adams) but instead made him look incredibly cool to Mangione’s fans.
Scenes from two Superman films have drawn the most comparisons, including the 2025 film by James Gunn.
Mangione arrives in New York
After fighting extradition to New York for 10 days, authorities transported Mangione on Thursday to the city where he allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He arrived by helicopter in southern Manhattan and was met by a crowd of officers as well as Mayor Adams. The mayor was charged with five federal corruption offenses in September.
Reporters were ready for Mangione as well, and they captured new photos and footage that TikTok users could feature in fancam videos admiring his jawline.
Luigi Mangione draws comparisons to Superman
One of the most widely spread of these photos resembles footage captured from the set of the upcoming James Gunn film Superman, set for release on July 11, 2025. In aerial images obtained by The Direct, Superman is flanked by armed soldiers with his hands cuffed in front of him.
There’s a similar scene in the 2013 film Man of Steel with a direct shot that looks eerily similar to Mangione’s perp walk. Social media users have presented images of each arrested individual side by side, which is accelerating comparisons between the alleged shooter and the undeniably handsome Clark Kent.
…And Jesus Christ
Art historians have been digging up old paintings depicting the arrest of Jesus Christ by temple guards and possibly Roman soldiers before his crucifixion, and displaying them next to photos of Mangione’s perp walk.
Be warned, some of the “paintings” people are spreading around are AI-generated or altered to look more like the Mangione photos.
Mangione heads to Rikers
Granting another celebrity name to this saga, the state will be imprisoning Mangione at Rikers Island—a prison infamous for its violence and poor living conditions, and the institution where Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently residing on sex trafficking charges.
Maybe they’ll meet and become friends as the jail’s biggest celebrities. After all, Mangione’s attorney is married to Diddy’s in yet another weird twist to the developing story. In the unlikely scenario in which both are released, maybe the four of them can have dinner to celebrate.
Mangione’s perp walk gets the meme treatment
In addition to the comparisons, X users are taking the perp walk photos and making a new topical meme. The most common use is to declare what heinous crime you’d be arrested for that would necessitate this kind of armed response. If loving you was a crime, etc.
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