From Rhyging to Mangione: The Anti-Hero’s Reign

The deification of anti-heroes gained renewed momentum on December 4, when in the US, Luigi Mangione denied, deposed and defended the public’s decree.

Mangione is identified as the prime suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly using a gun with bullet shells engraved with the words 'deny,' 'depose' and 'defend,' just outside Thompson's Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024.

Mangione plunged social order into a state of moral relativism, cynicism and, well, irony. He has been tagged a rebellious anti-hero of the time, a figure who, maybe not intentionally, has woken many up; whether it be the working classes now hyper-aware of their frustrations with the system or the ruling class at the overwhelming discontent by their subalterns. 

An impassioned social media audience has been rallied against the exacting traditional media outlets, one arguing his heroism and the other this antipode. But I suppose anti-heroes are typically positioned in the grey area of morality. Anti-heroes often embody the popular trope of the “Everyman,” but inform an interpretation of living beyond good and evil. They represent the freedom to do what one wants, almost without the consequences that society beholds many of us to.

But anti-heroism is by no means a recent phenomenon, especially in the Jamaican context: the grey area of relativistic morality has been with me since my first watch of Perry Henzell’s film The Harder They Come (1972). The anti-heroic quality of “murderous-but-justified” is represented well by the badman figure Ivanhoe Martin (Rhyging), played by Jimmy Cliff and speaks to a revolutionary and rebellious figure that eventually becomes an anti-hero. 

Let’s get into it: Ivanhoe arrives in Kingston with a dream of becoming a reggae singer, but his aspirations are constantly hindered despite the various avenues he tries to utilize. He feels wronged by the world, he is soon depicted as a ‘badman’ in an almost supernatural sense. He turns to outlawry and crime as acts of defiance against a world that rejects him at nearly every turn in his efforts.

Luigi Mangione and Ivanhoe Martin, though separated by time, geography and context, embody the archetype of the anti-hero in strikingly similar ways. Let’s chat about Mangione’s modern rebellion and Ivanhoe’s outlawry in The Harder They Come, and how they both navigate the grey area between heroism and villainy almost identically. 

1) Badman, Back Pain, and the Battle for Belonging 

Both Ivanhoe Martin and Luigi Mangione are prime at allowing us to feel in connection to them, their stories and their actions. We empathize with anti-heroes because their actions often mirror what many of us have fantasized about in moments of intense frustration. 

Luigi represents the plight many feel with the healthcare sector. Though I, as a Jamaican, cannot directly relate to the American grievances, the global nature of online frustration allows me to understand the deep dissatisfaction with the industry's inefficiencies. The industry's inefficiencies are complex and permeate all levels, with concerns about expenses, decreased output, and unfavourable experiences.  Millions of people owe more than billions in medical debt, and medical inflation has been rising for decades. When it came to light that Mangione made the difficult decision to undergo spinal surgery last year for chronic back pain, social media support and understanding flooded in. As one X/Twitter user put it: “Finding out that Luigi Mangione was motivated by lower back pain, he redefines what it means to be relatable for me.”

Similarly, In The Harder They Come, we see a stratification that inhibits the advancement of darker-skinned and lower-class individuals in the country. The film emphasizes that the minority’s needs and voices are typically deprioritized by the dominant majority, and the emerging ‘badman’ figure is their voice. Ivan arrives in Kingston intending to improve his socio-economic status with music; however, his efforts are repeatedly thwarted and his attempts are met with such disregard that they almost mock his humanity, mirroring the deep-rooted injustices of a stratified society.

The shared theme here is the systemic frustration both Ivanhoe and Luigi represent—whether it’s the healthcare industry or the rigid class structure in Jamaica. They tug at our empathy, we see their struggles as reflections of our own.

2) Bullet Casings spell Rude Bwoy Glory

Now that they’ve tugged at our empathy to justify their immoral means, the ‘everyman’ needs to transform from a weak victim of their situation to a powerful agent of change. Additionally, they use the most anarchist—or, dare I say it, the most theatrical—approach. 

Luigi’s actions played out like a scene from a gritty, anarchistic thriller. He flirted with a worker, flashed a smile that would be his undoing, an unmasked smile which was caught on CCTV footage. Luigi then allegedly confronted UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunning him down with bullets encased in metal shells engraved with the words 'deny,' 'depose,' and 'defend.' After the brutal act, Luigi fled the scene, but not before his backpack was later found with a manifesto and… well, Monopoly money? Eventually, they found him in plain sight eating at a McDonald's. It felt almost like he was toying with the authorities. 

Ivanhoe played his own game with the authorities. He walked into a media house, ready for his moment in front of the camera. The iconic image captures a pivotal moment in The Harder They Come, where Ivan, a fugitive wanted by the police after a daring shootout, chooses not to hide but instead enters a local photography studio to have portraits taken. Ivan’s next move is to deliver these photos to local newspapers, mocking the police’s attempts to track him down. The words "I was here but I disappear" are scrawled across the walls of Kingston's urban streets—a bold proclamation of Ivan's defiance, taunting the authorities as their manhunt intensifies. In the next breath, he calls up radio stations to demand they play his song. 

Ivanhoe and Luigi operate by their own chaotic rules, using humour and theatrics to mock authority and fuel anarchy. Their joy-filled defiance—committing crimes and violence without remorse or consequence—turns their anarchistic actions into a form of rebellion. This makes them seem closer to heroes despite the havoc they wreak.

3) Raising Hell and the Righteous Rebel Shuffle 

After wreaking their havoc, with anti-heroes who ultimately take action for the sake of the greater good, they start representing a voice that catalyses a change in social discourse. Our anti-heroes, Luigi and Rhyging, show that the suffering he or she experiences is also the experience of the wider public. 

Luigi becomes an unlikely voice for those disillusioned by the healthcare system’s inequities, his actions transcending criminality to ignite a broader movement. As ABC News reports, “Protesters from all walks of life assembled outside the courthouse to show their support for the alleged killer. While their reasons for braving the 11-degree weather varied—including personal healthcare issues, concerns about inequality, and distrust of the media—they were seemingly united in their support for the 26-year-old whose alleged actions have ignited a nationwide conversation about healthcare.” 

Ironically, Luigi’s violent rebellion has not only sparked dialogue but also emboldened others to replicate his defiance. In one notable case, a Michigan company president was stabbed amidst the fallout of Luigi’s actions, suggesting that his theatrics have become both a rallying cry and a blueprint for dissent. Luigi has imparted such a feeling of displeasure with the status quo, which the community recognizes as similar or identical to their own status quo, that they are compelled to rebel to act. 

Similarly, The Harder They Come examines defiance through the character of Rhyging, whose rebellion against systemic oppression echoes Luigi’s dissent but unfolds within the specific context of Jamaica’s socio-political landscape. The release of the film The Harder They Come coincided with the election of Michael Manley’s PNP government, a pivotal moment in Jamaica’s post-independence history. Manley aimed to dismantle Jamaica’s reliance on foreign corporations and replace capitalism with a system rooted in democratic socialism. Emerging in the midst of these transformative events, The Harder They Come has been regarded by some critics and scholars as a groundbreaking work, offering representation to Kingston’s economically disadvantaged and socially marginalized. It’s been described as “a statement on the triumph of the people, and on their hope for the future.” The overwhelming support for the film was evident at its 5 June premiere, where over 6,000 people crowded into the Carib cinema, with another 3,000 gathered outside. 

Like Luigi, Rhyging’s story embodies a defiance that galvanizes those oppressed by systemic inequities.

Both figures, Ivanhoe and Luigi, recognize their personal struggles and attempt to confront the system through dramatic actions that expose its inherent unfairness, challenging the status quo. These anti-heroes are not isolated; they represent individuals within a larger, oppressed group, each struggling against the same hegemonic system.
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Editor’s thoughts: On January 7,  a series of wildfires raced across Los Angeles - news reports indicate 10 fatalities and dozens more injured. Social Media sites have flooded with images and memes of a mockingly canonized Saint Luigi, ‘Patron Saint of Healthcare Justice', after news reports indicated that in 2024, one of California’s largest insurance providers, State Farm, revoked the policies of hundreds of homeowners in the state, particularly the Pacific Palisades - where more than 15,00 acres of land have been engulfed in flames and over 1000 structures lost.