Within days of Luigi Mangione’s arrest on December 9, tattoos featuring his likeness have begun appearing online, with some individuals choosing to permanently ink his image on their bodies. Mangione, accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has garnered both infamy and unexpected support, with some supporters expressing their views through body art.
The violent nature of the crime has not deterred a vocal online group from adopting Mangione as a symbol of broader frustration with the U.S. healthcare system. His arrest has sparked intense debate, and in an ironic twist, his image has been embraced by some as a grim emblem of protest.
One such tattoo was shared by Toronto-based artist Glen Robertson, who posted an image of a tattoo he completed for a Canadian client. The piece features Mangione’s face, with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “defend” superimposed in front of it. These words reportedly appear on the bullets allegedly used to kill Thompson, a reference to the 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It. This nod to the book aligns with the anger many feel toward the U.S. insurance industry’s practices.
Another tattoo, shared on TikTok by a user from Edmonton, Canada, features the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” wrapped in bullets, along with a red rose, though it does not include Mangione’s image. The tattoo’s design, like others, alludes to the growing dissatisfaction with the healthcare system, particularly in the U.S.
Images of additional Mangione-inspired tattoos have surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), some showing the surveillance photos that led to his identification. In one instance, a tattooed individual included Mangione’s likeness inside a heart, along with the phrase “I [heart] my boyfriend.” It remains unclear whether these tattoos were done before or after Mangione’s arrest.
These tattoos have sparked controversy, reflecting a complex intersection of personal expression, public outrage, and social commentary on healthcare in America.
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