“Reddit’s Dark Knight”: Moral Inversion, Digital Populism, and the Aesthetic of Resistance

This article explores how Reddit users reimagined Luigi Mangione, accused of murder, as a digital folk hero. Analysing thousands of comments across Reddit threads, the study identifies how narratives of populist revenge, class-based grievance, and aestheticised protest emerged. The findings show how online communities reframed violence as morally justified retaliation against elite injustice. These dynamics illustrate how digital platforms facilitate the construction of alternative moral orders, challenging formal institutions of justice.